Hello, FODD SNOB here. This past summer I had the chance to go to what I believe was the 1st. annual ITALIAN FEST on Taylor St. in Chicago. And it was FUN. Probably because I was with a lot of family members. While sitting at a table finishing my toasted raviloi from Tuscanys, and sipping a BIRRA PERONI, my nephew Brad mentioned to me that a food stand was selling SFOGLIATELLA. What is that you ask. It is a pastery that is true to my heart. It is popular in the Naples region of ITALY. It is triangular shaped with thin layers on the outside. It is stuffed with a lite custerd and candied fruit fillig. You would have to see it since I do not have a great way with words. I then rushed to the FERRARA booth and got me one of these pasteries that are so hard to find. I thought I was back in NAPOLI, it was the closest I had ever had. The only other place that I know sells SFOGLIATELA is Naples Bakery in Evergreen Park. They are good but they add a heavy cream stuffing which makes them to rich. FERRARA is the closest ti real NAPOLITAN. This bakery also serves a resonable lunch. Nothing fancy but good. Another thing that is hard to find was ARANCINA (stuffed rice balls). You can get that there served with marinara sauce. Not as good as my home made rice balls, which by the way took me about 7 times and 4 different recipes to perfect. But it is good. I also found out that this is the company that makes LEMON HEADS, a candy I grew up buying at the candy store, and sneaking a couple in my mouth during school. read more

Fantastic cannoli! BUT when you go in, do NOT pass up on the bow tie pastries! Buy yourself at least 1/2 lb!

Honestly their baked goods are not very good. I would recommend the chocolate caramel cookie and a cannoli. but everything else is dry. I think the cannoli would be better with chocolate chips on the ends rather than nuts though. The food is actually pretty good. I highly recommend the tuscan? sandwich (red peppers, spinach, and chicken). The summer salad is also tasty. I should have asked for the dressing on the side because they put too much dressing on the salad for my taste. I did not like the pepper and artichoke pizze (aka pizza). They only have pizzas from 11-2 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. I bought into the exclusivity and thought this pizza will be delicious. Nope, I was wrong. The sauce had a really odd flavor (almost tasted sour) and it was covered in cheese (usually a good thing but that's not like an original Italian pizza). The red peppers were soggy and the artichokes did nothing for flavor. Overall the pizze tasted like a bad frozen pizza. As for the frozen food, the chicken pastini? was very salty. My grandparents could not finish it. The stuffed peppers took forever to warm up. I asked the owner how long to put it in the oven for. She said 30 minutes in 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Not even close, I had it in the oven for 1 hour and it was still cold in the middle. I eventually had to put it in the microwave to warm it up and then it was soggy. As for the taste, a bit flavorless. I have tried the frozen lasagna and that was worth the money. As for the service, I think the young girls work hard and are relatively friendly. The owner, however, is not friendly and she is constantly barking orders/ correcting her staff making for an uncomfortable environment. She takes your order or rings you up and you're on your way. She makes no effort to engage her customers. I only come here because I live very close. I would not suggest going out of your way for it, unless you want a cannoli. read more

i'm really really disappointed in this restaurant. i don't eat meat, so i ordered the soup (after asking to make sure the broth isn't meat-based and that it's not made with meat) and found a piece of meat in the soup. this was moments after the kitchen staff assured me it was completely vegetarian. after months, i gave it another try-- again getting the soup but this time checking through the bowl and, again, finding a piece of meat. listen it's ok to not have vegetarian food but it's not ok to tell customers that you do and feed them meat :( read more

Since going here the first time I've discovered that they're a lot friendlier than I thought. The tiramisu is pretty nice (Cafe Artopolis is better), the biscotti are yummy, and I will always revisit for the cannoli. read more

I've only had the caprese sandwich, cannoli and the bow tie cookies but I dream about them at night they were so good. My husband goes frequently because it is close to his work and I'm extremely jealous. Would highly recommend! read more

We've been there for lunch 3 times this week! Joanne has the best suggestions and will help you decide. Everything we've had is awesome. Soups, salads, sandwiches, pizza. Bakery to die for! I never leave without buying my favorite Jordan Almonds! The real deal!!! Joanne is the best! Weekly lunch spot! read more

Best coffee ever. I got an iced vanilla latte and was able to watch them make it. Absolutely delicious! I am really excited to try more things. read more

