As a self-proclaimed lover of coffee and sweet treats, I have spent copious amounts of time (and money) at the various bakeries throughout Little Italy in the Bronx. My time at these establishments has rendered me something of an expert on the Arthur Avenue pastry scene. Not wanting my expertise on all things baked and powdered to go to waste, I set myself an incredibly important task: determining which of the Arthur Avenue bakeries is the best.

For the sake of this article’s length — and my wallet — I focused on pastry shops over bakeries. So spots like Madonia and Terranova that are more bread-heavy unfortunately didn’t make the cut. Instead, I settled on five different pastry shops along 187th Street: Gino’s, DeLillo, Egidio, Artuso and Morrone.

Having lived in the area for over two years now, I already had some pastry shop preferences. So, in order to come up with a more objective ranking for the readers of the Ram, I devised a system where I considered six key aspects of a good pastry shop and rated each spot on a scale from 1-5 in each category. The categories I decided on were price, location, menu options, accessibility, general atmosphere and, of course, taste.

Of all the categories, the most difficult to rank was actually taste. I knew I couldn’t possibly try everything on the menu, so I chose instead to buy one of the same item from each location: a classic cannoli. I discovered quickly that there was a clear divide in cannoli quality among the bakeries. Spots like Gino’s and Artuso fill their cannolis on the spot after you order them, and the taste of the pastry certainly reflects that. Artuso was the best for me. The filling was unmatched in flavor and texture and tasted very fresh. Gino’s was a close second; I especially appreciated that they give customers the option to dip the ends in either chocolate chips or pistachio.

In terms of price, Artuso and DeLillo promised the cheapest cannolis, while Egidio and Morrone had the most affordable coffee. Artuso and DeLillo also seemed to have the most menu options, with Egidio following close behind. Artuso boasts some unique (and supremely delicious) pastries in the form of their mango, pineapple and guava rolls, while DeLillo never fails to blow me away with their vast selection of baked goods, and also offers a mouth-watering pistachio gelato.

Location wise, the bakeries are almost on top of each other. Egidio, DeLillo and Gino’s, located near the intersection of Arthur Ave. and 187th Street, are slightly more convenient to on-campus students. Artuso, also on 187th, is just past Cambreleng Avenue, and Morrone is located further down on Arthur, so I dinged them both just one point compared to their closer competition.

Now onto accessibility. Each of the five bakeries is wheelchair accessible and all but Artuso told me they carried gluten-free options. When I asked about nutrition fact sheets, most of the pastry shops’ employees seemed pretty taken aback. None of the five locations could give me nutritional information about their products, so if you have dietary restrictions or need to count carbohydrates, it seems the best these shops can offer you is luck.

Of all the categories I considered, the one with the starkest differences was atmosphere. Each of the bakeries has a very different size, layout and general feel. DeLillo’s is by far the largest which earned them points in my book as it allows larger groups of people to come in and gives customers a bit more room to peruse the display cases. I ranked Egidio and Gino’s just after DeLillo on atmosphere. Egidio and Gino’s both have an older, homier feel to them. Gino’s especially feels like you’re walking into a piece of Bronx history with photos of famous customers plastered all over the walls. Last in this category was Artuso, which, despite being clean and fairly spacious, offers no on-site seating for customers.

All things considered, each of the shops has its charms, but there can only be one winner in this battle of the bakeries. With six categories and five possible points for each, the highest possible score for any of the bakeries was 30. In last place is Morrone with 19 points. Despite their cheap coffee, the taste of their cannoli left something to be desired, which ultimately cost them this competition. Next with 20 points is Egidio. Ranking them fourth was difficult because their legacy is so powerful. They’ve been baking since 1912! Coming in third with 21 points is Gino’s, whose pistachio cannolis are unmatched. In second, is Artuso with 23 points for its guava rolls and cheap cannolis, which makes DeLillo the winner at 25 points.

For those familiar with the Arthur Ave. pastry shops, it may come as no surprise that DeLillo tops this list. From strawberry cheesecake to apple turnovers to hazelnut gelato, their selection of pastries is unlike any other shop in the area. On top of that, their seating arrangement provides customers with a comfortable atmosphere to relax or chat with friends. DeLillo, founded in 1925, is also a historic staple of the community and is celebrating its centennial this year. 

Curious about what DeLillo and the other pastry shops in the area have to offer? Dissatisfied with my rankings? All it takes is a walk down 187th Street (and some cash on hand) to discover all the sweet treats the area has to offer.