I visited modern pastry in Boston and was very pleased. I expected the same quality here and was very disappointed. I went shortly before they closed, and while they still had product, much of it felt very stale. When I asked what some of the treats were as I wanted to try a variety of "new" things, I felt I was being a bother and they just wanted me to hurry up and get out. I will go back to my favorite place in the city and skip this the next time I pass through. read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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First time I tried Modern Pastry was in the Boston location. The Lobster Tail pastry are huge! It literally took three days to finish it, sharing it as well! I wish they could find a way to ship to California! We were staying in New Jersey and seen this location was close enough to take a nice 2+ hour drive to get some pastry! I called ahead to secure my lobster tails and they had 3 different flavors so of course I had to try them all to make my trip worthwhile. The Pistachio was my favorite! The lady happily took my order and I didn't even have to prepay for my order. I'm sure glad I called it in. When I arrived another lady bought up the rest in the case, mine were boxed up ready to go! Very friendly staff let us use the facilities as we had been on the road for a while. Everything was clean and smelled amazing! read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Canolli - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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I love this bakery and it is the only bakery I will go to. Their cannolis are filled fresh, the pasticiotti filled with ricotta are as good as what I got where I grew up in New York. We are such frequent customers when my husband walks in they know ricotta pasticiotti. I have on occasion gotten them while they were still warm from the oven. For a milestone birthday they did such a spectacular job of birthday cake, years after my party, people are still talking about it. Not only was it delicious, it was exquisitely decorated with a gum paste replica of my Jack Russell terrier with his nose into the ground and the chocolate crumbs around him to look like the dirt he was digging. It is worth the price because you get quality. Carla is an artist! read more

Zepppole time! Some years I miss finding this treat but this year was super successful. We sat at the coffee bar and devoured one each with a cup of Cappuccino. Our coffee was made right in front of us as we waited for the zeppole to be filled with whipped ricotta. What a delicious was to enjoy a sunny day in Hartford in a true Italian setting. The Easter breads looked amazing. read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Cappuccino - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Modern Pastry is great! the staff is kind, efficient & patient. they did my wedding cake & i could not have been more happy with it. Carla was amazing & worked so patiently with me when it came to brainstorming ideas around what i wanted for my cake, making suggestions & working around accommodating to my wishes as best as possible. i was able to choose from a sample of a few different flavors before making a final decision, which was nice. The pricing was explained to me thoroughly & was very fair in my opinion. All in all, not only was the cake BEAUTIFUL, but it tasted as good as it looked! read more

Modern Pastry Shop - a wedding cake with red roses - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

I ordered a cake a week prior to the date I needed it. I explicitly expressed EXTREME NUT ALLERGIES. I arrived to pick up the cake, and they didn't have a cake, nor an order for one scheduled to be picked up today. They searched their 'file' and found my order. Not one person behind the counter apologized, the manager made excuses and tried to make it my fault that the cake wasn't ready, claiming I wasn't picking the cake up until 3:30 and they couldn't guarantee a nut free cake. I was assured they could provide a nut free cake and that I could pick up the cake any time before the bakery closed at 3pm. Apparently they close at 3:30 pm on Sundays. My suggestion is to educate their staff regarding allergy issues and how to file orders. I don't know who they can have educate the manager in customer service. Everything happens for a reason, at least their kitchen was clean while I sat and waited for almost 30 minutes while they assembled my cake. My family has patronized this bakery for generations. We will now look for another quality Italian Bakery to use. This bakery is a poor imitation of its former self. read more

Established in 1958 and dating back more than 60 years now, Modern Pastry Shop is a third generation run business by owners Lisa and Carla. Located in Hartford on Franklin Avenue, think Classic Italian Cookies like: Pignoli (Almond pine nuts) S Cookie- cinnamon and sugar- good with coffee Rugula- traditional Jewish cookie, cheesecake dough with raspberry, walnuts and raisins Totos- chocolate cake like cookie with nuts and dried fruits, chocolate fudge coating Like a chocolate spice cookie Ricci- almond paste cookie with a cherry- a true customer favorite I love the Totos! So delicious! They also ship holiday gift cookie trays throughout the US- about 5,000 during the month of December! My friends and family loved their cookies this holiday and I can't wait to go back soon for a cannoli! read more

Modern is one of the best places in Connecticut. My partner has a tradition of having zeppoles on Saint Joseph's Day! The best place to get them? At Modern, duh! We got 2 chocolate and 2 vanillas. Both flavors are delicious, but I prefer the chocolate more. They do NOT skimp on the filling. It was a bit busy, but the service was super quick, and the line went by fast! Highly recommend to everyone! read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