I just stumbled into this place for lunch a few days ago and the only disappointing thing about it is that I never knew it was here!! Only a few blocks down from work too (UIC Med)!!! This is a truly unique Italian bakery that happens to also serve really good food. The display case looks like it's straight from Italy. The day that I went they had a special pumpkin soup on the menu for the holliday and it might be the BEST THING I EVER TASTED!!!!! My girlfriend had the shells and broccoli and I had to take a bite because I could smell the garlic ... Heavenly!! I also had to try a little piece of the cannoli cake (sweet tooth!!) and I loved it!! Can't wait to pick up a cannoli cake from here for Thanksgiving. Definately recomended ... probably comming back tomorrow! read more

Went in here on a recomendation to try a sandwich. Decided to get an italian beef and may have found my new favorite beef in the city. It was so good, that I'm going to have to go back, and make sure this wasn't just a fluke. Before I left, I had to get a slice of carrot cake, and some kind of chocolate cake. Neither dissapointed. I also grabbed a premade couple breasts of spinach stuffed chicken from their in store freezer. Heated it up in the oven and it was delicious. I can't wait to go back. read more

Pretty good Italian sub. OK minestrone soup. Really good cannoli. I would go back.

Came here on a Sunday afternoon and ordered five different pastries that the cashier said were all made fresh that day and everything tasted stale, not to mention the lemon cream tasted like it had gone bad. Will not be visiting again. read more

I will say the cannolis here are pretty good. I can't speak for anything else really because that's mostly what I've tried. I had a slice of pizza, and although it looked delicious it was the saltiest pizza I've ever had in my life. Could be a one time thing but I definitely won't be giving it another chance. I had the tiramisu, it was very tasty but mine was still a little frozen when I bit into it so I'm not sure what that was about. I had one other dessert which was basically cannoli cream in a different shell-a puff pastry type dough. It was also pretty good. All in all, I would probably stop by again for some cannolis but nothing else. read more

We have been using the Original Ferrerra bakery since I can remember. From the days when Serafina was behind the counter. We would sit on the stools and sample cookies while my daddy ordered our birthday cakes. Yesterday, I happily picked up a cake for my sister and brother-in-law's birthday. We always order the original cake with extra rum. Sadly, the cake was a huge disappointment and this is not the first time. Not only was there no extra rum but the cake itself was incredibly dry. The frosting tastes like it had been in the cooler for days. Which leads me to believe that it was one of their ready made cakes and not a fresh cake. It truly saddens me that quality and freshness falls by the wayside. Please step it up Original Ferrerra read more

This bakery is adorable. I've lived by it for years and would always go in for baked Italian goods and to grab some Lemonheads. I finally stopped in for lunch and it was quite good! The place was packed at noon. I ordered a soup and sandwich and it was reasonably priced and quite good! I will keep coming back for more cookies and another lunch! And you can't beat their cannolis! read more

Some genuine Italian treats to be found here. They make Italian pasties and cakes, and fabulous authentic tiramisu! Just had some and it was delicious. They also offer lunch and you can get prepared lasagna and other dishes to take home. read more

This is the best Bakery in Chicago. We ordered our Wedding cake 8 years ago from here. Cannoli and strawberry and custard- THE BEST!!!! My in-laws had ordered their cake 58 years ago. We enjoy the history our family shares with them on all the holidays! read more

I make excuses to zoom there to buy their italian cookies - their fig cookies make fig newtons look like cardboard. They always have the most delicious cannoli, they have qualisimale cookies all the time and they have the most delish iced lemon cookies. They have added soups and pastas - if they have it when you go - try their super dooper meat sauce on top of any pasta. Flavorful, reasonable, tasty. Last week I zoomed there to pick up a couple pounds of cookies for a thank you to my insurance guy. Very few folks travel 15 miles for a box of cookies but? Ferrara is worth it! I am handicapped and use a walker - I called them and asked if I could place an order and have them fill it and bring it out to me. They were very accommodating and helped me alot! This place just keeps getting better! read more

I have been eating here for the last 4 years and I decided I have to give this restaurant a five star review. They serve the best salads in the world. read more

Delicious food, good service, delightful atmosphere - it reminded me of being on the Amalfi Coast.

