Rose & Joe's Italian Bakery

Great old school Italian Bakery. Great fresh bread and pastries. They also have pizza, Im not crazy about it but its there. But as far as a bakery is concerned, its definitely a go to.

Review is based strictly for the Pizza. Was always told. Get a square slice. It's the best. Nothing comes close. It was MEH. At best. Edible, sure, but nothing like the Square across the street at Rosario's. NOTHING. A square is supposed to be thick and fluffy with crunch (if you get the corner - super crunch!) This had crunch but lacked fluff. It was thin. Now, I love thin crust pizza but definitely not when I'm eating a square. The taste was similar to that of a regular slice as opposed to a Sicilian, a BAKERY Sicilian. That's really all I can say. Skip the pizza, get the pastries.

I tried their pizza and it was awful, it was sitting out all day and tasted as such. Barely any sauce or cheese...so basically you are eating bread with a little bit of cheese and sauce. I dread coming here because the woman who works here talks to me like I'm an idiot. When I ask her what the different slices are she asks me if I want to order or not. Is it a crime to ask what type of slice you are selling? I think there is more to this treatment... but rather not say. Been here a couple of times and been treated like dirt. Today I went to try to again and I walked out... I once again asked to try another slice, after picking the whole wheat slice and she loudly exclaimed "so you don't want the other slice?" I said no I want to to order another...She sucked her teeth and I just walked out.

A staple in the Astoria Queens area for many years . I have purchased cookies, bread and the great pizza here in the past . Today I received my donated St Anthony bread at my local church. It was just delicious! Support Local !

I wanted to give place a second chance think i caught on a bad day, well I decided thats it the older Italian lady with glasses behind the counter snatched the money out of my hand. I got two plain heroes she Didnt even say hi, bleep that no third chance for them im NEVER EVER returning there again

It's been awhile since my last visit to the neighborhood and I've been to this bakery before. They used to be always friendly or just professional. When I entered the bakery maybe the woman did not hear me enter her back was to me until I said hello. She did not say hello back....I asked for half a pound rainbow cookies she said they are already in a clear box. I don't have any clue when those were boxed but I wanted them fresh from the case. She just didnt want to be bothered but I said don't worry if it goes over...I didn't want to give the lady a hard time for exacting the weight. She said the price after weighing it and I paid said thank you but not a peep back from her like "thank you". She moved on to the next customer a white complexion boy and asked how can I help you? I'm thinking In my head really. And when I tried the cookies there was literally just a slight hint of jam between layers but you can't even see the jam like other rainbows!! This is not the only bakery that has done this....I'm seeing places lately skimping on the jam. Why??

Haven't been there for a long time. After doing our income tax, we took a walk to have a slice of square pizza. As soon as we walked in, the pizza guy sneezed into his arm and never washed his hands (gross). I was glad that another worker came forward to help my wife and I. They were always one of the best bakeries for bread, pizza and other cakes. It seems it has taken a turn for the worst. I'll never go back there; even the employee who served us looked a bit disheveled, also the smells of sweet cake and pastries collide with the aroma of the pizza and it gives a horrible smell.

Stopped for a slice on my way to shop on Ditmars. Got a traditional slice and it really hit the spot. Perfect bakery slice. The crust and sauce stole the show. Was very fresh, nice and hot. Only stopped for pizza on this visit, but the cookies and pastries looked phenomenal will be back to try those too. Worth a visit if your in Astoria!

Amazing!!! Cannolis were hand piped right In front of us and prosciutto bread was fresh and perfect!

I'm not going to this place again. The bread and pizza its very good however the women on the counter (the one with fake lashes) it's extremely rude. I tried couple of times thinking maybe she had a bad day but it's every time I been here. Please retired this women. I'm not doing business where customers are not welcome.

I was in Astoria for a luncheon with friends and someone mentioned that Rose and Joe's, which was right across the street, had good pizza/bread. So, four of us went to check it out. Being a Yelper, I started to take photos of their breads for my review, and was yelled at for taking photos. No photos, no photos!! Wow, how rude. They really need to work on their customer service! I wasn't trying to case the joint! Jeezzz I told her I was going to post the photos on Yelp to boost their business, and she sheepishly said "oh, well, ok then"... lol Whatever. I didn't want to purchase anything after that but one of my friends purchased an olive bread and said it was very good.