I hadn't been to Modern in a while and decided to visit. They have beautiful cakes displayed in the windows and I suspect they have a very good cake order business. I'm not sure if this is because of the pandemic and perhaps fewer walk in customers, but they have fewer cookies, pastries, etc. in their glass case than I remember. While I was there, they were doing a moderately steady business on a Saturday morning. I ordered a box of assorted Italian cookies and a few cannolis. I had a bit of my wife's chocolate filled cannoli with chocolate chips. Delicious. It was maybe a touch better than my ricotta cannoli with chopped nuts and a cherry, but that was still very good. The cookies were fairly typical for a good Italian bakery, although there were fewer options than some bakeries. The service was very friendly and efficient. Although Modern is not a go to bakery for me, it will continue as a nice change of pace option. read more

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I ordered a small cookie platter for the holidays and wish I ordered a larger one!! They were absolutely delicious and SO fresh! I placed my order less than a week before Christmas and the young girl who helped me place the order [over the phone] was very nice. read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Small Cookie Platter! I wasn't able to take anymore as they were opened a second after I placed them on the table :) - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

This review is on the service and the chocolate mousse cake at Modern Pastry. I called in very last minute for a small birthday cake to celebrate my birthday and the folks at Modern were very accommodating. I didn't get a super intricate custom order but they were able to have a cake within three hours with writing, same day. Also, having a slice of the cake today and it's absolutely delicious. The cake itself is moist and the chocolate mousse is light and decadent. Not all bakeries can make good cake but this was wonderful. Contrary to another review I read, this did not taste like a store bought supermarket cake at all. Highly recommend. read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Chocolate Mousse Cake with Whipped Frosting - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Goodness it has been so many years since I visited this bakery in the heart of Hartford's Little Italy. I had forgotten just how good these folks are. I ordered a slice of Porchetta, a Zeppole and a Pastacotti. In order of preference after having tasted all three: 1) Pastacotti 2) Zeppole 3) Porchetta. All three individually would ring anybodies bell but the nuanced flavors, complexity and sheer delight of the Pastacotti was almost other worldly. I had stopped at another Franklin Ave bakery just prior but found nothing of significant interest. After stepping foot in Modern it was altogether different, it was warm, inviting and exudes old world bakery charm. The counter employees all seem to have a connection with the bakery that you can't manufacture, make up or put on. Modern Pastry is just plain comfortable and the perfect place to visit for fine Italian pastries on a Sunday afternoon. read more

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The cake was delicious and pretty. That's all one can ask for. Their lemon mousse is great!!!

I am a fan of Modern Pastry Shop and have recommended to several friends of mine who wants to order a specialty cake for a birthday or a shower or even a casual gathering; they make great cakes. The good thing about Modern Pastry is that they accept your design for a custom cake order and they also give you suggestions towards your customization. Definitely a fan when it comes to they custom cakes, the variety of flavors and choices for filling they have are good. When it comes to picking up a few slices of pastries, their options are limited in the store. But nevertheless, you will not be disappointed. read more

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Cannoli is one thing you need to try here. They dont keep it in the display. Once you order, they will make it fresh. It makes sense. Else the shell will get damp and soggy. I also tried many cookies from here. One especially caught my attention. There was a chocolate, kind of spherical shaped cookie, which taste like rum cake. That was my favorite cookie. Sfogliatella was very good as well. read more

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Another beautiful cake by modern pastry! It wasn't too sweet just how we like it. We had white cake with chocolate cream and strawberry cream. It was incredibly moist and delicious. My children loved the sea shell candies on the side and the frosting was absolutely delectable. Highly recommend to anyone looking for tasty beautiful custom cakes! read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Custom cake by modern pastry - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

Because of the yelps, I was very excited to try this place. However, the yelps are a bit misleading. Yes, the place is super clean, and the staff is very helpful and friendly. I arrived at 3pm, and there was still a wide variety of items to choose from. But, one of the two items I purchased (a twisted pastry with raspberry) was inedible with how stale it was. The other (a rum cake pyramid) was drowning in that high-ratio shortening frosting grocery store bakeries cover their cakes with. I ended up throwing both in the trash. The disappointment was real! I hate writing anything negative about any food place during this time of local businesses struggling to stay open, and this place is clearly run by some wonderful people, but I wish the yelps would have been clearer about what I was buying. I expected a scratch bakery. This is not it. I mostly went because I wanted a lobster tail pastry. The reason I did not purchase one during my visit is because they stuff theirs with ricotta mousse. This is an important detail for lobster tail lovers, because traditionally, these are filled with Chantilly cream or pastry cream. There is a huge difference between these and ricotta mousse. Texture being the most important. If I had this information ahead of time, I would not have wasted the trip out there or spent my money on two bites to end up tossing my unsalvageable items into the trash. If you are looking for a clean, friendly bakery that sells the stuff the big banquet restaurants all have, this is your place. If you are looking for a scratch bakery or light, creamy lobster tails, keep looking. read more

