The Local Spot That I Hit For Desserts That Feel Homemade In NYC

Having been a New York City restaurant critic, food writer, reporter, and editor of nearly 20 years, I've seen plenty of commercial operations talk the homemade talk. Very few punctuate those promises with a plausible finished product. It doesn't help that the degree to which something feels homemade can have little to do with its particular provenance. There's the literal meaning that something was made in the home, of course, but plenty of other connotations paint a completely different picture. "Homemade apple pie," for example, conjures notions of windowsills and gingham curtains sighing in the breeze. Homemade cookies, cakes, and all kinds of confections evoke weathered old recipe cards, secret ingredients, and generational tips on how to raise a souffle. In addition to all of those cozy tableaus, "homemade" is often followed by an implicit "with love." It's the idea that someone cared enough to make something purely for the joy of creating, and for the joy their creation brings others. That's why so many restaurants, bakeries, and cafes fall short; they're necessarily transactional spaces.

But Mazzola Bakery in Brooklyn is one of vanishingly few places making desserts that feel homemade with love. The tiny corner spot in Carroll Gardens barely has enough room for lines inside, but they do form for zeppole, sfogliatella, cannoli, and rainbow cookies. Warm, efficient staffers patiently fill bespoke boxes with the Italian bakery's abundant treats, which I've ferried from here clear to friends in London absent evidence of the jostling plane, train, and car journeys in-between. They were just as heartening an ocean away from their home of nearly a century.

First, get cash. Just like my favorite NYC martini destination (which also happens to trade in Italian fare), Mazzola only accepts paper payment. Also, go soon. After originally opening on Union Street in 1928, the building that houses the beloved bakery went up for sale in fall 2025. While this doesn't mean certain death for Mazzola, it's a reminder that the ever-present pressure of New York City's real estate market certainly does not guarantee another 100 years on the block. Finally, plan your menu and dining destination. The couple of seats outside are typically occupied by long-time neighborhood regulars.

I frequent Mazzola primarily for desserts, but it's also known for its genoa salami and provolone-laced lard bread, which is easy to tear into at tables in nearby Cobble Hill Park. There are also usually a few pizza varieties available toward the back of the petite shop. Either of these savory bites, plus a few sweet Florentines or leaf cookies, in the charming greenspace all make for an ideal NYC afternoon.

Mazzola's history, its present environs, and its dedicated niche all combine to make it seem like a less-commercial experience than you might have had elsewhere. Mazzola also has items that hark back to NYC's more recent culinary moments, including a couple cupcake flavors. The kitchen also makes fantastic whole cakes and pies that are probably better than whatever's cooling in that window tableau. My freezer is also never without a few loaves of semolina to accompany my husband's homemade gravy (which your own home might better know as sauce). That he and I have merrily visited Mazzola so many times admittedly makes it seem even sweeter, but I think you'll feel a similar embrace your very first time.

Mazzola Bakery is located at 192 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11231.