Villa Italia Bakery

I walked in craving something sweet and left with a box full of joy. The cannoli was spot-on—crispy shell, creamy filling, not too sweet. The tiramisu? Light, with just the right coffee kick. Staff were friendly, though the line was a bit long. Only downside: parking was a hassle. Still, totally worth it for the pastries

Villa Italia perfectly executed our vision for our wedding cake! We went with a carrot cake and got so many compliments. It not only looked beautiful, but was so delicious! Highly recommend.

Today I have Villa Italia Bakery The bakey was clean , and the staff were extreamly friendly.. Cupcake flavors: cookies & cream , raspberry, and  vanilla sprinkle These cupcakes were soooo moist and light. The frosting wasn’t too sweet. Everything was well balanced. My favorite is a tie between the raspberry and vanilla sprinkle. Everything was delicious. Not pictured ** is the hot chocolate I got —51ATE

Villa Italia .... great service, we were greeted upon entering from behind the counter. We went specifically today for Zeppole, today for the feast of St Joseph. They did not disappoint. We chose the vanilla cream. So awesome. So much cream. Perfect with our cappuccino. Took some home to share. Everything we've ever gotten here has been great.

Villa Italia did a wonderful job with our small wedding cake. We ordered a 10 inch marble cake with raspberry jam and vanilla buttercream frosting. Ordering the cake was so easy. Tricia, the bakery manager was so thorough when I was ordering. She wanted to make sure that it came out the exact color(s) and style I wanted. Delivery was great. We also ordered tiramisu and some italian cookies which came out great as well. Thank you for making our wedding so special!

I've been in the past to grab a small pastry here and there and was always pleased. But this week I was gifted a Cassata cake and it was perfect. You could taste that it was rum soaked as promised but not too heavy. I will 100% return to buy this cake again!

Ordered a birthday cake, gender neutral. Let me tell you this was the best decorated cake I have ever gotten there. The baker/decorator out did themselves. We were all so busy taking pictures of it as we all felt they went above and then some! I needed three names on it and they had each one in the order that I requested. The flowers were so intricate and the colors were so nice and springy. Kudos!

Put marzipan in everything! Brilliant! Just being a bit cheeky, but it did taste like half the things I got were made with marzipan. Which isn't a bad thing, mind you, I love the flavor and texture of marzipan, but, after the 4th pastry I was beginning to think they should rebrand to Villa Marzipan. Still, what I did get was, for the most part, pretty good. The almond cookies, the unpronounceable Italian things, the raspberry heart cookie, the mini-lemon meringue pie, the strawberry shortcake cupcake, all pretty tasty. However the danish, the bread portion of it, had an off-putting flavor I couldn't quite put my finger on. Some spice they used, or ingredient, was really prominent in the pastry bread of the danish and it did not taste great. But everything else was fine, no weird flavors or anything like it, so I keep the overall score a 5. The price for everything was also pretty reasonable, only $18 total, which is comparable to the other bakeries I frequent for the same amount of goodies. So no complaints there. Sadly, the gelatos were not out when I stopped in, but I do fondly remember this location having some pretty wild flavors.

Villa Italia Bakery è una pasticceria Italiana in USA da non perdere! La migliore pasticceria Italiana della zona, non solo per i dolci ma anche per la gentilezza del titolare Bobby e del suo staff. Ho potuto assaggiare molte cose e sono state tutte deliziose!!!

I've been in the past to grab a small pastry here and there and was always pleased. But this week I was gifted a Cassata cake and it was perfect. You could taste that it was rum soaked as promised but not too heavy. I will 100% return to buy this cake again!

Simply incredible crumb cake. My boss gets one every week for us bc we love it so much.

This place is amazing. Every pastry is fully loaded with cream. The eclair was perfectly baked and full of cream, it was not soggy but baked to perfection. The lobster tail again fully loaded with cream with a crust that was super crispy. I haven't found a bakery that doesn't skimp on the fillings. Now you want to talk about tiramisu, man oh man was it delicious. Service was outstanding. Mostly everything is sold by the pound. They have cookies for days. Pastries for days and you have to try them all. They do custom cakes for all your needs. I love this place and will be frequenting quite often. You come here once and I guarantee you'll get something that makes you come back over and over. You been warned.

