Best black and white cookies EVER. They have both chocolate base and vanilla. The frosting is light…read moreas air, the cake bottom is soft and moist. This place is a must for us. We also recently ordered a chocolate cake and it was flavorful, moist and fabulous. Everyone loved it! They have bread, cookies, cupcakes, cake and even ice cream.

I stop by sometimes for dessert and their cakes and cheesecakes are my go-to. Occasionally grab a…read moremoon cookie too!

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.

Hands down greatest cinnamon roll in the capital region! We recently checked out the new location…read more The original location is adorable but the new one is much more accessible for a quick pop in. There was still a good selection of items later in the day and the cinnamon rolls easily held up until the next day. They reheat wonderfully! I can't imagine how spectacular they are fresh because even 2 days later they are delicious! The staff are always pleasant no matter the location as well.

I recently was able to go try out Leah's, FINALLY! It has taken me a while to get here, but I am so…read moreglad that I did. It was super cute inside! They do have tables to sit and eat at. I just wish that they had a few more as they were all occupied. It is a beautiful thing to have homemade pastry! I ordered the cinnamon bun, the eclair, the ham and Swiss roll, and the spanakopita turnover. Everything was delicious! My favorite thing was the eclair! It was by far the best declare that I've ever had in my life! And I just have to brag on it a little bit because the cream inside has real vanilla bean in it! It's not only real cream, but it's made with real vanilla bean! You can both taste it and see it in the cream once you bite into the eclair. This was just pure perfection. The least favorite thing that I had was the ham and Swiss roll. My only complaint about it really was that it was a little dry because it needed more Swiss cheese inside. It was still beautiful and flaky with a everything bagel seasoning on top and the ham was also good. Unfortunately, there was just no discernible cheese. So I missed that gooey melty center that I was looking for. I also ordered a chai latte, which they also sell as a iced latte option. It was super hot and tasted lovely! I told the girl at the register that this was my first time, she welcomed me, she answered all my questions and was super nice and accommodating. They ask you if your order is for here or to go and they offered to heat up your pastry for you either way if you were going to be eating it immediately. I thought this was a super kind and intuitive Service! See this is why I just love supporting local businesses. Many of the ones around here are top-notch and I would much rather support them than big conglomerates, monopolies and chains that don't care about their customers or quality products, they just care about profit. If you love, good pastry, then please come check out Leah's!

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.

Best macarons I've ever had. And I've had A LOT! Tried a bunch all over the country. Thought the…read morebest was in NYC but these are top of the chain. Perfect texture and melt in your mouth flavors. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

My daughter has a Feb. 14 birthday, so she selected baked goods to celebrate her birthday with…read morefamily. The chocolate cake was not pre ordered. But it was personalized while we waited. The cookies were beautifully decorated showing both experience and skill. Delicious too. The cupcakes were outstanding: PB Boston Crème Coconut Custard And Carrot Cake (great cream cheese frosting but cake part lacked carrot flavor in my opinion) The cupcakes were so large, we cut them in half! Support local!

I love the variety of baked goods here! Today I got my one stand by favorites, Carrot Cupcake and…read moreCoconut Custard Cupcake. I tried the chocolate half and half/Half Moon and it is THE best I have ever had!! Very soft chocolate 'cookie' with delicious vanilla and chocolate frosting. I also get the plain mini cannolis for my boyfriend. I noted they had Apricot Rugelach which I will try another time. The Raspberry Rugelach is fantastic. Chef's Kiss ‍!!

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.