"We celebrated a birthday here at Barrel with a delectable tiramisu from our neighbor that was gone in the blink of an eye. Light and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness and a splash of rum. In the warmer months, they sell gelato curbside which is likely to be flooded with tourists. Save some time and step inside for a quicker exit. Plus, the cannolis are rumored to be the best in the city!" - Barrel
"The hazelnut gelato here is creamy and nutty, or choose from dozens of other flavors, all made in the back. Loaded down with Victorian glitz, the bakery has been doing things right since 1892. The cannoli have a snappy shell, putting the neighbors’ soggy ones to shame, and the sweet ricotta filling has plenty of chocolate chips and candied citrus mixed in. Got room for more? Crackle through the flaky waves of pastry that wrap the Bavarian cream in the luxurious lobster tails, a spinoff of Neapolitan sfogliatelle, which are stuffed with semolina and ricotta and dotted with candied orange peel." - Robert Sietsema
"If you’ve walked through Little Italy even once, you’ve noticed Ferrara Bakery, with its neon signs and enormous ice cream cones mounted above the awning. It's worth stepping inside—even just to experience the old-fashioned elegance of the tile floors, massive mirrors and elegant dark wood molding of this 1892 institution. There's a selection of Italian candies, liqueurs, and other prettily packaged gifts to browse too, and while the baked goods here can be hit-or-miss, the huge, sublimely flaky lobster tail is great." - molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, bryan kim
"The hazelnut gelato here is creamy and nutty, or choose from dozens of other flavors, all made in the back. Loaded down with Victorian glitz, the bakery has been doing things right since 1892. The cannoli have a snappy shell, putting the neighbors’ soggy ones to shame, and the sweet ricotta filling has plenty of chocolate chips and candied citrus mixed in. Got room for more? Crackle through the flaky waves of pastry that wrap the Bavarian cream in the luxurious lobster tails, a spinoff of Neapolitan sfogliatelle, which are stuffed with semolina and ricotta and dotted with candied orange peel." - Robert Sietsema, Eater Staff
"I treat Ferrara Bakery and Pastry as the anchor of Little Italy—open since 1892—and gravitate toward its St. Joseph’s pastry (confusingly called zeppole di San Giuseppe in Naples): a choux pastry filled with fluffy pastry cream and topped with either a maraschino cherry or chocolate chips, available at stalls up and down Mulberry and in front of the grand store." - Robert Sietsema