Screw Starbucks and Dunkin. Want a real cup of coffee?Visit here and don't forget to stock up on pastries.

Cute pastry with tons of options to choose from!! It was pretty busy the day I went but they are very organized. When you walk in they ask you to grab a number and will call it out when it's your turn. They have cakes , cookies , coffee , cheese cake and all types of pastries to choose from. They sell them by pound but you can mix and match. Some of the pastries were a little too sweet but overall but had. It's a little on the expensive side but the quality and service is great ! I recommend getting your sweet cravings or pastries for events from here !

Cheekiest bakie in Schenectady! Got the small box which was weighed. It was heavy. That choco moose mice was insane. So much moose, Not enough mouse. But i was loving it. Yum! Their poland springs water is also better than other location. Super thin and refreshing Decor was on top too

Delicious authentic (as far as I know!) Italian pastries, all variety of wonderful cakes, (including tiramisu!) and best of all gelato cakes. Great treat for farm grandchildrens' birthdays, especially when fresh fruit is in season and they make all manner of flavors. Winter gelato cakes are limited to cookies and cream, chocolate peanut butter, and the like, but still really good. (No real gelato maker would make gelato from fruit out of season.) Only downside: a little pricey. But so worth it!!!

I've been coming to this bakery for a long time and was sad when I moved out of the area because they are too good. The assortment is worth it and is fresh. The cake is great but the best stuff is the pastries. I'd recommend the cannolis and the fruit tarts as they taste amazing and are well worth the price. The service is fairly quick and they are well staffed up front at the counters. Just remember that they do require to take a number when you come in. The best part about is that they have a few tables available to sit down and eat and enjoy yourself. I recommend this to anyone who wants good pastries at a convenient location (just make sure you find parking on the side of the road).

We went on a whim because another bakery in Schenectady was closed--& boy am I glad we did. The lobster tail I got was so crispy and filled with cream I was in heaven. The rainbow cookie, while good, was definitely not the best and could have used more jam. The rest of the pastries look and taste great and I will certainly return when I get to Schenectady. The counter staff was harried but polite and I had nothing bad to report. One star off because the cannoli wasn't filled all the way through, and it was a pretty small cannoli. Nothing worse than a hollow cannoli!!!

We ordered a cake for my child's birthday. We have never ordered a cake from here before. We went in on a Saturday early morning and the woman taking down our order helped guide us through. My child wanted as much color and glitter and fun as possible. It was NYE so they had some cakes on display. We highlighted to the woman what we wanted based on their display cakes. They delivered perfectly. On pickup day they were timely, the cake was fresh, delicious, and fed exactly how many people we needed. I will be using them again for custom cakes.

I am enjoying the wonderful cookies and pastries from Villa Italia which are both beautiful and delicious. Staff was helpful and friendly and the shop is beautiful we will surely return!

Everything was delicious!! Especially the cinnamon Italian cookies I am drawing blank on name of cookie oh rugelach!! The cookies & cream cupcakes was fantastic!

Gorgeous food. Always busy so expect to WAIT! Perfect place for coffee and baked good.

This is a gem and certainly one of the best, if not the best, bakery in the Capital District, that I'm aware of. I like the clean, bright interior and the comfy area to sit for a snack break, but it's their baked goodies that entice us back time and again. My only wish is for there to be labels so we don't have to point and describe in order to ask for stuff. Judging by the fact that the staff always seem to call the baked goods by the name, I get the feeling they do have names but just aren't labeled. Everything in the display cases seems to be sold by the pound which, as we've found out, is not unreasonable considering how consistently delicious they are. There's street parking right outside the shop and service is quick and friendly.

placed an order via phone for a 1/2 sheet cake after waiting a half hour I was told the cake was never made. I'll choose another bakery next time for my cakes.

