Tucked into the Block Foodhall in Downtown D.C. is Rose Ave Bakery. Rose Ave Bakery is an Asian American bakery founded by Rose Nguyen, a healthcare worker with a passion for baking. After working for multiple restaurants, founding her own macaron business, and even becoming a potential contestant for Masterchef, she opened Rose Ave Bakery three days before COVID-19 shut down the majority of D.C. businesses.
The bakery closed for about a month, but Nguyen decided to open back up, operating at half of her menu, in a socially-distant manner—with herself as the only employee! A year later, her team of mighty women has grown and they’re up and running alongside Pogiboy, another Filipino restaurant in the Block Foodhall.
Rose Ave Bakery has grown a cult following, with over twenty-two thousand followers on Instagram and loyal customers lining up outside to get their hands on these delicious pastries. Famous comedian, actress and author, Ali Wong even had to stop by when she was in Washington, D.C. in August. Nguyen’s menu features incredible Asian American pastries, inspired by flavors from the Philippines and other areas of Southeast Asia.
Some of her most popular pastries are the donuts, with flavors including Passion Fruit, Matcha White Chocolate, Pandan, Black Sesame and Ube Coconut. Rose Ave also sells some amazing Amann pastries, which are known for being some of the most difficult pastries to make. Flavors like Strawberry Passion and Ube Cheese put a fun twist on the French pastry that are absolutely delicious.
Because Rose Ave Bakery is one of the most sought out places for Asian American desserts in the District, customers need to plan ahead to get this sweet fix. Rose Ave has walk-in hours from 10am-2pm or until sellout on Wednesday and Thursday, and 11am-2pm or until sellout on Friday and Saturday. It’s typical for them to sell out long before 2pm.
To ensure customers are able to get the pastries they want, Rose Ave also has a preorder option that opens every Sunday at 5pm for pickup on the following Friday and Saturday. The pre-order menu features the same options as the walk-in menu, with some additions like larger cakes or cakes with custom writing that would normally take more time to prepare. The pre-order also has a record of selling out quickly, so it’s important to place that order right when it opens!
Rose Ave Bakery is one of D.C.’s greatest gems, especially if you’re looking for some of the Southeast Asian flavors that aren’t typically sold in some of the more mainstream bakeries around town. They’re located at 1110 Vermont Ave NW in The Block Foodhall, be sure to arrive early!