Great spot to get so many different things! We got the pizza and some treats! All were excellent! The service was no nonsense but friendly and helpful. It's cash only and a great quick stop if you are even close by!

Went to a doctor in the neighborhood, saw this bakery, and stopped in. I was excited! I always love to support small businesses. Especially Mom and Pop shops, which are slowly disappearing. Well, the lady at the counter acted as if I was bothering her by coming into the shop. Because I had never been there, I started walking towards the back, looking at all the pastries in the display case. Before I got halfway through the shop, she said, something like, can I help you or do you want something but in a really unpleasant way with a lot of attitude. I said something like oh I've never been here and you have so many choices, they all look delicious! I always try to turn things around. I ordered 2 sfogliatelle and she said "do you want that in a bag?" But again with attitude, as if she was trying to get rid of me. I said well, I know I'm going to want a few more things... (which usually determines whether the stuff gets put in a bag or a box, depending on how much stuff you finally get) And after each thing she would say, "is that it?" As if she couldn't wait to get rid of me. The only thing missing was an eye roll. I added a danish, 8 zeppole, and a loaf of Italian bread. In bags, which was fine. I hoped that the baked goods would make up for the lack of personality. The Italian bread was quite nice. The sfogliatelle had that crispy outside texture and the cheese filling was good. But the zeppole were soaked in oil! As if they had not been drained long enough after frying. By the time I got home, the paper bag was soaked in oil. I dropped the zeppole into another paper bag and the oil still soaked through. BTW, the zeppole had no powdered sugar on them, the lady hadn't even asked if I wanted any, and I was so anxious to get out of the place, I forgot all about it. Would I go back? Hmm. MAYBE. Sometimes people have a rough day. I would maybe try a different loaf of bread just to see. I try to give people a second chance. BTW, the whole time I was there I was wondering if I had come in right at closing time and she was just anxious to close shop. I've looked at their hours of operation and discovered I was there AT LEAST two hours before closing. I've since read a few other reviews for this place. Most seem to have had, unfortunately, the same experience with customer service. Some of the reviews have even hinted at potential racial overtones. That certainly wasn't my first thought during my exchange. I was just puzzled by the coldness and the sense that the woman wanted to get me out of the shop. And I always hope that as a society we've moved forward a bit from that. But I will say that I am a Latina woman. Could that have played any part in the cool reception I received? We'll never know. ‍

Absolutely the best old school Italian Bakery in Astoria. The bread is amazing and fresh, the 1.50 for butter roll and a small coffee hits the spot! I love this place and i'm a regular. They know what you getting already , and don't forget about pizza for breakfast! A must in Astoria

I have no idea who does the hiring for this place, but the requirements must be: be extremely rude, never smile, and ignore people as long as you can when they walk into the place. I live in New York for 22 years but they have the most bitter stuff I have ever seen in my life! the pastries are OK but way over priced. You can go to Paris baguette down the street and get way better pastries for a reasonable price, and a person behind a counter who actually smiles at you when you purchase.

Terrible service and the elderly lady with the glasses and short light brown hair aggressively took my money which I was about to pay for my medium chapata bread and yelled at me. We need friendly customer service and people here in NYC cannot handle too much rudeness whenever they go. Yes it's because of the crime rates and it's because NYC is big city, but being too much rude and defensive has gone too far....

If you want really good butter cookies with a large selection or some good breads head here. Everything else is not for me lol. The pastries I've had there have let me down more often then not, so now I am just sticking with what I know is good. The other thing I recommend is the pretzel bread it's delicious heated up. Service is questionable too as I have had a rude experience once or twice, but the butter cookies man those do it for me.

