Welcome to Central Ave Bakery
Nestled in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Central Ave Bakery is a delightful hidden gem that offers a vast array of freshly baked goods. From Portuguese pastries to hearty meat pies, the bakery boasts an impressive selection that keeps locals returning for more. With friendly staff and an inviting, homey atmosphere, visitors feel right at home as they explore the colorful displays of pastries and breads. The warmth of this woman-run establishment resonates through its delicious offerings, like the renowned pastel de nata and the delectable empanadas. With affordable prices, Central Ave Bakery is not just a bakery; it’s a community treasure.
- 679 Central Ave, Pawtucket, RI 02861 Hotline: (401) 728-0064
Welcome to Central Ave Bakery, a delightful gem nestled at 679 Central Ave in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Known for its warm, inviting atmosphere and a stellar selection of pastries and baked goods, this bakery is a true haven for food lovers and pastry enthusiasts alike. With a phone number you can call for inquiries at (401) 728-0064, the bakery is easily accessible for both local residents and visitors.
Step inside Central Ave Bakery, and you’ll be greeted by a feast for the senses. The charming decor enhances the experience, offering a comfortable setting to enjoy your delectable finds. This woman-run establishment has gained a reputation for exceptional customer service, with many patrons praising the friendly staff who are always ready to help you navigate the extensive array of freshly baked treats.
- Diverse Offerings: One of the most appealing aspects of Central Ave Bakery is its impressive variety. From Portuguese pastries that locals rave about, such as the pastel de nata, to mouthwatering meat pies and savory empanadas, it’s a culinary adventure waiting to happen. Some favorites include delicate coconut tarts, sweet lemon turnovers, and rich danishes.
- Affordability: Customers consistently mention how affordable the treats are. Whether you want to indulge in a massive Eckel cookie for just $2 or savor a flavorful empanada at a mere $1.75, Central Ave Bakery offers fantastic value for high-quality baked goods.
- Fresh and Flavorful: Reviews highlight the freshness of the pastries, with many noting their delightful flavors without being overly sweet. For those who enjoy a mix of traditional and innovative tastes, the bakery presents an array of options that can satisfy any craving.
- Comfortable Dining: If you feel like staying for a while, the bakery features a cozy diner-like setup to sit down and enjoy your treats. This atmosphere is perfect for savoring the flavors and experiencing the local bakery culture, making each visit memorable.
Visitors like Ed L. and Catherine S. have lauded the bakery's ability to deliver quality products at remarkable prices, often encouraging others to support this small business. With enthusiastic reviews echoing throughout, it’s clear that Central Ave Bakery has left a lasting impression on its patrons.
In a world where mass production often overshadows artisanal craftsmanship, Central Ave Bakery stands out by prioritizing quality, variety, and customer experience. So the next time you're in Pawtucket, be sure to stop by to discover why this bakery is considered a hidden jewel in the community!

This place has everything at great prices. If you can't find what you want, you just got there too late and someone else has it.

Delicious meat pies pleasant staff m Get your money's worth loves the pastries caked and cookies

Fire Portuguese pastries. Only place within 20 miles where you can get pretty much every Portuguese pastry that are this good IMO

Totally agree with the most recent review before me. Big selection of beautiful yummy pastries but they're not labeled! They were helpful when we asked what everything was, but I would have definitely have liked labels so I could decide a little more on my own. Definitely recommend supporting this small business! It's yummy and has a lot of options.

