Passed by this place countless times since it's on a main Street in downtown Westfield and finally made it in with my family on a Saturday morning. We were greeted as soon as we walked in... and then I quickly realized there were THREE people behind the counter. We were the only ones there for a few moments before another family walked in behind us. They had gone there before so generally knew what they wanted. Me? Not so much. Despite how many people were working at the time, there were no explanations or help... but they do respond to questions. They have a few small tables but it's a relatively small store. There are display cases filled with cookies, pastries, cupcakes, and cakes. Lots of character in there, but nothing is labeled and there are no prices other than the cookies (they're purchased by weight... 1 lb is 10 cookies). I sort of ran with it, but since I don't know the names of half the items, this will be a more general review. I grabbed a lobster tail and a sfogliatelle. They look similar at first glance... but when I asked, they are definitely NOT the same thing. In fact, she sounded a bit offended I asked. Hahaha. She mentioned something about the sfogliatelle being baked? It also comes in two sizes and I got the large. I later ate them and... I'm not too sure what the difference is because they're similar in shape. The lobster tail seems to be a flaky pastry that was cut in half and the cream piped in. The sfogliatelle was not cut but it was filled as well and I'm pretty sure they added orange zest to it... I liked that. The lobster tail didn't have any citrus that I remembered. I enjoyed them... but we ate them the next day. They weren't the crispiest then. Also got two large cannoli's filled with the regular cream. Plus a cream puff filled with "custard" (you can opt for ricotta instead). And an interesting beige white tart and a teeny fruit tart (I actually wanted the bigger fruit tart but they got the mini one instead... I didn't notice until we got home since everything is packed behind the counter). Cannolis were pretty good! Lots of cream and the shells were still crisp, but you could taste the oil since they're deep fried. I should have gotten the smaller size so the proportions would have been more balanced. The cream puff was a cream puff? Nice and light with the thick filling inside that wasn't too sweet. The fruit tart was good with a standard sweet tart shortbread crust. The mystery lattice tart thing was good as well! Not sweet and had very interesting flavors... fairly certain almonds were a part of it. Probably a version of frangipane? My daughter got a Spider-Man cupcake. Their cupcakes have a thin icing type topping instead of your typical piped frosting on top. They're also filled with a buttery frosting that isn't too sweet! I was pleasantly surprised. I was apprehensive when she was adamant on getting that cupcake because they're often overly sweet. I would like to note that a lot of their creams/custard filled goodies use the same filling. And it's not what I expected. Custard, it said. The filling was definitely more dense, not too sweet (a great thing), but also slightly grainy. I can't say they were eggy and they were far from the consistency of pudding. I'm thinking they might be ricotta based? The most loose "filling" we ate was probably the cannoli cream. Overall, I'm not sure exactly what I ate since they never really went the extra step or elaborated when I asked questions. Very to the point for a group of teenagers who were behind the counter. They were nice? But sort of uninterested. They seemed a little more enthusiastic about the other family. Oh yes. I also ordered a coffee for my husband... which wasn't rung up. I went back wondering where it was and it turns out it was forgotten about but we did eventually get it. He got a large and it is a HUGE cup. So... the goodies were pretty good. I was surprised in several ways - the fact I'm not too sure what I ordered and that they were perfectly sweet. But I found service lacking a bit. I will likely go back again if I'm in the area but I'd probably be just as clueless. We would have tried the goodies there and stayed longer but one of my kids has multiple food allergies and the place doesn't seem great for that (or for non-regulars) so we ate them later when our kid could have something as well. The pastries ended up being about $4-5 each and the cupcake was $4.50 - so the total adds up FAST. There is an automatic 3.75% service charge that was added on... not sure what that's about? The total was about $40 at the end, not including tip. My rating is a 3 because though I generally enjoyed the treats I got, I have mixed feelings due to the experience on this first visit as a whole. I'm hoping my future visits will be better. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

I've been coming here for rainbow cookies since my previous favorite spot for rainbow cookies closed. Theirs are delicious, and I'm a big fan. I don't love all of the other pastries, it's not my style- but I keep coming here for specifically for this cookie and it's perfect. The rum baba has a soft spongey soaked dough- but I've had better. It wasn't quite rummy enough read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Rainbow cookies and rum baba - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

Decided to stop into Bovella's to grab some sweet treats. A lot of their pastries look so delicious. I had trouble choosing at the time. I will be honest that the pastries I tasted were okay but they were on the dry side or maybe even stale. Maybe they would have been good with a glass of milk or one of their lattes. I personally like my cookies, a little bit on the moist and gooey side. I didn't have a favorite pastry this time around but if I come back again I would probably try a cupcake. read more

