Coffee & Treats in North Bergen

Georgia’s Cafe and Bakery delivers indulgent European-influenced bistro fare and a variety of baked goods. Dining duos will savor the first notes of house red or white wine (a $10 value per glass) as chefs summon fire nymphs from kitchen grills to unleash upon entrees (a $14–$25 value), such as the lamb chops imbued with a tangy honey mustard punch and flanked by steaming sides of mushrooms and grilled asparagus (a $25 value). Blackened tilapia (a $19 value) or shrimp and grits (a $21 value) appear on behalf of surf with a succulent combination of deep southern flavors. Free-range roasted chicken keeps vegetable company with shitake mushrooms and swiss chard (a $19 value), and each entrée arrives resting beside a choice of mashed spuds or sweet potato mash.

Open since 1947, Millers Bakery offers a wide array of freshly baked goodies, from seasonally themed cookies to decadent cream cakes. Early-morning risers can wake up with a ring or filled donut ($0.85 each), with tempting varieties such as oat bran, cinnamon, powdered jelly, and chocolate French. Gift a special someone a frosting-laden hazelnut cream or carrot cake specialty cupcake ($1.95 each). Pumpkin, apple, and blueberry pies ($8.50 for 8-inch pie) will be hot commodities for those looking for dessert on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Three Stooges reenactment day. Those who reject sugary pastries can simply stock up on Irish soda bread ($3.50 for 1.2 oz.) or grab a 20 oz. cup of house-blend coffee to go ($1.75).

A globally recognized sweet shop, Beard Papa's converts traditional desserts into decadent, fresh-baked, hand-labored lovables. Its all-natural cream puffs ($1.75 each) exhibit a complex, crispy outer choux pastry packed with mouth-melting, fluffy whip-cream flavor derived from imported vanilla beans and hours of diligent daydreaming. Available in classic cream and hybrid chocolate, strawberry, espresso, or tea flavors, Beard Papa's cream puffs pluck and pair well with any warm autumn beverage or apathetic frenemy. Outside the realm of spherical sweetness, the shop also puts out single-serving fondant au chocolate engorged with gooey Belgian chocolate ($2.25), a variety of wheel-shaped Paris Brest ($2.25), and mochi ice cream balls—a Japanese confection made up of pounded sticky rice and ice-cream filling ($1.65). Celebrate another year where the moon hasn't accidentally rear-ended the earth with the cream puffs of Beard Papa's.

For Irving Farm Coffee Roasters, serving flavorful cups of coffee is more of an art than a job. Their dedication to their brews starts with importing beans directly from farmers in East Africa, Latin America, and the South Pacific who share the company's sustainability- and quality-minded goals. Roastmaster Clyde Miller at the Hudson Valley roasting facility takes over from there, nurturing each batch of beans in specialized machines to bring out their bold tastes and discover any stowaway marshmallows hiding inside. Inside cafes, baristas brew Irving Farm's beans in small batches to maintain their freshness, even going so far as to brew them by the cup for especially discriminating patrons.

When Palermo’s Bakery opened nearly three decades ago, it was a small storefront affair. Husband and wife team, Joanne and Jerry Bruno, baked small-scale confections at first, but over the years, Jerry became adventurous, constructing elaborate designer cakes that grew more intricate over the years. Twenty-five years later, thanks in part to those same creations, the small Italian bakery has grown into two custom cake shops with more than 50 staff members.

Still helmed by the Bruno family, Palermo's Bakery creates lavish wedding cakes bursting with fondant flowers, and specialty cakes sculpted into an array of improbable shapes, such as 3D champagne bottles. Though baked goods and pastries vary by location, they often include more than 20 flavors of cookies, Italian treats such as cannoli, and kosher desserts such as rugalech. All of the duo’s whimsical creations are available for pick-up or delivery.

Candy comes in every color at Chocolate Works NYC, where the rainbow of confectionery pairs naturally with the sunny dispositions of those who roam the store’s aisles. Hints of red peek out from chocolate-dipped strawberries, jordan almonds model this season’s pastels, and self-serve bins nearly burst with Jelly Belly jellybeans. Wrapped in shimmering foil or cellophane, kosher truffles and edible replicas of famous paintings momentarily distract eyes from a chocolate fountain, which bubbles into a rich brown pool framed by a marzipan “No Swimming” sign.

Headlined by master chocolatier Joe Whaley and Pretzels by Jill’s Jill Frechtman, an all-star cast of instructors takes the helm during the shop’s signature candy-making classes. Among other delicious, hands-on lessons, teachers demonstrate how to swathe pretzels in Belgian chocolate at an old-fashioned enrobing machine. Kids also learn how to dip, mold, and decorate during one-hour workshops and birthday parties that teem with edible crafts and sugary confetti.