Caffé Roma

When you step inside Caffé Roma, you’re hit with the powerful aroma of more than a century’s worth of coffee brewed on the premises. Widely acknowledged as the oldest Italian bakery in New York City, Roma serves a solid cannoli, and a nicely chewy pignoli cookie—though our go-to is the affogato, made with strong espresso and your choice of housemade gelato.

But you don’t really come here for the food. You come for the well-preserved 1891 character: the green tin ceiling, the intricate tile floor, the chandelier. (The old-world elegance doesn’t quite extend to the soundtrack, depending on your personal opinion of the Black Eyed Peas.) Place your order at the counter and take a seat at a green-and-white checkered table. There’s lots of sunshine from the plate-glass windows at the front of the bakery, but we prefer the cozy darkness in the back, under Caffé Roma’s majestic, intricately carved old pendulum clock—a clock that has stopped, which feels appropriate.