Libby’s Italian Pastry Shop

Since the cookies part of the beer and cookies lifestyle is so important, we thought that sharing some of our favorite Connecticut bakeries would be helpful for the explorer looking for quality cookies without all the mess in the kitchen. The next in our series of featured bakeries is Libby's Italian Pastry shop.

Libby’s is a traditional Italian pastry shop that has been open since 1922. Their shop on Wooster street in New Haven is where it all started. They are right next door to the famous Pepe’s pizzeria. I remember as a kid getting pizza at Modern or Pepes and then going over to Libby’s for Italian ice afterwards. The shop hasn’t changed since, well, ever. The floors have the wear and tear of a place that has had millions of people shuffling in for cannolis, Italian ice, or cookies.

Pastries for days

They also offer a variety of coffee products. You can sit, order a cappuccino and some biscotti and have a conversation like you were sitting in a European cafe, except you’re on a busy New Haven street. My favorite thing about Libby's is the biscotti, they offer a number of flavors, always on hand are chocolate, almond, anise, cappuccino, with  chocolate dipped in occasion. They are all great. I prefer the almond but each are crunchy, crisp, and very dippable. I'm not sure there is a food item on the planet more suited for dipping in a drink than a well made biscotti.  

I also love the Italian ice they offer and they have just about everything including some of my favorites like lemon, cherry, watermelon, and chocolate. We often bring a pint of lemon and a pint of chocolate to our grandparents for Sunday dinner.

Other than cookies and italian ice, they also offer a wide variety of italian pastries, pies, and cookies. There are a wide variety of cannoli flavors as well, in short, the trip is worth it if you are looking for something sweet and delicious.

Lemon ice is good no matter what time of year. 

They also have a location in North Haven. Their satellite location seems to offer just about everything their New Haven spot offers but it is super convenient. You don’t have to deal with the lack of parking on Wooster street, and the cookies and Italian ice are just as delicious. An important note about their North Haven location is that it is directly between a Luigi’s Pizza shop and Vines Wine & Liquor a boutique liquor store, both of which are totally worth a stop.

Also, according to this video, we are all probably pronouncing the name biscotti wrong :)