I got married at the Bahamas. I then celebrated back home. I went to Modern Bakery for a specific cake and they made my wedding cake and it looked exactly how I wanted it. It was not only perfect but delicious! I found my permanent go-to bakery!!! Thank you. Mrs. Casablanca read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Wedding cake - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

This is my favorite bakery when I'm in town. Last week I needed a dessert to serve after my homemade lasagna. The woman helping me recommended a cheesecake with strawberry topping and an assortment of Italian cookies. Both were a HUGE hit. Next time I'll try the Italian cheesecake. Too many delicious choices and not enough time to eat it all. read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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I have been a customer for over 30 years and am still in awe over the consistent high quality of baked goodies and customer service.

The similarities between Modern Pastry Shop in Hartford and, our favorite bakery, Modern Pastry in Boston are uncanny. They are not affiliated, but coincidentally, both have an original retro sign and amazing Italian pastry. The custom filled cannoli and individual ricotta pies are on par. The eclairs at Modern Pastry Shop, Hartford are excellent! Service is friendly and efficient, they even told us we could wait until the ricotta pies were done. It is sad that the cases are not filled during COVID and seating at the counter is currently prohibited. We can't wait to return to Hartford after the pandemic to try more Italian delicacies. read more

I am so thankful for karla and her team. Today was my daughters first birthday and unfortunately the other bakery we had gone with completely forgot to make her cake but Karla came to our rescue, not only did she ease my mind but she made our exact cake in less than 3 hours. It was well done, delicious but what won me Over was her willingness to do a speciality cake for us with 0 notice. I am forever thankful to her. Thanks for making our daughters birthday that much more special read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

For only $25, I got a huge fruit cake (strawberries and peaches) with a custom photo of my cat. It didn't cost extra to have the photo on it. I ordered online through their website and didn't have to phone call anyone. Ordering online was super easy. Then I picked up the cake in person and paid in person. I was arriving exactly at 4PM on Sunday (the time they close) and was worried they'd close their doors before I came. They don't open Mondays so I wanted to make sure I picked it up in time. The woman who worked there ensured me they'd leave their door open until 4:10 PM. That was really kind and helpful. The cake frosting wasn't too heavy, sweet or dry. I liked the texture and vanilla flavor. I would have liked for the fruit cake to have more of a variety of fruit but I did like the quantity of fruit there was. The cake tasted similar to angel food cake. I looked the cross-section look of the fruit cake when cut. My fiance was very surprised to see his favorite kitty (our kitty Olive) on his cake. Thank you Modern Pastry for making his 29th birthday special! At first, I was confused and thought this was the same store as Modern Pastry in Boston but I believe they're different owners. They both sell cannolis and both have boxes with string around it however. They make lots of custom cakes and they cater to weddings as well. I'd be interested in trying their black forest cake or almond cake next. read more

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I recently went to 4 different bakeries looking for a cake for my husband's birthday. I had Shop Rite as a backup because they generally have a good selection of very good cakes, but I was on a quest to find a bakery. I learned quickly that most bakeries no longer carry many pre-made cakes, if any at all. I guess that makes sense, they probably went bad quickly if not purchased. This was my fourth stop and I was SO relieved when I saw 3 people in front of me all purchasing cakes! Also, I could see people in the back bring in cake after cake after cake that were obviously ordered by other customers. Luckily, they had two pre-made cakes to purchase- an Italian fruit cake with fresh strawberries and peaches and a rum cake. I got the fruit cake and was able to get it personalized for my husband's birthday. I was SO excited to have finally gotten a cake, and one that looked legit to boot! Anyway- the cake was delicious. My husband said it was "one of the better cakes he had eaten in a while." I know this doesn't sound like much but he's usually pretty unimpressed so in the language of my husband, that's a 5/5! Aside from cakes, they have quite a selection of pastries, cookies and pies. There's a coffee bar as well. It's best to pre-order your cake, I was told at least a day or two in advance for most cakes but further in advance if you want something more complicated or large. I'm soo happy I found a tasty bakery! This is definitely going to be my go-to pastry shop going forward!! read more

Love this place! Best cannolis around! I have loved this place since I was a kid. Unfortunately the last couple of times I stopped in to pick some goodies up the selection has really dwindled. The cases looked somewhat bare. I recently stopped to pick up cannolis and assorted Italian cookies for a get together. There were so few Italian cookies to select from I got cannolis and not the cookies. Very disappointing. With that being said the cannolis are the best around!! read more

Great desserts. Did my wedding cake. Simple and refined, not showy. Very classic south end Italian. Get a cappuccino and a pastry.

