Suissa Bakery & Coffee Shop

So having grown up in the neighborhood you’d think I’d have gone here more often. Sadly I stick to the other side of ferry as that is where the fam can be found.
Alas I have an uncle down this way and as I was making my way to his place decided to stop in and pick him up some goodies.
Almond braids, natas, codfish balls traditional Portuguese method as well as the ones that look like my Cuban mother in law makes. Quite pleasant surprise. Even more so that they were nearly as good.
Rissois of chicken well I don’t like chicken salad in a rissol. Especially if it has mustard.
Otherwise I will visit again. Even may make the special trip.

I think we had «sonhos» based on other reviewer’s picture posted this site. I just pointed at this at the counter and had Galao (Latte).
This «sonhos» reminds me of Choux pastry, deep fried rather than baked like Cream Puff, so it is more moist but still light, and very good! 2 of us had 1 each but could not resist one more!
It was Saturday morning, close to noon, local people having their breakfast, its small but nice local place! Will be back for more sonhos and try other things on the menu.

I lived a block from here for 2 years and never bothered to stop by despite walking and driving by it on a daily basis. Recently though, I was in the neighborhood and craving something sweet and decided to stop by.
I’ve been to a ton of places in the Ironbound and even though there is sometimes a language barrier, the people are generally really nice and helpful. This was the case here too– the woman working did her best to explain what the different things were, some of which I recognized. I tried the following:
–This donut like thing stuffed with crème, I think it is called «sonhos»: This was kind of in between a donut and beignet in consistency-​lighter than most donuts but still had some denseness. It was a little too sweet for me, between the crème on the inside and sugar coating. I think I would have liked it more with just one or the other, not both, but that is just personal preference
–Pasteis de nata: The most famous Portuguese pastry, egg custard tarts. Teixeira’s Bakery is definitely known for having the best pasteis de nata in the neighborhood, but these were surprisingly good. These are definitely more sweet and Teixeira’s more eggy. The flaky crust is equally good for both in my opinion. This is the only place in the Ironbound with comparable pasteis and I think people who like theirs on the sweeter side may even prefer these.
–Coffee: Like most places around here, the coffee comes in one small size and is quite sweet. Not as strong as other places in the neighborhood though, and I think the coffee needs to be pretty strong when you make it that sweet. Decent coffee though.
This place is on the 4 star/​5 star border for me. I give it 4 because I’m not sure I would say it is «As good as it gets», especially given how many similar options surround it. That being said, it is definitely a good option and I was especially impressed by the pasteis. I would absolutely come here to get them if I was in a hurry because it is less crowded, which I think is partially because it’s a little away from Ferry street.

Even though there were communication issues, I really enjoyed everything I ate here.
Not sure what it was and the lady working was not sure how to explain what it was so I just pointed and hoped for the best.
Nothing was over $ 1 so pricewise it was already great.
Even though we didn’t understand each other she was very nice and I felt welcomed.
Tastewise everything was excellent, very very good, fresh, homemade, not too sweet, I really enjoyed it.
Felt like a trip to a different country, still loved and it would be back if I lived closer.

I used to only be so-​so on this place. Their pasteis de nata are good, but not quite as good as Teixeira up north. Their other desserts are okay, but never quite scratch that pastry itch (I’m really picky about pastries). I kept coming back anyway, because the staff are always warm and friendly, the location is convenient, and because the boyfriend always wanted an empanada or three. Finally, I decided I had to try one of these fried dumpling-​things and had a bite of his chicken empanada. And another bite. And another. That unassuming fried doughball turned out to be full of shredded chicken and spices, neither dry nor greasy, and perfectly seasoned. Now I know why we kept stopping in here. Next time it’s going to be me leading the way.
Pros: friendly staff, delicious empanadas, very cheap
Cons: dark sitting area, only the second-​best pasteis de nata in the Ironbound (okay, that’s not really a con)