Sal & Dom's Pastry Shop — Restaurant in New York

INCOMPETENT, UNPROFESSIONAL, HOSTILE! The cake collapsed and so did the professionalism. What followed was the most condescending and defensive interaction I’ve ever had with a business and that includes the the baker, Carlo writing me scathing emails accusing me of being “prejudicial and dishonest” for sharing my own experience! I had to block him because it was basically harassment and deflecting with performative victimhood!

I ordered a birthday cake that collapsed before it was even cut, had the wrong filling, and was slathered with an overwhelming amount of whipped cream. It was inedible. I politely emailed with photos, explained the issues, and brought the cake back in person. While I was given a refund, the owner Carlo chose to hide in the back instead of apologizing face-to-face. Initially, he told me on the phone that my initial 5 minute review “kept him up all night,” but showed zero concern for how he ruined our celebration.

Rather than apologizing outright, he lectured me on “cake physics,” talked over me about how long his bakery has existed, and blamed the issue on the cake not being “cooled in time”, a problem he knew about but still sent out. He even claimed maybe my family just doesn’t like sweets, completely ignoring the fact that the cake didn’t meet the order specifications and fell apart.

What pushed this over the edge was his unhinged follow-up emails, where he doubled down instead of showing an ounce of accountability. He falsely claimed I lied, completely misrepresented the facts, and painted himself as the victim, all because I dared to post review with photos after receiving the refund. The refund was never contingent on me removing the review. To be clear, I decided to post this review because of his aggressive disrespectful behavior afterwards. His version of professionalism seems to be rage emailing a customer for telling the truth.

The elitism is also hard to ignore. When I first came to place the order, the woman at the counter acted like she was doing me a favor just by taking it. Her tone only changed when she realized I knew the Westchester nail salon she snobbishly name dropped. The way this bakery treats people varies depending on your name, your background, and whether they think you belong. Just check how they respond to reviews, polite and courteous to some, defensive and rude to others.

A refund doesn’t excuse poor service, condescension, and public gaslighting. I’ve been a customer here for decades and expected more. If Carlo had simply apologized sincerely and handled the situation professionally, this review wouldn’t exist. But his arrogance and lack of accountability speak louder than any cake ever could.

My advice? Spend your money somewhere that respects both the occasion and the customer. This...

Went to Sal & Doms for my mom and aunts surprise birthday. As a longstanding pastry shop within the neighborhood my family was well aware of the quality of the service provided, however, we had never ordered a cake there.

For this event, it being their 70th, I knew I wanted a two tiered cake with imprinted pictures of my mom and aunts life on it, however, I putzed around on the flavor profile for sometime.

I pitched ideas to the staff, at times it seemed endlessly, but after sometime, and careful thought, I went with placing an entire order thinking that was the route I wanted to take, only, however, to scrap those entire plans a week before the party, and going with my first choice.

What a choice-- white chocolate mousse and raspberry jam filling with almonds around the outside--And, the staff didn't even bat an eye on my 360 when I came in to make the sudden change.

I have to say, not only did the cake turn out exactly as I explained amd envisoned it to the staff but, WAS, hands down, THE best cake I have ever eaten.

The amount of compliments on it were endless among the entire guest list, this, mind you, coming from a family of over 50, who have longstanding ties to the Bronx, which at this point in time, spanes nearly 100 years, and , as you'd expect, hav their own favorite bakeries.

I'll end by saying: Thank you Sal & Doms for all your hard work, attentiveness, and above all else, continued high quality baking! All your hard work made this party one that I hope will be remembered for a long time to come.

If nothing else, know you have a new

generation of...

I ordered my mom’s birthday cake from here. The cake itself was good as always. The decoration wasn’t exactly like the photo but I believe it’s because it was rushed. I ordered on Friday to be picked up on Sunday at 12pm. Sunday morning a relative offered to pick the cake up for me but only if it was ready at 9am. I called the bakery to ask if by any chance the cake was ready to be picked up NOW instead of 12pm, the young lady on the phone said yes. 10 minutes later the relative arrives at the bakery to pick up the cake. The young lady goes to the back to get it and a man comes out and says “It’s not ready.” Relative says oh but we just called and they said it was ready now. He’s uncomfortably aggressive saying “you said pickup at 12 so it’s not ready.....Oh well you’re gonna have to wait 20 minutes.” We’re very confused by this since I had called 10-15 minutes prior asking if we could pick it up now. On the phone I mentioned that I know it’s for 12 but if it’s ready early I’d like to pick it up. We weren’t demanding the cake nor were we angry at the fact that it wasn’t ready. So I don’t understand why he was so rude when she went to pick it up.

I’m disappointed by this customer service and the fact that the cake doesn’t look like the reference photo. But my mom was still happy with the...