I decided to come here because I saw the reviews on Yelp and it was kind of a last minute thing for my friend, Devin and , Joe C. (of Yelp). Well, thanks to Yelp I made a GREAT last minute decision. I bought the cake at 3pm, but it was actually ready by 2pm. Then I had it in my car, fortunately in air condition. I brought it to my friend's beach house, put it in the fridge and had the cake by around midnight. The birthday cake read "Happy Birthday Devin and Joe" with her name in pink and his name in blue. On the cake were flowers, some of them made in icing form the other were in wafer form (it kind of made me think of Catholic Holy Communion wafer taste). Little did anyone know that that white covered cake was............RED VELVET! O.M.G. should I say in internet words! O.........M..........G!!! This cake was sooooooo friggin' good! The best part of the cake was the Red Velvet, the sponge cake part. It was soooooooooo MOIST! I could not believe it! The cake was rich in flavor AND moist!!! The frosting on the inside and out I believed were different. I didn't really notice any cream cheese, but I some what recall both the outer and inner lay of frosting to be subtly different, so it may have been cream cheese. For $20 dollars, this somewhat custom made cake fed all 8 of us. They said it normally feeds 6 to 10 people, so for our group we managed to save I think two slices. Everyone at the beach house enjoyed it. Rolf L., Stephanie, and Joe C. (all of Yelp) said they will be writing a review and giving this place 4 maybe 5 stars! Modern Pastry? You all did a GREAT job! read more

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Delicious pastries, beautiful decorations, and awesome service are all things you can find at Modern Pastry. My husband and I went here for our cake tasting and hired them as our vendor for our wedding cakes/cupcakes. They captured our vision for our big day perfectly. And not to mention the cupcakes were delicious, light, moist, and not too sweet. They had a huge number of flavors to choose from. read more

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I arrived on a Saturday morning and became increasingly nervous as I perused the display case and could not see any lobster tails. There was only person on the counter who was with another customer so I paced back and forth looking for my favorite pastry. Just as I was about to give up and order a pair of freshly filled cannolis, what did appear before my wondrous eyes, but a whole tray of lobster tails. Later that evening my wife and I opened our box of goodies and tasted the best lobster tails ever - crispy outer shell and delicately delicious filling. Prices are more than reasonable at $2.75 each. read more

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I just moved to the Southern part of Hartford, near the Wethersfield line. I have so many new places to explore now! This little pastry shop is just down the street from me. I've gone twice now for a breakfast pastry and a cappuccino. They have a counter you can sit at while you read the paper or chat with your friends. I have only had the pastries so far though. If I have their ice, gelato, cookies etc. and I get blown away I will be sure to update this. It's very nice inside. They have huge display cases and in the back they have a display cooler with the special order cakes ready for pick up. The cakes look fabulous. They had a couple children's birthday cakes in the case when I was there last and they looked great. We're not talking designer Charm City cakes style, but they definitely get more oohs and aahs then the cake you pick up from Big Y. The prices are pretty standard. The ladies there are always so nice. They are quite busy in the morning prepping for the day, but they pop in and out to make sure you have what you want and to say hello while they grab a coffee themselves. Update 6/30/2012 I am upping my rating one star because I ordered the most amazing birthday cake from Modern Pastry. They had no problem filling my request in less than 48 hours. I ordered a triple chocolate raspberry ganache cake for a family birthday party. The cake was just beautiful when it came out, and when we ate it...My family was in awe. It was the perfect texture, moisture, and it tasted phenomenal. One of the best cakes I have ever had. I was so excited and so pleased that everyone liked it. If you need a cake for something. Order it here! They are fantastic! read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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Born and raised in CT, my family had frequented Modern's competitor, Mozzicato, for decades. Just before leaving CT years ago, I was told that I just had to try Modern Bakery. Couldn't bring myself to do it then... I returned from a trip to NY/CT a few weeks ago. And I finally made the trip to Modern. And I feel tremendously guilty... Because I LOVED all the items that I picked up. Seriously, the almond paste (amaretti) cookies and the cream puffs (filled to order with ricotta cream, in my case) were out of this world and 100% top-notch. I didn't get cannolis, but plan to the next time I visit Franklin Ave. What stood out for me was that the puffs were filled-to-order (which is not Mozzicato's case). I have been a crazed fanatic of Mozzicato's puffs since I was a tyke and I am quite sure that Modern's de-throned these beloved balls filled with sweetened ricotta from my childhood. I almost want to hide in shame for feeling this way, but I want 2 pounds of filled-to-order cream puffs to eat even more. Excellent Italian-American bakery in the heart of New England's Rising Star's (who believes this??) Little Italy. read more

