La Via Del Gusto

One of my favorite local spots. You can’t help but feel you are in Italy when you step thru the doors. From the warm greetings to the high quality food to the fantastic expresso.

My GPS took me to a quiet neighborhood behind this great deli!
This is a great find!
The sandwich was GREAT! Super taste, great amount of meat and homemade rolls. It is in the Bakery Building behind the paint store! Very quiet, good seating, italian music, I might never leave! Plus it has a small but great selection of Italian food stuff! A MUST TRY and I will eat here every time I am in Manchester
Heading to counter for Italian pastry as desert!

Found this deli here on Unilocal and decided to try it out since it was close to work… a man took my order (I’m guessing the owner), who was extremely rude from the start. He seemed annoyed because I wasn’t sure as to what I wanted because it was my first time there, but whatever…
…what REALLY ticked me off was that my sandwich only came to $ 7 and when I went to pay, there was a small sign saying «no debit cards unless over $ 10», which is understandable because of the charges they get from the credit card companies, but since I didn’t know being that it was my first time, I asked the man if I was ok… he said no and said I NEED to spend at least $ 10…so I got a soda… still wasn’t $ 10 so I got Italian cookies, that I don’t even like! I told him to give me cookies until I was at $ 10, and when he rang me up, it came to $ 13! I was super annoyed, he was SUPER rude and the sandwich wasn’t even that good… nothing special… and I’m Italian, so I would know… rude, rude, rudeeeeee!!!

On top of the guy being rude, he sold me a moldy cream puff. Never again. I had high hopes for this place but yuck

Do NOT eat here if food poisoning isn’t a casual hobby of yours!
I’m new to the area so I don’t know if this place has fallen off or something but there’s multiple cases of moldy food just here on Unilocal.The instance I witnessed personally was food that had clearly been collecting mold for DAYS, we’re talking several different mold colonies of different types across a single cream puff.
Did not deal directly with staff but they were quite rude to my partner.
Someone get a health inspector in this dump as soon as possible, they are a legitimate public health risk!

One of my favorite places to eat. I strongly recommend the Claudio special which is one of the best grinders I’ve ever had. Be sure to take home comes cannolis and a cappuccino to wash them down. Be sure to say hi to Claudio, a great guy and gracious host.

I read some reviews here and went with really high expectations and boy! The Cannoli was amazing. The cream was fresh, tasty and mind blowing.
I bought some cookies too but they weren’t that amazing. That takes down a star. I haven’t tried the coffee yet and that is next on the list.

LOVE LOVE LOVE their cannolis. I originally had a sample of the filling at Taste of Manchester and was so excited to take a friend visiting from out town there after dinner. We went in to get cannolis shortly before close (unintentionally) and the gentleman was more than happy to help us. Asked for three regular size, but he gave us six mini in compromise :) he filled the shells right in front of us, boxed them and dusted with powdered sugar. These little babies are like heaven! I can guarantee I’ll go back for a grinder and other pastries.

Think you need to go to Franklin Avenue to purchase great Italian meats, cheeses, espressos and pastries? Think again. In the Strano Bakery building on Broad Street, you’ll find a hidden treasure — La Via del Gusto, an Italian café, bakery, deli and market, right here in Manchester, CT. The Italian name means «The Way of Taste,» and this business is Manchester’s way to the old world tastes of Italy.
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First visit and I am blown away! Worth a visit for the best cannoli I’ve ever had! Plus very friendly people! Will be returning soon :)

Super cute Italian bakery. Sandwiches were great and hearty. Cannolis are fresh filled. They even played Por Ti Villare during lunch!

I heard of La Via Del Gusto for quite some time now and had to give it a shot. I am an Italian native and can appreciate a good homeade Italian dish. So I arrived at 8am sharp and I was happy to see the place open and ready to go. I met Claudio the owner and he gave me a brief tour of the imported products from Sicily and Italy, which were very great quality compared to the average import stores and the prices were very reasonable considered the high quality of the products and where they come from. I started off with a tasty espresso, which was the best I’ve ever had!!! I bought a bag for my grinder at home! I bought a bag of assorted cookies, a loaf of fresh Italian bread made this morning and a absolutely to die for canoll!!! I will be sure to be back for lunch today with some of my Italian-​American friends!
Thanks Claudio…

You don’t feel very welcomed when you walk in, but once you start talking to staff/​owner, they are nice. I was going to see my friend who loves cannoli, so I stopped by here because I heard so many good comments about their cannoli. They fill it when you order, so it’s fresh. It’s really delicious and my friends loved it! Store is smaller than I expected. They don’t sell a lot of things either. I was going to try breakfast sandwich (on website, they say they sell it) but was told they no longer offer. Price on website was outdated. I think they should update website since many of us check before we go anywhere. Sandwich menu looks good. Maybe I’ll try next time. I’ll definitely go back for some more cannoli!

