by Lester Walker

Madonia Bakery

On Arthur Ave: The 100-Year-Old Madonia Brothers Bakery

Ghetto Gastro’s profiling the slept-on, underrated eateries around the world with host Lester Walker. We're live on GGTV.

Madonia Brothers Bakery

Dead in the middle of Little Italy. We’re at Madonia Brothers Bakery right on Arthur Ave. This spot’s been serving the community since 1918, over 107 years of business. More than a century old and still family-owned.

Mario Madonia was a bread maker in his hometown of Monreale, a small Sicilian town outside of Palermo, and he continued doing the same thing when he immigrated stateside. He sold loaves door to door from a pushcart until he had enough saved to open Madonia. The business has remained in the family ever since.

What you’re gonna stand in line for is biscotti. Dan joked around that the kids used to use biscotti as teething rings because of the hard bite. They have a whole wall of flavors, though you can’t go wrong with a classic. The Madonia cannoli deserves special treatment though. They’re fresh-filled, and that’s what makes them a quality product. Once cream filling sits too long in the shell, you lose the magic. It starts to disintegrate the shell and you compromise that crunch. Not a problem here.

There’s just something about starting your morning coffee in a tiny Italian bakery that feels right man. You get your espresso and your pastry and you live the dolce far niente lifestyle for a little bit. A century later, Madonia remains serving a slice of Sicily, one fresh-filled cannoli at a time.

WATCH THE EPISODE BELOW