I will give them a 5 star review but they are so rude. I mean they do not have to be happy campers to sell the bread but at least be profesional. It's like they go out of their way to be mean and rude. I have only bought bread, I have never tried the cookies and their pizza does not look good. Seriously fix your attitude. Also some of the ladies are nice but the longer they work there, the more unhappy they become. Bread it's good.

What a great find I was here last Wednesday and was told how wonderful the pizza tasted by a FB friend. Rose and Joes is an old-style bakery and walking in your got the flavor of an old-style bakery from bygone times.

The Pastries and food and cookies are a 4.5. But the girls behind the counter have nasty attitudes. There was a 90+ year old man who asked a question and woman behind counter shook her head gave him a attitude and wouldn't answer his question. I'm never going back here again.

I found out about this spot from ny.eater.com. I can see why they are listed as one of New York City's 29 Iconic Pizzerias. It's a tiny business, but surely packs a BIG punch! The squared pizza is pretty damn good and not being a true fan of Italian cookies, these made me feel otherwise. I quickly questioned why ALL Italian cookies didn't taste this good! And of course I had to try a cannoli - on point! This spot has officially been added to my list to visit whenever in town!

Downgrading to 2 stars because their bread has changes. Not as good as it was, loaves have gotten wayyyy smaller and the prices have gone up. I get it, times are tough but now that you are stinging out I wont be buying from you anymore. We chose to support a local bakery and buy but after tonight why should I waste our hard earn money on a loaf of semolina that was half the size, burnt and not really yellow meaning you skimped out on the semolina flour and it was $3.50 a loaf!!!! 3.50!? Wow. And then my biggest issue was they had 2 people in there (I think they were a customer idk) with no mask on, hanging out and bs-ing! Exuse me!??! Done. On to the next Bakery.

Rose & joe's are rolling in their graves. they originally had their store at Famous Fashion but it burned down. NOTHING BUT NOTHING is the same. # 1 Size of slice smaller # 2 thinner slice #3 sauce?? is GARBAGE Other than that their daughter should find her parent's recipe. AND FOLLOW IT.

This place has AMAZING bread, tasty sweets and really great pizza. However, they're just really rude. Every time my wife or I have been in they act like we're sort of inconveniencing them by being there. I say thank you, they don't say you're welcome. They definitely don't say thank you. I walked in tonight and one lady looked at me and said "you've gotta be kidding me". Hah. I keep going back because I love their Irish soda bread but honestly, I probably just need to stop. You'll love the bread. And maybe they'll be nicer to you. Maybe it's just me. Although we're always super nice trying to over compensate. We always leave tips, say thanks many times etc. but they always seem like they are "over it".

When I'm back in Astoria I gotta have the Sicilian slice ... I was born and raised in Astoria and have been eating Thus great unique tasting pizza for over 50 years... it used to be up the block when it was called Leonard's pizza ... still tastes great and brings back great memories when the area was all Mom and Pop stores .... my parents had a Hallmark store in the area for over 40 years called Treasure Cove ... ahh the great memories ...

Stopped in to try the margarita pie, but wasn't that impressed. There are no prices in the Pizza area, so you kind of just have to ask and figure out if they're being honest with you. We ordered the margarita pie and then was told that it was cash only so we had to go get out cash before they would start making it. After 30 minutes the pie was ready and when we came home we had to put the pie in the oven for another 8 to 10 minutes because it seemed a bit undercooked. After the pie came out of the oven it was a lot crispier, which is what is i normally prefer, but there wasn't much flavor associated with the pizza as I had anticipated. $22 for pie was a bit steep as you could walk across the street and go to Rosario's and get the same pie with a more flavor for $17. It's worth a shot, but wasn't something that I would come back for a second time

Nice selection of items, at very reasonable prices. I wasn't bowled over by my purchase, it all seemed to look much better than it tasted. I bought some of the lemon cookies which are a favorite of mine, they were a bit dry and lacked any lemon flavor, helloooo it's a lemon cookie. Sadly, I threw the remaining ones away. They were edible but not enjoyable. My new philosophy in life is if I'm going to ingest the extra calories and the sugar I'm not supposed to have it has to be worth it. Remember Seinfeld's sponge worthy episode? Well, I'm doing an Elaine here, it has to be worth it. I didn't find the staff all that friendly, and sensed the young lady was impatient at my indecisiveness. I could understand if there was a line, but there wasn't. Bakeries to me are like ice cream or flower shops, I think happy thoughts and treats. Oh well, I guess I'll take a pass next time I'm in town.

