Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop

My mom and I went to Carlo's to try out the cannoli and lobster tail. Not impressed. My husband also tried to order a birthday cake for me, but people on the phone and in the shop were not helpful. He knew I liked the Peony cake they've shown on Cake Boss. They told him he would have to come in the day of to pick one out. Um... what if it were special and not a cake in the case?? And what if they run out of something?? Isn't that the whole point of ordering it in advance?? I think the front counter staff need to be more educated and customer service focused. Just because you have a tv show doesn't mean you're great. There is plenty of room for improvement! Not to mention if you do want to order a cake, it has to be a minimum size order (ex Peony cake)! Not what we thought, as they show things to be much different on the Cake Boss show and on their website. All bakeries I've ever dealt with take orders for birthday cakes, no matter the size, and do what they advertise. I personally think the hype around this shop is just that...I've had better service and pastry so many other places. If people in Hoboken think this is good, they are missing out on so much more from other bakeries (outside of Hoboken)!

Posted 09/05/09 | Report Abuse

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Anytime I need a special dessert this is the go to spot. Their Italian pastries are delicious. My children actually request the cheesecake for their birthday cakes! Great variety but its a little bit pricey. One of the bakers is well know nationally for wedding cakes and they have been featured in numerous magazines.

Posted 03/31/09 | Report Abuse

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Whenever we have a holiday or special occasion, I am required to bring some of Carlos pastries with me. The have a tremendous assortment of pastries, cakes and pies. Their cannoli's are to die for. The line can be a little long at times, and there is only street parking but well worth it.

Posted 03/29/09 | Report Abuse

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I rushed over to Carlo's Bakery tonight after work to purchase a birthday cake for work tomorrow. I heard from many that their pastries are excellent. As per their website and advertisements, they are open until 8pm on weekdays. I arrived at 7:50pm to find the door locked and the staff putting pastries away. After several minutes of knocking on the door and pointing to the clock, despite the counter gril's best efforts to ignore me, they finally opened up. Another customer emerged behind me, stating, "They do this all the time". She managed to sneak in as well to purchase a few cookies. When I pointed out that closing time was 8pm, they stated that they actually close between 7:30 and 8pm. They seemed very annoyed to serve me and told me that I couldn't walk into the store because they were washing the floor. They did not want to give me a receipt (which I needed for work) because they had closed down the register already. They finally hand-wrote one for me at my insistence as they turned away a third customer at the door who had also arrived before closing time (as per advertisement). I thought they would be happy to have evening business but guess again! I will never go back to Carlo's! Bad customer service!!!

Posted 10/24/07 | Report Abuse

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Carlos City Hall Bake Shop is very conveniently located on Washington Street, across the street from City Hall and close to the Path station. They have a nice selection of assorted cakes and pastries. They are justly famous for their cannolis, and the chocolate chip cannoli is absolutely fabulous. They have a nice selection of wedding cakes, and the more "understated" cakes on their wedding roster are some of the most beautiful ones I have seen for a reasonable price.

Posted 08/03/06 | Report Abuse

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