Is there any cake decorated more beautifully than a custom cake from this longtime popular bakery…read morein Schenectady? I do not think so. The cakes are made fresh and not frozen. Today, we had a 10" Carrot Cake for an 18th birthday party. It not only looked picture perfect, it tasted great. The website describes the many flavors of cake available in different sizes in round or sheet cake style. When you call to order, you speak to a knowledgeable staff person to select a flavor, size, frosting, and filling. Then you select the decorations and colors you would like. The signature iconic script handwriting of their decorators is attractive and distinctive. You know it is a Villa Italia cake when you first see it. However, always check a custom order cake before you leave. When we picked up the Carrot Cake, the worker did not open box to show us the cake. They should be trained to show the costumer the cake before checking out! Fortunately, I did open box and saw a pink frosted cake saying HB Jackie. My cake was for an 18 yr old grandson. They fixed it so it looked nice, but it was not quick. Please check out my photos to see a few of the cakes we have ordered and enjoyed!

The cakes are always moist. Filling just enough. Buttercream frosting yes is sweet but one of the…read morebest tasting around. Offer plenty of options for decorating also. Recently the gelato cakes have became a favorite too. Recently ordered cookie & cream ones. Every one complimented the taste. Also able to pay and order on the phone. Service was great.

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

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!

What do you do when your wife has a craving for a piece of carrot cake from the Blue Rose…read moreCheesecake & Bakery Shop on a Sunday, and when you look online you see that it closes in fifteen minutes and you are thirty minutes away? You go to plan "B." The Blue Ribbon Restaurant and Bakery is a "sister" to the bakery next door and is open on Sunday for five hours after the bakery shop closes. We might as well have dinner too while we are at the restaurant. Starting with cups of better than average diner coffee ($2.99/bottomless cup) my wife chose a Reuben with coleslaw and pickle wedge ($14.99) and added fries ($3) while I decided to have the Shredded Short Rib Sandwich ($14.49) which included fries, coleslaw, and a pickle wedge. We both agreed the fries were best while they were nice and hot but otherwise typically average once they cooled. Our respective sandwiches, however, were outstanding. The Reuben was the traditional corned beef on grilled rye with sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese. It was large enough that half came home for the next meal. My Short Rib sandwich was too full of meat in a fresh and soft bun for me to chance picking it up to eat by hand, so I resorted to using a fork and knife. Regardless, it was really tasty. Now we were ready for the main event. My wife got her slice of Carrot Cake ($7.49) while I selected the Italian Rum Cake ($7.25). We both left totally satisfied and smiling, but on overload. This diner is very clean and staff are efficient.

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.

Lovely Italian bakery in Schenectady's Little Italy neighborhood. Delicious pastries, an excellent…read moretomato pie, soups, sandwiches, salads. I had an excellent time browsing all the desserts, I wanted them all! I ended up with a great choice for Cinco De Mayo, a chocolate "taco" of cake folded around butter cream topped with M&Ms

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.

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!

The quality of my fresh taro milk tea was top notch even compared with many of the boba brands in…read moreLA and Orange County that I frequent. Honestly I was so surprised to find a boba shop of this caliber in Upstate NY. I can't wait to visit again to try more drinks, especially the guava series (seasonal special!) and the desserts. Service is fast, friendly, and professional. Many repeat customers, including some who requested complex adjustments with the brown sugar and boba, but the staff worked patiently and kindly with everyone.

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.

Perrecca's Bakery + More Perrecca's = Schenectady royalty…read more First things first: full disclosure -- my son is a server here. Yes, I'm biased. But also... facts are facts and the facts are DELICIOUS. It was a full-on snowstorm, the weird dead zone after Christmas where everyone else is like "nah, we're closing early," and Perrecca's was like: "We ride." Just me and the wife, snow coming down sideways, and this place is warm, welcoming, and absolutely cranking out hot food. And I mean HOT hot -- not "restaurant hot," but "careful-that-plate-is-trying-to-burn-your fingerprints-off" hot. Love to see it. Food? Super tasty. No notes. Service? Solid across the board. Bathrooms? Clean enough to eat off of (I didn't, but I could've). Parking? Plenty of off-street, no parallel parking Olympics required. Now let's talk about the hostess -- because WOW. She works the room like she personally built the place brick by brick. Touches every table, warm, friendly, checking in -- you'd swear her name was on the sign out front. Absolute pro. Hospitality Hall of Fame behavior. Between the legendary bakery, the attached restaurant, and the fact that they stayed open when the weather said "stay home," this place is a must-see Schenectady institution. Come hungry. Leave happy. Possibly leave with extra bread you didn't plan on buying but somehow needed. Would go back in a blizzard. Would go back tomorrow. Would go back just for the vibes.

This year, you might find the cutest pumpkin in the patch on a Curry Freeze cone…read more Because I love getting soft served in October, I checked Facebook before committing to a post-brunch trip over here today, and was pleasantly surprised to see the Curry Freeze social team hard at work, as they recently made a post giving us coneheads the inside scoop about their final countdown: 10/24 people. That's the last day of the 2019 season (until then open daily, 11am - 9pm). With vanilla/pumpkin prominently displayed on the shrinking the menu board (but really, what other flavors do you need in October?), my order was a no brainer. I got a small twist on a cone (because I'm sustainable AF), and it only took one lick before started to feel like a true pump king. Or a hallow queen. Either way, it was the perfect treat for a mild mid-October day! In a sense, soft serve is really just melted ice cream, and Curry Freeze delivers on both flavor and texture. What could be a perfect storm of recipe, equipment, and TLC yields a twist that's exceptionally creamy (my mother claims it's the best vanilla soft serve around), and everything you want in the frozen purgatory that is soft serve ice cream. Whether you visit on a 90º or 60º day, the twist never compromises its integrity: it stands tall, is structurally sound, and stays thicc. I mean, is this soft serve #goals or what?! Completely inspiring. We might not deserve this summer-fall hybrid dessert, but what a time to be alive. The fact that even some of the best soft serve in the 518 has the opportunity to be basic and get it's pumpkin spice on is a win-win, so stop being seedy and get your harvest dessert on!

A really solid place for ice cream! Definitely one of those classic places to go to in the summer…read morewith easy parking and shaded picnic tables. They have many different place options for hard and soft serve ice cream and sundaes. The workers at the window were really efficient and nice. It's a fun stop if you're looking for ice cream in the area.