Civitello's — Restaurant in City of Schenectady

I met my cousin, Cheryl W. & her husband Cliff at this historic pastry shop in Schenectady's Little Italy neighborhood on N. Jay St. Thursday August 10, 2023. This shop has been serving the public for 100 years. On May 8, 1922 Rose Mastrianni and Raffaelo Civitello married and together built the family business he founded in 1921: Civitello’s Spumoni Shoppe." Presently owned & operated by Roie & Angela Angerami. When I was a young man I was tasked with picking up the huge cookie & pastry trays for family weddings, baptisms, graduations, showers, etc. It's been a ritual for Italian-American family celebrations. I can't explain how these two women could turn out hundreds of these delicious bites every day. They must be Befana (In Italian folklore, the Befana (pronounced [beˈfaːna]) is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to Santa Claus or the Three Magi Kings.). Myth or Magic? I heartily recommend the pignoli cookies or the Sfogliatelle pastry. These are must tries for newcomers. Always a freshly baked assortment of cookies & pastries are on display Tue-Sat 9am-4pm. They also offer the classic red tomato pie style of pizza, soups & sandwiches for lunch. And just the best Italian ices around. And they are always busy through the lunch time. Special thanks to Cheryl's lifetime friend, Bea who waited on our table and made a good visit great. Grazie mille Bea. p.s. The Little Italy Street Fest is always held on the 2nd Sat in Sept and Civitello's is front and center of this event. Stop in for a treat. Ciao. Nicola...

We ordered a tray of cookies instead of flowers for my family in Schenectady when they gathered for the passing of my cousin. Roie went above and beyond to give them a beautiful tray of cookies that everyone loved. Each one is beautifully hand-made by her! No-one wants to mourn the loss of a loved one, but I can tell you that the response from the cookies was remarkable. We were happy to show our love through this gesture and Civitello's went above and beyond to help us share our love with family.

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When my brother and sister-in-law came to visit In Kansas City soon after, they brought us cookies, cannolis, and pizza from Civitello's. The pizza was incredible! The cookies, each hand made by Roie, were so moist and delicious - they did not last long. And, the Cannolis! Wow - thank you Angela for that delicious filling.

If you need to make yourself or someone you love immediately feel special, make sure to think about Civitello's first. Food vs. Flowers - I choose food! Thank you...

With everyplace downstate gentrifying and changing the culture, all things Italian American are disappearing from updating and loosing our culture. We stepped into Civitello's and I got choked up. I had to keep my composure in front of my wife and look at the pastries. I was transported to early 1970s NYC pastry shops. An innocent time for me and my family. We were always broke but if we could muster the change it was off to the Pasticceria for a some giant Sfogliatella, Cannole and Maritozzo.

When i stepped into Civitello's, I didn't want to leave. I wanted to keep the connection and stay all day. I wanted to call my family and have them come from all over the country and be there with me. I ordered cookies and pastries and brought them all the way back to East Rutherford NJ for my staff to enjoy. They ate everything and...