We arrived at Albina's at 8:00 on Christmas Eve, and the line was out the door.
My dad and I were obviously the lone Midwesterners in the place, we talked funny compared to the other customers.
It took about 30 minutes to get to the front of the line as we watched other customers lug out box after box of yummy pastry goodness. It was worth the wait.
We procured a dozen pastries...they were all fabulous, but the standouts were the cannoli and the lobster tails. They fill the cannoli shells when you order them, even when the joint is packed.
These pastries are as good as anything you can get in NYC, especially on Christmas Eve when the inventory is turning over quickly.
It was well worth the trip from Fremont Street!