Mozzicato -De Pasquale’s Bakery & Pastry Shop

Our super special, and always dependable goto for desserts, cakes, and breads for many years. If Hartford had Foodie Hall of Fame, then Mazzicato’s would be it’s first honoree, according to this Foodie.
Just their fresh Ricotta Cannoli could outshine any competitor. However, EVERYTHING else is outstanding, too. I only wish I had ¹⁄₁₀ of 1% Italian in my blood so I could list off all the assortments of pastries, cookies, cake & breads for you readers.
You’ll just have to take my word for it and trust your tastebuds.

For what this place is they are hands down the best. I have tried many different shops and none of them can compete. The quality here is always very fresh. I have had other people that visited try it, they are very picky and always complain about everything, and they were absolutely delighted and impressed. This has been my go to spot for many years and will continue to be for a very long time. I will say, they likely have me as a life long customer. Now, the customer service can be a little rough around the edges. The people aren’t the most approachable there. They could also hire more people to work based on times and days as sometimes there is a long line and people are forced to wait. I think they could afford to hire a couple more people to improve the service, they make enough money.

I’ve been going to mozzicatos since 1975. The cannolis are the best I’ve ever had!!! I also love the hazelnut cookies, the pizza and their bread!

Hands down one of the best Italian pastry store in the Hartford area. They have a variety of pastries, and cookies to choose from and also a few full cakes that are available.
The fruit cake is one of my favorites. The cake is moist and the fresh whipped cream is so light that you can never get done with one slice. They take orders for custom cakes to if you can call ahead and place the order.
They also have some great cookie hampers to choose from and are great gifts and very tasteful too. I highly recommend this place if you have not tried Mozzicato and is my obvious choice if I have to pick up some pastries or cookies or even get a cake.

Everything in here is so fresh and tastes amazing! The people are very nice and can answer any question you have.
The cookies, cannoli, ricotta pie, stuffed breads and bread are amazing! The place smells so good and you want to buy everything!
Next door us their coffee shop where you can fit and have an espresso, cappuccino, or even a cordial. You can order a desert or have a nice Italian ice or gelato!

The service is great! This place has a wide variety of desserts and drinks to choose from and the owner really made our espresso and hot chocolate with heart/​effort. The drinks were delicious and we had a slice of chocolate cake which was delicious! I also had a fresh cream/​fruit pastry and the pastry is the reason I cannot give this place a 5 star rating — the cake in the pasty was dried out completely and hard all along the edges as it was not covered with a sheet like most bakeries cover it, and the fruit inside was too big to be in a pastry, huge strawberry halves as opposed to smaller chunks. I will likely return and try something else next time.

Great place for a cappuccino & cookie! Joe the bartender is a great guy to talk to. Can’t go wrong with any of the desserts!

I love this place! I stop by every time I’m in Hartford to get some delicious cannolis and cookies. I also pick up a slice of their sheet pizza. I’ve been coming here since I was kid and have a lot of fond memories of their pastries. The place can get really busy around the Holidays but if you drop by when they open it’s not so bad.

It is amazing that people still give this bakery good reviews. If you think it’s good please try any other bakery. The worst Italian cookies imaginable, mediocre cakes, terrible pastry. Seriously go elsewhere to find out what it’s supposed to taste like. I won’t name names but there are bakeries in Wethersfield and Bloomfield that are AMAZING

I have been going to Mozzicato’s since I was a little girl. I love their cookies and pastries alike! I have never left empty handed. Although, the area around Mozzicato’s is not the greatest, it has always remained a staple. The South End of Hartford at one time, was primarily Italian. With time and economic changes, the neighborhood around the bakery has changed, but the business still continued to flourish.
The display of pastries and cookies screams at you the minute you walk in through the door. The a beautiful array of Italian cookies or all sorts and sizes. The assortment of traditional Italian cookies will get you every time!
I took my boyfriend to Mozzicato’s for the first time a few years ago. He was blown away by the selection, himself. He opted more for the pastries and cakes, than the cookies. The size of their cream horns is outstanding. The freshness of the baked shell and the creaminess of the filling is top notch. There were also individual slices of carrot and chocolate cake, if cream horns don’t tickle your fancy.
The staff is always very friendly and makes choosing your selection easy.
Mozzicato’s is a Hartford staple, if you haven’t stopped in yet… then you should!

