Coffee & Treats in East Orange

Considered one of New Jersey’s best kept secrets by NJ Channel 12 and celebrating its 50th anniversary, DiPaolo Bros. Bakery has helped placate Newark’s passion for fresh-baked goods since 1961. Load up on leavened loaves from a lineup that features panella ($1.85 small, $2.65 large), ciabatta ($1.99 small, $3.49 large), and French ($1.55 small, $1.99 large) and Italian rolls both round and long ($0.40). Patrons looking for traditional Italian specialties find a 40-year-old cannoli cream recipe clamoring for attention ($1.25 small, $2.25 large) and chewy pignoli cookies fresh from their pine-nut shower, a topping more palatable than honey-flavored hair gel ($16.99 per pound). Additionally, a collection of cakes ($15.99 for 7”, $99.95 for full sheet) helps to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, dental cleanings, grandma’s senior prom, or any of life’s other little pleasures.

Tapping into the storied tradition of Lebanese baking, Zen Bakeries lets customers sample the fruits of a wood-fired brick oven in the form of artisanal flatbread and pita treats. Patrons can choose from either white or whole wheat for nearly all of the baked morsels. The shop's kitchen wizards mix and knead both varieties daily, ensuring that outdated dough such as yesterday's pita and two-dollar bills have no place in this world. Early risers can stop by for a freshly baked egg-and-cheese pita pie ($3.50) or side with sweet in its epic battle against savory by ordering an eye-opening Nutella-and-banana pita pie ($1.50–$3.50).

Owned and operated by the Stolz family for more than 35 years, Supreme Bakery fills its shelves with a fresh-baked bounty of certified-kosher breads, cookies, pies, and pastries made from scratch each day. Earning accolades from Modern Baking for the store's “high quality products”, bakers handcraft a variety of artisan breads, including baguettes made with all-natural, unbleached, unbromated flour mixed with water, salt, and yeast ($2.40/loaf). Or try a loaf of homemade challah bread ($3.95), which may be enjoyed fresh, fried into french toast, or used to smuggle a pound of raspberry-filled butter cookies ($12.75) across state lines. Customers preparing for a celebration can carry out a 7-inch yellow cake with buttercream frosting ($20.75) or design a custom cake in any size using the online cake builder, and cupcakes featuring beloved Sesame Street characters delight youngsters and keep Big Bird’s headshot in circulation ($2.55).

A handwritten menu adorned with images of banana splits and cherry-topped milkshakes helps customers navigate a freezer of more than 20 hand-churned and soft-serve flavors served in dishes, waffle bowls, or sugar or dipped waffle cones. Ice cream can be devoured plain or topped with a variety of accoutrements such as nuts, sprinkles, chocolate fudge, and gummy candies. Super Scoop Ice Cream Parlor also offers cupcakes, coffee, fruit smoothies with protein, and free WiFi.

A curved-glass case is the only thing that separates salivating customers from Brothers display of french and italian pastries, which include whipped-cream pies, cookies, danishes, and two sizes of cannolis. The store's fresh baked loafs of garlic, brioche, and rye bread, however, perch proudly on open racks, ready to encase sandwich meats, warm butter, or mouthwatering restaurant reviews. The intermingling smells of sweet and savory treats culled from natural, preservative-free ingredients represent a 35-year-old tradition at Brothers Quality Bakery. Custom sculpture cakes are the cherry on top of the baked goods sundae, and the Brothers Quality staff pile layers of fondant and icing upon their red velvet and chocolate masterpieces to create designs such ladybugs for birthday parties, corsets for bachelorette parties, and snowmen for holiday events.

Terra Tea Salon offers both full-service and à la carte afternoon tea. Visitors enjoy a lovely spot for tea from China, Guatemala, India, Japan, Kenya, or Sri Lanka. The experience includes all the simple pleasures of teatime, with large pots filled with brewing fair-trade leaves and nibbling on finger sandwiches, scones and sweets, made from scratch with locally sourced ingredients. While sitting in the cozy tearoom at the Montclair Public Library, visitors sip from a huge selection ranging from ambrosia-plum white tea to golden-lily oolong.