Veniero's

East Village
342 E. 11th St.
between 1st/2nd Aves.

P: 212.674.7070

An Italian bakery and café that's been in the East Village since 1894.  Today the place is a pastry complex with a large café, a wall of chilled cases filled with cream-covered cakes and cheese cakes, another huge glass case containing a selection of Italian cookies and sweets, and a separate storefront depot for picking up advance orders.

What's great:

They make mini pastries that are perfect for dessert for a crowd (order ahead to make sure you get what you want and need).  Their cheesecakes are large and made both in the creamy, dense "New  York style" as well as the Italian ricotta style.  They offer dozens of different kinds of Italian cookies and cannolis.  One of the most popular cakes is a classic whipped cream strawberry cake.

What to know:

The pastry is old style Italian and not very refined, and they've certainly been making everything the same way, every day, for decades.  But if you're craving an old fashioned Italian whipped cream cake or mini chocolate cannolis, this is a place to find them.  You may be shopping alongside more tourists than locals but that doesn't mean the pastry isn't terrific.

They can deliver everything to the New York area and ship a variety of their baked goods nationwide.