Found this little bakery today while being caught in a down pour.
The owner is really nice and makes amazing cannoli’s/ cappuccinos! The inside is small, but it’s cozy. Perfect place for being caught in the rain :)
Pro– comfortable, nice owner, (free mini cannoli w/​10 $ or more purchase), makes grinders
Con– pricey, not a lot of choices for pasties

La Via Del Gusto, its impeccable food, the wholesome natural ingredients, traditional flavors, and the love and pride put into every bite as well as above-​and-​beyond hospitality captured a special place in our hearts. LVDG, Owner/​Chef Claudio and team helped to make our first time in Manchester, CT a truly special one.
Last Tuesday, my mom and I drove up from DC to Manchester for a week-​long event. Having found it on Unilocal,we were excited because it was literally a few hops from our event. The following morning, Claudio made us feel right at home and encouraged us to try their specialty: Cannoli. When Claudio told us that it would be healthful and take us right to lunch, we were surprised because we had thought cannolis were a rich and heavy indulgence.
Freshly piped and paired with a warm and creamy cappuccino, it was exactly as he described and more: the outside was more like a slightly crunchy waffle than a greasy fried shell while the ricotta filling was smooth and light with a pleasant natural tartness plus a touch of cinnamon. Not only were they the best Cannolis we ever had by far, they truly energized us with some oomph and without the feeling of a sugar-​rush/​low. We loved them so much that we went back the next day, but the best had yet to come on Saturday evening.
After a hectic Friday and Saturday of preparation, waiting, and competing through the humid heat in Manchester High School, we (now joined by our students) were not only starved for hot food but also pressed for time with the evening performance by the VIP guests in only an hour. When we asked Claudio, he happily obliged and asked us to drive come over to LVDG – this was nearly an hour after closing time.
Claudio saved our lives, turning a desperate situation into truly fond memories. Since we were short on time, we were not able to try the pastas, but the home-​made Italian bread worked just fine to pair with the phenomenal home-​made Meatballs, Chicken Cutlets, Eggplant, and Marinara. They were truly flavorful, hearty, wholesome, and comforting, the epitome of Southern Italian home cooking. When one of our students looked for some chili flakes, Claudio recommended something far superior from their pantry of premium imported Italian goods: Crema de Peperoncino. As the name suggested, it was ample with heat and creamy but with EVOO instead of dairy. The delicate flavor, smooth texture, and perfect spiciness totally blew away any spicy condiment I ever had. All of us were hooked. After a week of being relegated to mild foods, this cleared the stuffiness and raised our dinner to another level. With Espressos to for a classic finish and Cannolis for breakfast, our dinner re-​energized us and provided the perfect celebration for a tremendously successful event in Manchester.
The outstanding food and warm, exceptional hospitality make LVDG a New England landmark. Claudio welcomed us like family and took us a journey through «la via de euforia.» The next time we head to Connecticut, the first thing on our minds will be to drive to La Via de Gusto!

A little difficult to find from the main road. La Via Del Gusto is right next to Strano Bakery which is easily seen from the street. The pastries here are obscenely delicious. The espresso is good, and they make their cannolis fresh. They serve sandwiches as well. The décor is a little bland, as the store is set up as a marketplace, but that is easily overlooked since they are very friendly here and their customer service is spot on.
I would go back just for their pastries.

I have to say that Id been looking forward to coming to this place for quite some time. Maybe the anticipation clouded my judgment a bit, but I just wasn’t feeling all the love like these other reviewers…
The ‘market’, itself, is very small with a very limited amount of goods. There was a small section of Italian cookies, a few shelves of pasta, and a few shelves of oil and vinegar. There’s also a bakery /​deli area that houses several pastries, cannolis, cheeses, pre-​packaged foods, and meats, but it’s not overwhelming at all. The Italian markets I’m used to are just flooded with products from floor to ceiling. This place is just much more unassuming.
That said, I did truly enjoy the meatball grinder that I ordered. Excellent fresh bread, nice sharp provolone, and the meatballs were fantastic. One of the better lunches I’ve had in awhile, but I PAID for it. $ 10.65 for an 8″ grinder! Just way way WAY too much $$ to charge for something like this. I understand paying a hefty price for some imported proscuitto, capicola, etc, but not for a small meatball sammy. Alarmed by this, I took a closer look around the store and MANY of the items are absurdly priced. BEWARE of this before you make the trip, as you may need to transfer some addition funds into your checking account to accommodate the damage.

