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Mon-Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sat. 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
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I've found the amore della mia vita! Once you try the original Ferrara's Cannoli Cake, you won't be able to eat Jewel's or any average Shmoe cakes anywhere! Made of sweet canoli filling, yellow cake, homemade whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and all this pinched with shaved coconut, it's SWEET HEAVEN! Although it's $18 a cake, it's perfect for any special occasion. If my partner and I were ever to get married, it would be his family's expectation to have a supersized Wedding-style Cannoli Cake there. After all, they were the first ones to introduce me to this gastronomical tradition that has been at every family celebration since their grandparent's grew up on the old Taylor Street, now what is well-gentrified called 'University Village.' Although the area continues to changed, the bakery has not. In other words, don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind Italian immigrant bakery or you'll be missing out a piece of Chicago's history.
Oh and the best part of the visit (other than the adorable older nonna who secretly treats cutie pie visitors with a few pieces of candy--yes at 23 years old I can still pull it off!) is when they use their pulley contraption attached the ceiling to wrap up the products packaging with yarn. Yay for old school!
I must be an Italian pastry snob coming from NYC, b/c I am not entirely impressed by Chicago's acclaimed #1 Italian pastry shop Ferrara's. Of course, having found out that AN Italian bakery DOES exist in Chicago's Little Italy, I sprinted with a high expectation. Alas, however, the cannoli and tiramisu were just - how should I put this delicately - mediocre. Not bad, but not stellar either. Also disappointing was the fact that they only sell the "regular" cannoli - no chocolate filling, no chocolate shell. Not good for chocoholics like me.
I tried their food for lunch one day. The Italian salad was a heap of flavorless iceberg lettuce with a scanty sprinkle of shredded carrots and red onion. Once again, disappointing. My colleague tried their meatball sandwich which, as he testifies, was "lame."
SO, I suppose I won't be going back for lunch. But, being that this is the only Italian bakery I've found in Chicago's "Little Italy," I might pay it another visit when craving Italian cookies/pastries badly enough to settle for mediocrity.
Growing up, cannoli was a staple in our household (and, yes, cannoli is the plural, while cannolo is the singular), and birthdays were celebrated with Ferrara's famous cannoli cakes. This is the only place in the city where I can find monachine, a Neapolitan puff pastry, shaped like a half-circle and stuffed with cannoli filling (there's something heavenly about the softness of the puff pastry, versus the crunch of the traditional cannoli tube).
One thing that I must mention is their pizza--it's incredible! It's Sicilian-style, so it's more like bread with light toppings. If you can get there around lunch time, when it's fresh from the oven, it's worth a trip all the way to Taylor street from wherever you are in the city (note: they usually have two varieties--one with meat, and one without).
I would've awarded them five stars, but the customer service leaves a lot to be desired. The owner is often in the office, and he seems like a friendly guy, but the rest of the bakery staff makes you feel like you're there to inconvenience them.
I have been coming to Ferrara for many years and the owners are wonderful.
I do work across the street and use to go every morning for thier Egg Sandwiches but alas, they stopped making them due to not so many request (I think). But they do have a wonderful Toscany Chili that was created by the son of the owner I believe, VERY AUTHENTIC. I have had their food and pastries, but due to losing over 45 pounds, I had to step away and only eat them when I craved something sweet. On lunch time it will get busy, but the staff are really well trained to get everyone in and out. I totally love the place, it has mom and pop written all over and you will taste it in the comfort foods of Italy. They are just wonderful presenters and of course, not everyone will agree, but if you want good food at a not so expensive budget, your good here. Unfortunately the pasta sauces for me are a bit to thin, since I enjoy a good pasta with clingy sauce, but hey, can't do it all. Come in, sit down and be served Italian food from way back when. Now if they can make an outdoor sitting area (just small enough for patrons) they will create the right bistro setting needed for some of us who like to eat outdoors. BUT???