The rainbow cookies were ok nothing special 3 The pizza was sub par dough was good as a bread but sauce was meh tasted like jar sauce and the cheese was ok but nothing special. For the price was bad. 2 Value 2

This bakery is such a scam, every single time i go they have one or another scam running to nickle and dime me, today they said they had fresh croissants since they didnt have any on display they went to the back and placed old croissants in the bag. Only reason i visited was because the bagel shop next door was closed. Make sure you know the price of items before you buy, make sure its fresh but then again if you always have to check whether what you buy is fresh its not worth going. The old lady that works there is the scammer, the young girls in the front just follow along. Disgusting croissants from yesterday or 2 days ago.

Have only visited once and I received friendly enough service. The spinach lattice pastry was delicious. The croissant was relatively dry/bready. I would return to try their pizza other reviews mention.

Am I in the right place? Normally if you see any small food place that is not a pizzeria but is selling pizza, you should run in the opposite direction. However, I have seen this little bakery showing up repeatedly on lists of the best slices in the city, so I had to come see what all the hype was about. When you first walk in to the long, narrow shop, you may think you are in the wrong place, as it looks like just a typical Italian bakery, with display cases filled with dusty cookies and cannolis. On the other side of the store opposite the counter is a questionable drink area with self-serve coffee. But finally, once you reach the back, you see the pizza you came to try. There is a small separate counter there with a few pies on display, including regular cheese and sicilian. We opted for one of each and the grumpy little lady threw them in the oven. My wife likes her pizza scorching enough to take your fingerprints off so she asked her to make them extra hot. Instead, they came out a hair above lukewarm, which was a shame, because it was actually really excellent. The square slice they are know for was so good, most notably the delicious tomato sauce. The regular slice was delicious too though, so you might as well go for both if you make your way over here. Rainbow cookies and those other Italian pastries aren't my thing, but this little place is definitely worth a visit for the pizza. It's tough to give higher marks here given the gruff service and the unpleasant environment and lack of anywhere inside to eat your pizza. Perhaps if you are getting some to go and don't mind the shabby treatment, it's closer to a 4-star.

Every year on March 19th I go to Rose & Joe's to get a St. Joseph's pastry on my name day. They make it two ways: one with custard and the other with cannoli cream. Cannoli cream is definitely the way to go. They are freshly made and taste great. I also come here for their bread. The freshly made Italian and semolina loaves are beyond wonderful. I'm usually treated to the heavenly smell of their bread when I am waiting for the train at the Ditmars Blvd. station. I've had their pizza once, and it is decent. The staff that work here are always nice and helpful.

I might not be Italian, but growing up in an italian neighborhood as a kid, I think I have a pretty good idea of what really good italian food should taste like and to be honest, I really don't understand the hoopla about this bakery. I made it a point to stop by this place, when I was in Astoria, because the review on yelp was beyond impressive but after trying their magarita pizza ($2.25), I was so disappointed. The slice was small, the dough was oily and the cheese was scarced, plus the pizza itself didn't even look that appealing in the first place. The bakery was small, very mom and pop-ish and it looks pretty simple. On a personal note, I always rate the decoration of a store as secondary and their food as primary, and sadly, I can't say their food is something that would draw me back.

Found a piece of rubber tubing in an cinnamon bun, I called the bakery to let them know and decided to go back to verify they threw out the batch. They still had the cinnamon buns out. I'll never go back.

They were super rude to the old person in front of me in line. He kept pointing to the bread he wanted, and she kept shouting at him asking him what he wanted and telling him to not point. The old man was clearly hearing disabled, but the lady behind the desk couldn't piece it together.

