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The cakes are always moist. Filling just enough. Buttercream frosting yes is sweet but one of the best 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.
This is the go to bakery for Italian desserts, pastries and cakes everything is so good and you'll find this place packed pretty much any day of the week. Love ordering cakes here for birthdays and special occasions. Located in downtown Schenectady it's a gem.
Best Sweets in Schenectady a delicious and iconic Downtown gem. Customer service is amazing as well, smiling faces and helpful
I've been in the past to grab a small pastry here and there and was always pleased. But this week I was gifted a Cassata cake and it was perfect. You could taste that it was rum soaked as promised but not too heavy. I will 100% return to buy this cake again!
This place is amazing. Every pastry is fully loaded with cream. The eclair was perfectly baked and full of cream, it was not soggy but baked to perfection. The lobster tail again fully loaded with cream with a crust that was super crispy. I haven't found a bakery that doesn't skimp on the fillings. Now you want to talk about tiramisu, man oh man was it delicious. Service was outstanding. Mostly everything is sold by the pound. They have cookies for days. Pastries for days and you have to try them all. They do custom cakes for all your needs. I love this place and will be frequenting quite often. You come here once and I guarantee you'll get something that makes you come back over and over. You been warned.
Exceptional looking and tasting cupcakes! I attended a child's 7th birthday party today at The Littles Play Cafe. The host and hostess purchased your chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with "Hello Kitty" plastic rings on top of the cupcakes with a smattering of glitter. I asked the hosts whether the cupcakes came from a supermarket or a bakery. They quickly said that the cupcakes came from your bakery, their "favorite" bakery. Since I live near New York City and love bakeries, I had to try your chocolate cupcake. It was the most tasty cupcake I have ever eaten. The frosting was perfectly placed on top of the cupcake and not overly sweet. Perfect consistency, and taste. Then, I enjoyed the cake part of the cupcake, it was heaven on earth. Of course, I had to have a second cupcake and enjoyed it as well. If I am in your area again, I will surely be a customer of yours. I recommend anyone who is interested in quality family-style based bakery items...they go directly to your shop. Highly recommended without any reservation. Thank you and your bakers for a job well done.
Cute pastry with tons of options to choose from!! It was pretty busy the day I went but they are very organized. When you walk in they ask you to grab a number and will call it out when it's your turn. They have cakes , cookies , coffee , cheese cake and all types of pastries to choose from. They sell them by pound but you can mix and match. Some of the pastries were a little too sweet but overall but had. It's a little on the expensive side but the quality and service is great ! I recommend getting your sweet cravings or pastries for events from here !
We went on a whim because another bakery in Schenectady was closed--& boy am I glad we did. The lobster tail I got was so crispy and filled with cream I was in heaven. The rainbow cookie, while good, was definitely not the best and could have used more jam. The rest of the pastries look and taste great and I will certainly return when I get to Schenectady. The counter staff was harried but polite and I had nothing bad to report. One star off because the cannoli wasn't filled all the way through, and it was a pretty small cannoli. Nothing worse than a hollow cannoli!!!
After reading many reviews for Villa Italia, I decided to call in an order for a tiramisu cake. 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!! !! read more
3 months ago
A friend turned us on to italian pastries from this shop. Took my son out to Albany to catch a flight 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. read more
1 year ago
Is there any cake decorated more beautifully than a custom cake from this longtime popular bakery in 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! read more
9 months ago
The cakes are always moist. Filling just enough. Buttercream frosting yes is sweet but one of the best 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. read more
This is the go to bakery for Italian desserts, pastries and cakes everything is so good and you'll find this place packed pretty much any day of the week. Love ordering cakes here for birthdays and special occasions. Located in downtown Schenectady it's a gem. read more
4 months ago
10 months ago
Best Sweets in Schenectady a delicious and iconic Downtown gem. Customer service is amazing as well, smiling faces and helpful read more
I've been in the past to grab a small pastry here and there and was always pleased. But this week I was gifted a Cassata cake and it was perfect. You could taste that it was rum soaked as promised but not too heavy. I will 100% return to buy this cake again! read more
7 months ago
This place is amazing. Every pastry is fully loaded with cream. The eclair was perfectly baked and full of cream, it was not soggy but baked to perfection. The lobster tail again fully loaded with cream with a crust that was super crispy. I haven't found a bakery that doesn't skimp on the fillings. Now you want to talk about tiramisu, man oh man was it delicious. Service was outstanding. Mostly everything is sold by the pound. They have cookies for days. Pastries for days and you have to try them all. They do custom cakes for all your needs. I love this place and will be frequenting quite often. You come here once and I guarantee you'll get something that makes you come back over and over. You been warned. read more
