What a gem! I usually rate solely based on the food, but this place already gets five stars just…read morefor its hospitality alone. The owner is the nicest, most genuine woman - a truly rare find these days. You're basically just going over to your friend's house to hang out and eat. Yes, the slow food movement can come with a cost - but you can sit there all day with the free secured WiFi, climate control, and electricity and no one will say boo. Plus, the place is absolutely SPOTLESS (good luck finding this standard of cleanliness literally anywhere). Off-menu offerings vary daily and they'll pretty much make anything you want if they have the ingredients (breakfast frittata, here I come). For this first visit, I tried the apricot cornetto and The Classico specialty drink (a mocha with bits of Ferrero Rocher). Both were very good and not overloaded with added sugars. I stayed for a while and later ordered the prosciutto, mozzarella, and pesto sandwich for lunch; it was also very tasty and made with some great bread (wherever they sourced it from).

CaffeClassico is what happens when Italy accidentally opens a café in Jersey and doesn't bother…read moreexplaining itself to anyone. Some of the pastries are literally imported from Italy, and the rest? Handmade by the baristas themselves like it's just a normal Tuesday. No hype, no speech, no "wait till you try this" they just slide you something life changing and move on with their day. The homemade pastries (like the one in the pic) are criminally good. Flaky, buttery, dusted with powdered sugar. One bite and you're mad this isn't closer to your house. This is NOT your "let me rearrange my croissant for Instagram" type of place. No neon signs, no latte art shaped like a swan having an identity crisis. And they don't need any of that. The coffee is legit, the imported pastries are elite, and the homemade stuff is on another level. Quality is doing all the talking here. I come here most mornings and the baristas are cool people, efficient, friendly, and not forcing small talk when you clearly haven't had caffeine yet (huge win). Only downside: the storefront blends in way too much with the other shops. This place deserves to stand out. Solution? Simple. Hang a big Italian flag outside. Problem solved. If you know, you know. And if you don't... more pastries for the rest of us

I visited Cookies N Cream recently with some friends. We ordered a pack of 6 cookies including…read moreLemon, Snickerdoodle, Crushed Reese's PB, Dubai Chocolate, Gooey Fudge Brownie, Macadamia Chocolate Chip, ($30). My favorite was the Crushed Reese's PB but the others were mediocre. The Dubai Chocolate Cookie had a very artificial chocolate flavor and we couldn't even finish it. I understand the prices are high since the cookies are very large and are labeled as homemade, however I was disappointed with the flavor and quality. Service was friendly and welcoming. The inside of the store is very clean. There are 2 booths with seating available for eating your cookies and/or ice cream. Parking is ample since this location is inside a strip mall. Lemon: 3/5 Snickerdoodle: 3/5 Crushed Reese's PB: 5/5 Dubai Chocolate: 1/5 Gooey Fudge Brownie: 3/5 Macadamia Chocolate Chip: 4/5

We stopped here for ice cream over the weekend. Very cute spot in town. We ordered a Dubai…read moremilkshake, cotton candy Dippin Dots, Chocolate Milkshake and Swirliez. There is ample seating inside and although we were full from our ice creams - the cookies looked incredible. All of our questions were answered and service was great! We will definitely be back!

Nice place i come too often for coffee Happy hour is good…read morewith margaritas and wings Good service and nice ambiance. I enjoy this place.

The Italian bakery has remained a mainstay among the Garden State institutions since the arrival of…read moreItalian immigrants in the early 20th century. They brought with them the best of mostly southern Italian and Sicilian pastries, cakes, and cookies. These delicacies all share a mixed past, some equally as French as they are Italian, and others showing Arabic-Sicilian influence. Many of the items continue to be made in the Italian tradition, while others have morphed into something uniquely Italian-American. Located off 46 East in Fairfield, this family-owned and operated establishment, founded in 1962, is one of our favorites for sweet desserts and Italian pastries. Upon arriving on this Christmas Day at Calandra's Italian and French Bakery, a steady stream of patrons entered its door to an interior space big and nicely designed, awaiting their turns on several available lines. On display in their numerous cases, there were cookies to cannolis, an assortment of cookies, pies, cakes, custom cakes, jarred sauces, and homemade pasta. I decided on a coconut custard pie, a pecan pie, and several pasteis de nata. Everything was so good and simply amazing, with a variety of freshly baked goods that cater to all tastes, especially the pasteis, just how the bakeries in Newark's Ironbound district make them. Will definitely be returning here for the next event.

