A Classic Italian Bakery for Cannoli, Cakes and More

A crisp cannoli shell filled just before it leaves the counter is a fine place to begin. Here, the shell stays thin and crunchy around smooth cream, with chocolate chips finishing the outside rather than disappearing into the filling.

This is a bakery made for lingering over the display case before deciding what goes home in the box. There are familiar coffee-and-dessert staples, Italian specialties that may be new to some customers, cookies for a quick stop, and cakes substantial enough to anchor a birthday or wedding.

The mood is pleasantly old-school: a neighborhood Italian bakery where the pleasures are visible behind the glass. It is also quiet enough to make a pastry stop feel unhurried, even when the plan is simply to pick up something sweet and be on the way.

Cannoli get deserved attention, but they are only one corner of a notably broad dessert selection. The appeal is in having options that run from a single cookie or macaroon to a slice-worthy cake, with plenty of room for a household to bring home a mixed assortment.

Chocolate-covered coconut macaroons offer a more compact answer to a dessert craving: coconut at the center, chocolate around it. Chocolate chip cookies are another frequent favorite, the sort of dependable item that can become an automatic addition to an order.

Apple turnovers, carrot cake, date bars, cinnamon twists and raspberry twists give the counter a more varied rhythm than a bakery devoted solely to elaborate pastries. Zeppole are also worth watching for if that is one of your Italian-bakery essentials.

The selection makes room for desserts that reward a little curiosity. Cassata, in particular, offers an unfamiliar cake experience for anyone whose usual bakery order begins and ends with chocolate or vanilla. Its ingredients are part of the interest, so it is a good candidate for bringing home when the group wants to try something different.

Ricotta appears in more than one appealing form. Ricotta cake is among the choices, while the ricotta pie has a creamy, dessert-like filling sharpened with a pronounced lemon note. That bright flavor gives it a distinctly different direction from the bakery's richer chocolate offerings.

The Russian tea cake has the visual striping of an Italian tri-color cookie, but in cake form: dense, moist layers finished with mascarpone frosting. It is a handsome choice for a table that needs something more decorative than a simple cookie tray.

For chocolate loyalists, the flourless chocolate cake puts richness front and center. The regular chocolate cake has its own following, appreciated for a moist crumb and generous, high-quality frosting.

Tiramisu takes a gentler approach to coffee. The coffee flavor is present but mild, folded into a rich, creamy dessert rather than pushed to the foreground. It makes sense after dinner, but it would be equally at home beside an afternoon cup of coffee.

Lemon cheesecake, cheesecake more broadly, pear tart and seasonal maple walnut roll expand the list further. The maple walnut roll is a recurring favorite, though it is seasonal, so it will not necessarily be in the case on every visit.

The bakery serves two very different needs well: the person stopping in for a few takeout treats and the person planning dessert for a roomful of people. Custom cakes are available for birthdays, weddings and other occasions, with help available through the design conversation, ordering process and pickup.

A celebration cake needs to look like it belongs at the center of the table, but it still has to taste good once the candles are blown out. The cakes here are known for pairing decorative presentation with rich, moist layers, avoiding the familiar disappointment of a beautiful cake that is mostly frosting and dry crumb.

For larger milestones, the bakery has handled wedding work as well as birthday cakes. A wedding cake has been delivered to a Newport venue, though delivery should not be assumed as a standard option for every order. The more reliable expectation is a bakery accustomed to making desserts for occasions that need a little extra planning.

The best approach is not necessarily to settle on one signature item. Start with a filled-to-order cannoli, add a couple of cookies or chocolate-covered macaroons, then include one slice or small cake that nobody in the group has tried before.

That might mean tiramisu for the coffee fan, ricotta pie for the lemon person, flourless chocolate cake for the serious chocoholic and cassata for the curious eater. A varied bakery case makes it easy for everyone to claim a favorite without requiring the whole table to agree on one dessert.

For repeat visits, the appeal is in returning to the standards while keeping an eye on the less expected choices. A dependable chocolate cake can coexist very nicely with a first encounter with cassata or a seasonal maple walnut roll.

Individual pastries and desserts work easily as takeout, while larger cake orders call for a more involved conversation. The shop handles both, so a quick box of treats and a planned celebration dessert belong under the same roof.

Parking includes a free lot with plentiful space reported on at least one visit. That is a small convenience, but a welcome one when picking up a cake or carrying a pastry box that deserves to stay level.