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18th Ave (N)
71st St (M, D)
Mon-Sun. 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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I finally made it to Villabate today.
Another yelper described Villabate as "one of the best pastry shops you can find in Brooklyn." I don't think that statement is quite right. I would say it is one of the best pastry shops on the entire East Coast! None of the Italian pasticcerias in Manhattan or the Bronx come anywhere near the magnificence of Villabate. A huge selection of tantalizingly beautiful pastries.
Whoever is the force behind the operation of the kitchen clearly has an eye for detail, for each pastry is visually stunning and the display cases are immaculate. None of the sloppiness that is so common in many of the other pastry shops around the city is evident at Villabate.
What's more: prices are shockingly low for pastries of such high quality. A mere $2.50 for a huge cassatina. (This in the same city where a tiny macaron can easily run you $2.75.)
And service with a smile. What more can you ask for?
I've had much tastier gelati and sorbetti elsewhere, but with so many other treasures to choose from at Villabate, who's complaining?
You people have to be kidding. This is the worst Italian bakery in the world !
Even the bread here is Awful and the cakes and cookies are Vile.
There are roaches running rampant in this place
Highly overrated and very filthy .
The people writing these reviews for this place are either brain dead or just leftover brooklyn rejects that arent very discerning about what they consume. Lets face it, who still lives in this area of Brooklyn? Its quite scary what became of this hood !
want a real decent Italian pasticceria ? you need to go to Veniero's in the city or
Mona Lisa in Brooklyn, Mona Lisa has the best pignoli cookies around and it's actually clean ! Villabate is horrendous
If you want the best cannoli ANYWHERE, this is the joint. It's strictly take-out, but damn, great pastries, ice cream and bread. Best in the city!
Ok so you find yourself in the heart of Bensonhurst or even bay Ridge... than this is the place to visit... now a huge misconception is that they merged with Alba's and they did not, Alba's sold them their old location so Villabate could expand - Mr Sal Alba said on one condition you keep my name at the end... which they did...
Now as for the new remodeled Villabate... it is slightly bigger but for the tremonduous space they purchased why didn't they expand more and put some tables like their family at Euorpa on 20th ave (I am not a fan of that one though)... Villabate named after a town in Sicily the owner comes from is always immaculate. The owner loves perfection. The pastries and cakes are borderline perfect.. Bring your camera and snap away you will feel like you are in Italy... and the prices are jussst right.
7 layer cookies - really good but beware going on Monday to Wednesday they may not be as fresh, and dry... ask to taste one first... and avoid getting the "corners" or "end of the batch" cookie
Marzipan is very creative.. The truffles are amazing.. when they have it which isn't often... The vanilla custard cream is one of the best I have had in Bklyn - NYC - to Italy... Try the Zeppole for the full effect (and no it is not like the ones they give you at the feast greasy, plain, and in a bag).. Sfolgiatelle out of he oven and hot, croissants that burn your tongue because you can;t wait to eat them, and PIZZA... which run out very fast....
The BEST item on the menu is THE FRUIT TART (whether it be the single pastry, the regular size pie, or the special order needed extra large tart)... the custard used with the tart and fruit are a perfect blend of awsomeness...
And in the summer, be sure to try the GELATO... MmmMMm nocciola is the best (hazelnut) and limone is also verrry good when you feel like you want something sweet... Be Italian for a day and put your ice cream in a brioche... mMmmMM they have mastered this dessert...
mmmm Villabateee
My favorite bakery of all time! Anytime I bring one of my friends here, their eyes pop out and start to sparkle. Every pastry is fresh and delicious (I would know the difference, I've worked in a bakery before). I usually come here to pick up a few goodies when coming over someone's house and they are always impressed. On special occasions, this bakery even has champagne flavored cakes! Everything Villabate has is not only beautiful and gratifying, but will have you begging for more. I guarantee it.
If I had to pick one thing I absolutely adored about my trip to Sicily a few years ago, it was the pasticcerias.
You see, Sicilians love their baked goods. In fact, they are famous for them. Cakes like cassata and ricotta cheesecake, cookies in all shapes and sizes, breads, marzipan in every color of the rainbow and of course the cannolis. Walking into one of these tiny shops is sensory overload; smells of almond paste, sugar and liquors and swirls of color on every shelf. You can even taste the pastries before you actually take a bite.
I never thought anything in this country would live up to my memories of the Sicilian Pasticceria, but Villabate does it in grand style. Walking in I was overwhelmed by the sights, smells and tastes. I even had to look outside to make sure I was still in Brooklyn and not a bustling street in Palermo.
