Caffe Aurora Pastry Shop

Great place! I LOVE their chocolate mousse cake and their napoleon cake!!! I prefer them to the Pastry Garden, and it’s so much more affordable as well. Helpful staff. It’s dimly lit so don’t be discouraged by them appearing closed, when they are probably still open. Writing this review makes me want to pick up a cake today… mmmm.

This was such a disappointment. I have been coming to this pastry shop for decades and when I return to Poughkeepsie, this is the 1^st place I go to get some pastry for my family visit. This time, even that was a disappointment. they had a very limited selection and nothing what i really wanted. what a bummer. i bought $ 24 of pastries and when we got ready to eat them, it was clear i had wasted $ 24. Never again. I don’t know what happened to this business but they will never see me again. Another family run business that has seen better days. Its obvious the owners have no clue how bad their products have become. I will predict they will be out of business by this time in 2016… or should be based on what they make and sell.

Drove up from Bridgeport Ct with my Dad. Great old school café.Coffee and pastries were delicious. Nice staff. Great experience, will definitely be back.

Another great find in town while there for our goddaughters graduation from Marist College.
We searched all over town to find the best Italian Cookies for the post-​graduation party. After our search and a recommendation from Rossi Deli, we ended back at Café Aurora. We met Lou, the current owner, this is a family business started by his parents. Lou could not have been nicer to us, very kind, wonderful customer service. We ordered a large cookie tray and a sheet cake. And thanks to Lou had some outstanding homemade Italian Ice, and wow was that ever good, so fresh. The cookies and cake were a hit at the party and the cake was also very good and just as delicious the next day too. Thank you Lou!

Caffe Aurora made my wedding cake back in November of 2013. They created an absolutely beautiful cake for my husband and I which ended up tasting beyond amazing. However, they were supposed to write a little note on the back of the wedding cake (a Portal reference) but they forgot. I know this is a small detail and it’s not a huge deal in the long run, but this was my wedding and I was extremely excited to have the quote written on our cake. I remember being at my wedding and searching for where the quote was hidden. It was SO hidden that it didn’t even exist. This entire experience is actually on home video because I didn’t realize my mother was recording me at the time. They create fantastic cakes here, they just don’t necessarily follow instructions. Our wedding cake was amazing, but I really do wish they hadn’t left out that important detail.

Cookies here are traditional style, not-​too-​sweet and flavored with bits of jam/​chocolate and with a nice crisp bite. Be warned that they aren’t the over-​sugary versions you’ll find at similar bakeries, so of that isn’t to you’re liking you’ve been warned.
They have fresh tarallis here! Perfectly crunchy. I got some of the fennel flavor and did not regret it. Good tarallis are hard to find.
Coffee drinks here are excellent. My only mark off, and it’s semi-​major, is that the biscotti are not nearly crunchy enough. Soft, crumbly biscotti is worth 1 star off.
Have not tried cream puff or cannoli yet (for shame, I know) but will likely be back to finish sampling.

I came here hoping to grab something for breakfast but they offered mostly dessert items such as cakes and various pastries. So we decided on a cheese filled danish like pastry and some coffee. There was nothing extraordinary about what we had, but the service was friendly and the shop has a very nice no frills but comfortable atmosphere where people can gather and enjoy some treats. Also, if you are looking to buy a GIANT cannoli this is the place to go.

This place has no business in priding themselves with serving authentic Italian pastries! This bakery doesn’t know the meaning of quality at all. Their products are small and it seems as if the staff does not take their time to decorate the pastries. The cannoli I bought was not even stuffed enough with cheese. And they need to learn how to be more sanitary. They have all flies in their bakery and unfortunately I have seen them touching the food! How disgusting that is. You are better off walking down a few more blocks to the other Italian bakery.

Stopped by for a cup of cappuccino, pastries, and cannoli. The cappuccino is really good and I few pastries I tried were awesome. What sets this place apart is the fresh filled cannoli. They will only fill the cannoli when you purchase it, which makes it that much better than any other cannoli i’ve tried before.
I highly recommend coming by here for a nice cup of coffee, grab some cannoli, and take a quick walk to the river bay.
Enjoy…

Part of the Poughkeepsie mini golf bar crawl tour, we stopped by for a tasty sweet snack. There was a mini golf hole set up with a LD-​sized bobie trap. The crowd was rowdy and there was a selection of mini snacks available for sampling.
We took two canolis and a coffee, watched a few players play out the mini golf course. A few were able to get the machine operated shortcut (think Indiana Jones). Others were not so lucky and got stuck in pits. Classic fun for a classic little café.

Went there for breakfast only to discover they have nothing for breakfast. A lot of cookies, cannolis, and some Italian pastries. Got a cup of regular coffee which was terrible. I am giving four stars because they have a good rep for cannolis and their espresso maker with separate grinder impressed me. Looks like a great place to sit down and have some espresso and a cannoli. Went to La Deliziosa around the corner for some amazing ‘cigar’ pastries for breakfast. BTW — they don’t have much either in the way of breakfast but their pastries, cannolis, and cookies are amazing!