Terrible pastry’s, I bought cake picas, and I had to use knife to cut it instead of fork. The crust on the bottom was so old and hard it must have been there for months. The cakes are overly priced, and they only accept $Cash! its 21^st century, who doesn’t accept cards!
$$$$

After Mozzicato was recommended to me by several family friends, I finally decided to find out what all the buzz was about.
Perhaps «recommended» is too wimpy a word. People RAVED about Mozzicato to me. Like addicts. It was like as soon as I told somebody I lived in Hartford, it immediately signaled something in their brains. Hartford= Mozzicato.
I must say, I am now one of those crazy Hartford Mozzicato lunatics as well. I came here on Halloween night with a few girlfriends. The place was empty. We were greeted by a sweet (get it… sweet?) girl behind the counter who happily supplied conversation the entire time we were there. If it wasn’t Halloween, this place would have been packed, she told us. I believe her– this place is a bakery and they have one of those ticket counters… you know, like the one for deli lines? Indication that this place is not a very well kept secret.
Only intending to get a cannoli, the sweet girl informed me that if it was my first time here, I better be getting a pound of pastries. Since it was Halloween, and I’m a sucker for Italian pastries, I happily agreed. Some stars of the batch were:
–Chocolate Rum balls
–Sfogliatelle
–Coconut Macaroons
–and though I didn’t personally try them, the wedding cakes.
This place touts their wedding cake prowess. I mean, come on. When you make dozens of gorgeously elaborate 6 tiered cakes, you’re not gonna NOT put them in the window to show ‘em off. And since cakes and pastries usually signify celebration, Mozzicato is delightfully decked for the season. When I came in, the entire place looked like an autumn hued New England forest. I’m guessing in a month it’ll look like Santa came to town.
Although I’m pretty sure this is santa’s home all year round…

I came here one night in search of something sweet. Recommend to me by a friend I thought I would give it a go.
Just walking up to the store I was already blown away, the display of beautiful wedding cakes really shows the dedication that Mozzicato puts into all their pastries.
I was greeted by a young girl who was animated and very helpful. She was also more then willing to let you try a small sample if you were unsure, which is something that is always appreciated.
I came in just looking for something small to satisfy my sweet tooth but ending up leaving with a box of cookies! I’m glad I did they were delicious. I have to say though if you don’t like almond paste be aware most of their cookies are based with almond paste. The only cookie I was a little disappointed with was the rainbow cookie which I usually hold to a very high standard.

Great cakes ! I wish they would start accepting cards in the café though. I also have a feeling that I might be billed different amounts based on who is behind the counter.

The only thing I can say, is that this place used to be good, some time ago. Something happened. Not anymore. Not for some time now. Never, ever order a cake from them for a wedding or special event — you’ll be woefully disappointed, won’t get what you want/​agreed to, and won’t have any recourse due to their cash only last payment policy. It’s almost like they know you won’t like their work so they force a cash transaction so you can’t go to your credit card company to complain. You have all been warned. Use your own judgement and schedule a meeting with them — you’ll then know what I’m talking about.

My family has been coming here for years. Everything is great, cookies, cakes and bread. Service is always friendly and usually not a big wait time unless its a holiday or something.
Try the bread or the pizza and get some cookies, you wont be disappointed.

Surprised Mozzicato only has 3 stars, wow! I’ve been coming here for years and I’ve never been disappointed. A lot of people complain about the workers at the counters being rude, very true! But not all of them, the older woman and man that work in the café side of Mozzicato are extremely nice and helpful! I’ve gotten rainbow cookies, carrot cake, cheesecake, fruit cake, and a few other assorted cookies and they are awesome! I usually buy them and walk over to the café and have them there. I haven’t tried their expresso but I can’t wait to. Definitely recommend going there. I’ve never had anything old tasting/​stale like another Unilocaler said.

I love this location, I’ve been to the plainville one but it’s not the same. I’ve been coming here for years. The staff is always super nice and friendly, always willing to help out.
Every time I’ve ordered cakes or cookies I’ve never been disappointed.
The pastries and cannolis are my absolute favorite so delicious and always fresh.

