Clemente Bakery — Restaurant in South Hackensack

Outstanding Italian deli! Molto buono! The words homemade, family, and delightful come to mind when I think of Clemente Bakery. It is more than a deli because they have hot food,  pastries, groceries, different types of breads including focaccia, and specialty dishes. They also do catering and special bread orders. This is a nice deli with plenty of tables to dine in and enjoy your favorite Italian treats.

This is a family-owned business in which you can see the entire family working together. The rest of the staff has been working there for many years. I lived in the area years ago and this was my favorite stop every day. Now I must to stop there every time I visit New Jersey. Prices are very reasonable, so I laugh when I see people complaining about "high prices." They would have a hard time ordering a sandwich in Miami, which usually starts at $10.95 for a regular panini. I miss Clemente’s.

The ladies at the counter are friendly and knowledgeable. In my experience, they can also be fun.  It is nice to see a family so united (althought I can't imagine working with my parents or relatives all day long).  It probably isn’t easy.  Nor is it easy to keep up with such a big and elaborated business, but these ladies are there everyday from very early in the morning to make sure all the delicious food is well prepared and all the merchandise is in order. Clemente’s is a big store with counters of food and a small market. It is a one-stop place where you can get everything you need – from a hot lunch, to all the ingredients you need to make an authentic Italian home cooked meal.  The ladies can give you recommendations on almost everything because they are very proud of their products. They also make amazing cappuccinos.

The bread and focaccia are delightful and very authentic to the Puglia region of Italy, specifically Bari.  They offer an extensive selection of delicious oven-baked Barese breads and foccacias.  Pizzas are made from scratch. Taralli and pastries are also very good especially when they make seasonal treats like zeppoles. Pastas and other hot dishes including risotto, veal, chicken, and beef, change daily, and Fridays they usually prepare seafood.  They also include one of their delicious bread rolls with almost every dish.  In the deli section,  they have the guys making delicious subs.  One of my favorites is the Clemente special with ham, salami, pepperoni and fresh mozzarella in a crunchy hero. You can add some delicious roasted peppers and sundries tomatoes for an extra charge. Did I mention that they make fresh mozzarella daily. It is to die for.

They also do catering, which I have ordered in numerous times and it has always been well prepared and on time.

I personally love the fact that almost everyone speaks Italian. It gives it that extra "je ne sais quoi" to this lovely establishment.

It can be hard to find this bakery because it is in an industrial area, but if you are in Bergen County and love Italian food you should do yourself a favor and put it on your GPS.  It is a must try!  It gets VERY busy during lunch hours so once you get to know the menu it is better to call ahead and make your order by phone to pick up later that way you avoid some waiting in line.

Covid related details - staff is wearing masks at all times and protective gear, sanitizer available, and practicing...

UPDATE 5/31/25 It's perhaps no surprise, given New Jersey's huge Italian-American population, that an Italian sub would be the top choice of the Garden State.

As a household fixture since 1974, this establishment began half a century ago baking bread out of one brick oven. Now three generations run Clemente Bakery on Leuning Street in South Hackensack as an all-hands-on-deck effort in the family business where my partner and I came for lunch today.

Upon entering as regulars to this local favorite for baked goods, desserts, and the piled-high Italian subs on their housemade bread, we decided on the Bella Ciao hero with Roast Beef and Chicken Cutlet, Fresh Mozzarella, and Roasted Pepper on Wheat Wrap.

They are not cheap, but one gets what one pays for in terms of taste, freshness, and authenticity. The portions were a healthy size for another meal.

Clemente remains a big store full of counters of food and a small market with friendly staff. It is a one-stop place where one can get everything from a hot lunch to all the ingredients to make an authentic Italian home-cooked meal.

We continue to...

First time today I went to this place. It was incredible it reminds me when i was in Italy. The atmosphere is awesome this place has everything. I had the 11 chicken was incredible the homemade bread was delicious. The fresh mozzarella delicious. They bake their own bread there. I didn't get a chance to taste the pastries because I was too full. It does get crowded but the line moves very fast. They have a lot of tables to sit down and it's very roomy. They have plenty of parking but it does get crowded. I gave them a 5-star because the food with hot fresh everybody was super friendly in there and very accommodating to you. And it was super clean in there. And their prices wasn't bad at all. I will recommend this place to anybody. And this place reminds me back home Little Italy the location of this place is South Hackensack. When you look for this place it's between some corporate buildings so drive slow cuz you'll pass it right up it's a very big place. Also they bake the own fresh bread...