Gencarelli’s Bakery

After enjoying an awesome lunch I walked over to this local bakery to pick up some sweets for the coming week.
Strawberry Shortcake was beautifully presented and proved to be quite yummy. It looked delicate and also tasted delicate as the cream was light and airy, with the yellow cake being super spongy (in a good way) and also light. A very semi-​sweet strawberry flavor from the strawberries was appreciated as sometimes the strawberry flavor can be overly sweet and artificial tasting.
Lobster Tail was solid. I found the shell nice, light, and flaky = a good start. The cream filling was very smooth and light but I found the cream lacking in sweetness and a bit bland. Reading up on the filling I read that it can be a French cream or a Ricotta cream so maybe I’m more partial to the thicker and more assertive Ricotta cream?
My sister selected the Cheese Danish. I’m not a fan of Cheese Danish, so my sister ate most of the Danish with me just eating a quarter or so of it. The pastry portion itself was excellent; melt in your mouth rich buttery goodness, but the cheese filling was quite lacking. I found it okay, but my Danish connoisseur sister said the cheese filling was lacking cheese flavor and was leaning towards a cream or custard. flavor and texture.
Considering the very large amount of offerings this bakery offers, I can’t help but think I must try some other delicacies to get a larger sampling to make a better assessment in order to help the Unilocal community ;)

4 stars for the quality of the products. 0 stars for the customer service.
about a month ago, my partner, nieces and i visited the bakery. we wanted to teach the girls about making a purchase, counting change and of course, manners. The person behind the counter was BEYOND rude, impatient and did not listen to anything the girls said. She packaged the items wrong and even gave the girls back the wrong change. Not sure if she thought they wouldn’t realize.
I’ve been there since this and the service has been great. However, last night their credit card system wasn’t working and they told me after I already ordered. Good thing I wasn’t ordering a lot of items or something for an event, what a disappointment. Wondering if the Wayne location is any better. I will check them out.

Was craving for something sweet after dinner, didn’t feel like driving to Calandras because parking is limited and no matter what time of the day u go it’s always full with the rude old lady who I’m guessing is the owner/​manager … So I drove to the right and decided to come to Gencarellis … I must admit I never been to Gencarellis …
I usually drive by it, but never stopped in…
Being that it was a Sunday, almost all the cafes close early but at 7:30 pm Gencarelli was open and I was glad…
So, I stepped in and the girls were getting ready to close … Cleaning up and such I hate going in anywhere when a place is about to close because all of the staff states at u … Like really? U couldn’t come any earlier?
Those stares were definitely given but hey I can’t complain at least they were friendly while trying to rush me to pick something…
Anyway being that it was closed to closing time, everything was pretty much gone, which is great to know because a lot of bakeries always look fully stocked even minutes before closing which makes u wonder, how many pastries are actually fresh???
All I could picture is rats having a feast with leftover goods…
That’s not the case here … Is extremely clean …
Anyway I chose the red velvet cupcake and picked the chocolate mousse strawberry shortcake for hubby.
Loved it… Both cake were nice and moist… And not super sweet…
Calandras lost a good customer…

My favorite bakery in north New Jersey! My dad and I have gone here for years. We always get lobster tails, which are always flakey and crispy on the outside, with great cream filling– super yummy. I also enjoy the dark chocolate moose and cheesecake. Biscotti also good.
Staff are really friendly, plenty of parking. They tie up your box with string, which I think is an old school bakery thing? The place would benefit from the use of labels on their window items, but the staff always answer my questions so it works!

The Hazelnut Mousse is amazing! It is an exact replica of Ferrero rocher but better because you can get a whole cake of it lol I have yet to try any other cakes but the cannolis are on point! The staff is attentive, knowledgeable on their prices, and patient when you’re a bit unsure of which goodies to get!

cookies were 11/​pound. decently priced and tasted super fresh! will be returning soon

This bakery is a local staple and I love that I’m nearby. Love their cookies, cakes, and other pastries. I love their mini versions of their mousse cakes especially the hazelnut mousse. And I love their black and white cookies! So chewy and delicious and many times sold out :(
They recently made a gender reveal cake for me and it was a hit. Cream cheese frosting wasn’t overly sweet, and the cake was consistently moist throughout. Oh and I loved that it was neon pink instead of just baby pink! The cake was beautiful, and the associate helping me made sure that all the spots were covered so no cake crumb would be exposed.

This has been my go to bakery for years, ever since I moved to NJ. I always get birthday cakes here for the family, as well as other occasions. Some of their popular cakes go quick, so you might want to call a day in advance and reserve it.
I love the strawberry shortcake from here, but their bread and baked goods such as rainbow cookies as well as tons of other items, too many to list all are excellent.
Parking lot is tiny, but there are meters on the adjacent street which I find easier to do and walk right in.
Staff is very friendly and get everyone moving quick here.
They also offer drip coffee if you are just looking for a quick breakfast on the go.
Prices are also very reasonable here.

The best is not yet to come. It’s been here for many years. I always stop at gencarellis before getting back on the plane to Cali. Iced crumb. Hell yes!!!

A good but not spectacular bakery. Certain things are outstanding, like their hazelnut cake. Certain things are pretty standard like their chocolate layer cake.
The bread is just ok. Calandra’s and Nicola’s are far superior.
Decent enough cookies.
Even the service is hit and miss. Some are nice, friendly and helpful. Some couldn’t be bothered.
For example, a few weeks ago, I called in advance to have an already baked cake decorated with writing for a birthday. I had intended to pick it up on my way to work. When I arrived, 30 minutes later, I was told, that they did in fact remember that I’d called ahead to order the cake. Then they said they’d start on it right away! Start on it??? Why did I waste my time calling ahead?
If it weren’t for the fact that it’s close to work, I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here.

