Ballaro Bakery Offers Fresh Bread, Cookies and Pizza in the East Village

There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread in the morning. Walk by Ballaro Bakery, once the home to Porchetta.Hog, and you’ll be entranced by scents of breads, Italian cookies and pizza each morning and afternoon on East 5^th Street in the East Village.

This cash-only bakery has been open for about two months, changing and adapting their menu over the past few weeks to add more items, such as creative square slices at lunch and more than just traditional Italian cookies.

Grab a slice of Speciale Pizze with cherry tomato and fior di latte mozzarella. This light and fluffy pie has generous globs of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes softly bursting with sweetness. The Sopressata Pizze with tomato sauce, mozzarella and soppressata has a bit of a kick. This high quality sopressata is better than any boring pepperoni pizza you've tried. Slices range from $1.50 - $3 depending on toppings.

Fagottino (or an Italian “dumpling”) is similar to a calzone, stuffed with soppressata, prosciutto cotto and fontina for only $3. This is a great lunch for those on the go who want something filling, homemade and comforting this winter.

For a sweet treat, the Nutella Cookies are your best bet, unless you prefer their array of traditional biscuit based cookies. And who doesn’t love Nutella? The Biscuit Sandwich Cookies filled with raspberry jam and dusted with powered sugar are also standouts. These are also available with a chocolate filling. Cookies can be ordered by the pound, for about $10 a bag (averaging 6 cookies).

And when rushing home to cook pasta or chili this winter, stop by Ballaro Bakery for one of their just-baked-today rolls to enjoy with your meal. Choose from a smaller whole wheat roll to large French bread sticks, for $1-$3 each depending on size. Such a steal for fresh bread in NYC!

If you’re giving up carbs before the holiday season weight gain, you may just need to avoid this block, because the smell of hot baked breads and pastries each morning is sure to drag you inside.

Ballaro Bakery. 309 E 5^th St.