Michelin Stars and James Beard Awards are all well and good, but in this city, few culinary endorsements carry as much weight as a nod from the king of Madison Square Garden.
The beloved New York Knicks point guard, Jalen Brunson, is a well-documented fan of one specific dessert spot in the East Village: the legendary Veniero’s Pasticceria.
A family lineage built on sugar and flour
Located on 11th Street, Veniero’s has been turning out towering sweets and classic confections for neighborhood locals and modern city legends alike since 1894.
Continuously owned and operated by the same family for five generations, the pasticceria is a true New York institution.
Robert Zerilli, the current company president, has kept the ovens firing and the business humming since 1981 alongside his three sisters and a cousin.
His great-uncle, Antonio Veniero, famously secured the building after emigrating to New York at just 14 years old, later hiring master bakers from Italy to establish the culinary staple.
Behind the counter, the sheer volume of treats is immense.
Options range from their famous handmade biscotti and traditional New York cheesecakes to modern Oreo varieties and cakes crowned with fresh fruit.
But it’s the deep community connection that really sets Veniero’s apart; patrons frequently stop in to tell Robert that their great-grandparents ordered their wedding cakes from this exact storefront over a century ago.
Jalen Brunson’s go-to order in the East Village
The bustling pastry cases draw more than just long-time residents.
Jalen Brunson is a regular customer whose specific, tried-and-true order is the chocolate marble cheesecake.
Slicing through the dense, creamy base reveals rich chocolate ribbons that anchor the entire dessert—prompting first-timers like ourselves to react with a genuine, “Oh my God, it is so good. Like actually so good.”
Whether you want to recreate a superstar point guard’s dessert routine, sample their award-winning biscotti, or just taste a 130-year-old recipe from the very place that helped bring espresso to NYC, the shop remains an enduring slice of East Village history.
Veniero’s Pasticceria is located at 342 E 11th St, New York, NY 10003. Custom orders and inquiries can be made at (212) 674-7070.
