Nita's European Bakery

Largely a Romanian bakery, by the looks of the newspapers behind the counter, though one was in Hungarian and two or three eluded quick identification.

Another sign would be the saleuri (Sal-lee-Ooh; about $9 per pound), a savory Romanian pastry I've not seen anywhere else in New York. These breadsticks, which resemble a break-it-apart pan flute, are enriched with butter and cheese — a tangy white variety called telemea is traditional — then sprinkled with the likes of caraway, poppy, or, at Nita's, cumin.

Sweeter, to various degrees, and shown below: a dense cake square packed with poppy seeds ($1.50), one of several flavors; raspberry-walnut rugelach ($9 per pound, which amounts to about a dollar each); and a Linzer torte cookie ($1.10, though this was a number of years ago). Named after the Austrian latticed pastry, the twinned cookies are customarily filled with raspberry jam, though reportedly apricot, hazelnut, and red currant sometimes make an appearance.

Nita's European Bakery
40-10 Greenpoint Ave. (40th-41st Sts.), Sunnyside, Queens
718-784-4047

Comments

[Steve]

It's worth remembering that Hungarians in Romania are the largest ethnic minority in Europe, so Romanian and Hungarian aren't necessarily mutally exlusive. Thanks for the tip.

[Stephanie]

Very good pastries at astoundingly cheap prices. And I believe a small coffee is still less than a dollar.

[Dulcinea]

Today I bought from Nita the worst "mucenici" I've ever eaten: yellow collored bread marinated in sugary water with lots of chemicals at $2 apiece. I thought they were the traditional Romanian pastries but it was an outrageous imitation.
Shame of the baker who disgraced the Romanian cuisine!

[Dulcinea]

Nu cumparati cozonaci de la Nita ca luati plasa! La $10.00 bucata, mai bine zis bucatica, e piine vopsita in galben cu umplutura care are acelasi gust ca orice alta prajitura de la cea cofetarie.

[Gurmanda]

Am cumparat si eu astazi sfintisori de la Nita. Foarte frumosi, simetrici si absolut egali, pufosi, dar gustul e de kkt. Intr-adevar, paine indulcita presarata cu un fel de pezmet, ca nici intr-un caz nu era nuca pisata.
Pacat, caricaturizeaza o fermecatoare prajiturica tipic romaneasca. Am vrut sa servesc niste colegi de servici, dar efectiv mi-a fost rusine sa nu creada ca ne bucuram la piinea muiata in zahar ridicata la rang de "traditional pastry".