This review is not intended to sway anyone from doing business with this bakery, but is intended as a wake-up call for the ownership. I have been coming here for close to 20 years. Today I had to turn around and leave because the service was so completely abysmal and I couldn't wait any longer. I think this is the third time I've had to do so in the past year. I have seen others do the same. The people at the counter have absolutely no clue, or possibly just don't care about trying to move the line along when it gets busy. When it's slow you can easily wait 5+ minutes for anyone to even appear at the counter. When there are more than 3 people waiting in line to be dealt with they seem to just kind of shut down. Today there were two people behind the counter and about 5 ahead of me when I stopped in. One gal was completely focused on preparing an espresso drink the entire time I waited. The other was having a long happy chat with someone at the register. Nothing was moving at all. Neither one of them ever even looked around to see how many people were waiting to be served, and neither seemed to have the slightest concern for getting to the customers in a reasonable amount of time. It's like this more often than not. When this place goes out of business, I have no doubt they'll blame it on "the changing times/neighborhood, e-commerce, Costco, etc." but it will be completely their fault for not being service-minded. read more

I've been to this place a few times and what I always go back for is their cappuccinos and the sfogliatella. I get the cappuccinos made with whole milk (as one should always do). They're always really good and have the perfect amount of foam . The sfogliatella is sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. They have an excellent texture and a hint of orange zest, which gives them a unique taste. As for their cannolis, I don't find them particularly great. The shells are better than the cream, which always tastes a little off to me for some reason. Overall, Ferrara is a good place with an interesting history and is nicely located. Definitely worth going to. read more

I had lunch here yesterday and it was satisfying. I am not sure I think I was expecting a little more based on the reviews I read. I ordered the chicken tuscan, it was good but I felt like it was missing something. I also ordered the lentil soup, the soup was ok tastes burnt but evened out with the sandwich. Today I went in for some cake and a custard filled eclair and I was not impressed. The custard was not what I expected, it was bland and I felt like it had been sitting on display for a few day by the way it tasted. Overall, its ok , a lot better than fast food sandwiches. The lady on the phone was really nice though! read more

Try this place for lunch...it's terrific and it feels just like a quick trip to Italy. The menu changes frequently, and lunches come with a side salad and bread. We've tried the stuffed peppers, pizza, pasta and soups, and all were delicious. It's so affordable, and you can top off your lunch with a delicious Italian pastry or cookie. read more

Just judging from their chocolate truffle moose, I knew everything else has gotta be completely fantastic. And then I tried their pasta, and wow, fantastic!! read more

Whether you're there for the pastries or want a healthy salad, this place has both delicious options and more. Street parking is not a hassle and the customer service is great. What more could you ask for? read more

Cannolis are so good!! Tuscan chicken sandwich is amust have! Lemon roll, carrot cake and chocolate mousse were the best!!!!

I recently purchased a canoli cake to celebrate a birthday. It was delicious! It was fresh and moist. The canoli fill with fresh strawberries was excellent. The buttercream frosting was not too sweat. I will definitely purchase another cake for the next birthday celebration. read more

I went to Original Ferrara Bakery the other day for lunch and had the most amazing grilled chicken giardiniara and my friend had the giambotta and pumpkin soup. The pumpkin soup was so good, I took a large container home for my Christmas dinner. The food reminded me of my Italian grandmother's cooking and the service made me feel right at home. Not only was the food fantastic but the owner came to our table to make sure we were enjoying ourselves. I will definitely be back to the best Italian bakery in Chicago! read more

The tricolor cookies were supposed to be kind of cake-cookie but it simply didn't taste all that fresh. I've had a lot of tricolor cookies and this was def no where near the best. read more

Original Ferrara Bakery catered the cocktail hour and the sweet table for our daughter's wedding reception. O. M. G. everything was absolutely out of this world delicious! Nonni and her staff are wonderful and she made placing our order a breeze. They even delivered out to Oak Brook and everything arrived on time, fresh, and plated beautifully. We live in Orland Park and to be honest, there isn't a bakery in our area that makes authentic Italian bakery offerings like Ferrara. ( believe me, we have tried them all in our search ) Our daughter and her then fiancé don't like cake, so we didn't need a wedding cake, but we knew that the sweet table was going to have to be spectacular and we were not disappointed. Our daughter's absolute favorite item is the cannoli, which they made a separate box up just for her to take to the hotel after the reception. The cocktail hour sandwiches and pasta salad were a huge hit. The cookies and pastries for the sweet table had all of our guests going back for seconds and thirds! Everyone wanted to know which bakery we had used because it was just that good. We couldn't have been happier in our choices and we will be using their services every chance we get. read more