I unequivocally recommend everything without hesitation, but the thing that stands out for me is the Arancini. Go to Villabate on any morning and get one of these crispy, golden, delectable balls of risotto stuffed with a meat ragu and an espresso. Take it outside and sit on the bench, eat it slowly and dream of Sicily.
Villabate takes their food seriously. Oscar Wilde said it best, "Non riesco a sopportare quelli che non prendono seriamente il cibo." (I can't stand people that do not take food seriously.)
This is like a candy shop of baked goods; walk in, and you're surrounded by cakes, cookies, pastries, and everything else you can imagine. No seating here doesn't make sense, as they have the space. I guess they don't wanna be bothered with squatters, as you could easily spend a few hours trying all the desserts in here. Could have a better selection of cookies though. Not the best in the borough, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better selection at this quality anywhere.
One of the best bakeries in New York just keeps getting better.
Try the semolina Italian bread for only $1.50
One of their many cakes for $2 each. I recommend one of everything they have behind the counter.
Christmas cookie platters are available now and will make you the hit of your next holiday party.
Plus insane cappuccino, hot chocolate and gelato!
Seriously...go here...I am too stuffed, and feel like I am in some heavenly sugar coma right now. It… Read more »
Really really good and wide selections of dessert! I got 1/2 pound of mixed cookies and the watermelon marzipan. A pound of mixed cookies is $12 and if you want to pick which mixed cookies you want specifically, then it's $14. The cookies are just delicious but I still find Paneantico to be a wee bit better. But this place offers more of the chewy italian pastries than Paneantico does. The lady helping me pick cookies was very helpful and I like that there is an actual line with the ropes instead of everyone hovering around the cookie counter...I'm tiny, so they always overlook me and help the big people first...*sob*
Great delicious Italian bakery...I do agree with Ben's review in that they do not label their pastries. But my all time favorite is the tiramisu!
Delicious ice Cream cakes, about 22$ for a 8in but rude staff.
The ice cream isnt too sweet, its perfect in every single way pretty much, but the staff, they really need to be nicer to their customers.
This is by far one of the best Italian bakeries in NYC...
Their pastries and cakes are always amazingly fresh and presented beautifully, it really does not get any better than this. I recommend their cannoli, anything with nocciola (hazelnut) cream, and their gelato. If you do get gelato, get the nocciola or chocolate in a brioche...yumm...
I can live without their cookies, but they're decent. It's really all about the pastries here. And, the line situation can be hectic, but ask someone in front of you, they'll probably help.
This is one of the best pastry shops you can find in brooklyn. A friend of mine works there and she said that most of thier ingredients come straight from Italy, hence the slightly high prices. The canoles there are made from organic cottage cheese so if you're around Villabate do yourself a favor and try one! Also, try the cheesecake; I buy one whenever there's an occasion!
I'm jealous that my review is not first, but I do have to agree in all respects. The cannolis are the best around. Crunchy, homemade shells and fantastic cream! If cannolis are not your thing, the 570 other pastries should satisfy any cravings for sweets.
Amazing Sicilian pasticceria and bakery in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. Families such as mine and many others make the sojourn to here on holidays for their mindblowing cannolis and other tasty treats. I have never, ever seen this place NOT crowded, you know?
Although their spumoni cakes are delish, the staff is damn rude. I went in on a busy Sunday afternoon and was screamed at and belittled because I wasn't in 'line'. Because apparently, there is a line, where they direct people, to go stand on a line. There is line, damnit. There's just a bunch of people cornered around the counter tops waiting to be served. Their spumoni has also been flatter than I remembered buying a few years ago and prices have seemed to go up.
amazing bakery ... def the best italian pastries ever.... coffee, spresso and ice cream as well.
I've always loved Alba's, and especially more now after their face lift (although I do miss the Italian icee place they had right next door)..I'm a big fan of their tiramisu and they have tons of other sweets to offer as well (for only $2.50 for the small individual pastries). The only complaint I have is that nothing is labeled so you either have to be Italian or know your pastry (I am neither) to figure out what everything is..but for the most part you can sort of figure it out or the lady behind the counter can tell you. I bought two boxes of pastries today (strawberry tarte, american style cheesecake, hazelnut roll, apple tarte, two types of tiramisu, chocolate puff, and chocolatte mousse) just to try out a bunch of stuff..I'll let my fellow Yelpers know how it goes!
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