For an occasion, I asked my friend what she wanted and she said "Italian pastry assortment from Villa Italia". I am from out of town. So I followed her suggestion and got 2 trays. They are not cheap but they are full of deliciousness. Their custard cream was the best part. I brought them to the party and all the pastries were gone quickly. Apparently this is a famous bakery in Schenectady. The bakery was so popular. I waited for 15 mins for my turn. And their selections of pastries are large! Very impressing!

I was here several years ago and remember really enjoying a cannoli tremendously. Every time I go to a show at Proctors, I gaze lovingly at Villa Italia but never seem to make it in there. I finally did earlier this week. My first instinct was to go for gelato...but I didn't see any! Turns out that it's in the back and when the lovely girl behind the counter rattled off the flavors of the day, I wasn't very inspired. So, I ordered a double espresso and a single italian rainbow cookie. The espresso was really just OK and the rainbow cookie was definitely fresh, but the flavor didn't pop in the way that I've experienced with other versions of this cookie. But...there are a ton of things to choose from. The cupcakes look amazing and I might just go back and hit that cannoli situation again to re-live my past.

Amazing POOR customer service. Tried to explain how disappointing it was to see that the Villa made an error ... I received a less than genuine apology and owner was super shocked by my disappointment, his solution to my unhappiness was.... It's just a cake!! Like WTF ...

What an interesting place! The location is super convenient in downtown Schenectady .. the cafe itself is super cute, warm, cozy modern spot with tables arranged social distance guidelines in mind .. desserts are phenomenal! I tried the tiramisu cup and cheese danish both tasted great but it would have been nice if the danish was warmed prior to serving .. what was quite disappointing actually was the latte and mocha .. I'll admit my expectation of a cafe like villa italia was quite high but from the very first sip of mocha i could taste the stale hot chocolate that was super watered down Tip: stick to cakes, baked goods, dessert. I advise staying away from their hot beverages

Well, I've found it. Villa Italia's fourth star. It was hiding in the lobster tails. For years I've come to this beloved Schenectady bakery and never found it to be all that special. I would bring the kids, because kids love anything sweet. I'd stop by after the theater, because sometimes its nice to linger over a pastry and extend a lovely outing. I'd suggest Villa Italia for a meeting space, because they serve okay brewed coffee and have plenty of seating. Over those years I've tried a variety of treats, and none of them stood out. My go-to option has been the amaretti, because at least they are relatively small, and potentially the least diet wrecking indulgence within the pastry case. Then I tried a lobster tail. Cream filled pastries have a way of making me weak in the knees. And these little horns, with their crisp ridged exteriors lightly powdered with sugar, are a remarkable vessel for Villa Italia's silky cream filling. The tragedy is that sometimes they are gone. Which makes me reluctant about telling anyone about my love for these treats. But this is how much I love the Yelp community. Everyone should experience these and fall in love with this place. My hope is that if the lobster tails become more popular, the bakery will find a way to make more of them. Then we all win. And in the meantime, if I come in and the case is out of lobster tails, it's probably just the universe telling me I probably didn't need one anyway.

My sister gets a gelato cake for her birthday every year from villa italia and always enjoys it. However, this year the gelato cake was freezer burnt and simply just not up to par. We are disappointed and I am not sure we will be returning for her tradition next year.

Recently my wife and I were up in Schenectady to visit and attend the holiday lights parade. And while there we were lucky to have spotted from the parking garage next door this wonderful little shop! Now at first we were going to just head over to the parade, but we could smell the intoxicating aroma of pastries and coffee wafting from below. So we decided to stop in. We were glad we did. At first when you enter you notice the pastry case from which it has a wide assortment of cakes and cookies, to delicate pastries to choose from. My wife chose a blueberry muffin, while I opted for the classic cheese danish. The muffin was delicious! Moist and well balanced with blueberry flavor and blueberries through out. While my danish; well that surpassed any other danish I've had prior. Filled with a delicate balance of cheese and strawberry preserves. Hands down delicious! The crust was both flakey and buttery, while it had this great topping of cinnamon and sugar to really deliver that elevated touch of delicious flavor Certainly this is now on my place of pastry shops to pick up items from while I'm in the region for a surprise gift for a family member, or even just to have a few at home for a after dinner dessert or breakfast on the go! Will definitely come back again!

