Lucibello’s Italian Pastry Shop
Rainbow Cookies
Vanilla Custard Zeppole
Sfogliatelle
Baba Au Rhum with Vanilla Cream
Chocolate Chip Cannoli
Serving the fine folks of New Haven since 1929 it was en route to New York from Mystic that a detour was made for Lucibello’s Italian Pastry Shop, its current location at the corner of Grand Avenue and Olive Street home since 1959 with the Faggio Family in charge for nearly sixty years.
Now run by Peter Faggio, his father Frank the creator of many of the Bakery’s recipes including several old-world classics rarely discussed in the era of Instagram, it is immediately upon entering the brick building that one is transported to a different time in history, two women behind the counter ready to assist guests and a tall male gathering items for what appeared to be a fairly sizable catering order.
Perhaps not as acclaimed as Frank Pepe’s on the national level, but locally held in high regard for not only its longevity but an adherence to tradition that has seen little change over the decades, it is recommended that first timers take a few minutes to peruse the options and ask questions before composing an order, the various Italian Cookies all lining one case and sold by weight while Pastries fill another with a assortment of Fillings.
Priced lower than similar shops in Boston, Brooklyn or Philadelphia and generally more friendly it was after weighing all options that five items were requested, boxed and tied, first tastes featuring a Zeppole done right with light Pastry sliced and sandwiching eggy Vanilla Custard that was selected over Chocolate or Vanilla Cream.
Admittedly suspicious of the prefilled Cannoli but willing to risk it, the shell thankfully not as soggy as feared but still not as good as it could have been if filled-to-order, it was from here on that Lucibello’s showed best, the Rainbow Cookies weighty and nicely balanced without any artificial Almond extract detected while the Sfogliatelle and Baba were opposite ends of the texture spectrum, the former shattering to the tooth and lightly perfumed in Citrus while the Cake filled with Vanilla Cream was soft and sopping wet with sweetened Liquor.
