Ferrara Bakery & Cafe

Stopped off here for cheesecake and hot chocolate and it was well worth it. Great atmosphere, good service and beautiful food and drinks. Pros: Cakes and hot choc more

Ferrara's is my absolute favorite place to go for italian desserts. Above all, I love their tiramisu. It has the most perfectly balanced flavors, and it has never been anything but excellent. Another favorite of mine is the chocolate truffle cake, which is VERY rich, but if you love dark chocolate, it is absolutely fabulous. The cake is less like cake & more like a chunk of rich, velvety chocolate and it is amazing. Their cheesecake is also something I highly recommend. I have taken many many friends to Ferrara's & they have never been disappointed by either the food or the drinks. The service there is fairly good, and I have never had any problems there at all. Sometimes there is a long line to get seated (sometimes the line is longer for take-out) & it will stretch outside & down the block a little ways. That only tends to happen on weekends during holiday times when a lot of tourists are in the city. So it might not be the best thing to do if you're short on time, but otherwise, it's worth it! Pros: just about everything Cons: a little on the expensive side, but that's new york for ya more

A huge selection of great desserts! Everything I tasted was delicious! The atmosphere was nice and everthing was immaculate.\r Would definitely reccomend to anyone! more

we stopped by on saturday to get out of the ugly weather. the place was pretty big and looked a lot like veneiros (or any other italian bakery), with mirrored walls, fake marble-inset tables, & dark wooden furniture. theres also a loooong refrigerated glass cabinet in the front filled with cakes, cookies, tarts, and whatever artery-clogging sweet that you may desire.\r \r we opted to split the plate of 3 mini-pastries (your choice, $6.95). we chose the eclair, cannoli, and sfogiatella. im actually not a fan of italian pastries since they tend to be cold and sort of dry, but i think that these were above average. the cannoli filling was not too sweet and the shell was thin and crispy. the eclair filling was smooth and creamy. the sfogiatella pastry was flaky, but the proportion of shell to filling was too high.\r \r i also ordered the house coffee (~$3). it came in a bulb dispenser and was piping hot. the coffee was great strong and not burnt or bitter. my friend that had the double espresso seemed to like her drink a lot as well.\r \r service is decent. our waiter was slightly condescending (maybe because he thought we were tourists like the majority of their patrons), but he did what we asked so no real complaints there. Pros: coffee, cannoli, glass display case filled with food Cons: condescending waitstaff more

This place is really popular in Little Italy as well as Chinatown itself. It's so popular that you have to wait for something as small as a pastry or a cake or ice cream or coffee. But, if it's the atmosphere that you're into checking out, this is definitely one of the spots you should go to. It's very nice and has a huge billboard outside that makes it look like a fancy restaurant rather than a bakery. more

I've been buying cannoli's and cheesecake from Ferrara's for years- they are the best- not too sweet and not too cheap, but, worth every pennie. On a recent trip, my boyfriend bought 4 cheesecakes to share with family and friends because the 2 we bought there a few months ago went so fast! We've had lunch there and enjoyed the pannini's and cappuccino. While I can agree the place has become a ""tourist trap,"" it's because they are consistent in the high quality of their food and they've been in the same place for decades. The service may not always be as good as some of the other Little Italy restaurants, but, it's a place people go to relax and have coffee and dessert, not for a 4-star meal. We like to go Sunday morning or afternoon when it's not as crowded as Saturday night. We live in Baltimore where we have our own ""Little Italy"" with a very nice pastry shop called Vaccaros- but, every few months we travel to NYC because the cannoli's and NY cheesecake at Ferrara's are exceptional. Pros: exceptional pastries, fresh, consistently high quality Cons: slow service on weekend evenings more

Ferrara Bakery & Cafe is a good place to go for dessert after dinner in Chinatown or Little Italy. Expect to wait for a table when the cafe is busy and don't expect great service. I like the eclairs, cannolis, bavarian cream puffs, fruit tarts, and gelato. They have a smaller midtown location, but they don't bake pastries there. PROS: eclairs, cannolis, bavarian cream puffs, fruit tarts, gelato CONS: service, wait more

Everyone loves Ferrara's, so much so, that you should be prepared to wait if you'd like to be seated. If you just want to pick up a bunch of cookies & pastries to go, there's a separate line for that. Ferrara's even serves gelato out front of it's storefront and has benches for you to sit. If you enjoy Italian pastries, this is the place for you; if you're looking for a slice of apple pie or chocolate cake, look elsewhere, though their Death by Chocolate is so rich, you won't be able to finish it. I did have to ask my server 3 times for a glass of water and things were slow in coming, but I guess if you are a fan, you'll overlook it. Pros: Good desserts Cons: Lines, Waitstaff more