Celebrated my mother in laws 70th birthday with family and surprised her with a tea party at…read more#defying.gravitea Such a cute place, very friendly staff and the best part-it's ALL GLUTEN FREE! We need more of these. The menu is full of all delicious goodies. The flat breads... omg. If you're in or around Pequannock, NJ - stop in and try for yourself. #charlestonfoodie #charlestonfoodandwine

Great interior and lots of fun menu options. The staff was friendly. The quality of coffee was…read moresubpar.

Cozy bakery with a nice mix of traditional and modernized Asian pastries. It's cash only unless…read moreyou spend at least $10. Overall, pastries were good and service was friendly, though I wasn't blown away with the taste (visually, they look too notch though!)

Small, clean bakery in the same shopping center as Shan Shan noodles. Interior has racks of…read moretraditional Asian style breads, cakes and pastries as well as some seating. Menu has an array of teas and assorted drinks. Service was very friendly and helpful. Since I was too full from eating at Shan Shan prior, just picked up 1 taro and 1 red bean bun. They were larger than the average Asian bakery bun. The interior was very dense, moist and full of rich filling. Both the red bean and taro were not too sweet and equally delicious. Will need to try other items next time.

Awesome new dessert place in willowbrook mall outside food court. Everything looks delicious & few…read morethings I got were awesome!! Baking done on premises for most of their goods. First time here and I give a A+++ everything hi & fresh. Selections of teas & coffees available as well. If in area, you have to try this out. Few photos of establishment & their fresh baked items.

Great place to eat at the mall!! Good food to eat at the mall food court? I didn't think this was…read morepossible before I went here. Meat and spinach filled pastries were delicious as well as amazing baklava for dessert. Great authentic Turkish coffee. I'm so glad I found this place

Riverdale, NJ - it's spring and almost summer which means it's time for ice cream!…read more Located just off the northbound side of route NJ-23, next to a car wash and a Shell gas station, Curly's is a family-owned ice cream shop (three generations an counting) that exudes old school nostalgia and vintage quaintness. I can picture Richie Cunningham, the Fonz and the gang roll up in a Chevy Bel Air after class, their friends working the counter. The ice cream is homemade, and in addition to the classic flavors, there are more interesting creations such as Aztec chocolate, banana Oreo, raspberry cheesecake, cannoli cream, coconut, maple walnut, and seasonal flavors such as apple pie, pumpkin, candy cane, etc. While the ice cream is creamy, the flavor is not as strong or distinctive as I like. It gets busy in the summer, and even in nice weather like an unusually warm last March weekend, the parking lot was filling up, to my surprise. It's not obvious from the front, but there are some picnic tables behind the ice cream shack for seating.

No line on this trip! Yay…read more Always nice young kids working. Ordered my usual chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone with rainbow sprinkles. Came out to $8.53 which honestly isn't that bad. Pretty big parking lot and on a warmer day it's usually packed. We took ours to go this time.

This place is special…read more My wife and I stopped by Guerriero Gelato in Caldwell after hearing great things, and it absolutely lived up to the hype--and then some. Not only did we get to enjoy some of the best gelato we've ever had, but we also had the chance to go behind the scenes and learn about the process. Watching everything made from scratch gave me a whole new appreciation for this craft. The flavors were phenomenal: Mango was juicy and bright Espresso Chip had that bold coffee kick with perfect texture Blueberry Basil was fresh and a little unexpected (in the best way) Coconut was creamy and clean Vanilla Chip (Stracciatella) had delicate chocolate ribbons in a velvety vanilla base--pure perfection The flavors were so delicious, we forgot to take pictures--but we did leave with 5 pints. One of them was Fat Elvis, which tastes like a frozen peanut butter Reese's in the best possible way. Also worth noting: the entire kitchen and shop were spotless. Everything was so clean and organized, it instantly made us trust the freshness and quality of every flavor even more. Mike and Breanna have built something beautiful here, and you can feel their heart in every detail. Also want to give a shoutout to Amanda, who helps bring the story of this place to life online--what you see on social media is truly real. If you're thinking about going--go. Guerriero Gelato isn't just dessert. It's devotion in a cup.

This is my local go to gelato spot when I am craving ice cream or gelato. They have a variety of…read moreflavors, some unique and some classic, but it's the right mix with options for every kind of flavor you want. They serve ice cream cakes as well. Their lines are usually long during weekend nights, but that just means it's a popular spot for the locals.