I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect when I headed over to Carlo’s Bake Shop in Hoboken for a visit. Yes, that Carlo’s Bake Shop—the setting of the famous TLC reality show, Cake Boss, which followed shop owner Buddy Valastro and his family as they showed the inner workings of running Jersey’s most popular bakery.
During the late 2000s and early 2010s, Cake Boss was a source of pride for New Jerseyans. You just had to be there to get it. The show centered around Buddy’s mystifyingly ornate cake creations, but at its core, Carlo’s is a classic, family-run New Jersey Italian-American bakery. It was a story that paid equal mind to family dynamics and hilarious gags as it did to breathtaking cakes and cannolis.
Since the show’s conclusion on TLC, Carlo’s Bakery has expanded into a mega operation with multiple U.S. locations, a massive Jersey City factory bakery, cake vending machines across the nation, Vegas pizzerias and more. But, at the core, Carlo’s has always been about the Washington Street flagship store—a Hoboken institution since 1964. It goes even further back than that. Carlo’s originally opened on Adams Street in 1910, making it a business that’s well over a century old.
Here’s the thing: despite my affinity for Cake Boss (I still watch it!), I had actually only been to Carlo’s Bakery once when I was a teenager and to tell you the truth, I didn’t even try anything while I was there.
This had to change. What kind of New Jersey food writer hasn’t been to Carlo’s? So, I drove over to Hoboken, circled for parking, and paid Carlo’s Bakery a long overdue visit. I had some questions on my mind: would Carlo’s live up to the TV hype, or would it be a commercialized memory of what it once was?
Let’s find out.
Carlo’s Is Still a Family-Centered Operation
Immediately upon entering Carlo’s Bakery, I was greeted by none other than the three sisters from the show: Maddalena Castano, Mary Sciarrone and Lisa Valastro. It was an immediate tip that, despite the fame and expansion, Carlo’s is still a family-run business.
It’s not just for show, either. The sisters really were deeply involved with the shop operations while I was there. Lisa and Mary were boxing up pastries, Maddalena was talking to guests about the store and the three took pictures with dozens of eager visitors. Frankly, it was relieving to see that the familial touch present in the show was still alive and well.
The Savory
Savory food might not be what you initially travel to Carlo’s for, but I was surprised to enjoy some pretty excellent pizza there.
Carlo’s Bake Shop is doing a sort of bakery-style square pizza that shocked me with how tasty it was. The crust is softer than your typical NJ square pie, with a crispy and buttery crust. I enjoyed a Margherita style with slices of fresh mozzarella and vibrant tomato sauce alongside a slice loaded with crispy pepperoni cups, which brought a tangy and texturally alluring addition to the slice.
All in all, a good slice to snack on while you wait for your pastries.
The Sweet
Obviously, sweets are the real story at the Hoboken bake shop. Familiar Italian favorites like Sofgliatella, lobster tails and cannoli are abundant, but Carlo’s is also doing some less traditional items now, like maple bacon donuts and Dubai chocolate danishes.
The classic pastries left me no reason to complain. The sfogliatella—which is my favorite—was flaky and crispy with that signature spongy filling. Its close cousin, the lobster tail, was equally as great, filled to the brim with silky smooth pastry cream. Slices of a tiramisu-style layer cake are moist and intensely flavored with coffee and mascarpone cream—lady fingers are pressed to the outside edge.
For the non-traditional options, the viral Dubai chocolate craze has hit Carlo’s, and they’re doing all the right things with it. Flaky Danish is filled with pistachio cream and drizzled with chocolate. Despite being a dessert with Middle Eastern roots, the flavors fit well here at an Italian bakery thanks to the pistachio, which is a common ingredient in both cuisines.
What’s more is a line of coffee and non-coffee drinks to go around. Tiramisu iced latte or an ice-cold mango refresher, anyone?
It’s Still in the Family
After the glitz and glamor of television, it’s common for institutions to part ways with the family touch and down-to-earthness that put them on the map in the first place. Thankfully, this is anything but the case at Carlo’s Bake Shop, where a family-run attitude and daily-baked pastries and cakes still define the business.
With locations across the nation—and global name recognition—it’s relieving to see that Carlo’s Bake Shop still holds tightly to its familial aspect. It remains the driving force behind their continued success.
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