Funny story. One of the best grandma slices in NYC is actually across the street from one of the best pizza slices. What's with secretly hiding pizza in the back of the stores in Astoria? Past all the bakery cookies and bread you'll find the pizza area. I'm sure you'll see something else you want, or even eye the toppings, but get a regular grandma slice. It's the square one. The crust is similar to focaccia bread. Soft but crunchy. And the sauce is a bit tangy and seeps into the crust and cheese. Enjoy!

Rose and Joe's bakery has been a staple in the neighborhood for some time. If you ever walk to the subway in the morning or wait on the platform, you can catch a whiff of the freshly baked bread. I also read about their pizza on Serious Eats and tried their pizza but my faves were the nutella stuffed pastries which unfortunately, they discontinued a few years ago. Despite that they no longer make nutella pastries, they still consistently make delicious cannolis which I've been eating for 6 years. The shells are in the case so when you ask for the order, they fill it with a lighter cream in the back and they ask if you want them sprinkled with powdered sugar. I do prefer their cream vs. marscapone just due to taste and the subtle hint of sweetness. Around the holidays are definitely worth stopping in as they make spectacular Easter baskets, pies and cookies. You can always buy fresh bread here as one can see by lines of customers who come in - baguettes, Italian rolls, and a host of others I am not familiar with. Also note, it is cash only.

This place sucks...lady working behind the counter is a grumpy old hag with lots of attitude. Thanks to her terrible service alone I will not be back. Not to mention the Dingy and stale looking interior with dried out pastries and breads.

Old School Italian Bakery & pizza bakery served with an old school attitude. Back in Astoria for lunch at Samastis with a friend. Rose & Joes drew me right in. There were many places like this growing up in Gravesend mixing pastry with pizza- a good one was on 86th St. near Bay Parkway with one onion pizza that was sooo good and memorable. Many of these spots are a dying breed with owners retiring or selling to franchises. I was in twice- once to buy pizza, nutella cookies and oggle the gorgeous loaves- amazing- up there with some of the best bread bakeries of Brooklyn and the Bronx. I returned with my friend Carol who brought pizza in back for the fam. and asked for a bag in front and got major attitude from the old biddies there. Now Carol is Chinese and not sure of the ethnicity of those in front so when they stared at her stupidly, I said "a bag". This is a bakery with many folks asking for a bag upon leaving....they snickered and laughed- not sure why, but attitude is so pase- you work in a bakery, get over it! I have to add that the pizza really is first rate- the dough and crust are so fresh and the fresh mozzarella slice really rocks- bakery pizza that is so good and the pizza lady in back wrapped it in aluminum foil- ready to heat up, Ladies in front- Lose the 'tude.

WTF i asked for my bread to be sliced and it comes out like shreds. If the bread is too fresh to slice then say so, don't stuff it in a bag to hide. I worked in a bakery. This is NOT how you do it.

My husbund stop yesterday on his way from work to buy a bread.Was a two lady's behind a counter, younger was serving him so he ask her if the bread is fresh. Instead give him nice answer both lady's answer very rude. This is not nice way to talk to costumer like that. Lady's both of you learn how to respect people/ customers.

Remembering 1/2 century ago when this place was just a window across the street on the corner of DItmars & 31st. Rose & Joes has been a institution in Astoria forever - The aroma when passing always brings incredible memories .

Rose & Joe's is the sleeper hit of the neighborhood - everything is SO delicious and the prices are very affordable. Sure, there are some other good bakeries in the neighborhood as well, but if I'm looking for a fresh loaf of bread or my favorite chocolate filled croissant (), R&J's is the ONLY place to go! They're located right under the Astoria-Ditmars subway so it's an easy stop on the way to work in the morning for a quick coffee & pastry. Heads up, it's cash only!