One of our favorite places to get desserts for celebrations and special events. I especially love taking a special trip in the summertime for a scoop of gelato! Pistachio is my favorite. We are lucky to be gifted a few Villa Italia cookie trays at my office throughout the year and our group is always all smiles when the display makes it to the breakroom table!

If I was rating only the baked goods at this cafe I would give it a five star review. What drove my rating down is the fact that this is a cafe with no restrooms. There are tables for customers to sit and enjoy the delicious options they have to offer but no restrooms for customers to even wash their hands before eating. I wonder how the health department even allows this.

Some people will walk over to Villa Italia from Proctor's Theater during an intermission of a show they are attending. I will never do that! Why? Because I would buy so many different pastries that everyone in line behind me would be late for the second half start of the show. Fortunately, today I was not attending a performance at Proctor's and was walking past Villa Italia after eating at nearby Slidin' Dirty. Oh, it is so difficult making a decision on what I want to try. It's good that I'm not on an empty stomach. Of course I MUST have a sfogliatella, and of course a cannoli. There's something that looks like a huge sfogliatella filled with custard, so I better get one of those. And what's that? A rugelach? OK, I'm all set now until we get home. The sfogliatella has the perfect texture - crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. But I like them to have more almond flavor inside than this one has. The huge sfogliatella-like pastry absolutely oozes a delicious light creamy vanilla custard with each bite and I have to be careful it doesn't drop on my cannoli. Speaking of cannoli, even though these are prefilled, the shell is still quite crispy. The filling is a bit more creamy than I'm accustomed to, but the flavor is still very good. The rugelach might be the best I've had in the capital district. They were fresh and soft with a good cinnamon flavor. However, the ones that I was first introduced to in NYC also had fillings of raspberry or apricot, and those were outstanding. Hmmm, I seem to recall that Mother Myrick's in Manchester, VT has different flavored fillings. ROAD TRIP!

new customer,first time been to this bakery n I love Italian bakery sfogliatelle,lobester tail n almond crescent cookies ,spen around 40 on pastries ,came home with stale not fresh at all very disappointed,n never going back ,blue ribbon serve fresh bakery / pastries u can smell freshness I don't know what came into my mind to give it a try to villa italian bakery

Amazing baked goods! We were awed by the selection, and that even on a busy Sunday afternoon the showcase had plenty of every confection. The prices are a bit higher than we expected, but after enjoying our varied selection of treats we were very pleased. This bakery is a landmark, and well deserving of the title.

i used to work here about 5-6 years ago. and they still sell the best cookies, pastries, croissants, danishes, cakes, cheesecakes, and gelato. their espresso and coffee drinks are yummy too. only downside is they can be on the expensive side. i recently got a cheesecake and it's a 10/10 for me! the chocolate piece used to write happy birthday is also really good dark chocolate.

Fantastic cannolis, delicious lattes and coffee! Super friendly service and a great variety of pastries! Will definitely go again!

Very nice bakery. Many options to choose from. I got a selection of pastries so far I've tried the Almond Cherry Tart, Almond Cookie, Lemon Cookie, Cream puff and Creme Pasticiotti tart. Everything was pretty tasty, but nothing really hit the WOW FACTOR button for me. My favorites so far were the almond cookie and Almond tart. I was a bit disappointed the cream puff and Vanilla Pasticiotti tart was filled with plain pastry cream and not a fresh flavored creme chantilly or Creme Legere. In this establishment's defense the tart is called "Vanilla Pasticciotti tart" so that one is on me for wanting it to be something it is not. Vanilla and Chocolate Pastry cream (in my opinion) is kind of boring. It's like taking a short cut and missing the opportunity to craft a more interesting and delicious filling to a dessert. (How about Strawberry, Lemon-Ricotta, Almond, Caramel-Nutella or Pistachio flavor? ) Especially a cream puff or a tart. The filling is what makes or breaks the dessert. Being a former pastry cook makes it incredibly difficult to appreciate desserts where flavors aren't thoughtfully created. I see missed opportunities for desserts to stand out as spectacular. I'm the worst critic; so I'm sure my standards are much higher than the average customer who comes through their doors!!! Take my comments with a grain of salt. If Villa Italia does decide to make a few minor changes with with flavors, I think their desserts could literally be life changing. The pastry shop is clean, modern and inviting! I really felt comfortable in the space and the cushioned seating and plentiful tables and chairs were welcoming for those who wish to stay to enjoy their food and drinks. Very much appreciated in Covid pandemic times where generally we are locked inside our homes more often! I could definitely see myself coming back here for a coffee and treats and enjoying a book or working on some projects. I'm not sure if they have wi-fi but typically I don't require that, since I have mobile data. Definitely worth the visit. Check them out!

