CHEESECAKE REVIEW: Ferrara Bakery & Café

My search for the best cheesecake in New York continues….

Ferrara is one of those places that I have sort of written off as a tourist trap. It’s located in the heart of Manhattan’s Little Italy (which is not even Italian anymore) and always has a line out the door for their cannolis, gelatos, and pastries.

But the truth is Ferrara is a little piece of New York history, dating from 1892 and claiming to be the very first espresso bar in America. No wonder the tourists crowd it every day.

To avoid frustrating crowds, I stopped by around 4pm when only a few tables were full and there was no line for take-out. The cannolis here are reputedly one of the best in the city, but I’ve also heard some chitter about the cheesecake.

I was impressed that a slice was only $5, especially considering how much this would cost for a lesser slice in the heart of Times Square. This Italian bakery labels it as New York cheesecake (which is what the tourists want), but the more appropriate name is “Italian cheesecake.”

Instead of the tart, sweet cream cheese flavor, here we had a sour ricotta bite from the get-go. In fact, it almost tastes like the cake has gone bad, but it hasn’t. It’s actually exactly how it should be. The sourness melds into a light sweetness that is reinforced by a tasty, crunchy graham cracker crust.

The texture is creamy and light – not too dense. It’s a really nice piece of cheesecake that’s not too sweet. The pungent ricotta almost puts it into the realm of savory (the way cheesecakes began). And to think, I might have never tasted it if I hadn’t ventured into the frightening world of tourist crowds. Sometimes, you can learn a thing or two from the visitors.

UPDATE: I returned to Ferrara for more research when writing a Best Cheesecake article for Gothamist. I got a lot of criticism for including this tourist detination on my list. But I quite like their cheesecakes. What I did discover was they offer a different cake (not on display) that is true Italian-style cheesecake. It actually made me think twice about the quality of their New York-style one (it didn’t have that density it should have), but I quite enjoyed the Italian one.

Here, the overwhelming flavor was lemon. The base and the crust even had candied citrus peels in it to help play up the fruity flavors. Those notes went nicely with the light ricotta. There was a bit of graininess to the cake, but the crisp pastry shell on all three sides helped secure the texture. Tangy, chewy, and bright, it was worth navigating the crowds. 

Does Ferrara Bakery & Café have the best cheesecake in NY? It’s a good and lemony version of Italian-style cheesecake and fits in nicely with the (albeit fake) neighborhood. The NY-style could actually have been more dense with a stronger cream cheese flavor. Together, they earn a 7 out of 10.