Pasticceria Rocco. Location: West Village. Bleecker and Carmine. Scene: Tourists. Locals. Foreigners. Italian Bakery. Food: Cannoli’s. Gelato. Cheesecakes. Pies. Cookies. Tarts. Tiramisu.

Chek Recs:

1. Peanut Butter Cheesecake: Topped with Peanut Butter and Reese’s Pieces (1st pic)
2. Fruitta di Bosca: Tart shell filled with a light French cream and Wild Berry sauce topped with Mixed Berries (2nd pic)
3. Roccochoco Pie: Chocolate shortbread filled with chocolate custard, brownie bits, snickers and mini caramel cups (3rd pic and below)

Rocco’s is an Italian Bakery whose enormous cookie and cannoli window displays lure you in almost immediately. If you’re walking down Bleecker and you see people carrying white square boxes with a red and white rope tied around them, you know they went to Rocco’s. While the cannoli’s are made to order and freshly filled with ricotta, the pies and cakes are my favorite. The options are endless behind the glass case with Tiramisu, Puddings, Custards, Cakes and Cream Pies. The Roccochoco Pie aka what I like to call “Snickers Pie” is extremely rich and decadent. The combination of the creamy chocolate center with the crunchy and gooey topping is perfect. It’s literally unbelievable and hard for most to finish but putting the fork down is even harder. This is my staple order; however, I just tried the custard fruit tart called the Fruitta di Bosca and I loved it just as much. It reminded me of the fruit tart from La Madeleine. Later, the barista warned me that we missed his favorite on the menu and brought us a slice of the Peanut Butter Cheesecake. Hardly being convinced, my stomach suddenly grew bigger. The dense cake is a bit tart than most cheesecakes, but the crushed peanut butter crust and candy pieces makes this one my new favorite. 

Rocco’s is a fun dessert shop because it has plenty of seating and a back outdoor garden patio which is nice during good weather. Definitely skip the icy gelato and oversized cookies. As tasty as they look, the hardness is always a disappointment. Cakes, pies and cannoli’s are the way to go and most of the staff has foreign accents which makes the experience feel authentic. Enjoy Rocco’s, I know you will!