Got the lobster tail and it was fresh and the cream is good. Then when we drove to the waterfront in Boston there was another one but that one was not as good. Very crowded too. read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

Best place for cakes. They had a deal with our wedding venue but honestly we would have gone with Modern for our wedding cake anyways. They were so friendly and accommodating even on a busy Sunday with a line of cake tastings. After the wedding, multiple people contacted me asking about where we got our cake because they loved it. We got almond cake with lemon mousse and raspberry jam filling with buttercream frosting. AH-Mazing for all your cake needs!!! read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Wedding cake! - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

The dessert was pretty good (a solid 4 stars for the ones we actually got) but they definitely lose some stars for bad service. The sign clearly states that the line is for to-go only and to sit down for service, so we did. Fifteen minutes later and nothing. Numerous eye contact with the workers and nothing. Even the ladies next to us mentioned that they will bring out the menus, and that we should wait, but, yup you guessed it, nothing. Deciding to take our stuff to go, we went to the front desk and we were greeted by a lady that just could not be bothered. My friend's question regarding a dessert that was unmarked was met with a condescending "what?", and the overall demeanour was just somewhat rude, like they didn't want our business. As somebody who spent years in the food service industry, this was just bad service. Oh and for the icing on the cake (pun inteded) we came home to find out that they forgot one of our desserts. Just lovely. Maybe their desserts are good enough to get by with bad service, but I'll get my cannollis from across the street. read more

During time of lock down due to covid -19 , we were so happy that this bakery still open and taking ours oder at the same day pick up, we oder 2 difference birthday cake and both time the cake were so good and beautiful decor, highly recommend read more

I ordered a wedding cake for a small ceremony and all I had to do was send pictures of a couple concepts I had in mind. The cake turned out exactly like we envisioned and tasted as amazing as it looked (vanilla cake with strawberry filling and vanilla mousse). We had the cake delivered and Lisa was super helpful with setting our cake topper and fresh flowers so that we had one less thing to worry about on an already hectic day. Many thanks to Carla, Lisa and the Modern Pastry team :) read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

I got married on October 15, 2016. We had Maneeleys cater our wedding and as a group packaging they partnered with Modern to get us our cake. When we went to the tasting Maneeleys held, we tried some of the cakes and fell in love with it immediately. It was so moist, light, and not overly sweet. I am the type of person that will eat the cake and leave the frosting due to the high sweetness. So when we went in to give our cake design and try different fillings we had no doubt in our mind that the cake was going to be amazing. They hit the nail on the head with this cake. It was perfect. Beautifully decorated, the taste amazing. And I even ate the frosting it was that good. If you are looking for an cake I would suggest here. They are amazing and very detailed. read more

Modern Pastry Shop - We got the cake topper ourself but look at how amazing this cake came out!! - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

I worked with Modern Pastry recently to order a cake and cupcakes for my baby shower. Working with Carla was an absolute pleasure! I emailed her some pictures of the cake and cupcakes I had in mind for inspiration. She was very responsive and detailed about how they could make the cake/cupcakes close to my requested vision and what the cost would be. The cake and cupcakes came out better than I expected and looked extremely similar to the pictures I sent! They were absolutely beautiful and went nicely with my Luau theme. Not only were they beautiful but were also delicious and I received so many compliments. Lastly, for a small additional charge, they were able to deliver the cake and cupcakes safely to our venue and even helped us put the cake on our own personal cake stand! Overall, great customer service, presentation and taste! They made the process so easy, especially during COVID - I never had to go in physically to the bakery once. Will definitely work with Modern Pastry again in the future! read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Chocolate and red velvet cupcakes with buttercream frosting and fondant flowers! - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

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They have THE best lobster tails I have ever had! I am very excited to try some of the other things. read more

Modern Pastry Shop - Lobster Tail. Finished in less than a minute! - Bakeries Near Me - Hartford, Connecticut

The family is great and the pastry is amazing.Fresh made with high quality ingreidents and love this place.Great!!!!A must stop in and try