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Dan and Rosalia Monroe, owners of Cafe Bossa Nova, opened Rosalia’s Family Bakery at the end of last year. The idea for the bakery is said to have grown from the public’s love of Rosalia’s cheese bread. The bread is served at Bossa Nova, and the constant requests for more prompted the couple to start a bakery where they could share not only the famed bread but also other traditional Brazilian pastries and treats.

We started off our morning bakery adventure like any sane human being—with some coffee. Rosalia’s offers a variety of coffee drinks and teas to satisfy everyone’s morning slump, but we’re partial to the cappuccino. After we ordered drinks and eyed the selection of sweet and savory pastries through the glass display, owner Dan Monroe grabbed a box and began stuffing it with different things for us to try. We were beyond excited (and also drooling, maybe).

With our coffees in hand and our box of treats, we sat down at a table and dug into our treasures. We started with the cheese bread, mostly because we had never had it (don’t tell Rosalia). How appropriate that the pastry that inspired the bakery would be the first thing we sampled. The hype is true, it was wonderful—soft and chewy, cheesy but not too cheesy. Rosalia knows what she’s doing.

We continued on the savory route and bit into a breakfast puff pastry. The folded hot pocket was flaky, and the ham, cheese and veggie-spiced filling was creamy but bold, a great dish to start off the morning.

We switched gears and tried something sweet: the Sonho (Son-yo), which in Portuguese means “dream” or “sweet dream,” and the name is completely appropriate. This traditional Brazilian pastry is rich, creamy and certainly dreamy. Sohnos look like large doughnut holes sprinkled with sugar, but here’s the catch: they are filled with doce de leite, chocolate mouse or custard. Are you getting the idea? When you take a bite, there is an excellent doughy flavor that reminds you of funnel cake but with the chewiness of a doughnut. Then throw in the cream filling and the sugar coating on the outside that sticks to your fingers and lips…well, it’s basically a dream-come-true. Make sure to go in and try these. They are large, big enough to share, and oh so worth it!

We were pleasantly surprised to see that the shop had a selection of gluten-free, sugar-free and vegetarian options. You could say they had us at “hello, we serve gluten-free and vegetarian options.” One of the gluten-free cookies is made from the yucca root. Now do not let the word “root” dishearten your taste buds. The light, little squares are naturally sweet and perfectly crumbly, with a hint of coconut and they pair perfectly with coffee or mocha. Another wonderful gluten-free option is a three-berry chocolate fudge pie; and even if you can eat gluten you might want to try a piece. Both of these will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth without sending you into a sugar coma.

After the Sonho, yucca cookie and fudge pie, we needed something savory again, so we decided to try an empanada. This traditional Latin American breakfast food was so light and fresh that we didn’t even realize that we were actually eating a pastry. The vegetarian empanada is filled with spinach, palm hearts and feta cheese; you almost feel healthier as you eat it. They also offer a breakfast empanada filled with scrambled eggs, cheese and chives and a beef empanada with tomatoes, olives and spices.

Rosalia’s also sells Brazilian food products in the store. One sauce that we added to our empanadas was the Piri Piri. It was like a splash of fresh red bell peppers, and while it’s not for the weak mouthed, it adds a kick that hot sauce connoisseurs will love.

The wonderful thing about Rosalia’s Bakery is not just the traditional sweet and savory confections but also the atmosphere, which acts as a sanctuary for customers, especially when the harpist is playing. Yes, occasionally you will be able to relax to live harp music in this little shop. You feel at home as you walk in the door and smell the coffee brewing and the bread baking in the massive kitchen.

Oh yeah, did we forget to mention the bread? Not only does Rosalia’s feature homemade pastries, treats and specialty decorated cakes, they also bake fresh bread daily and different specialty breads throughout the week! You’ll never be able to go back to store-bought bread after you’ve tasted their fresh baguettes, croissants, sovados and dinner rolls.

Don’t miss out on this new hot spot in Hillcrest. Head on over right now or after work or for breakfast—anytime really is a great time to be at Rosalia’s Family Bakery.

Rosalia’s Bread Schedule
Daily :: Baguettes, Cheese Bread, Croissants, Paozinhos (small French loaves), Sovados (table bread)

MONDAY :: Ciabatta, Dinner rolls, Roscas
TUESDAY :: Focaccia, Potato loaves
WEDNESDAY :: Whole wheat and White sandwich
THURSDAY :: Rye, Indian multigrain
FRIDAY :: Challah, Roasted Coconut loaves
SATURDAY :: Sourdoughs