A nice, woman run bakery! Very nice to to have in Pawtucket (and down the road from me) you walk in to a little shop like atmosphere. To your right is a diner like style setup to sit and drink/eat your delicious baked goods. Walking past freezers on both sides to bagels baked goods (breads, bagels, wine crackers ect...) you're then greeted by loaves of all different kinds of breads (see photo) to your left will be a hot station of fried goodies, rice, calamari (whatever the special is that day) and to your right is heaven (or why I'd imagine it to be) lit up shelves of ALL the pastries you could think of! Zeppoles, cheesecakes, custards, pretzels, danishes (see photo because the list goes on & on) it's just such a sweet surprise walking in this bakery! The boxes are adorable and gives that special touch! Things that I think would HELP get this to 5 stars is... 1. Faster service 2. LABELS on what is what (being able to tell what the fried foods, the pastries are ect) 3. A big plaque or framed photo telling the story of this bakery and the people behind it (near the registers or near the wall of breads) People LOVE to know the background and the hard work it took to get here. It'd be a wonderful touch & give people something to read as they wait... also making them HAPPY to wait reading something so nice & humble. 4. A bit better customer service. The couple times I've been, I had workers walking right past me or they were just chitchatting while myself and others waited behind me. 5. Maybe a bit more to offer in the "shopping area" of the store.

This was a chance meeting of finding this restaurant/ bakery. I was on my way to an appointment in East Providence that was canceled as I got just around the corner from this bakery so I took a right hand turn and then was putting the GPS on so I could find the next stop I had to make I went to the end of the street and took a left-hand turn and then got stuck in traffic trying to cross onto Central Avenue Pawtucket. In front of me at 1 o'clock was this wonderful bakery. At the time I did not know how wonderful it was going to be until I went inside. I parked, went in to check it out because I love bakeries in other towns. End up having to call my honey and to have coffee and a pastry. It was amazing. The variety of pastry and food was out of this world. We got like, a coconut tart. We got a lemon turnover a pineapple turnover, a cinnamon roll with raisins. We got a cherry star danish we got like two or three other things. And we got a coffee and I got a juice. We stayed there to eat because when you're eating some thing it's someplace you bought it from its best to eat it while you're still in the store. Then you can tell the people how good it was and how much you enjoyed it. The service at the counter with very nice. They also has a hot food counter that has like different kinds of Portuguese, like hot turnovers and sandwiches and stuff. They also sold on the other side sandwiches, made to order calzones see a fresh, homemade loaves of bread up on the back row of different kinds of bread. like I said again everything was wonderful out of this world fresh, as could be looking forward to going back there again, and maybe meeting friends for coffee as well. I was so amazed at the taste and stuff of the food. I was also truly amazed at the cost with everything that we bought approximately eight pastries of coffee and the juice it cost us around $10. Plus, we left a tip. Look forward to going there again and spreading the worst of the others know what beautiful hidden Jewel there is in the middle of Pawtucket.

Nice variety of desserts and pastries. What really surprised me is how affordable it is for the size of the food. I got I think what's called an Eckel cookie and it was only $2. It was huge, pretty heavy and had an amazing raisin type filling in the middle. However, the bottom of the cookie has flaky layers like a croissant. I also got a yellow, maybe lemon, long john shape dessert ($1.75). It was large but too light for me, very airy. There wasn't much taste to it. They have everything from danishes, cheesecakes, brownie squares cakes and their Portuguese breads look legit.

It may not look like much on the outside but the inside is very nice with a lot of freshly baked pastries, bread, and food. I ordered three pastries ($1.50 each) and 3 empanadas ($1.75 each). There was one pastry with a custard inside and topped with almonds. The stick was really good, it was almost like a cinnamon roll twist, and lastly an apple filled pastry with frosting on top. They weren't too sweet. I did think the beef in the empanadas could use a little more flavor but I did like the texture of the shell. The staff was friendly and there's plenty of street parking. They do have tables inside if you did want to sit down, relax and eat there. They also have prepared food like soups.

Came here today, Saturday just after noon, and there was a long line, the place was busy until we left. Came in originally only to get some fresh crushed red peppers, and noticed they have some new things going on here, since the last time i was here a few years prior. Tried a few savory pastries and a few other things, all good in their own way. Had a meat pie and a chicken enpanada. Tried the portuguse custard cupcake, the standard pastry for any Portuguese bakery, called the pastel de nata, it was good. Had a galao, a portuguese cappuccino. Also had a ham and cheese panini on Portuguese bread. Service was friendly.