Scola's Original Italian Cookies & Pastries — Restaurant in Kansas City

If you are not Italian, go here - you won't know any better. The products here are not traditional Italian bakery items, they are some sort of an American take on them. I asked where in Italy they were from and they said Sicily - um, nope, these are NOT Sicilian cookies. Then they said Napoli - after this response I certainly wasn't too surprised by the taste of these items. The cookies are not good, only the glazed chocolate balls have a decent flavor. They took this Italian cookie and made other flavors (and colors for fun, I guess) that they must have thought people would like but they are a huge miss when it comes to flavor. There is a lot missing from the dough and their 'wedding' cookie was nowhere near an Italian wedding cookie in looks and especially flavor - theirs tasted like it had baking soda in it and I had to spit it out as it was inedible. Their sesame cookie is a plain sugar cookie with seeds on top - this is NOT how a Sicilian sesame cookie is made nor are these iconic cookies flat and round (sugar cookie explains the shape on this one). Google recipes and you will see how Italian cookies are made and how they should look (especially the sesame cookie - I almost walked out of the shop when I saw it).

The cannoli also misses the mark - the shell is good but they're not making them but I give them credit for at least not buying cruddy ones. The filling has what seems to be almond paste mixed in which totally changes not only the taste of a traditional cannoli (couldn't even taste the ricotta) but also the texture. Glad they at least added the chocolate chips in the mix but the ends were not dipped in pistachios nor were they dusted with powdered sugar, which is really what you look for in a traditional Italian cannoli (they also offer a 'cherry' flavored cannoli - never in my life have I even heard of an Italian bakery offering a 'flavored' cannoli.

There's not much to say about their cakes except their version of cannoli cake is NOT cannoli cake - it is a slice of plain cheesecake with a very thin layer of their cannoli filling spread on top. Cannoli cake is a most wondrous thing - if you can get it or even make it and this is NOT it.

They have gelato (not handmade in store), scones and cinnamon rolls and other varieties of cake and cheesecake that are also not Italian, which after tasting their version of Italian bakery does not surprise me that they offer these American items.

Scola's should not promote "Italian cookies" in their store name as every Italian will come here and be disappointed - but if they choose to do so I highly recommend they Google, at minimum, the cookies and cannoli so they can at least have something truly Italian-tasting on their menu. This is an American bakery that sells American bakery items and tried their hand at a few Italian items but, sadly, has missed the mark...

I recently visited this bakery because I’ve been on the hunt for cookies and cannolis that remind me of my great-grandmother, who was Sicilian. It’s been years since I had anything close to what she made, so I walked in with an open mind, hoping for a good experience.

Let me just say this: if you’re expecting your grandmother’s exact recipes, don’t. That’s an unfair comparison and, frankly, kind of a jerk move. But does this bakery deserve the one-star nonsense floating around these reviews? Absolutely not. The food was enjoyable—I bought a carrot cake, an assortment of cookies, and some cannolis. Were they exactly like Nonna’s? Of course not. But they didn’t need to be. The cookies were fun and flavorful, and the cannolis were solid. Not life-changing, but good enough to enjoy without nitpicking. For the record, "Italian-inspired bakery" might save them from the wrath of people who seemingly Google “how to gatekeep Italian pastries” for fun.

The service? Impeccable. The women working here were friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. You can tell they care about making your experience pleasant. The atmosphere was clean, welcoming, and stress-free—unlike the comment section of these reviews. One star because Google said they were open when they weren’t? One star without constructive criticism? That’s not a review; that’s whining.

And to the expert critics out here dissecting Sicilian vs. Neapolitan heritage and ranting about sesame cookies: take a deep breath. If this bakery really upset you that much, maybe the problem isn’t the cookies—it’s you.

In short, this place shines in service and atmosphere, and the food is good if you’re willing to let it stand on its own. Give it a try and form your own opinion instead of letting these grumpy “experts”...

This bakery was as nostalgic as it was innovative. Growing up we ate my mom's homemade snowballs at Christmas time and Cannoli's were my dads favorite. Well when a pregnancy craving strikes, you google "Cannoli near me" and end up finding Kansas City's best kept secret, this lovely little Italian bakery. My husband and I decided to get the "Assorted 1lb" of cookies which was perfect because it gave two of each cookie listed in the assortment. That's a lot of cookies! It was great because we could both try a little of everything without having to share.

Though we went there for the cannoli's and snowballs, the Neapolitan ended up being my absolute favorite cookie I have ever tasted! I could seriously eat a pound of just these. They are a bit more moist than the biscotti and don't quite crumble like a snowball, but they also aren't overly soft which pairs well with the sweetness of the almond flavoring. Other favorites we had included: Snowballs, Tay-Tu's, and Lemon Biscotti.

I would recommend this bakery to anyone looking for something new and fun to try in the area, and I think the assorted pack of cookies would honestly make a really great Christmas gift for that person who seems to already...