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Magnificent service. Welcomed as soon as I entered . Everything looks gorgeous. Even the display cabinetry looks old school handsome and charming. The cookies look beautiful. The curves and swirling cookie shapes! Tempted! I got a lil box of wedding cookies and a peanut butter pastry for my bff. Thankful to all the staff. So hardworking and kind. A lovely experience to be here today! (Very helpful even to navigate parking out front!) very wonderful to be treated like loving family. read more

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Bovella's was a very warm and welcoming cafe and bakery. I happened to be visiting in the area and noticed their coffee sign outside and I knew I had to try it. Upon entry, I believe I was met with a cashier by the name of Noah. He was so pleasant and vibrant explaining all the different bakery items and everything that went into the coffees that we requested. There were so many items to choose from. I was so overwhelmed, but by the time I walked out, I walked away with some goodies. The coffees were delicious and so were the bakery items. I really enjoyed how this place was open on a Sunday, as where I'm from most of the bakeries and cafés are generally closed on Sundays and Mondays; so it was nice to be able to find a really good coffee and a muffin on a Sunday afternoon. I will definitely come back anytime I'm in this area. read more

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Bovella's is just what yo hate looking for in an Italian Jersey bakery. They are in the heart of Westfield and have so many great options. I can see myself sitting here for hours with an espresso and a few cannolis. I didn't get to try everything but the rainbow cookies were perfect. Can't miss on a place like this. read more

This review is for their online/shipping orders. Very pleased with offerings- we used to live in Westfield and stopped by often. Nice to be able to order cookies. Very easy ordering process, recently ordered assorted cookies for Valentine's Day. Order was packaged securely, cookies were very fresh and everyone was happy to see the familiar Bovella's box of treats on our kitchen counter. Fudge filled American butter cookies and rainbow cookies are still our family's favorite! read more

$12 for 2 empty St. Joseph zeppole! I'll take my business elsewhere! No wonder why they make them to order hiding in the back to make them- if I would've seen these mini things I would've never bought them! read more

Nice corner shop in the heart of town. Lots of classic, traditional goods to choose from. From rainbow cookies to sfogliatelle. Saw the sign for Zeppole but didn't realize it was the St. Joseph Zeppole. Totally different from the street fair food I was used to. Regardless, it was ok. It was like choux pastry with cannoli cream filling. The girl who helped me was sweet, no pun intended. Prices were decent. Good place but with new, exciting baked goods a few stores down, sometimes, it's hard for the classics to shine. read more

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There's not much better than having a bakery in town open late on a Saturday night! After having a great meal at a restaurant nearby, we walked around Westfield and found that Bovella's was still open. We ordered coffees and relaxed at a table, while ordering some pastries to take home for Sunday morning. I had the crumb cake with cherries, my wife had a cheese danish...both delicious! The young people working here were very friendly and did a great job. We'll be back sometime soon for one of those great looking cakes in the display case! read more

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A cute little shop in Westfield with a lot of pastries to choose from. There's a few tables by windows, so it's nice to wind down here. I had gotten three macarons - pistachio, red velvet, and caramel - and oreo mousse. The macarons were relatively big. I found the pistachio tasted the best and most like its actual flavor. The others were good, but too sugary in my opinion so it made it harder to really taste them. The mousse was really good, it has a shell of white chocolate around it and it sits on top of a cookie, so lots of good flavors going on. The total for all of that was around $10, which is pretty good since macarons are usually expensive. So not a bad place to get a snack and also a cheaper alternative than a lot of spots around Westfield. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

Absolutely the best Cannoli cake ever! Bovellas created two beautiful, delicious and fabulous bridal shower cakes for my daughter's shower. we are regulars at Bovellas, and hosted the event at Ferraros (which was awesome). the finishing touch was the cake! read more

The baked goods are acceptable. However the management is rude and disrespectful towards the staff. Front of the house as well as the back of the house. Disrespecting the folks that do the bulk of the labor diminishes the taste of the food and doesn't make for a pleasant experience. They are other eateries that provide a quality product and a pleasant dining experience. Atmosphere MATTERS!! read more

4 stars for the Italian cookies, which always seem fresh and are well-received. Great to bring to parties, funerals, gatherings. Big hit. The staff is also very helpful but sometimes give the wrong thing. They're young so I'll excuse that. 3 stars for the cannoli, which used to be 5. The shells are cooked way too dark, I suspect due to the oil being used too many times. Filling is great though. The baked goods aren't always super fresh. It's hit or miss. Also, on Christmas Eve, Eve pickup is a bit odd. If you ordered online you still wait in the same line as the people who didn't order in advance. Seems unfair. The coffee is 5 stars. Love it. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