I've been coming here almost daily for years. I can't vouch for all their baked goods, I mostly come for their bread, which I've found delectable and reliable. One of my favorites is their Rosette Roll ($.65 for the smaller roll unbuttered, $.70 for the larger one and $.95 for their small buttered Rosette Roll). I eat this plain for breakfast- I find it that tasty. But if you decide to make a ham-sandwich or a chicken-bacon-sandwich out of it, you will not be disappointed. Another favorite is their prosciutto bread. They sell these as batons (half-baguettes) and rounds. Why should you get this? Huge chunks of meat enlodged in a peppery loaf. Need I say more? Recently though I've been visiting for their chocolate croissant and their cinnamon twists (both $2.50). I tried their cinnamon roll and don't recommend it, but their cinnamon twists are light and chocked full of sweet cinnamon flavor. I suspect they use a brioche bread for this one vs. the conventional sweet bread for the cinnamon rolls. And I've started coming here for my chocolate croissants because the chocolate's practically oozing out of this radiator-like pastry. For years I've resigned myself to the stooped old bread lady behind the counter, the one with the graying hair. If you've met her, you're probably familiar with hearing her bark, "what do you want?" Or, "exact change! It's too early for me to have change for you!" But recently they've had younger hirees who are a lot friendlier and pleasant. BTW they only take cash. Thankfully their prices rarely require large bills.

Pizza was great--I had a Sicilian (see pic). My dad has been coming here ever since he was a kid. This place has a very good reputation for POOR customer friendly service. I thought maybe I just came in when the grinch was behind the counter on that day--but nope. After scoping the reviews, I realized that this seems to be a common complaint among every other person. My disappointing encounter was specifically with the heavyweight lady behind the pizza counter. Note to owners: as good as your food might be, customers will be turned off immediately by unpleasant, distasteful employees who look like they hate their job (and give you attitude) and WILL NOT RETURN!! Thank you.

This review is for their olive bread and pizza. They have three types: green olive, black olive, and kalamata olive bread. They are all very good especially when it's straight out of the oven. Crusty on the outside soft and chewy on the inside with chunks of olives baked in... Mmmm so good. My kid's school is nearby and if I can find parking I make it a point to come here to pick up a loaf or two. One of my coworkers told me about it. He said they have the best breads but especially good is their olive bread. He wasn't kidding. I have also tried their pizza which is located at a separate counter. My daughter loved it as well. It was pretty tasty. Two things- they only take cash and sometimes they don't smile and look cranky. But they are helpful if you ask them questions. I'm not offended but I know some people are sensitive to this kind of thing, whereas I don't care. I'm just looking for good food. As long as they are not openly rude, I couldn't care less what their attitude is. If you like olives you have to try their olive breads.

I'm new to the neighborhood and was in search of a local Italian bakery, and came across this spot. I was super excited to purchase some fresh Italian bread, since the smell emanates from this place and the window displays are mouth watering.. unfortunately, I was treated with such disrespect by the manager who had a problem with my request for an additional bag to cover the top, since it was pouring rain, and I didn't want the bread to get soggy. The manager appeared and started aggressively interrogating me as to why I needed a bag and I was in such shock at her demeanor. I was willing to pay the extra cost for the bag, and was nothing but nice to the staff, but was met with such rudeness and unprofessionalism, that they can keep their bread, as I will stay far away from this place. I'm truly disappointed

Would've given it one more star if not for the mold I found inside one of my cream puffs (see pic). I did not want to believe it, because I really enjoyed my Sicilian slice which I ate first, but that little green monster stared me in the face after I bit into my chocolate cream puff. What gives??! I'm still sort of in denial. Maybe someone can analyse my pic more and tell me I was actually hallucinating, and I'll come back and edit my review with one additional star. ((I still ate the other 3 cream puffs and ate as much of the infected one as socially acceptable)) Besides that, the Sicilian was delicious. Just the right level of cheesiness and not greasy at all. I appreciated that they wrapped it up for me in aluminium foil to keep it semi-warm. The cream puffs, the fungal surprise aside, were yum. Not to mention, everything came out to be a little over $5. Service was pretty quick; maybe a 3-minute wait for them to heat up my pizza (they'd ask if you wanted it warm for people who want to eat it right away). Staff weren't too smiley but they were courteous and helpful. You order and pay for pizza in the back, bread and pastries up front.

An Astoria treasure and a neighborhood staple. Best bread, pizza, and service.