Exceptional looking and tasting cupcakes! I attended a child's 7th birthday party today at The Littles Play Cafe. The host and hostess purchased your chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with "Hello Kitty" plastic rings on top of the cupcakes with a smattering of glitter. I asked the hosts whether the cupcakes came from a supermarket or a bakery. They quickly said that the cupcakes came from your bakery, their "favorite" bakery. Since I live near New York City and love bakeries, I had to try your chocolate cupcake. It was the most tasty cupcake I have ever eaten. The frosting was perfectly placed on top of the cupcake and not overly sweet. Perfect consistency, and taste. Then, I enjoyed the cake part of the cupcake, it was heaven on earth. Of course, I had to have a second cupcake and enjoyed it as well. If I am in your area again, I will surely be a customer of yours. I recommend anyone who is interested in quality family-style based bakery items...they go directly to your shop. Highly recommended without any reservation. Thank you and your bakers for a job well done. read more
10 months ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
Cute pastry with tons of options to choose from!! It was pretty busy the day I went but they are very organized. When you walk in they ask you to grab a number and will call it out when it's your turn. They have cakes , cookies , coffee , cheese cake and all types of pastries to choose from. They sell them by pound but you can mix and match. Some of the pastries were a little too sweet but overall but had. It's a little on the expensive side but the quality and service is great ! I recommend getting your sweet cravings or pastries for events from here ! read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
4 years ago
We went on a whim because another bakery in Schenectady was closed--& boy am I glad we did. The lobster tail I got was so crispy and filled with cream I was in heaven. The rainbow cookie, while good, was definitely not the best and could have used more jam. The rest of the pastries look and taste great and I will certainly return when I get to Schenectady. The counter staff was harried but polite and I had nothing bad to report. One star off because the cannoli wasn't filled all the way through, and it was a pretty small cannoli. Nothing worse than a hollow cannoli!!! read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
We ordered a cake for my child's birthday. We have never ordered a cake from here before. We went in on a Saturday early morning and the woman taking down our order helped guide us through. My child wanted as much color and glitter and fun as possible. It was NYE so they had some cakes on display. We highlighted to the woman what we wanted based on their display cakes. They delivered perfectly. On pickup day they were timely, the cake was fresh, delicious, and fed exactly how many people we needed. I will be using them again for custom cakes. read more
This is a gem and certainly one of the best, if not the best, bakery in the Capital District, that I'm aware of. I like the clean, bright interior and the comfy area to sit for a snack break, but it's their baked goodies that entice us back time and again. My only wish is for there to be labels so we don't have to point and describe in order to ask for stuff. Judging by the fact that the staff always seem to call the baked goods by the name, I get the feeling they do have names but just aren't labeled. Everything in the display cases seems to be sold by the pound which, as we've found out, is not unreasonable considering how consistently delicious they are. There's street parking right outside the shop and service is quick and friendly. read more
I was here several years ago and remember really enjoying a cannoli tremendously. Every time I go to a show at Proctors, I gaze lovingly at Villa Italia but never seem to make it in there. I finally did earlier this week. My first instinct was to go for gelato...but I didn't see any! Turns out that it's in the back and when the lovely girl behind the counter rattled off the flavors of the day, I wasn't very inspired. So, I ordered a double espresso and a single italian rainbow cookie. The espresso was really just OK and the rainbow cookie was definitely fresh, but the flavor didn't pop in the way that I've experienced with other versions of this cookie. But...there are a ton of things to choose from. The cupcakes look amazing and I might just go back and hit that cannoli situation again to re-live my past. read more
2 years ago
I've been coming to this bakery for a long time and was sad when I moved out of the area because they are too good. The assortment is worth it and is fresh. The cake is great but the best stuff is the pastries. I'd recommend the cannolis and the fruit tarts as they taste amazing and are well worth the price. The service is fairly quick and they are well staffed up front at the counters. Just remember that they do require to take a number when you come in. The best part about is that they have a few tables available to sit down and eat and enjoy yourself. I recommend this to anyone who wants good pastries at a convenient location (just make sure you find parking on the side of the road). read more
What an interesting place! The location is super convenient in downtown Schenectady .. the cafe itself is super cute, warm, cozy modern spot with tables arranged social distance guidelines in mind .. desserts are phenomenal! I tried the tiramisu cup and cheese danish both tasted great but it would have been nice if the danish was warmed prior to serving .. what was quite disappointing actually was the latte and mocha .. I'll admit my expectation of a cafe like villa italia was quite high but from the very first sip of mocha i could taste the stale hot chocolate that was super watered down Tip: stick to cakes, baked goods, dessert. I advise staying away from their hot beverages read more
