Inside Conti’s Pastry Shoppe: A 105-Year-Old Bronx Bakery Legend

This feature highlights my recent visit and live stream from Conti’s Pastry Shoppe in Morris Park.

The Bronx has an incredible culinary history that stretches far beyond the usual spots. While out hosting Pokémon GO raids in the neighborhood recently, I stopped by an absolute local legend. Conti’s Pastry Shoppe in Morris Park provided the perfect sugar rush to start the day.

105 Years of Bronx History

Founded in 1921 by Augustino Conti, the bakery has been a community staple for over a century. Currently owned by Safet Paljevic, Senada Paljevic, and Christina DiRusso, the team has worked incredibly hard to preserve its history while taking the business to the next level. Safet graciously gave me a behind the scenes look at the kitchen where they make everything from scratch.

From Classic Cookies to Viral Pastries

If you are looking for authentic Bronx baked goods, this is the exact spot you need to visit. I had the chance to try out several items that highlight what makes this bakery so special.

What We Tried

• The Viral Fruit Pastries: They craft beautiful, highly detailed pastries shaped like actual fruit. I tried the raspberry version, which was filled with a rich jam, and an incredibly artistic mushroom pastry layered with cream cheese and mousse.
• The Boston Cream Pie: This is a historic recipe that was passed down from the original owners. It has been a neighborhood favorite for decades.
• The Flan Latte: I am usually a very basic black iced coffee guy, but this specialty drink completely won me over.
• Traditional Butter Cookies: You cannot leave an old school Italian bakery without grabbing the classics. Their jam filled cookies taste exactly like the ones you remember finding in the famous tins at your grandmother’s house.

A Custom Cake Destination

While the storefront cases are filled with daily treats, the back of the shop operates like an art studio. Over the years, DiRusso and Senada taught themselves to make specialty layered cakes, turning the bakery into a premier destination for custom creations. I learned they even assembled a massive 12 tier cake for a local wedding, which is an incredible feat of baking architecture. You can check out that masterpiece here:

The bakery also turned out to be a fantastic good luck charm. Right after enjoying my treats, I ended up catching a shiny Pokémon. You can see the exact moment it happened below.

Catch the Full Live Stream

This entire visit was broadcasted live as part of my morning Pokémon GO walks through the borough. If you want to see my real time reaction to the pastries, my chat with Safet, and the behind the scenes kitchen tour, you can watch the full live stream replay right here.

Diego