Bella's: Michelle Vernier's Italian loaf in Lents

Out on the far east side, in Lents Town Center on Woodstock near Foster, Bella's Italian Bakery and Market is where you can pick up an Italian loaf and your groceries in one stop. It's in a well-kept corner building with street parking and a lot nearby. Antique country pieces hang on the walls, bar seating runs down one side, and a handful of tables face an Italian pastry case with a lot more than cannoli in it. The market side has olives, cheese and a fridge stocked like a pantry, and there are outdoor seats for sunny mornings. Michelle Vernier opened the shop after years as pastry chef at Paley's Place, Imperial and Wildwood, and after a farmers-market stand she started at Lents International in 2015. The 24-seat bakery follows the idea of her family's salsamenteria, where you'd come for espresso in the morning, pastry, a sandwich, a glass of wine and some conversation. "Bella" is what her nonna called the girls in the family, and the staff are happy to walk you through the case.

What to order

Start with the Italian loaf, and ask what they baked that day, since it's a small bakery and the bread changes. The focaccia is its own pleasure, thick and deeply dimpled with olives, thyme and big flakes of sea salt sitting in the oiled pockets, and you should get both.

The cannoli are what built the farmers-market business, so don't skip them. The shells are fried and piped to order so they stay blistered and crisp, the house ricotta is sweet, tangy and creamy, and the ends get chocolate chips, almonds or pistachios depending on the day. Amaretti and anise biscotti travel well. If you're eating in and they have it, the tiramisu is a tall rectangle of house sponge, rum and plenty of espresso. The kitchen has also made sfogliatelle, ciambella and jam tarts, but those come and go, so order from what's actually in the case.

Lunch is sandwiches, coffee and sometimes wine, and it's easy to sit down for lunch and leave with a loaf and cookies too. The online pre-order market is handy when all you need is a pickup, and with only 24 seats, pre-ordering is how you make sure you get what you came for.

Before you go

Bella's has closed days. Public hours have been Wednesday through Sunday during the day, with Monday and Tuesday off, so confirm before you go and don't show up at 2:45 expecting a full case. If you need a loaf, cannoli or a market order for a specific time, pre-order by noon the day before, which is the smart move if you're driving in from across town, though walking in is fine if you live nearby. Lents Town Center is easy by car and doable on the Green Line, and the shop points people to the parking lot on 91st between Woodstock and Foster.

People sometimes mix Bella's up with Sebastiano's. Both are Italian, both make cannoli and both have a market side, but they're in different neighborhoods with different kitchens and different bread. Bella's is the one in Lents, run by Vernier, with the focaccia and the Italian loaf, and it's well worth the drive. Bring a bag big enough for a loaf and a box of cookies, and eat the cannoli before they sit.

The essentials are on the Bella's Italian Bakery and Market page.