FIRST A STATEMENT: I have been here more than a few times. I have not been thrilled but didn’t think it was unsafe or a bad place — just not up to my idea of good. I’m not a «regular». I stop by maybe once a month or every other month. The place is local to me.
To be honest, I hesitated writing this. I figured I’d call the number on the box but it’s not in service. SO I said the heck with this — people need to know the baked goods are not fresh. No they are not.
I kept trying because reviews here said I was missing something and I’m tenacious. Plus I’d REALLY like to find a good bakery. Aside from a few pieces of pastry (just ok), some bread (passable but not the dense crust I expect from italian bread) and olive oil (the bono unfiltered is pricey but excellent) and their appetizer items that are prepackaged (mixed bag — sometimes good, sometimes just stuff from italy that’s way overpriced). I’ve also bought their fresh sauce which was simple and tasty.
Still…and here’s where the power of the review comes in — so many good reviews I figured I just hadn’t hit on the right item. And they keep the premises really clean!
While I didn’t think they were very good it seems they”ve slipped a notch or ten. The «fresh» baked goods are BAD. I have hoped and kept trying because aside from Franklin Ave which is pretty good w fresh baked goods (particularly the SUPERB BREAD) I would like to be able to buy decent baked goods made fresh close to home. I’ve been raised on this food, know it well and I bake some of these items myself when I have the time, including pastries so I know what goes into making them. And I know fresh.
Recently I picked out a piece of cheesecake. It looked okay — a little dark but I thought maybe they use whole wheat pastry flour. Got it home and my husband said it was off, was dry and not at all fresh.
I took a little piece and it definitely seemed off. Then I picked it up and smelled it and it had a very odd smell on the bottom — was definitely odd and off. So I put it aside — left the box on the counter overnight and the next morning — overnight mind you — the cheesecake has mold on it. MOLD. I took a picture. I uploaded it. Beware of their pastries and I’m not kidding.
Also purchased a lobster tail filled with — not bavarian cream but fiilled with a heavy odd cheese filling — did not work at all — wrong texture very heavy/​gummy. The pastry cream should be light and creamy because pastry should be feather light and crunchy. No. The pastry was soaked in some syrup and was awfully leaden and dense. You do not soak pastry unless you’re trying to extend the shelf life.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was the bottom was burned. In all my years I’ve never bought a burned pastry. I posted a picture of the lobster tail.
So this is not good; If it wasn’t a filled piece I’d say, maybe they didn’t notice it was burned. Maybe it was the only piece that was burned in that batch. It can happen.
But someone picked it up to fill it, then garnished it and put it in the tray, threw syrup on and figured no one would notice. That’s not what I’d call an acceptable standard for a bakery. You don’t sell old baked goods and you don’t sell burned.
I don’t know about the cookies — they look okay. But after the pastry debacle, I’m not buying anything else at La Via. Not the cold cuts or the coffee or the god forbid the pastries or breads.
They may keep the place clean, immaculate, but if they’re letting their baked goods go bad, they’re sitting there too long. With baked, it’s supposed to be fresh — so two days AT MOST but really, should be fresh every day. What I bought was not two days. It was probably at least a week, maybe two because they keep them in a refrigerated case. BOTH of them were old.
And btw, I live in Manchester. And there’s nothing I want more than a good bakery close to home. Shoprite used to carry a well known Italian bakery but no more. What they sell LOOKS pretty, looks as good as the quality bakery but its not — it’s terrible tasting and made with the usual crap ingredients.
Jeeze louise!
Can someone point me to a local bakery that’s got the goods?
One that uses butter and milk and cream and fresh ingredients? And makes their own custards and fillings and real buttercreme and ganache? ANd tosses the old stuff? It’s sickening what passes for baked goods around here. SERIOUSLY!

I’m still overwhelmed with delight and deliciousness so I’ll keep this short.
After a day of shaking my head in shame at the amateur hour that is St. Patrick’s Day (please no green beer, friends), Nick and I decided to celebrate St. Joseph’s Day early with what we hoped would be a life-​changing zeppole.
Upon entering and before ordering, Claudio immediately served us one of the best cappuccinos I’ve ever had, along with a single espresso with the perfect layer of crema. We ended up splitting a delectable 12″ grinder bursting at the seams with prosciutto, panchetta, provolone, lettuce/​tomato and a roasted red pepper cream spread.
After stuffing our faces for a minute, we finally came to the zeppole.
And for that exquisite pastry, I have no more words.
Go to La Via Del Gusto.
Now.

I just didn’t feel the love so many Unilocalers feel for La Via Del Gusto.
None of the Italian grocery items screamed to me to take them home. We don’t buy cookies or cannolis. I wanted to take home 2 lobster tails as a tribute to the many lobster-​tail related Unilocal praises, but they only had one in stock. I did get a big bag of great looking chicken cutlets at a pricey $ 13.99 a pound. I did get a ham and cheese on a roll and an Italian combo on a roll, but honest to God, I have had their equals or superior versions before. Prepared foods were almost non-​existant
Truth be told, I came here with high expectations and left kind of disappointed. Truth be told, I’d rather go to the Pajer Superette in Agawam any day