Gencarelli’s is my go to place for all dessert goodness. I’ve been coming to them for God-​knows-​when and I’ve never been disappointed. I’ve had their pastries, donuts, cookies, bread, cakes, and even gelato and they always deliver when it comes to freshness and flavor. Walking in to the bakery you are instantly greeted by the beautiful aroma of baked goods emanating from the kitchen and the gorgeous array of pastries in the display case in front of you. I consider them more works of art and at times find it hard to eat because of how great their baked goods are. Chefs and food critics always say we first eat with our eyes so in that regards you’ll stuff yourself silly by simply perusing the selections that they have. And what a selection indeed! They have fruit tarts, black forest pastries, hazelnut mousse, and cappuccino butter crème pastries. I’ve tried all of them and I can’t pick which one is my favorite. It would be like asking a parent who’s his favorite child. There is however one caveat to that statement. I will undoubtedly declare my love for their cannoli without reservation. They are some of the best I’ve had and I can say that without any bias.
Ordering a cake with them is also very easy. I’ve done so for mostly every occasion (except for a wedding) and they’ve always done themselves proud with how their product turns out. The half sheet and whole sheet cakes can feed a lot of people and the prices are very reasonable. How reasonable you ask? You can get a great tasting half sheet cake beautifully decorated for about $ 50 – 60. They are willing to work with you to make sure that you get that perfect dessert delight that you’re looking for. On one occasion I ordered two cakes for my godson and goddaughter’s birthday with a Disney Frozen and Cars theme and it looked amazeballs. I wished that it was my birthday instead. The print of the pictures and the decorating to match it was professionally done. Gencarelli’s has never disappointed me and because of that they’ve continually earned by business.

They take credit cards. This place is an institution. Families cross the Hudson and the Passaic to make the pilgrimage here. I respect that. It’s open on Sundays when I most often am in need of a fresh bakery. Their long French bread rolls are cheaper than the ones you get from similar establishments in Montclair. The cookies are too dry for my taste, but their donuts — especially the sugar coated: they are the target.

Awesome neighborhood bakery. Smells like confection crack when you walk in. They make a beautiful Bday cake for the kids.

Had a piece of the derby cake I picked up here and it was pretty good. Nice and chocolatey with plenty of cream. The fruit mostly tasted good, but a piece of banana in the cake was mushy and didn’t even look like banana any more, I could only tell by smelling it. Also the ‘happy mothers day’ pin that was stuck in the cake was a bit small. We expected it to be written into the cake which perhaps they would’ve done if requested but its what we expected, that pin was lame. The service is pretty good and they have a parking lot that as well as street parking. Be ready for crowds on holidays, picking up for mothers day took quite a bit. The boxes they give you the cakes in are nice too.

I was wowed by the bakery clean spacious and bright. Pastries, cakes and baked breads galore — it’s got that «kid in a candy store» feel to it! The staff was very nice and willing to answer any questions.
Since we are in the market for a wedding cake — we browsed through the «wedding cake book» They looked nice, but appeared to be all fondant, the prices were also listed — that was helpful and gave us a gauge on prices.
We brought some goodies home to try tiramisu, a «rum» napoleon, a fruit tart and two cupcakes. They all looked very nice, but meh, meh, meh. Stale and flavorless. We were looking forward to our desserts.
Perhaps they make too many items that don’t sell quickly, and then the pastries are sitting around in display cases. Honestly I would rather a bakery make less and have it run out than an over abundance of stuff that is sitting around.
I don’t think I will return, nor make this bakery a contender for our wedding cake.

I come up to North Jersey every few weeks to visit family and make a stop here to grab some Italian bread to take home. I end up freezing the bread and eating it until the next time I can hit up Gencarelli’s. I’ve also purchased a few birthday cakes over the past year and each one has been better than the last. The lemon vanilla cake was perfect for a group that didn’t want something too sweet and rich. If sweet and rich is what you want then grab the Oreo cake with chocolate inside and vanilla on the outside!

Amazing pastries. Got the heart shaped strawberry cheese cake, mini hazelnut chocolate mousse cakes & some chocolate/m&m covered strawberries. Everything is to die for and absolute deliciousness. The girls behind the counter are very helpful & patient. It’s always a delight stopping here after work for some goodies to take home.

Has to be one of the best bakeries in NJ. Prices are good, everything is fresh and great. Go for it well worth it everything is tasty

I love their hazelnut chocolate mousse cake and fruit tarts.
Gencarelli’s is one of the few bakeries I know of that is open til pretty late in the evening (9pm). The counter staff seems to be mostly high school/​college age girls. They’re friendly enough, and have managed to figure out how to package the things I ask for. They do run out of individual sizes of the hazelnut chocolate mousse though, so try and get em early if you don’t want a whole cake.

It’s all about the Hazelnut Mousse Cake here. Downright chocolate hazelnut Ferrero Rocher in cake form CRACK! I cannot tell you how many time my friends and family have ordered it for special occasions or any occasion for that matter. They sell them in individual sizes and 10″ rounds on the regular, but I know they custom order for full sheets and half sheets too.
Order the cake. You won’t be disappointed!