I've been coming here for years. The cookies are OK -- the amaretto cookies are good but the rest don't taste very fresh, just so-so. The tiramisu and cannoli are good, except for one time when the tiramisu was still a little frozen on the inside because they're flash-frozen. That was years ago though, and every other time it was perfect -- creamy and not too sweet. Good tiramisu is hard to find so whenever I'm in the area I stop by and get a slice or two. I had the pizza (a big slice for $6) but I didn't like it. You can peel off the layers of the crust -- the top layer will be fine but the rest will be dry and flavorless. I guess they're trying to make a "cracker-thin crust" style pizza. They used to have really good pizza a few years ago but they stopped making it. I'm sure the new kind sells well though. The eggplant parmesan was decent and reasonably priced. Very busy at lunch time -- you'll see some business people, construction workers, and people who work at the medical campus. Not a restaurant - it's more like an Italian pastry/cookies place that serves some food. But still a good place to have a small lunch (around $10). The service is quick and efficient -- you order at the counter, pay, and then they bring the food to you. The people who work there are friendly and know how to keep the line moving. When it gets busy, even the owner is taking orders and handling the register. Overall, good dessert (I like the desserts with custard/cream in them), OK cookies. I'll be back for the tiramisu or cannoli but I'll skip the pizza next time and get something else for lunch. read more

The place when I first entered recently. Was actually better than I expected. Lots of Italian cookies to choose from. Some other Italian pastries as well. The selection of beverages, take home foods, even Ferrara Pan candies are a real treat. read more

I love Ferrara and could eat just about anything in that establishment. For a midday lunch, we took home some stuffed peppers, profiteroles, cannolis, and cheesecake. Yea, healthy lunch! The stuffed peppers were very good, nicely soft green pepper, with fluffy rice, ground beef, and light red sauce. This was my favorite dish my mom used to make growing up. She made her peppers with a little bit more flavoring to it, but I still really liked Ferrara's. The cannolis were very good, but were made without the pistachios on the ends. I really like that little added touch, or chocolate chips like some places add in lieu of the nuts. Either way, they were still really tasty. The cheesecake was also good, homemade with a light graham cracker crust, good solid cheesecake with a hit of vanilla. Lastly, the profiteroles. Yucky. They were filled with a chocolate type substance, a sort of non-describable pudding / whipped cream / paste. It was gross. If you think you can't screw up a chocolate puff pastry, umm, I guess you can. I love profiteroles, a long john type pastry with chocolate sauce, not chocolate filling. Either way, their pastry cases are stuffed with lots of goodies, they have been around forever, the smells that permeate from the building are awesome, and I cannot wait to return and stuff my face again! read more

Awesome tiramasu and other desserts. Always stop by here before having guests over so that we have a tasty treat for dessert. They have awesome sandwiches too! read more

I can't believe this place only has 70 some reviews! It is one awesome place with some delicious Italian fare and pastries. Their tiramisu is by far the best and what I believe to be the most authentic I have ever found. A young man that was working the counter when I was there for one of the first times was a descendent of the original owners and said all thief recipes are old family recipes that are much older than the bakery itself. Recipes that were probably brought here by his clearly Italian heritage past. The cannolis were delectable as well as the red sauce I took home after finding out the recipe was most likely older than my grandparents. read more

The Italian food outside of Italy can hardly be called authentic at all. But Ferrara is amazing--I had tiramisu and chocolate flan last time, and it was just as I'd tasted in Europe. I feel lucky to live close to the bakery! read more

I have to say I have only had the cookies and they are my favorite thing to bring to parties or as a thank you gift. The sort bread with the chocolate Carmel and nuts are always the biggest hits. I like the cinnamon and powdery ones too. I need to try some food some time. I wish they were open later as I would love to go after work on the days I stay in the area for events at united center read more

Delicious cookies, wide variety. Cannoli is FANTASTIC. Signature sandwich hits the spot with fresh ingredients and great bread. Place is clean, lots of seating, friendly staff. Highly recommended! read more

I have gone here multiple times and I have no complaints! They have never messed up my order, and I mostly go during the lunch rush. I normally get the pasta dishes which is around $6. They give you a huge bowl of pasta with a side of bread and salad. You can't beat that price for good quality food. read more