We came here for the cannoli, and ended up leaving with a box filled with cookies. The cannoli was OK, nowhere near the best I've had (Mike's Pastry in Boston, thanks for asking), but the little cookies were very nice. We got an assortment, and liked every single one of them. It's a fun, nostalgic place that had quite a few neighborhood people hanging around having coffee and sandwiches in the middle of the afternoon. I'd go back for sure, but I'd look elsewhere for my cannoli fix.
Maybe I made the mistake ordering a carrot cake from an Italian bakery and not the cannoli cake or something....but why offer something if it tastes so bad?
I ordered a huge carrot cake for my sister's birthday and brought it to the family gathering. SO embarassing! I watched as everyone politely took a bite or two and then quietly set it down on the table. I could not believe what I tasted, is that hint of cardboard? or gym shoe? My favorite part was when I cut a few slices out of it and there was some sort of cake structural damage that had been filled up with frosting. Literally, a hole the size of my fist out of the top 2 layers that had been filled with that tasteless cream cheese frosting. I'm confused, did the dog get to this cake first?
Why the heck didn't I just go to Weber's?
The food is always a little bit disapointing for me at this place, the food is alwas a bit bland and the baked goods too crisp and dry for my tastes. But if there is one item that redeems this place in my eyes, it is their Arencini. Oh my goodness. Meat and cheese in the middle of a rice ball, breaded and fried, then drenched in tomato sauce. Oh how I love it. Also the big chocolate chip cookies, that look a bit overbaked, are actually soft and delicious. Of course, the biggest draw here are the chocolate covered almonds. They are irresistable. The pizzia slices are nice and bread-y, quite different from the lunch staple Bacci's or Damenzo's gargantuan slices up the street.
I have to admit that I have a HUGE weakness for a good rum baba (baba au rhum), and they are hard to find in Chicago. The summer I worked a block from Ferrara Bakery was a dangerous one... Everyday during lunch, the rum babas in their pastery case called my name. 9/10 times, I caved (that+sitting all day long was bad news for my bathroom scale). The moisy pastry and the creamy filling... yummmmmy!
Because they made rum babas, I rarely got anything else, but their italian beef sandwichs were also pretty good.
I had a banana creme boat and was not that impressed with the pastry part nor the creme part. The lady kindly gave us some cookies gratis (neon pink, green and yellow ones), but I liked those even less, one bite was enough for me.
I really wanted to like it but sorry, I just didn't.
To make matters worse, my friend waited for quite a while at the counter and they seemed to help everybody but him, until he finally have up and sat back down with me.
Growing up I remember having had delicious cakes from here, but I guess I've learned how to differentiate between good and bad!
I ordered a carrot cake from Ferrara's for my dad's birthday. It was a "small" cake, your stardard 8" inches wide and probably about 6-7" inches high. It looked nice but failed miserably. My family typically loves carrot cake, but was hugely dissapointed with this one.
There was way too much cream cheese filling. The actual cake portion was moist but not flavorful. The cream cheese ratio to actual cake was about even. Not a good thing. With so much cream It was difficult to taste the "carrot" in the cake, the cream cheese was overpowering. It wasn't the worst carrot cake I've ever had, but it was close. Next time I want a cake, I know where I won't be going.
Things were just ok.
I actually felt like I was bugging the girl behind the counter by asking questions about the different pastries so I just quickly ordered a few cookies. I agree that the cookies weren't anything to sing about. I don't think I would make a special trip to the area for this bakery.
The bakery is located in a really busy street, pretty hard to find parking but if you look hard you may be able to get one.