Upon entering the bakery I was impressed by the beautiful cookies and pastries that lined the shelves. I just wanted a few items to enjoy on my ride home. I ordered 3 cream puffs and 3 rainbow cookies. Looked delicious. However, I was very disappointed at the $18 price and even more disappointed when I tasted the cream puffs. The outside pastry of the cream puff was dry and hard. The cream was devoid of any flavor. Threw 2 away. Next I tasted a rainbow cookie and was also disappointed. The chocolate layer was too think and soft. It peeled off of the cookie like clay. The cookie flavor was just ok but I also threw the remaining 2 in the garbage. $18 spent for the WORST bakery goods! read more

Decent pastry place! I've been here a few times and have ordered what I think are called Cream Puffs (HAHA) and Fruit Tarts and chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine's Day. The Cream Puffs are good but nothing out of the ordinary. The Fruit Tart was a (2/5) because I noticed that some of the fruit wasn't as fresh as I had expected them to be honestly. On another occasion this year I ordered Chocolate covered Strawberries for my mom my my sister here since I felt this place would have them. Luckily, they did and was able to get some. I would say this place isn't my favorite or go to bakery in my area but it has been a bakery I have tried to give a chance over the last few years. To summarize, I would say this place may be a solid (2.5/5). The service here is great and the place is almost always nicely decorated for major holidays whoever I'm more concerned about the quality of the pastries I'm buying over the aesthetic appearance of the bakery. read more

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Used to love this place. Last 3 visits were underwhelming at best. The pastries just don't seem to have the same flavor as they used to. It's also been empty. Did they sell the business, did something happen? Not sure why but we are officially retiring this long loved place from our repertoire read more

Overrated dessert. Was quite disappointed. Not sure why people recommend this place, to be honest. Update: I gave it two stars originally because I did not like it. Taste is subjective. Not everyone is going to like what you have to offer. I lowered it to one star because I got a private message from the owner which ended with "I'm glad other people recommended us to you instead of the super market bakeries you may be used to." Seriously??? Now they just completely lost my respect. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

This is the second time I have come here where I've left with a negative taste. The first time I had a problem I had a mini chocolate cheesecake which tasted sour. I called to complain and I was put on a list to be compensated on a future visit. This time the cookie I have pictured in my review tasted so stale I spit it out. I will not be giving Bovella's another chance which really stinks because I only live a 5 minute walk away from them. Sorry. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Horrible cookie - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

Service is great, pastries and cookies are amazing, ambiance is nice and cozy. Everyone was so attentive and pleasant. read more

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Excellent baked goods & Joanie was very accommodating and most kind she went above and beyond to help us.

I got this beautiful Bailey's chocolate cup . It had some vanilla cake soaked with Bailey's cream and mousse inside the chocolate cup, topped with whipped cream. The chocolate was too sweet for me and it was messy to eat. I had to break it into pieces with my hands and the handle melted into my fingers when I was eating the filling. However, the best part was the ( not enough) vanilla cake soaked w Bailey's inside. It was too much mousy in the filling and too much whipped ton top. My friend got lemon meringue tart and mini eclair. He said they were really good. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Bailey's cup lemon meringue, mini eclair - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

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OBSESSED is an understatement. Any special occasion we go to Bovella for a cake and sweets. Their 7 layer cake is the best I've ever ever had. Would definitely suggest the rugelach and the rainbow cookies. We don't love the sprinkle cookies as much as other Italian pastry shops. They also have gluten free options which is amazing! As for food (mountainside location), we get their challah often and it's well worth the price! We also love Bovella for lunch. We've gone quite a bit for lunch but always see the yummiest breakfast options going to other tables so that will be the next outing. Lastly, the staff is incredibly kind. It doesn't matter how packed this place is, everyone keeps their cool! read more

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Ordering my work holiday cake! Smells so yummy in here! Their cakes are delicious. I have been to the mountainside and Westfield locations. Both are great! Thanks Bovellas read more

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Everything is delicious. The staff is friendly. The displays are clean and neat and it smells like heaven when you walk in! read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - One of the display cases full of goodies! - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

Smells amazing with a vast selection of goodies to try! You can get full cakes as well as cookies and and individual pastries. It's a cute little shop, would be a lovely stop by! read more

I love this classic bakery! I make it a point to come here everytime I'm in the area. The Italian cookies are amazing! Yummy every time. The cakes and pastries also look so decadent! The staff is very helpful also. I would recommend to everyone! read more

Bovella's is my favorite bakery! I've been coming here for years for their sweet treats. I love their cannolis and French macaroons! The staff is very friendly and helpful. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