Amazing iced cappuccino! Super fresh cannolis! Stopped by after a visit to Walkway on the Hudson! I only wish I lived in the Poughkeepsie area, I would be here all the time. I can’t wait to order a birthday cake from Caffe Aurora. I mentioned it my older friends and both fondly reminisced that their wedding cakes had came from Caffe Aurora. The quality is something like you would find in Italy.
The service was great too.
You can tell they aren’t just making pastries for money, they really love it.

A solid classic, around since 1946 when the first owner returned from WW2 in Italy. Now the son has taken over, but the ladies behind the counter might have been here from the start. Have cannoli and espresso. Of course.

Just a QUICK review. No, this isn’t as awesome as the bakeries in NYC, nor as fresh and hot as your grandmothers house. But it is the best little Italian bakery in Pok. Wide and fresh selection, and they know how to make espresso. We’ve been coming here off and on for years, and will continue to do so.

I was in the area and decided to stop by based on all the glowing reviews, I bought a few things and was really disappointed.
The first thing I asked for was a hazelnut napoleon. The woman behind the counter replied, «What do you mean by that?» I got flustered and said that I had done some searching online and I thought this place offered it. Well it turns out the place that mentioned it was their own website (
). I had a list of other things to ask for but decided against it, and instead I got half a pound of assorted cookies, a rainbow mini, a cannoli, and a slice of Neapolitan cake. The cannoli was the only thing I finished, and it didn’t wow me. The shell was very thin. The worst part of the Neapolitan cake was the strawberry filling– it was very, very tangy. I got a lot of cookies with nuts and didn’t finish a single one.
It’s a shame because the place is very cute. They have old newspaper clippings underneath the glass on the tables (of which there are many), baskets and antiques and nick knacks all over the walls, and a nice sitting area on a porch outside.

Finally gotten around to adding a review for Caffe Aurora. These folks are serious about their pastry and I am a fan! Great institution with unique pastry and chocolate offerings.
I grade on a curve, this is Poughkeepsie not Arthur Ave. I think Aurora is the best in the area if you are looking for an authentic Italian bakery.

Sorry to be the lone voice of dissension among other glowing five star reviews but I was not blown away by Caffe Aurora Pastry Shop. While it has many wonderful things going for it, such as their facility and its ample seating and vintage décor, the few pastries that I sampled were lovely but not fall of my chair and slap my grandma woo hoo-​licious. I tried the mini rum cake as well as the sfogiatelle and they were A-​OK but I have had better. We also purchased several different flavored rugelach for later but we did not find them to be as addictive as those at Homestyle down the ways in Peekskill which luckily is not as far as P’town is from our home. And as throw-​back as the caffe is, with all sorts of mementos from their 60 or so years in business I have had better elsewhere. Perhaps it was an off-​day and the batches were not as fresh as they could be but for all their glowing praises we actually prefer the pastries at Café La Deliziosa just down the street while the atmosphere at CA is better for a good sit down. I don’t dislike CA just would not make it seek it out though I am glad their customers love it so much they took time to Unilocal it. I am also quite sure they will continue to survive despite my lowly 4 star review. ;) It is worth trying and forming your own opinion. And feel free to prove me wrong, ti prego. :)))
3.51 stars

These are the best Cannoli I’ve had in years. Crispy, tender, flaky shells. They only offer one type of filling, plain cheese speckled with mini chocolate chips, but that’s all I would ever want to get. They do serve cannoli with chocolate-​covered shells if that’s your thing. The reviews describing the price as ‘moderate’ are misdirected: this place should only have one dollar sign. Their mini pastries are only $ 16/​lb, and the cannoli are about $ 2/​each. If this place were right next to Vassar I’m pretty sure it would be jam packed with students every day of the week, as their coffee is fabulous. They only accept debit cards and require a $ 5 minimum.

Just wanted to affirm how great this bakery really is! My family had a party this last weekend and I quickly volunteered to stop by Caffe Aurora to pick up some sweets (knowing I’d be able to sneak a cannoli!) Everything we ordered was delicious including the cannoli cream we bought to fill a homemade chocolate cake baked at home (compliments of moi) and really made the cake. I’m just updating my previous post because my sister and I took pictures of everything before it was all gone to share with you fellow Unilocalpers. Enjoy!

I knew this pastry shop was different when an employee told me they didn’t keep cannoli out in the open. The employee explained they put the filling inside the shell just before they give it to you. Otherwise, the cannoli shell would get soggy after four hours.
Their cannoli tastes just like what I remember in Rome. Luscious.
If I notice cannoli sitting out in the open at other pastry shops, I don’t get them. I know they’re soggy.