Astoria Bakery II - Goodbye Dolce Italia

Astoria Bakery II - 36-06 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105
718.278.4188
N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)

I was disappointed to see that the not-yet-a-year-old Dolce Italia bakery has been sold. It's now called Astoria Bakery II, which like its name implies, has its roots here--Astoria Bakery I is located on 45th Street and Ditmars.

I have yet to go in and check out their goodies but I'll surely miss the nutella filled linzer tarts and the giant black and white cookies from Dolce. Walking by its new storefront, I saw that Astoria Bakery II displays its baked goods more traditionally--bread in the front window and the pastries and cakes inside. Not sure yet what to make of this except that I'm deflated about Astoria Bakery's predecessor. Josephine, Dolce's owner is a lovely and hardworking woman that had pretty amazing bakery pedigree--I'm just sad that she didn't have the opportunity to show it to us long enough.

But all that aside, let's welcome Astoria Bakery II to the Ditmars area. I'll report back soon with my review.

Dolce Italia - Pastries with Pizzazz

Dolce Italia - 36-06 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria, NY 11105

718.278.4188

N/W Train to Ditmars Blvd (last stop)

Some of you might have observed that I'm partial to sweets--in fact, my meal isn't complete without a lovely sweet finish. And that's why on Saturday, I took a walk over to a delightful Italian bakery and pastry shop on Ditmars called Dolce Italia. I admit I've passed over this sweet shop in the past but after my delicious experience, I will never make that mistake again.

Founder, owner and Desserts Diva, Josephine DiMarco runs this shop. A perfect ambassador for her business--she's experienced and super passionate about her sweet sensations. Pastries and bread have been in her family for generations and her brother also owns a successful bakery in Queens called Lulu's. Josephine's Dolce is unique in that it offers creative renditions of staple desserts--think Nutella filled Linzer Tarts, Nutella Turnovers, Rainbow Cookie Cake and even Hazelnut-Chocolate Cannolis.

Aside from the yummy pastries, don't skip out on Dolce's flavorful coffee. It's incredibly fresh tasting and considerably different from the other neighborhood brews.

Here's a sampling of their sweet selections and wallet-friendly prices.

Cakes (custom options for special occasions are available): $18 and up

Danishes and Muffins: $1.50

Cookies and Pastries: (look out for their super puffy black and white cookies) $2.50 and up

Bread (they also serve specialty olive and prosciutto bread): $.50 - $4.50

Coffee: $1.25 -$4.00

The staff here is hospitable and the atmosphere is very family oriented. Stop in for a quick coffee and pastry or get an impressive loaf of specialty bread to feast on.