Royal Crown Bakery

Royal Crown is a family-run Italian bakery on Hylan Boulevard, at the Old Town end of Dongan Hills, and it works on several fronts at once: bread and pastry counter, café, and, through its sister restaurant Royal Cucina next door, a kitchen turning out heroes and hot plates. The two share a patio, and the heroes are built on rolls from the bakery's own ovens.

In the summer of 2025 the bakery's chocolate bread went viral on social media and drew lines out the door; it is the loaf to take home. The cannoli are fresh-fried shells piped with sweet ricotta and chocolate chips. From Royal Cucina, the vodka chicken parm hero is the standard, and an Italian combo with prosciutto, soppressata, capicola, mortadella, provolone and roasted peppers is the classic. Finish with tiramisu or a box of Italian cookies for the road.