Restaurant Review: Ferrara Bakery and Café

I discovered a fantastic little dessert place in Little Italy this Sunday. Although, I guess I shouldn't call it little. It was kind of a big place. Ferrara Bakery and Café is on the corner of Grand and Mulberry, smack in the middle of the small area known as Little Italy. I had no idea that it is one of the oldest bakeries still operating in the area and has a sister restaurant nearby (that hopefully I'll get to try out soon).

I was out for Chinese New Year with some friends and we were haplessly wandering around looking for dessert. We found Ferrara. It was like a beacon on the corner calling our names with bright lights. Ang and Andrea were drawn like moths to a flame and crossed the street and then proceeded to look in through the glass doors. I was a little more skeptical. From the outside it looked like a tourist trap to me. Bright lights, big signs, but it was definitely appealing. The setup was welcoming and the girls were set. I was definitely willing to give it a try. After all, looks can be deceiving. 

tasteful decor

Upon entering the bakery, I was surprised at how big it actually was. It looked like a slightly larger, yet typical pasticceria in Florence. It had a traditional vibe but with a elegant yet simple twist. It was well lit, and elegantly set up with tasteful Valentines Day decorations (earlier in the evening we had passed a restaurant that Cupid had apparently thrown up on). 

gorgeous and typical pasticceria

On the left, there was a pastry bar with a beautiful bounty of desserts, from traditional Italian cookies, to more delicate and complicated cookies, to Italian pastries like sfogliatelle, cannoli and babà, to typical american and french pastries, to beautiful cakes (both slices and whole) with chocolate, vanilla and fruits.  It was a beautiful sight that had my mouth watering. Based on looks alone, I wanted one of everything. We had to grab a table and try some (yes more than one) of those desserts. 

I would have loved to have one of these fruit tortes... and then I saw chocolate lol

During the brief wait, I took a bunch of pictures, fascinated at the variety of desserts available. We arrived later in the evening so I know that during the morning hours and early afternoon there were probably even more desserts available. I can't wait to go back and try other things!  But I suppose I should tell you about what I actually ate.

a macaron cake as well as some other gorgeous bites

Looking at the menu was a challenge because there was so much to choose from. There were alcoholic drinks, coffee drinks and chocolate drinks available. I had to stop looking because I was just getting overwhelmed. The dessert menu was just as extensive as the drink menu and included the various partries as well as gelato. I think I looked at the menu for a good 20 minutes until finally we had to give our server our order. 

Our waitress was friendly and quite helpful as well as patient given our indecisiveness. 

You look hungry, have a cannoli! really hungry? have a chocolate cannoli!

The girls each decided to try a trio, meaning they got to try three mini desserts of their choosing. Unfortunately, I don't quite remember what they each chose, although I had a nibble of most everything and it was all delicious. And Andrea also ordered some kind of mocha capuccino thing that had fresh whipped cream on top that she seemed to really enjoy while Steve got a trio of gelato, chocolate, hazelnut and salted caramel. I, instead, decided to order a white chocolate raspberry ribbon cake with a glass of milk (as per suggestion of our server lol... best idea ever!). 

The dessert arrived pretty quickly and it was absolutely gorgeous. 

Oh my goodness. Gorgeous! and tasty too. While looking at the menu, I had contemplated the prices and worried that we were about to have a typical tourist experience. The desserts were on the slightly pricey side (my cake was $7.75 and the hot chocolates were around $5 each). But I was pleasantly surprised. The desserts well exceeded my expectations. The chocolate mousses in the trios were spectacular and my chocolate cake was dense and creamy. The whipped cream was fresh and the white chocolate was a lovely accent. It wasn't what I had been expecting, but it was delicious and the milk was a fantastic palate cleanser to break up my massive chocolate consumption. 

My delightful cake, glass of milk and the yummy gelato

I also thoroughly enjoyed the gelato. The consistency was creamy and smooth. It wasn't quite the same as gelato in Florence, but it was up there. The chocolate was probably my favorite but I also really liked the hazelnut. 

Struggling, but I did finish everything!

We definitely took our time enjoying our dessert. No one rushed us as we devoured our sweets and chatted and goofed around talking about other good times. 

We all pretty much cleared our plates, although I won't lie, I definitely slowed down about 1/2 way through my cake. It was really rich and we had had quite a lot to eat for dinner.  

I think next time I'm in little Italy, I'll definitely be stopping in to pick up a few pastries for friends (and myself of course!). I really had a good experience and a great dessert that I would eat again.  

-Raspberry Truffle

P.S. I thought this mini wedding cake was absolutely gorgeous. I may have to order it next time I stop by!