Brunos Bakery and Restaurant Review

A review of the experience of Brunos Bakery and Restaurant written by Loella Cole.

Updated October 10, 2021

Basic Information

What do they offer?

Wedding Cakes

Features

Cakes & Desserts:
- Cake Delivery & Setup
- Cake Tastings
- Cupcakes
- Groom’s Cakes
- Other Desserts
Dietary Options:
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
Price Range:
- $$ – Affordable

Location

address1: 1650 Hylan Blvd.
city: Staten Island
state: NY
postalCode: 10305
latitude: 40.588197
longitude: -74.090522

Email(s)

[email protected]

Phone number(s)

(718) 987-5859

The Reviews

Written By: Loella Cole

Where to begin? Oh what to say, let me start from the beginning. I met Chef Bruno several years ago at a wedding I had been invited to. He invited me for dinner and coffee the next night. We hit it off, he invited me to his bakery the next morning for breakfast, we spent the rest of the week together. Our children, Mario and Nina, were born during our relationship. We were married for 15 years, then we divorced. I always kept in touch, sent birthday and anniversary gifts, and had every right to be happy and satisfied customer.

Fast forward to the present: I invited my daughter and her fiancé for dinner. It was a beautiful evening, we talked of the future and how it would look with their name on it. The next night I received a text message “We want to go to the Cake Maker tomorrow night”. I responded with “Ok, but you have to be up pretty early, around 8”. They responded ok, what time do you want to come? I responded with 8:30 ok? Then, suddenly, the text message stopped. I messaged on Facebook and didn’t get a response. I sent messages through their page, but still no response. I texted them again, but still no response. It was very disconcerting. I waited and waited. I wanted to go with them, but I didn’t want to be the second half of their “Will you marry us?” wedding cake joke. It was a nightmare.

The day of the Cake Tester, Saturday, February 16, 2017. My daughter and her fiancé showed up, looking forward to this moment for several months. We sat down for dinner and I was shocked to find Chef Bruno and his wife were also there. Chef handed me a piece of cake, I was stunned. He said “This is your son-in-law’s wedding cake. Enjoy it.” It was the BEST WEDDING CAKE EVER. They were soft, like angel food cake, moist, like a chocolate mousse cake, with a flavor I can’t describe in words. They were studded with chocolate mousse “pearls” and covered with a chocolate mousse “flower”, it was gorgeous. I was so happy for them, but I was also so sad for me. I wanted one, but I didn’t want to hurt Chef’s feelings, so I was really sad.

They showed the Cake Tester to the upstairs kitchen area. I could hear the sound of a TV, then the sound of a cellphone ringing, then Chef yelling to his son, “We’re running late, are you almost done?… No, not yet, I’m coming, just finishing up…” I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to just walk in and say “I want one of those, can I buy it?”. But, it was a nightmare. I wanted to say “No, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, it’s not you, it’s me. I can’t have one, but thank you for making it”. Instead, I sent a text message to my daughter that said “They brought the Cake Tester. Be there at 8:30”. She texted me back ok. Chef texted his son to be there at 7:30. I texted my daughter “They’re bringing a Cake Tester. Be there at 7:30”. No response, nothing. I texted my daughter, “You won’t believe what I just found out. They’re bringing a Cake Tester. Be there at 7:30”. No response. I texted Chef, “Can Nina come with us tomorrow night?”. He texted back “Yes, they don’t work tomorrow”. I responded “Ok, see you then”.

I arrived at the bakery at 7:45. They were there, setting up a cake. I was so happy to see them. Chef said “We’re running late, are you almost done?… No, not yet, I’m coming, just finishing up… " I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to just walk in and say “I want one of those, can I buy it?”. Instead, I sent a text message to my daughter that said “They brought the Cake Tester. Be there at 7:30”. No response, nothing. I texted my daughter, “You won’t believe what I just found out. They’re bringing a Cake Tester. Be there at 7:30”. No response. I texted Chef, “Can Nina come with us tomorrow night?”. He texted back “Yes, they don’t work tomorrow”. I responded “Ok, see you then”.

They were busy setting up the Cake. Several other workers were there. They took the boxes we had brought in and set them in the corner near the wall. They brought out the Cake Tester. It was chocolate cake, with chocolate mousse. It was so beautiful. They were busy putting the last touches on the cake. They mixed in a green food color with the mousse. They put in one chocolate mousse “rose”. They worked on it for a few minutes. They added a few drops of red coloring. It was so beautiful. They were putting on the final touches, so it was just a beautiful smooth white cake with a few small chocolate mousse roses. It was so gorgeous.

They were finished setting up the cake. They handed us each a piece of chocolate mousse cake. It was so moist and delicious. I ate it all. Then they handed us each a piece of angel food cake. It was so moist and delicious. I ate that all too. We sat and chatted for a few minutes. They were very busy setting up another cake for a wedding party arriving later.

At 8 o’clock, the other daughter showed up. They talked to us for a few minutes, then they left. We were all very frightened, but Chef and his wife stayed to watch over us. They didn’t leave until 8:30. We had a wedding to go to. We were all very frightened, but Chef and his wife stayed to watch over us. We didn’t have the Cake, but they gave us a little piece of the Cake Tester. It was so moist and delicious. We knew it was ours, it was wrapped up. We left.

