After reading many reviews for Villa Italia, I decided to call in an order for a tiramisu cake…read more Wowza, everything that I have heard about this historic family owned bakery is spot on! I cannot rave enough about the quaint establishment and how friendly and helpful they are. My tiramisu birthday cake order was amazing and they nailed it. It was beyond delicious and very nice looking as well. On this trip, I also went a little overboard with pastries as it is all so irresistible. No regrets and I will be back soon! Check out my pictures that I took. Honestly you have to stop in and taste for yourself!! !!

A friend turned us on to italian pastries from this shop. Took my son out to Albany to catch a…read moreflight and had time to kill before heading home and decided some pastries would be a nice little treat after a stressful day of flight cancellations and delays. The pastries did not disappoint as they were as good as the ones we had several months ago that my friend brought back. This is a quaint quintessential Italian bakery with cases filled with goodies. Staff were helpful and kind and provided some great recommendations.

Great ice cream in a bunch of flavors you don't ever see plus mini golf. What else do you need?read more

My husband and I love there soft serve Ice Cream. Can't wait to go back there next summer.read more

All was good. The creamed delicious. And yes please. Chicken and with stuffing, so tasty!read more

Went to the Blue Ribbon on a Saturday, late morning for brunch. It wasn't too busy and the food…read morecame out SO fast. There wasn't a single thing that we didn't enjoy. The ham wasn't too thick and had a lot of flavor. The hashbrowns were crispy and the eggs were cooked to my satisfaction. The staff were attentive and friendly. We will be back!

I order from here more often than I would like to admit and they're decent cookies but 9/10 times…read morethey get our order wrong.

If you are up at night and feel like going out and grabbing something sweet to eat, this is it!…read more Though they call themselves nocturnal, they are not open all the way till early am. Most of the locations close at ~1am. This is my 2nd vist there, the first visit they had jo cookies and they asked us to wait 20 mins as they had to bake it. I wasnt going to wait 20 mins, for a cookie!! This time around, they did have some.

The Grandstand is a Summer must. Food is delicious as is the ice cream. Tables with umbrellas and…read morea nice small playground for kids. They even have rest room !

Well, I must say that when I go here I go for the ice cream. I don't go for food itself, but they…read moredo serve food here. So if you do want something to eat before you have your ice cream or just to have something to eat this is a spot that you could try. I do know that their ice cream is absolutely amazing. I do love the fact that it's not flavor crystals, but it's actually creamy and delicious. They have a lot of different flavors and the service is quick so you may get there and see a line, but the line will move fairly quickly. I like the fact that they have a baseball practice area where you go into the gate and you can hit some balls for the cost, of course but Although I don't play, it's nice to watch others and see how they do because it's pretty neat. I've never gotten the concept of baseball lol. But they have little tables with umbrellas on them so you can sit and enjoy the time there with friends and family and they have a little playground That little kids can play on. Overall, it was a positive experience and if you're ever around it would be worth checking out. Thank you for listening.

Union Street in Schenectady, NY is honored to be home to this excellent bakery known for its French…read moremacarons. It also has blondies, brownies, and cupcakes with unique flavors like crème brûlée and bourbon. Bri Larsen, a pastry chef with a Culinary Arts degree from Schenectady County Community College is the creative owner. She offers options for custom cakes and macaron towers. The bakery also offers in-store pickup and online ordering. Specialties: --French Macarons: A wide variety of flavors, including gluten-free options. --Blondies & Brownies: Includes unique options like "the local blondie" with Saratoga Potato Chips. --Cupcakes: A selection of flavors like caramel, cotton candy, and confetti. --Cakes: Custom-order cakes in various sizes. I am not a Macaron lover, so I bought a key lime blondie, a lemon bar, a caramel drizzle cupcake, and a gluten free raspberry drizzle cupcake. I found the blondie to be rather flavorless, but the lemon bar made up for it by being exactly what I think of when it comes to a good lemon bar. Slightly tart, a nice crust, and just a touch of sweetness on top. The gluten free cupcake was enjoyed by my friend who said it was exceptional. The other cupcake is a treat for my husband. Overall, the beautiful variety of macaroons are the breadwinner for this bakery. Not many bakeries make or sell them. Service was great--welcoming, helpful, and patient. I will definitely return. Prices are moderate considering the expertise required and the quality of the ingredients used.

I miss when they were right in Rotterdam, but I've never tried anything from here that I didn't…read morelike. Everyone was always really friendly as well.

