Around The Bend: Macri's Italian Bakery
The moment you step into Macri’s Italian Bakery, it feels like you’ve been welcomed straight into a little slice of Italy right in the heart of downtown South Bend, Indiana.
The air is filled with the sweet scent of biscotti, pastries, and classic Italian treats, and the cases are lined with old-world trattoria favorites with recipes from Calabria.
There’s a lively, unmistakably Italian energy in the room. Warm, bustling, and full of familiar faces—where tradition, family, and amore for authentic Italian cuisine is baked into every bite.
Around The Bend takes a deeper look into the stories of beloved favorites and hidden gems throughout St. Joseph County that make this place unforgettable. These places we cherish didn’t just appear—they were built with passion, purpose, and stories worth telling.
A Taste of Tradition, Family, and Old-World Italian Cuisine
To understand what makes Macri’s Italian Bakery a special place to so many, is to understand its roots and the family that planted them.
George & Iole Macri moved from their hometown of Calabria, Italy in the 1970s in search of a better life.
“My grandfather's side of the family actually owned a jewelry store back in Calabria and it still exists there today,” shared Adriana Macri, Head of Operations and third generation in the family. “It's been passed down to generations. But, when my grandfather moved here, they actually had the jewelry store right over here.”
The Macri family continued the jewelry legacy in South Bend, but Iole had another dream.
“It was my grandmother's dream to open a bakery. Honestly, she moved here and there were not a lot of places that sold the ingredients she was looking for. Even things as simple as buying semolina flour or Italian coffee. And so, I think she probably drove my grandfather crazy until he finally said, ‘Okay, let's do it.’”
And so, Macri’s Italian Bakery was established in 1978.
“After the first day of being open, my grandfather looked at my dad and said, you mean we have to do this all over again tomorrow?”
The neighborhood welcomed the Italian bakery with open arms, and it became a true success. That success has lasted, with the bakery growing and the business evolving nearly 50 years later.
Shortly after the bakery took off, they added a deli, which also did very well. The 2000s brought new challenges and therefore new ideas. George Macri, second generation, always wanted to offer something a bit more upscale.
“My mom's always cooked the best food for us at home. And (my dad) really wanted to bring that to South Bend. He thought that it would complement our bakery so well since we make fresh bread and pastries.”
Macri’s remodeled and added Carmela's Restaurant in 2006, named after Adriana’s mother, Carmela.
“All the recipes are hers and she's just an amazing cook and amazing person.”
The restaurant will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and continues to serve up authentic Italian recipes. Dining in Carmela's feels like another world. The outdoor patio is a delight in the warmer months.
“My mom learned to cook from her mom, but also from her mother-in-law, my grandmother Iole, who was born and raised in Calabria as well.”
The true Italian, home cooked flavors are evident in the sauces, the freshly made pasta, and so many other dishes you can try.
“You almost walk in and you're like, whoa, am I in South Bend? You know what I mean? It is kind of like Little Italy. Someone can make you a pizza. You can have a good bite of a cannoli or a tiramisu.”
The pastry case that seems like a mile long is a sight (and smell) to behold. Filled with freshly made baked goods, Italian tea cookies, biscotti that's made in-house, brownies, donuts, cinnamon rolls, pastries and top-selling Italian delicacies like cannoli, tiramisu, and Carmella’s specialty, lemon Chantilly cake.
The authentic cannoli are a highlight in the case. Filled with sweetened house-made ricotta cheese and chocolate chips, the Sicilian style treat will transport you straight to Italy.
Macri’s is big on tradition, but they are always up for keeping things festive. For Notre Dame football season, you will find Irish themed sweets and giant shamrock cookies in the case.
“I think that's another fun aspect of the trattoria and the bakery is just tying that all into being a part of the South Bend experience and community. You know, if you come in for a game, you got to stop in for pizza or cannoli, or maybe you're getting stuff for your tailgate or stopping into Carmela's after the game…that’s a popular thing.”