The insides of the shop looks a little bit... ancient. This is similar to some chain bakeries like Goldilocks (not sure if they have this chain in Chicago), the walls are all glass, a lot of glass display cases for the pastries and the furniture is just so-so (well I don't think anyone paid too much attention on their chairs anyway). There's an interesting sign stating that the store has been around for awhile and I would believe it (the decor looks a little old)
I tried to order some food but the cashier said the only thing they have are cold sandwiches (Saturday noon and this is all you have?) The owner overheard and tried to correct her, just cold sandwiches and spaghetti. (maybe not., the guy around the corner is eating spaghetti and it doesn't look appetizing). So we just tried some of the sandwiches they have. Not bad, decent. I still feel miffed about that cashier trying to convince us that there was no hot food (why did I get a meatball sandwich huh? Isn't that hot food?)
I just came here to try out their cannoli and it was just alright. It was good just not spectacularly good (yes I have had several cannolis from various places before). I could still say that still the best cannoli I have ever had is from the Bay Area.
I stopped in here on a whim because I needed a java fix while waiting for someone.
This is a very old school place, but with new school prices. It's obviously got that nostalgic draw going on - I could just imagine tiny, lil Italian woman ordering bread and sweets, barely seeing over the counter.
So, I ordered one cream puff, one cherry turnover and a coffee. 7 bones! Ouch. Okay, so I am a lil cheapish.
The cream puff was yuck. Whipped cream instead of custard. Not good. The turnover appear to have a pizza crust-like base to it, and was not at all light. Kind of bland. Meh.
I will try it again sometime.
i often order cakes from Ferrara for work events and continue to be pleased with their service and the quality of their product. on one occasion, i noticed a minor decorating mistake on a cake they delivered, and the woman who'd brought the cake had actually come prepared with a small tube of frosting, so was able to make the correction on the spot. she even offered to go back to the bakery for additional supplies to further spruce up the cake! and, if you need something fast, ferrara can usually accommodate. i've ordered full sheet cakes the day before events, and they've had no problem coming through.
recently, my friend ordered their classic cannoli cake for my baby shower, and i could not have been more pleased. if you haven't tried it, you must!
i'll be honest--the cakes i've seen from ferrara are not the fanciest to look at. frilly fondant masterpieces are not what they're known for here. but if you want a yummy cake that will put smiles on people's faces at any special occasion, ferrara is a sure thing.
Thanks for all the reviews on here! I was in a bind on Friday, needing a Tres Leche cake, and someone gave it a good review, and I called 6 places and all need 3 days!
I called in the order at 2pm on Friday and it was ready for pickup 10am on Saturday. Easy parking in front, was able to get right in, and pick up the cake. They showed it to me, making sure it was what I wanted, before writing on it.
It came out spectacular! They box it up, wrapping strong around the box to keep it in place. The owner (who was actually the person that came out to right on it, and rung me up, who is on the website), she was very kind, and gave us a free piece of their canoli cake. Wow!
Now I want the Canoli cake, it had 3 layers of cake, with a layer of fruit in between one, and then a layer of, I think a pudding. Very good!
Would be back in a heart beat, and recommend to anyone!
I bought a cannoli to take home for after dinner on a Tuesday morning and immediately came down with a case of flu and did not get to the cannoli until Saturday. I opened it thinking I would just take a little bite to find out whether it was worth getting again and throw it out. To my surprise the cannoli was still crisp, the filling was still fresh tasting and delightful. Very impressive.
I also bought one of the big boxes of mixed cookies, biscotti, candy, etc. I was not overly impressed. I was expecting buttery butter cookies, tasty biscotti and found everything was a little under sugary, not very buttery and quite blah.
The Signature Cannoli Cake! This cake is so delicious. A yellow cake with strawberries, Italian custard, cannoli cream and whipped cream. Mama Mia! This cake is great! Whenever I throw myself a party, I place the order for my cake here at Ferrara's Bakery in Little Italy. They have NEVER messed up my order. Even though the cake is huge and can serve up to 30 people, I never have any left-overs! Everyone loves this cake!
Ferrara's Bakery also has a nice deli and they make other delicious cakes and pastries. You know, you can even create your own cake! They have a wonderful website that is very impressive, informative and descriptive.
