1. Terranova Bakery
Instead of cakes and pastries, Terranova Bakery sells a variety of Italian breads.
What separates Terranova Bakery from its respective counterparts is its award winning bread. Instead of the typical cakes and pastries we usually expect from our bakeries, much of Terranova’s products consists of a variety of breads like baguettes, sandwich rolls, Italian biscuits, and traditional long breads.
Terranova Bakery was established in 1967 by Pietro “Peter” Terranova, a Sicilian immigrant who arrived to America in 1961. Pietro Terranova originally worked at a local bakery sweeping floors and performing various duties until the original owner decided to sell his business. Terranova leaped at the opportunity and transformed the bakery into his own entrepreneurial venture.
Terranova Bakery is located on 691 East 187th Street.
At a time when classic mom and pop shops are falling prey to rising rent prices, chain stores and the threat of gentrification, we are proud to say that much of Belmont has retained a large portion of its Italian ethnic character. You may also recognize the neighborhood in pop culture, serving as a setting of The Sopranos, in Robert De Niro’s directorial debut A Bronx Tale and the 1955 classic Marty, starring Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine. One of its most notable residents is novelist Don Delillo, who used the location as the backdrop for his novel Underworld.
Read on for our article on Economy Candy, the oldest candy store in New York City.