Civitello's reopened under its new owner Mark Novak on July 31, 2025 after renovations which…read moreincluded new plumbing and wiring. The new owner promised to keep the shop looking the same, and it appears he succeeded. Very nice! Booths were reupholstered in the same dark green color. Photos of Civitello family lined the wall. The ceiling was replaced with an embossed metal one that looks appropriate and like the original ceiling. I went to Civitello's at 10:30 am on Tuesday, August 5. The Co-Manager (owner's son) was pleasant and welcoming. I ordered a small Lemon Ice and bought a quart to drop off to my grandchildren. I have been enjoying the Lemon Ice regularly at Civitello's since my childhood. I have even eaten Lemon Ice in Italy. I sat in my car eating the Lemon Ice I had just bought; I ate slowly and with no distractions. The Lemon Ice definitely did not taste the like it did in the past. The texture was the same, but the pure lemon flavor was much less noticeable. Also, there were more tiny pieces of lemon zest in it. This zest did not taste fresh; it tasted prepackaged. I heard many of the family recipes were included in the purchase of the shop. However, I think the Lemon Ice recipe was not given to the new owner. Food-- Pizza (Tomato Pie) was not out yet, and I am eager to return soon see if it is as amazing as I remember it.. After looking at the menu, I asked if Eggplant Sandwiches were going to be available everyday, and he responded yes because the Fryer is now located in the kitchen. Previously, they were served only on Wed. and Fridays because the fryer was outside. Looking forward to having an Eggplant Sandwich, a favorite of mine as well as of many customers. Will it taste the same? Will it be on homemade bread sliced thin? Bakery-- Eclairs looked great. Guy ahead of me bought six. However, I noticed the Butter Cookies did not look as nicely cut out/shaped as before. I did not taste or buy any on this visit. I did not see any almond paste cookies; maybe I overlooked them. The shop was closed on Sunday because they were sold out after the grand reopening, so they may need to restock more of the classic cookies Civitello's is famous for. I plan on updating this review after I taste the Eggplant Sandwich and the Pizza/Tomato Pie.

Walked over here on my lunch break to try. Large cases of freshly cooked bread, cookies and…read morecupcakes. Prices were reasonable, $6 each cupcake. Delicious I might add, perfectly cooked. It was hard to read their hanging menu but they do have printed ones near the counter. The service was excellent, fast and pleasant girls who were knowledgeable about the items and menu. The sandwiches were on regular Italian bread no choice, no sub rolls either. The sandwich traveled well in the Togo box, it was served with a bag of chips, no pickle though. I would definitely recommend for anyone to try if you like a good old fashioned bakery.

This is a cute little bakery that offers some different confections than what I typically come…read moreacross at other bakeries. They also have a warm, homey looking backroom that calls out to sit down, relax, and enjoy a cup of coffee with your purchase. The display cases were filled with cookies, muffins, and bars that were very attractive and delicious looking. I decided to try a peanut butter muffin ($4) and a rum coffee bar ($3.50). The chocolate muffin with mini chocolate chips throughout was topped with coarse sugar crystals and injected and topped with a sizeable amount of peanut butter mousse. It was not overly sweet and a nice alternative to a cup cake. The rum coffee bar was the sweeter of the two confections that I bought and while being much denser it was equally satisfying and delicious. The coffee flavor was apparent, but I didn't notice a rum flavor. Service was friendly, warm, and welcoming. I asked about their cinnamon rolls and was informed that they are only available on Saturday. It was suggested that an early Saturday arrival, close to their 10 AM opening, was recommended if I wanted to ensure that I could purchase cinnamon rolls before they sold out.

I don't even want to admit how many times I have stood outside waiting for some cinnamon rolls…read morebright and early Saturday morning but if you haven't tried them already just know it's 100% worth it.

Wow! I waited over a week to visit this place because they were sold out of most of the desserts…read more They're so popular, and the owners take their time making new desserts. They have tea, but I wanted cheesecake. The cheesecake was excellent! You order online or at their kiosk inside. It's best to keep checking online to see if the desserts you want are in stock yet, if they aren't, they're listed as sold out. The ube cheesecake was creamy, sweet, with cream. The triple matcha cheesecake was very good, tasted like matcha, and best if you don't like dessert too sweet. Each piece of cake was around $10-11 would be nice if it was bigger, but it's great as it is because it's dense. It's so cute inside! Service is fast! Highly recommend!

Loved Eggcellent so much we visited twice on our trip in the Albany area! The options are fresh and…read moredifferent from what I am used to having when grabbing a milk or fruit tea. First up, I ordered the Jasmine Tea with Matcha foam and coconut water. This was a super refreshing drink and I am already wanting to have it again. Second we grabbed the Ube Milk Tea float which was a super pleasant taste, ordered with 0 percent sugar which kept it at a perfect level of sweetness. The ube milk tea float comes with a scoop of delicious ube ice cream on top. The service was super friendly and inviting, and the inside was really cutely designed.

After hearing how amazing Perreca's tomato pie was, I just had to try it for myself. It totally…read morelives up to its reputation and I can see why it is so popular and often sells out. Its no wonder it's legendary as its crust is thick yet pillowy. It tastes deliciously crisp like a focaccia style bread. The light tomato sauce with a dusting of both Romano and Parmesan cheeses makes it entirely irresistible. So much so that I can't wait to have it again!

We have supported this bakery for over 40 years, and it is time to offer a review…read more This Jay Street icon in Schenectady has the best Italian bread. It comes in round or loaf shapes and in one or two pound sizes. It is available in many local stores including the Niskayuna Co-op. True story: Jack Nicholson was filming in the area and found out about the delicious bread from his driver. He got the bread several times and thought it was great. He had it mailed to him. Photos of Nicholson and a related newspaper article are on display. The bread, rolls, and Tomato pie are baked in a coal fired brick oven from Italy. Besides the bread, there are other outstanding offerings including: Rolls! Breadsticks made at the bakery Bread Crumbs for cutlets and meatballs Tomato Pie -- so popular it often sells out Panini Sandwiches made fresh daily for grab & go. Italian olives and cheeses in the case. Italian cookies Parking in front and in a side lot shared with Cornell's Restaurant.