Amazing desserts and incredible staff. They never disappoint. Their chocolate mouse is phenomenal!

Delicious Italian pastries! Brings back wonderful childhood memories. Prices are reasonable. Always busy and always a wait, but not too bad. Don't like but can appreciate how they "sell up" when you ask for something and they ask if you want anything else and if you say no they put it in the "best fit" box and then show you, you have room for more and of course you buy more to fill the box! It would be better to take what you will eat in 1-2 days, any longer.... it's better to go and get it fresh. They are great for parties or dessert platters for the office, best to order at least one day ahead,

Stopped in for some gelato. The main display case is being fixed so all the gelato is in the back. They have a few flavors right now. The chocolate was very good. I'm not sure what the other flavor was that I received. It was supposed to be coffee. It did not have a coffee flavor and my friend and I couldn't identify it as any other flavor! We will return when display case is fixed!

Went for a quick bite before a movie at BowTie, and while I did check online first, I managed to miss that they do not do lunch on Sundays. They still offer breakfast sandwiches, but not their grilled sandwiches, which was disappointing. I settled for just an item from their bakery, and got experimental with something called a "chocolate cannoli". It has absolutely nothing in common with a cannoli, but it was tasty. For those wanting to know, it has the appearance of a Ho-Ho, being the same size and shape and coated in a thin layer of chocolate. But, bite into it, it's a pastry similar to pie crust that is chocolate, and filled with chocolate pudding. Not too sweet, but if you were expecting a creamy chocolate ricotta inside, skip this one and get the real thing. I'll have to visit again when I'm not weighed down by the disappointment of no lunch menu.

We worked with Tricia for our wedding cake. Today is our 1 year anniversary. Our wedding was on the farm in gilboa that you so graciously travelled extra to deliver to us. My wife and I wanted to write you because we couldn't believe how moist and flavorful our cake was after a year!  We had a wedding one week prior to the one you did as a small ceremony. We had a cake made from long island. We ate that cake last week and it was terrible.  But when we unwrapped yours we couldn't believe the burst of flavor and how moist! Thank you so much for everything you did to make our day beautiful and for making our anniversary remind us so distinctly of our wedding day! Mike and Josephine Giardino

I love this place! I discovered it when I dropped my freshman child off for college in the fall - and make sure to pick up a few goodies each time I'm in town. The pastries are so fun and the coffee cake is amazing! The staff is very friendly and attentive, deftly handling things well even when there's a line (yes, even during the pandemic!). The ONLY reason for the one-star demotion is on my visit this morning, as the pandemic rages and a new strain is in this region, there were three men hanging out at the coffee bar with no masks on. I understand you can remove them to eat/drink, but one guy was behind the counter and appeared to be the owner, the other two his friends (?) - they weren't eating or drinking. The staff person helping me had to walk between them to bring my tea to me, as they were leaning on the area where she'd normally serve it, and I grabbed my sugar and cream quickly since they were well within 6' of that area. Ugh - I know you guys can do better, both for your staff and your clientele! If I see this next time I stop by, I'll pass.