Well, I've found it. Villa Italia's fourth star. It was hiding in the lobster tails. For years I've come to this beloved Schenectady bakery and never found it to be all that special. I would bring the kids, because kids love anything sweet. I'd stop by after the theater, because sometimes its nice to linger over a pastry and extend a lovely outing. I'd suggest Villa Italia for a meeting space, because they serve okay brewed coffee and have plenty of seating. Over those years I've tried a variety of treats, and none of them stood out. My go-to option has been the amaretti, because at least they are relatively small, and potentially the least diet wrecking indulgence within the pastry case. Then I tried a lobster tail. Cream filled pastries have a way of making me weak in the knees. And these little horns, with their crisp ridged exteriors lightly powdered with sugar, are a remarkable vessel for Villa Italia's silky cream filling. The tragedy is that sometimes they are gone. Which makes me reluctant about telling anyone about my love for these treats. But this is how much I love the Yelp community. Everyone should experience these and fall in love with this place. My hope is that if the lobster tails become more popular, the bakery will find a way to make more of them. Then we all win. And in the meantime, if I come in and the case is out of lobster tails, it's probably just the universe telling me I probably didn't need one anyway. read more
3 years ago
For an occasion, I asked my friend what she wanted and she said "Italian pastry assortment from Villa Italia". I am from out of town. So I followed her suggestion and got 2 trays. They are not cheap but they are full of deliciousness. Their custard cream was the best part. I brought them to the party and all the pastries were gone quickly. Apparently this is a famous bakery in Schenectady. The bakery was so popular. I waited for 15 mins for my turn. And their selections of pastries are large! Very impressing! read more
5 years ago
9 years ago
i used to work here about 5-6 years ago. and they still sell the best cookies, pastries, croissants, danishes, cakes, cheesecakes, and gelato. their espresso and coffee drinks are yummy too. only downside is they can be on the expensive side. i recently got a cheesecake and it's a 10/10 for me! the chocolate piece used to write happy birthday is also really good dark chocolate. read more
Some people will walk over to Villa Italia from Proctor's Theater during an intermission of a show they are attending. I will never do that! Why? Because I would buy so many different pastries that everyone in line behind me would be late for the second half start of the show. Fortunately, today I was not attending a performance at Proctor's and was walking past Villa Italia after eating at nearby Slidin' Dirty. Oh, it is so difficult making a decision on what I want to try. It's good that I'm not on an empty stomach. Of course I MUST have a sfogliatella, and of course a cannoli. There's something that looks like a huge sfogliatella filled with custard, so I better get one of those. And what's that? A rugelach? OK, I'm all set now until we get home. The sfogliatella has the perfect texture - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. But I like them to have more almond flavor inside than this one has. The huge sfogliatella-like pastry absolutely oozes a delicious light creamy vanilla custard with each bite and I have to be careful it doesn't drop on my cannoli. Speaking of cannoli, even though these are prefilled, the shell is still quite crispy. The filling is a bit more creamy than I'm accustomed to, but the flavor is still very good. The rugelach might be the best I've had in the capital district. They were fresh and soft with a good cinnamon flavor. However, the ones that I was first introduced to in NYC also had fillings of raspberry or apricot, and those were outstanding. Hmmm, I seem to recall that Mother Myrick's in Manchester, VT has different flavored fillings. ROAD TRIP! read more
3 years ago
2 years ago
4 years ago
I wish I could give this bakery cafe another star but I guess thats how it will show it is good, not great. I've been here more than a handful of times in the past few years and have seen the changes to the bakery made, as they are working hard to create new and delicious pastries and unique sweets. With a patio for good times outdoors and some seats inside, this is a good place to grab a coffee with some friends/family or your date if you are seeing a show at Proctor's and want to devour some Italian cookies and treats. I used to come here for lunch quite often to take advantage of their lunch specials that came with a drink, chips, and a panini/sandwich. I'm not sure if they still have this combo, but this was a good weekday work lunch for those with limited break time. My go-to was the roast beef sandwich, which had a good balance of flavors from both the Russian dressing and the arugula. I've also frequented the Italian rainbow cookies (I like to try these from everywhere), the aragosta, and the guanti. Those are probably the top 3 I'd get on the way to visiting my friends and family. Likewise, the cakes are solid. I've only gotten the assorted fruit cheesecake and the black forest cake but both were delectable and enjoyed by all my guests. From a recent visit I discovered they have gelato cakes! The gelato is made in house just like their nougat, and boy, are they awesome! I prefer the fruity gelato as to their sweet cookies and cream, amaretto, and etc. The nougat is my favorite and the honey drizzled almonds are the best! I WANT to be able to enjoy their cannoli and other cream filled pastries but I say to myself "I'll pass on that," because they are all prefilled and do not give me that satisfactory crunch I'm looking for. I hope they'd consider changing that because it really makes a difference. Also, grab a ticket once you walk in to be helped! Sometimes the ticketing system isn't even in effect but if you snooze, you lose. read more
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