I've loved everything I've had here. The cheesecake, the eclairs, the cannolis...it's definitely a great place to go after enjoying a meal at another Little Italy restaurant. Highly, highly recommended. The service is slightly sub par but very worth it. Really delish. more

Well... my review was initially 500 words long, but I am only allowed 150. So I am going to keep it short. I would compare our waiter to an extremley annoyed dybbuk chained to his job pretending to like it... he was being diplomatically rude, if you know what I mean. The self proclaimed manager was just the same, so to avoid going down to her level I just told her that she was right and I was wrong (wait... isn't that supposed to be her line?). Maybe they were just annoyed that five Asian ladies had come on the day after Thanksgiving and make them work... or maybe we were stinky... sniff sniff... i think I smell fine :) Pros: pastries Cons: Questionable Service, Questionable Manager, Bad waiter more

Go to Ferrara's after a big meal or for a nice snack. Located in the heart of the Little Italy area, it attract hordes of people every week. Make sure you can beat the lines so you get the freshest items available. Highly recommended for folks who ache for seats and have a sweet tooth like no other. Pros: Desserts, Service Cons: Crowded more

Went thinking I would find ""real, authentic"" Italian pastry's. Brought my Italian husband, but very dissappointed. Pricey, poor service and looked like a tourist trap. Next time I'm in town I'll find better! They've fallen into getting the tourist dollars. Pros: Location Cons: pricey, busy, non-authentic more

Excellent bavarian mignon cream puffs. The napoleons, and rainbow cookies are pretty good too. The eclairs are so-so as are some of the pastries such as the chocolate mousse that look much better than they taste. The gelato was good one visit but tasted watered down the next. If you're eating at the cafe inside, the service is variable. Some servers are pleasant enough but some others seem to be unhappy to be at work to put it mildly. Pros: Good pastries, Big selection more

over-rated, use to be good 15-20 yrs. ago. desserts are so so tasting & a little pricey. canoli good, but other selections either too sweet, too much creme or too much pastry. uncomfortable seating. busy cuz it's popular. SUM IT: i'd suggest the other 'ferrara's around the corner with better pastries & italian ices. this ferrara's is too touristy for me. Pros: location Cons: so so desserts, noisy, parking more

Lovely restaurant, we had a late lunch of veal-stuffed manicotti which was extremely tasty. The ricotta cream-filled cannoli is SO delicious I am still dreaming about it! Endless dessert menu, not a huge variety of savouries but I think anything you ordered would be delicious. We loved this place & will definitely visit next time we are in NY. Pros: Delicious food, Fun location Cons: Service a bit slow more

had to have the canneolis. the chocolate ones are good too. try the guava sorbet the next time you're there. just make sure it's not melting. more

What can you say, it's a pastry lover's dream. The pastries are prepared with much care and the cream could'nt be better. I highly recommend bringing visitors here as they will be impressed. Try the tarts, mousses, and ofcourse, the canolis!!! Pros: Delicious Cons: Short wait more

Every Christmas my father used to drive from Long Island to get pastries from Ferrara's. Now, when I visit NYC I never miss a chance to go back. The cannoli is superb. So's the tiramasu. The rum balls melt in your mouth. And the cookies with the pine nuts can't be beat. Go to Lombardi's for pizza and Ferrara's for dessert and you won't be disappointed. I hear Ferrara's has opened a branch on Broadway but haven't tried it yet. If it's as good as the original, it will be a real treat. Pros: authentic, delicious, consistent more

If you have a sweet tooth or want a great cup of joe, then this is the place to go! The dessert list goes on and on. Nothing to dissapoint on the menu. In the summer months gelato is available too. Pros: great dessert, ship anywhere Cons: rest of menu lacking, location more

The orginal owners must be turing over in their respective graves. THe service and staff was simply terrible!! The pastries tasted like they had been in the showcase for trwo weeks and the coffee was the last straw, it tasted a little better than it smelled. We did however find a delicious bakery off of Canal st and Mulberry the next called La Bellla Ferrera, no relation and it was La Bella. The staff was friendly and service was great. The cakes and dessert was unreal, probably the best I have ever had. I spoke with the owner and told him to sell his stuff to Ferrerra the might do better, he laughed but didn't have anything bad to say about them, I sure do and La bella prices were even better. more