I first learned of this place during the Schenectady annual soup stroll. I was very fortunate to be ask as one of the judges, and this was the first stop in our list. As we made our way down the bakery to get some soup, my eyes were instantly drawn to the rows of pastries and sweets they had on display. I knew for sure I had to come back after the soup stroll to try their sweets. I've always been a big fan of cannolis, so naturally, I had to try one of theirs. I also tried their chocolate mice, which was clearly a crowd favorite, as most of the people in line ahead of me ordered at least one. They definitely did not disappoint. Perhaps one of my favorites was the chocolate peanut butter tarts, which were a perfect balance of chocolate and peanut butter. The texture was just right, and the taste--delectable! I will definitely stop by again. What a good first experience!

I wish I could give this bakery cafe another star but I guess thats how it will show it is good, not great. I've been here more than a handful of times in the past few years and have seen the changes to the bakery made, as they are working hard to create new and delicious pastries and unique sweets. With a patio for good times outdoors and some seats inside, this is a good place to grab a coffee with some friends/family or your date if you are seeing a show at Proctor's and want to devour some Italian cookies and treats. I used to come here for lunch quite often to take advantage of their lunch specials that came with a drink, chips, and a panini/sandwich. I'm not sure if they still have this combo, but this was a good weekday work lunch for those with limited break time. My go-to was the roast beef sandwich, which had a good balance of flavors from both the Russian dressing and the arugula. I've also frequented the Italian rainbow cookies (I like to try these from everywhere), the aragosta, and the guanti. Those are probably the top 3 I'd get on the way to visiting my friends and family. Likewise, the cakes are solid. I've only gotten the assorted fruit cheesecake and the black forest cake but both were delectable and enjoyed by all my guests. From a recent visit I discovered they have gelato cakes! The gelato is made in house just like their nougat, and boy, are they awesome! I prefer the fruity gelato as to their sweet cookies and cream, amaretto, and etc. The nougat is my favorite and the honey drizzled almonds are the best! I WANT to be able to enjoy their cannoli and other cream filled pastries but I say to myself "I'll pass on that," because they are all prefilled and do not give me that satisfactory crunch I'm looking for. I hope they'd consider changing that because it really makes a difference. Also, grab a ticket once you walk in to be helped! Sometimes the ticketing system isn't even in effect but if you snooze, you lose.

The best Italian pastries around, I'm never disappointed when I go there! Their cannolis are some of my favourite in the area.

Can't be beat. Go here whenever you want to make someone's day. Or week. Or month. Miss this place a lot living out of state. Really miss grabbing the two pound cookie boxes for people. The cookies here are phenomenal, as is the cannoli. Do try the cannoli, you won't regret it.

First and last time that I go to this place! I ordered a apple pie and when I brought it home to my family it had a spider in it. I was mortified. I will never go back to this place nor will I recommend this place to anyone.

Excellent service and quality. The staff is always helpful and knowledgeable answering questions, and never make you feel weird trying to pronounce one of the name of the Italian pastries.

Despite the fact that there are few accessible bakeries in the area, Villa Italia definitely has a decent pastry selection. Their cannolis in particular are just . Definitely one of the best bakeries in Schenectady!

Review time sweet tooth kids This place is an excellent place to drive your diet train,at full speed, off the tracks. Good coffee and the like. Not much else to say! A little on the pricy side but good

The best bakery around! A variety of Italian specialities and the service is really good!

This place always has an amazing selection of baked goods and I love getting a box of goodies to share with my friends! There's always a lot of people who stop by here but the service is really fast and the staff there are very nice. It's also a cute little place to just sit down and relax with a cup of coffee and some dessert.

I have visited Villa Italia several times when I find myself in downtown Schenectady and am never disappointed. They have several gluten free pastry options, including almond cookies and chocolate mice, in addition to their many gluten free gelato flavors. Recently, we hired Villa Italia to make the cupcakes for my sister's bridal shower. The results were perfect! Everyone thought the design was so cute, and the cupcakes tasted equally wonderful. I highly recommend this place!

It's pretty sad that Whole Foods in Colonie has better tasting cakes and cookies. Epic failure when I'd rather serve a Whole Foods cake over your stuff simply based on flavor/taste, putting price aside.