These days its more like «Little Puerto Rico», but back when it used to be Little Italy, Mozzicato’s was the place to go for all things Italian. To this day however, my family and I continue to come back for their cakes and pastries, especially their ricotta cannolis!
Italian pastries, cakes, cookies, breads, stuffed breads, rolls — for generations, as one of the best and authentic Italian bakeries in Hartford, Mozzicato’s has been churning out some really great traditional baked goods. During the holidays, for special occasions, it’s hard not stopping by for some sweets. Carrot cakes, fruit cakes, mousse/​marble cakes — they know how to do it. The cannolis though? Mhm, good stuff! Their thin crispy shells and sweet ricotta filling are simply delicious.
Although I’ve never been, Mozzicato also has a coffee/​liquor bar known as «The Caffe» nextdoor. The Caffe offers espresso, café latte, gelato and more. The bakery and pastry shop also designs custom wedding cakes. In addition to that, the bakery is widely known for being able to ship its «Old World» Italian cookies anywhere in the US. Online orders are welcomed.
Open 7 days a week, 7am-​9pm

I love this place. We come here sometimes on a weekend afternoon or night after dinner. It feels like you are back in a simpler time in a café enjoying a cappuccino or dessert. Very inexpensive too. We enjoyed 2 cappuccinos and a fancy fresh pastry for about $ 9.
The people who work here are fantastic. They take the time to talk to their customers and really care about their product.
The bakery is amazing as well. Whenever we get a cake from here for an event everyone is always commenting on how great the cake was.
My only hope for improvement is that more people come here so it stays around for a long time.

Over the years my family has spent a substantial amount of money patronizing the bakeries on Franklin Avenue. Usually it’s a good shopping experience.
The past few stops at Mozzicato’s Bakery have been disappointing. I believe freshness is no longer a guarantee. The arrangements of Italian Cookies made for Christmas were stale just days after purchasing them. I felt bad that not only the money spent was substantial, but the reciipients ended up throwing the cookie arrangements away.
I think Mozzicato’s needs to concentrate on fresh products again and if they’re going to make cookie arrangements for Christmas, they need to control quality and shelf life.
I will not be going back anytime soon.

On Christmas Eve the line is insane and they only have one person working but it’s part of the adventure

This is a solid bakery and a good back up if Modern happens to be closed.
They are a deeply rooted Italian bakery with all the staples. Their pastry case is picture perfect. The staff is mostly friendly.
They have a second location in Plainville with the same treats available. The staff in Plainville leaves much to be desired in terms of customer service.

My mother ordered fifteen pounds of cookies which when they arrive were crushed and they were for an anniversary party; I spoke with Paolo and Gina Mozzicato early this morning and I would like to share this nightmarish and traumatizing experience in the hopes this does not happen to any other customers:
I had called two months ago and spoke with this younger girl (I thought I had wrote her name down but go figure, of course I can no longer find it) who had confirmed on three separate occasions (as little as one week ago) that I would need to speak with Paolo the day before and he will absolutely have the cookies ready since I thought I would need to notify them months ago to pick it up. I called today so I could pick them up tomorrow since I am going home for Christmas and was going to go out of my way to pick them up for my mom (it’s just the good daughter-​thing to do). When I called the first time today, I waited patiently for about ten minutes for Paolo to come to the phone, and when he answered, he denied ever knowing about this situation even though my mother called on July 20^th to complain (the day the cookies came in the mail). He asked when this occurred and unfortunately I assumed this was a known situation and I would just have to put the order through, but he needed the information so I called my parents, and finally was able to tell him the exact dates they ordered the cookies. Apparently and conveniently for them, there’s no record of this transaction but he said he would look it up and call me back. A few hours later, Gina Mozzicato called me and it just got ridiculous from there. She was extremely rude and unsympathetic and honestly was insinuating my mother was lying and trying rip them off. I was appalled; not only was I told by an employee that the cookies would be replaced (I even made sure to say whose name it was under), but my mother as well received several verbal confirmations even the big guy himself, Paolo, and two other female employees. Gina, in a condescending and smug tone (I actually recorded the phone call because I had to prove to my friends how rude she was) lectured me about how my mother should have called UPS and we needed to file a complaint with them, all which was never disclosed to my mother at any time or by any employee of the bakery. She explained that the only way she could take it into any thought (mind you, she pretty much said since my mother never told UPS and filed a claim, they weren’t replacing the cookies) if I forwarded her the original email from this past JULY. Allegedly, they have no record of any pictures, but my mother today, instead of enjoying her Saturday with my father, is arguing with him trying desperately to find the email and blaming each other for erasing it. This company committed fraud in every sense of the word. Not only did they take my mother’s money and did not give her the product she paid for, but even more twisted and cynical, promised they would replace the cookies, so now my mother can no longer file a complaint against UPS, and now right before Christmas, they rescinded on their verbal agreement. Fraudulent company that treat you so rude that it seems like they do not need our business, so I suggest we do not give it to them…