Ferrara Bakery

Art & Culture | History | Restaurants

An opera impresario, a game of cards, and a cup of espresso: the recipe for more than 125 years of success

Ferrara Bakery Outside

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About Ferrara Bakery

 & why it made the Carpe City list

Ferrara Bakery and Café has been family-owned for 5 generations. And they’ve been operating out of the same Grand Street shop since 1892!

It all began when Enrico Scoppa and Antonio Ferrara (the Great-Grandfather and Great-Granduncle of the current owners) opened Café A. Ferrara in the heart of Little Italy. So was born America’s first Pasteria and Espresso Bar.

The Italian community would gather to play a Neapolitan card game called “Scopa” and sip espresso. Since Antonio Ferrara was an Opera impresario (of course!), his customers included the likes of Enrico Caruso – who is said to have liked the cookies best!

By the 1920s, Ferrara’s began baking incredibly fresh pastries, turning out new eats up to four times a day! And that’s a rate they’ve kept up for 100 years! If you swing by Ferrara’s, you’ll find a large dining room ready to serve you cake, coffee, pastries, and even brunch! If you’re in NYC, you can get Ferrara delivered. If not, they ship nationwide!

Carpe City Trivia

Did you know?

Ferrara isn't just the bakery's name; it's a city in Northern Italy. The city of Ferrara, 27 miles northeast of Bologna, is so beautiful and culturally rich that it is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Fun fact:

Ferrara Bakery has been featured on "Food Network!"

By: Lucie Levine

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