The next day, I texted Chef. I said “I had your cake, now I want to have my cake, will you make me one?”. He texted me back “Yes, I’ll make you a cake. What flavors would you like?”. I said “Chocolate mousse with chocolate mousse pearls, and angel food cake with fresh strawberries”. He said “I’ll have it ready by the afternoon”.

At 3pm, Chef phoned to tell me the cake was ready. I went down to the bakery. I was so happy to see Chef in his kitchen, with a plate of cake. He gave us a cake, wrapped up. I unwrapped the cake, inside was angel food cake with fresh strawberries, moist and delicious. On top was a layer of chocolate mousse cake, with chocolate mousse pearls. all covered in chocolate mousse. On top of that, they had covered the cake with chocolate mousse

Written By: Randi Wooten

My husband and I choose to have our wedding at the St. Charles Hotel in the City of New-York. We are from Brooklyn, so we never had the honor of eating at the restaurant, but we did dine at the hotel restaurant on our wedding night. We were not disappointed! On our wedding night, we were offered the choice of three different caterers. We chose the restaurant caterer. That night, our menu included: SIGNORELLO—PENNE RIGATE WITH GRAVY—SUGAR AND SPICE COOKED PEARS—CRÈME FRAÎCHE—GOAT CHEESE—PARSNIPS–BUTTER–VEGETABLE BROTH. Our food was exactly what we wanted– delicious! Our guests enjoyed it too! On our wedding day, the restaurant staff was very attentive to our needs. We were offered: FLAVOURS OF FILLINGS–OLD WORLD COOKED SEEDS–AND EXTRAS. We chose PASTRO FILLINGS–LEMON–CURED EGG–BACON–CAPERS–AND FRESH FLOWERS. Our pasta was al dente, with the chosen flavouring mixed with the sauce. We were given a plate with portions for both of us. We found the portions to be very generous. We also found the price to be very reasonable. On our wedding night, we had the pleasure of dining with Mario. He was very attentive to our needs–even giving us a ride on his motorbike! (This was a big deal to us–cause we’re not from the city). He was also very generous– he gave us free glass of VERMONTERRE WINE and a small bottle of CHAMPAGNE–which we enjoyed that night and afterwards, when we stayed in our hotel room. Next morning, the day of the wedding, we were happy to see that our room was ready and waiting for us. Our wedding ceremony was beautiful. We were given earplugs, and a light mask, so we could enjoy, quietly, the food and the joy of our friends and family–without being bothered by the crowds and the heat in the streets. Later that day, after our honeymoon, we went with our friends to visit the bakery. We loved our visit. We saw, again, the attention to details and the kindness of the owners. We left with a flavour that will remain in our hearts for ever. This is how our wedding night went…

Signorello

(Made with love)

Thank you! OWNER: Jose and Mario SI: (212) 965-2262 RATING: 5 TEXT: My family and I have been visiting the Signorello since I was a little girl. It was only fitting that I have my wedding cake made here. I met with Jose, one of the owners, and explained what I wanted. He did not charge me extra for having a couple of wedding party members in attendance. The cake was delicious and I only wish that I could have had more of it! I had a 4 tier cake with the top tier being a chocolate mousse cake and the bottom two tiers were almond cake with a mousse and fresh fruit inside. The cake was light and fluffy and the decorations were exactly what I wanted. The cost for the cake and delivery was very reasonable.
My wedding was a destination wedding and since it was close to Christmas, I had asked for my cake to be decorated like a Christmas tree. It was beautiful and Jose did a great job. The fresh flowers that they provided were also beautiful. I would definitely use them again!

Written By: Linnell Lee

If you’re looking for a true Staten Island experience, look no further! The feeling you get when you walk into the bakery, and the attention to detail when picking out your cake is unparalleled. We were greeted by Carlos, and he couldn’t have been more accomodating. He let us sample all kinds of cakes, and gave us his honest opinion about whether or not we wanted vanilla or chocolate frosting, and then suggested some flavor combos! We tried a few of his favorites, and ended up picking one of each - chocolate cake with mocha filling and vanilla frosting; and a marble cake with raspberry filling and chocolate frosting!! Mmmm… not only were the cakes delicious, but they were beautiful too! We picked a simple design with fresh flowers, and our cake was delivered right to the edge of the restaurant for us! Our guests couldn’t say enough about how delicious the cake was, and many went back for seconds or thirds. The best part? We got a mini cake in our flavor combo for our one year anniversary, which is coming up in a few weeks! How sweet is that!? Thank you so much, José, for making our cake so memorable!

Written By: Farand Freedman

I had been to a couple of the Staten Island Cake Expos and really loved the cake. When I had my tasting at Mario’s bakery I was very happy to learn that they also do cake tastings and that they have a wide selection of flavors. I tried a lot of the typical flavors and some that aren’t so common. I really enjoyed the variety that they had. I also really liked the way they do the tasting, it’s personal and they come up with a cake combination that you would like. I was also very happy to learn that they can make any flavor cake with any filling, even flavors that aren’t normally combined with each other. After I tried the cakes I decided on doing all white cake with passionfruit curd, it was the best! I also decided on a design that I sent them in advance. I got to pick a design that I really loved that was simple but still had a lot of detail. It was a simple yet elegant design that turned out to be exactly what I wanted. On the wedding day I got to come over to Staten Island and pick the cake up myself. My cake was beautiful and everything that I wanted. Thank you so much Mario and Marios Bakery for making everything so perfect!