Anytime I find myself on Taylor St., the first thing I think of is Ferrera. Immediately the smile begins to spread across my face and I can almost smell the sweet pastry in the air. I think I've eaten everything on the menu and I've never been disappointed.
I love sweets. My inner cookie monster is so satisfied after a Ferrera binge. The Chocolate Dip Almond Bars are heavenly. The quality of the chocolate they use for dipping isn't like other bakeries. They don't skimp on the dip and they don't use cheap grade chocolate. All their cookies have the perfect texture. They're firm enough to feel substantial and soft enough that they don't crumble into a million pieces when you bite into them.
The Chocolate Cherry Almond Biscotti....oooo....yes. Dip one in your cup of coffee and I guarantee your morning will be brighter!
Chocolate Cannoli what a marvelous invention.
I could seriously rave on for several pages, but the sentiment would be the same. You just need to stop by and see for yourself. Trust me you won't walk away disappointed.
They have a casual set up of tables and chairs which i appreciate, because I can sit right down and eat a few cookies before I head out to the car. So the next time your in Little Italy pop in, you might just find me there.
Do yourself a favor and eat here. My family orders cakes, cannoli's,ect... for the holidays and I LOVE IT!
As a kid, every year I looked forward to my birthday because it meant a cannoli cake from Ferrara!
In recent years I've been dissappointed with some of them. It tends to be a little hit or miss. The same with their pastries & cookies. They've been either excellent or blah. Then I resent making the drive all the way down there.
Hell I love this place. LOVE IT. Pastries galore... some of my favorites, profiteroles, cannolies, zeppolies! Not a fan of the cream puffs though, they are filled with whipped cream. I prefer the ones with the more thick, custardy, eggy filling... similer to papa beards. Which needs to open it's doors in Chicago by the way. I wanted to get an elephant ear, which is typically fried dough smothered in cinnamon sugar.. well their's is a puff pastry. Kinda turned me off. Sorry but I like my grease. Especially the doughy grease, none of that flaky shit. Besides that I enjoyed this bakery. If you're looking for old school, pastries and cakes this is the place. Screw obsesity, I need to become a regular here.
I need an excuse to come back here. We ordered a Zuppa Inglese cake a few months back, and it was one of the best cakes we have EVER had. It was giagantic. The cake is soaked in liquor and filled with chocolate, and white cream filling, and covered with merengue.
Hello, FODD SNOB here. This past summer I had the chance to go to what I believe was the 1st. annual ITALIAN FEST on Taylor St. in Chicago. And it was FUN. Probably because I was with a lot of family members. While sitting at a table finishing my toasted raviloi from Tuscanys, and sipping a BIRRA PERONI, my nephew Brad mentioned to me that a food stand was selling SFOGLIATELLA. What is that you ask. It is a pastery that is true to my heart. It is popular in the Naples region of ITALY. It is triangular shaped with thin layers on the outside. It is stuffed with a lite custerd and candied fruit fillig. You would have to see it since I do not have a great way with words.
I then rushed to the FERRARA booth and got me one of these pasteries that are so hard to find. I thought I was back in NAPOLI, it was the closest I had ever had. The only other place that I know sells SFOGLIATELA is Naples Bakery in Evergreen Park. They are good but they add a heavy cream stuffing which makes them to rich. FERRARA is the closest ti real NAPOLITAN.
This bakery also serves a resonable lunch. Nothing fancy but good. Another thing that is hard to find was ARANCINA (stuffed rice balls). You can get that there served with marinara sauce. Not as good as my home made rice balls, which by the way took me about 7 times and 4 different recipes to perfect. But it is good. I also found out that this is the company that makes LEMON HEADS, a candy I grew up buying at the candy store, and sneaking a couple in my mouth during school.
