Mazzola Bakery

Profile

This tiny corner bakery, an old-timer that's something of an institution in Carroll Gardens, is busy throughout the day: Regulars line up in the morning for freshly brewed coffee and pastries, and return in the evening to pick up straight-from-the-oven bread for dinner. Mazzola's take on the traditional Italian loaf is chewy with a hard crust—like a French baguette, but shorter. Along with plain loaves and rolls, varieties like focaccia, ciabatta, semolina, rye, sourdough, wheat and "pane Italiano," a light, crusty, country-style bread, are snapped up by the neighborhood’s restaurants, too. Sweets include croissants and muffins (particularly appealing in chocolate chip) as well as biscotti and almond cookies. Several kinds of whole-bean coffees are also sold by the pound. — Simon Spelling