As a part of Snack Shop series, Annie Arriaga investigates the latest and greatest viral snack shops in New York City to see if the hype is real, if the snacks are yummy, and if the spot is underrated, overrated, or perfectly rated.
One of the most beautiful parts about living in New York City, other than the ultra-viral restaurants or expensive flavored lattes, is getting to visit historic food institutions that have been serving up iconic dishes for decades, even centuries. I had to switch it up this week and finally satisfy my craving for a rainbow cookie—we chose Venieros in the East Village as the spot for Snack Shop this week.
Venieros is an Italian bakery and pastry shop that has been around for over 130 years. They opened in 1894 and have been a mainstay in Manhattan ever since. It’s rumored that Frank Sinatra was a regular, friends with the owner, and that his favorite pastry order was a Regina—a sesame seed-coated pastry filled with lemon cream. I walk by the iconic Venieros sign a few times a week and it’s difficult to resist the urge to enter.
Photo by Anna Arriaga
The inside is transportive: vintage gold accents, the tiled floor, the bustling line at all times of day, the sound of the espresso machine, and the endless pastry cases and fridges filled with intricate desserts. My favorite part of the bakery is the fridge filled with cakes. From Sicilian cheesecakes to enormous tiramisu cakes, these fridges feel more like a museum than a cake display. And it doesn’t end there. Behind the clear pastry cases full of bite-size desserts, there are shelves full of shelf-stable goodies like Italian cookies, pies, rugelach ….Long story short, it’s a beautifully overwhelming sensory experience that usually ends in ordering way too many pastries.
The Snacks
It was difficult to decide, but I tried to go with a classic vibe for my taste test.
Espresso. Whenever I go to a classic Italian spot, I make sure to get espresso. It’s usually a gorgeously bitter dark roast with the strength of my beloved Cuban coffee. It’s important to have on hand while eating sweet pastries because it’s the perfect palate cleanser. Veniero’s espresso was exactly this.
Rainbow cookie. This is the thing that inspired me to come to Veniero’s in the first place, so expectations were high. The guy in front of me in line ordered FIVE pounds of rainbow cookies, and that’s how I knew it was going to be good. These cookies were perfectly chilled and moist, with just the right amount of chocolate coating crunch. I would come back just for these little guys.
Photo by Anna Arriaga
Tiramisu. There was a small option, a big option, and a slice-of-cake option when it came to ordering tiramisu. The one I chose was ‘big’ and was sort of like a slice of square cake. The cake layers, which are supposed to mimic the ladyfingers, were vanilla flavored and soaked in espresso. I expected this to be my least favorite of the bunch, but it was surprisingly good, despite not having any actual ladyfingers.
Photo by Anna Arriaga
Pistachio Cannoli. I don’t love cannolis, but I can’t not get one at an Italian spot like Veniero’s. I got the small pistachio cannoli, to switch things up, and was happy about the cannoli cream-to-shell ratio— crunchy, light, and slightly sweetened.
Final Rating
Often, historic New York City mainstays are more of a tourist attraction than an actual culinary institution. Veniero’s is not one of those. Their pastries and cakes are visually incredible while also maintaining flavor balance. Nothing was too sweet or too creamy, everything felt fresh (despite them having 50+ pastry options), and the service was speedy despite the line. It’s easy to say that Veniero’s is perfectly rated and it makes total sense why they’re still open even after 130 years.
If you’re reading this and you have a suggestion for a Snack Shop in the city that I must visit and (honestly) rate, leave a comment here or on our Snack Shop TikTok video. I love suggestions!
