Alessi Bakery — Restaurant in Tampa

I'm saddened to write this review of my favorite bakery which stood for quality and fine bakery products since I was a child and they were at their original location on Howard Ave in West Tampa. The bakery has gone through rough times. It is not even a mere shadow of what it was. I have not been there since December of 2015. I went there today not knowing they were having a sale or that they were celebrating their 105th anniversary. The sales staff need to take a course oh how to deal with the public. I asked the salesperson for two guava turnover rings which include 4 turnovers per ring. The salesperson told me they were on sale but he could only sell me 4 at the sale price and one at regular price. I thought the person was talking about rings since I was talking about rings. That was a mistake. I felt belittled in front of all the customers that were present including my out of town friends. The rudeness was a bit on the sarcastic side and my friends wanted to leave and go someplace else. The guava pastries were great as usual. The Scachatta which I mind you was the best in town was tasteless. The dough was an anemic yellow and it was fresh but lacks the sweetness, and sauce it always had. There was hardly any sauce and no cheese sprinkled on top. It was bland and lacking sauce. It was dry. I bought gingerbread men for the kids and they lacked ginger. Needless to say, they ate the sugar but left the bread if you can call it that. The coconut macaroons were excellent. The eclairs were "okay" not as good as they've always been. If the owner or upper management read this please turn your company around. I would hate to see an excellent bakery close due to lack of patrons. Train your staff to be more courteous to your patrons. Yes I understand it was busy, but we must adhere to "Quality Rules" it has been the motto since it's inception. What would old great grandma Alessi say? The twin sister that worked there with Angie. They would be turning in their graves. Those were the days in which product quality, hospitality, and customer service ruled.Hopefully, it will be much better for the holiday season. I'm...

I went to this bakery today (11am on a Tuesday) and it seems like the prices have gone up but the quality has gone down. I don’t mind paying for quality and service.

The young lady that help me was not very knowledgeable on what she was serving; some of the items did not have names on them so I would ask what they were or what was in it and she gave vague answers not really knowing.

She wasn’t listening to the quantity of each item that I had requested (when I asked for two of one item, she would give me three or when I asked for do you have another item, she gave me one. I didn’t realize it until I got to the register and paid). furthermore, the boxes had sticky substance all over them. I was planning on gifting these items to a couple friends but I am going to have to get new boxes to repackage them since the boxes I got from the bakery are sticky all over. I don’t think this is the bakeries fault I think this is the young servers fault. Although, I asked her if she was new, and she said no.

I got a cupcake that was about Half the size of a normal cupcake but it cost $2.50 (after tax) - Super stale. The flan was over baked so instead of it being soft, it was tough; i’m used to flan melting in your mouth but I had to chew it. The cannoli was good; however, the way it was packaged for me I ended up with cupcake icing on it and lemon bar powder all over it.

I don’t mind paying $1 extra for lettuce / tomato on my subs (they charge 50 cents extra for each additional topping such as lettuce, tomatoe, mushrooms) but if I’m paying extra, they should ensure these topping are on the subs. I got 2 sandwiches, paid $1 extra for lettuce & tomatoes, but didn’t have any lettuce or tomatoes.

All in all, I spent $90 for about a $40 quality order. I’ve been coming here for years but I don’t think I will be returning. I understand multiple industries are struggling for employees so I’m not holding the employee issue against the bakery. However the quality of these items have gone down the drain; A large chain grocery store’s bakery Items taste better and...

Went to pick up some goodies for my birthday tomorrow and some lunch for today. Not one person greeted me when I walked in. When I got in line to order a sandwich, there was a little line. As I stood there for quite sometime for my turn to order, it looks as if the have a super slow process in completing orders. You place your order, and then the 3 girls make it, sell it and then take the next order. After finally ordering,the girl informed me that they will bring the order to me if I leave my number on the table since I was staying to eat there. I went to the bakery side to get a few things. Yet again, not one person greeted me or informed me they would be with me in a moment. Out of the 6 girls behind the counter, only one person was actually attending to guests. 3 of the girls were having a personal conversation in the corner. One of them was actually crying, right in full view of the customers. After waiting 15 minutes, the one woman actually working finally addressed me. I was able to order my bakery items and while I was waiting for her to box them, the deli employee came over to give me my sandwich. I was completely floored how bad their customer service is. They completely ignore the customers coming in. I was there about 11:30 am so not sure why we were ignored. There was another woman who came in and was standing next to me who waited even longer for anyone to help her. Great food, great bakery items but not worth the wait or the ignorance of the staff. Focus on customer service!!!!! Customers should be greeted immediately even if you can’t help them right away. At least greet them and let them you know will be with them shortly. That gives us the understanding you know we are standing their to give you business. Sad to see how downhill it has gone over...