Gencarelli's Bakery & Italian Market — Restaurant in Wayne

It's good. It's an Italian bakery, of which you can probably find one on every corner in this area, but it's the best of the ones I've tried.

On the weekends they have some decent donuts. They're not "fancy" but they're fresh and have a couple more varieties than vanilla or chocolate. It falls in that weird place where I'd travel a bit further and go to Montclair Baking Co. (Gunkin now?) or Glaze in West Caldwell and if I wanted a quick donut to shove at my kid I would probably swing by any of the abundant Dunkin donuts around. They're good donuts at Gencarelli's but not make a special stop for.

Their breads and other pastries are very good. I had some crumb cake which was excellent and a Danish I would go back for. My mother loves the butter cookies and finds them the best she's had but I would also hedge that she felt that way because they were fresh...but she bought them around Christmas when they'd made hundreds of plates for sale that day. I'm not sure how it would be otherwise.

I know this place is a local staple. I get the impression much of the fondness for the bakery comes from generations of local residents having gone for their special days and enjoying something with family. There's no comparison for memories and it seems stable enough that you can rely on it being around if you're looking to make more. Aside from that, I find it a perfectly serviceable if not above...

Every time I come in here, which is not often, the presentation always look appealing, making you want to buy the whole shop! But after spending a good amount in here, and with the anticipation of eating it at home, brewing, all is shattered with the taste. I bought a handful of pastries, strawberry shortcake is not in the picture, that was the only one that tasted okay. I would not say it was delicious. When something is delicious, you can go on and on eating, always feeling you want more. This is just not the case for any of the pastries. Tiramisu taste lemony, cheesecake taste a little weird, even Shoprite’s frozen cheesecake taste better! Even my daughter did not finish the Sponge Bob cup cake (in the picture). All I am saying is that, I have tasted better. The two stars is for the presentation and good customer service. When you walk into the store, they will gladly serve you. My review is for the delicious factor which I cannot find. But every so often, I forget and I end up coming back to the store in hope that maybe I was wrong before. Taste buds...

I ordered a cake from this bakery for my daughter’s baby shower, and unfortunately, the experience was very disappointing. I had clearly communicated the design and details I expected, and was assured that they could and would meed my needs. However, what was delivered looked very different from what was promised. The decoration lacked care and quality, and the overall appearance was underwhelming.

Worse still, the taste of the cake was unpleasant. The inside was heavily saturated with the taste of artificial food coloring, making it difficult to enjoy. None of our guests liked it, and for such a special occasion, that was especially disheartening. Given the importance of the event and the cost involved, I expected far better quality and attention to detail.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but in this case, I feel compelled to share so that others can make an informed decision. I hope the bakery takes this feedback seriously and improves both their communication and product quality...