Holy Zeppoli! I came here last night to pick up 30 zeppoli for St. Joseph's Day to bring to work. The people were very nice and quite efficient at packing all 30 of them. Really inexpensive too. $1.95 per zeppoli that was the size of a baseball. And they were awesome. So tasty and filled with custard... Their cannoli cakes are pretty damn good too.
this place is so authentic, i feel like the range rover starbucks yuppie every time i go in,
and i don't even HAVE a range rover.
that's how "real" it is. teehee. but in all seriousness, i love this place. maybe because i grew up in a corporate family and now crave authenticity of place, who knows. but the food is incredible. they have ready to go dinner in the fridge, and not just individual servings, they serve up to 40 people, or as my friend dan ferrario says, up to 20 italians. i went in this week for lunch and had the stuffed pepper, but they were out of it, so i had the chicken parm and it was fantastic, came with a salad pasta, and i ordered a pound of cookies to share with my coworkers. sandwiches (huge) come with a small bag of cookies. i shared three cookies from my box. ate the rest...that afternoon. yes, i went to the gym that night.
amazing baked items. drop by and pick a few up on your way to a party, you'll be thanked.
drop by for lunch or dinner, the service is excellent. regulars are guaranteed to have the waitstaff drop by and talk, maybe sit down for a moment and catch up if you're eating alone.
love it!
This place is awesome! I love the cannoli's here. They also have great cannoli cream cakes..Can you tell I love Cannolis??
Since going here the first time I've discovered that they're a lot friendlier than I thought. The tiramisu is pretty nice (Cafe Artopolis is better), the biscotti are yummy, and I will always revisit for the cannoli.
If Italian bakeries are measured by their cannoli, then this one stacks up well. Unlike some of the… Read more »
The best pignolia nut amaretti cookies in town. Stellar pastries. If you're invited to a wedding they do the cake for, go whether you like the people or not. Once you have their cannoli you'll never settle for another.
This place makes me so happy. I've only gotten the baked goods but the cookies and cannoli are amazing. The people who work there are wonderful and friendly. This place is full of regulars, so I'd definitely come back to try some of the sandwiches.
One of the few bakeries that still keeps it old school even with the area changing. Interior of the place is still the same and has that pizelle wafer smell to it. Of course, their highlight is their cannoli (priced at around $1.50) and their Neapolitans aren't bad either. They also serve lunch if you're not in the mood for sweets.
Good cake! ... I just ramdomly yellow paged this place initially ... I needed a cake on fairly short notice and they came through like a charm! Everyone loved it and they saved the day ... I'll be going back again.
Best Tres Leches Cake! They also have these iced lemon cookies that are so addicting you can't stop eating them! :) Yum. Cheesecakes are too heavy and sweet. Go for the cannoli.
It's okay. Have ordered a couple of cannoli cakes from them, and the last one was inedible, which was a real surprise since this is one of their specialties, and past cakes were notably good. Don't plan on coming back.
I love Ferrara and could eat just about anything in that establishment. For a midday lunch, we took home some stuffed peppers, profiteroles, cannolis, and cheesecake. Yea, healthy lunch! The stuffed peppers were very good, nicely soft green pepper, with fluffy rice, ground beef, and light red sauce. This was my favorite dish my mom used to make growing up. She made her peppers with a little bit more flavoring to it, but I still really liked Ferrara's. The cannolis were very good, but were made without the pistachios on the ends. I really like that little added touch, or chocolate chips like some places add in lieu of the nuts. Either way, they were still really tasty. The cheesecake was also good, homemade with a light graham cracker crust, good solid cheesecake with a hit of vanilla. Lastly, the profiteroles. Yucky. They were filled with a chocolate type substance, a sort of non-describable pudding / whipped cream / paste. It was gross. If you think you can't screw up a chocolate puff pastry, umm, I guess you can. I love profiteroles, a long john type pastry with chocolate sauce, not chocolate filling. Either way, their pastry cases are stuffed with lots of goodies, they have been around forever, the smells that permeate from the building are awesome, and I cannot wait to return and stuff my face again!
Neighborhood: University Village
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: University Village
Category: Bakeries
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