OK I normally do not give bad reviews so I'm giving them to Star's instead of one but every time we've gotten pastries from here they are still not sure if somebody is checking the customer that's in them but the eclairs had a dark yellow cream when they're supposed to be a light yellow and when we complained, they offered nothing except sorry but we overturn our pastries and nothing is stale in here. Well that's OK cause now we will never go back. They should've said what did you buy? We will replace it and we're sorry so it's up to you if you wanna try, but we had a bad experience twice. read more

I have been a customer long enough that Michael and Rita Bova made my wedding cake in 1986 and by that time i had been a werkly customer for 6 years. They are simply the best. read more

Stopped by this spectacular bakery again after enjoying dinner in Westfield... I couldn't think of a better place to get something sweet for dessert. As usual the delightful smell of sweetness hit me as soon as I opened the door. This time I decided to try some assorted rugelach... let me tell you it was all delicious but the Nutella variety was out of this world... So flaky and delicious, I'm definitely going back for more... I also got an almond bear claw and the thing is huge! I cut 1/3 of it to enjoy with my morning coffee today and it was great, nice almond filling with just the right amount of sweetness covered in crispy almond slices. Great service, very nice ladies working at the counter and a delicious product... Can't be beat! A must when visiting Westfield... read more

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We really love the rainbow cookies here. They taste great and are just the perfect size. Everything else is not bad. Not a big fan of the canolis though. Service is hit or miss (at least for me). Sometimes they are friendly, but sometimes there is room for improvement. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Rum cake - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

Highly recommend their tiramisu cake! Picked this up before the Christmas holiday and it was a bustling and busy place but the staff handled it like pros read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Tiramisu Cake - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

My kids LOVE their cookies. For me, it brings back the memories of the local bakeries I grew up with. And they ship for the holidays too!

Huge thank you to Bovella's to helping us celebrate my mom's birthday from far away. We ordered a cake delivery through Uber Eats and it was perfectly on time, delicious, and they wrote a personalized message on top too! read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Tiramisu cake - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

I am a long time customer, having first reviewed this bakery over eleven years ago. I still come here for their gluten-free meringue cookies and macaroons, and some of their breads. I have had custom birthday cakes made here before, so I ordered a birthday cake to feed twenty guests on Thanksgiving. I requested a rum cake layered with cannoli cream, raspberry, and pineapple. Bovella's recommended a 10" cake ($65), which was huge. More than half of it was left over after the party. Not everyone liked it because the sponge and filling were overwhelmed by a disproportionate amount of whipped cream. I like whipped cream, but the icing was so thick, it was off-putting. This cake was for a 65 year-old man, so I said no tacky blue roses. They said the cake looked too plain, and decorated the top with shapeless blue blobs of even more whipped cream that they said were balloons. If this low-end effort is any indication, I think Bovella's is becoming sloppy and complacent with their success. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Bovella's birthday cake crushed under its own weight of whipped cream - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

The staff her is very unpleasant and the pastries look super unappetizing. I still stand by my original review the carrot cake is good, but that's about it. Honestly the crappy service kills it for me and ai won't be back. I felt like I was inconveniencing them by buying things. read more

The employees I have interacted with need customer service training. The one that I dealt with recently, kept interjecting into my order with a different employee and was rude/dismissive. Will not be going back based on the employees - this has happened before at both locations read more

Ordered cake for 50 people for a baby shower. Whipped cream icing ,vanilla cake , Bavarian cream , custard and fresh bananas and strawberries. Made exactly as requested. Was delicious. Everyone complimented. Bovella's never disappoints. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

Bovella's is everything a pastry shop/bakery ought to be - warm and inviting, friendly staff, delicious everything. I have never had anything in Bovella's where I walked away thinking "It was just aight!" Everything there is perfect, from the coffee to the cupcakes to the specialty pastries, like the fruit or chocolate cigars, the Italian cookies. My wife and I go in here and we are completely comfortable regressing into our Sesame Street childhoods and getting an Elmo and a Cookie Monster cupcake. They have a few tables so you can eat there. They must be pretty special because Carlo's bakery (from the TV reality show "Cake Boss") opened a few doors down and they didn't last very long due to stiff competition from Bovella's. I don't live in the area but when I visit my in-laws in Scotch plains I have never missed an opportunity to go to Bovella's I hear it can get crowded in the evening (it's easy to see why!!) If you're used to reading my reviews, you are likely thinking, "when is this going to get funny?" Sorry to disappoint you, but, it isn't. There is nothing amusing about how awesome Bovella's is. I would trade my sense of humor for an Apricot Ceegar right about now. read more

Bovella's Pastry Shoppe - Elmo/Cookie Monster Cupcakes! - Bakeries Near Me - Westfield, New Jersey

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