Other times of year you’ll find special Valentine’s desserts, Easter pastries and breads, holiday treats and of course, for two weeks a year, the Italian bakery leans into a favorite Polish delicacy. Paczki.
“I always laugh at this because people say, ‘but you're an Italian bakery.’ Italians know how to do the Polish paczki. That’ll be a fun time where it's kind of controlled chaos, but my team does an awesome job. I mean, it takes a lot of extra hands, even people that just come in to do boxes.”
“My mom handles all the wedding cakes herself. That is something she is the queen on back there. We call her the Cake Boss Queen, actually.”
From wedding cakes to birthday cakes and graduation cakes, once you taste the buttercream you will understand why Carmela has earned her title of Cake Boss Queen.
The homemade touch extends into the trattoria, where pasta is made fresh daily. You can order freshly made pizzas, made-to-order pasta dishes, salads and panini as well.
Pizzas are hand-tossed and rolled with fresh dough made in-house with a traditional thin-crust, Carmela’s special recipe sauce, and fresh toppings.
“We use simple ingredients (to make pasta), semolina flour, salt, and water. You can buy it fresh and take it home. But you can also have it made hot and ready for you if you would like to order something here on site. You're feeding your family good, wholesome food, which we love. Same thing with our sauces, which don't have any additives to it, or sugar.”
Macri’s offers a variety of take-and-make items as well, including ravioli, meatballs, lasagna and pizza dough.
“You can make your own pizza. We sell our sauce as well as scamorza cheese we sell which is Italy's favorite cheese for pizza. So really, it's kind of a one-stop shop for whether you want to cook something at home with really good ingredients or come in for something that's quick and easy.”
Also located in Macri’s is an Italian imports shop including fresh items and ingredients in their cases to take home. All different types of cheeses, pasta salads, fresh olives, Colavita olive oil, sauces and so much more.
“When you come in, you're not just getting something that you're buying at the grocery store. We keep a good variety. We have great wine, Italian cookies that are imported, different style coffees…Lavazza is what we serve here in our bakery. That's my favorite coffee.”
We recommend trying their affogato, a combination of espresso and vanilla gelato. Delicioso!
The gelato case will make dreams come true, showcasing traditional flavors and including special ones such as cookie butter, tiramisu and spumoni. They also have dairy free sorbet options such as mango, raspberry, and lemon.
Not far from the gelato case is their delicatessen that offers fresh sliced meats, cheeses and olives.
Seriously, save money on a flight and come to Macri’s for an authentic Italian experience in the Midwest.
“Being a part of downtown South Bend has always been really important to us. Knowing a customer's name, knowing their order, it makes our day-to-day lives. It's like that's so worth it to see that people come in here and truly enjoy the freshness of our place, the quality.”
Macri’s Italian Bakery wouldn’t be what it is without the recipes, and their customers, but truly it’s the family, the staff, and the love and hard work they’ve put into this dream that has given the beloved gem it’s sparkle.
“There's a lot of passion and hard work that goes into (it). Our business wouldn't be what it is without our people. I think that's a huge part of what makes Macri's great. Our back-of-house, front-of-house team, my parents who, you know, work their tail off. I'm learning a lot from them, but I do a lot of what I do for them and for my grandparents who are no longer with us, but I know they'd be super proud of what Macri's has turned into.”
Adriana’s siblings are a part of the business as well, as the third generation.
“I think it's really meaningful and special to me to be able to keep our family tradition of this business going. We all have our own piece of the puzzle that makes the place run every day.”
And Macri’s Italian Bakery is indeed a special piece of the puzzle that makes downtown South Bend special.
Un pezzo favoloso.
Visit Macri's Italian Bakery: 214 N Niles Ave., South Bend, IN 46617
Macri's Menu
Macri's Cakes
Carmela's Menu
Pasta Fresca
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