Popular Middle Eastern sweet shop Rosa’s Pastry closed its Cordova Mall sweet shop this month. However, the flagship brick-and-mortar shop in Pace at 4430 US-90 will remain open with a full variety of intricate, from-scratch desserts, including cakes, pastries, desserts and more.
How did Rosa’s Pastry get started?
Rosa’s Pastry owner Fatima Matouk moved from Iraq to the United States in 2016, however, she was born and raised in Syria. Once she settled in Pensacola in 2018, she began recreating some of the desserts she grew up on, receiving strong encouragement and praise from friends and employers. Years later, after much urging and with the unwavering support of her husband, she decided it was time to open a bakery of her own in November 2025. This took shape as Rosa’s Pastry, the name a nod to Santa Rosa County, which her family now calls home.
In addition to the sweets she knows to be regionally popular, such as the hummingbird cake — a Southern layered cake made with pineapple, banana and pecans — customers can also find dessert gems that are nearly impossible to find in the area.
Freshness is at the sweet shop’s core, and nearly everything you see in the case is made from scratch daily. Matouk will not sell anything she would not serve to her own family.
What’s on the Rosa’s Pastry menu?
Rosa’s Pastry combines viral treats, such as the Dubai chocolates, with harder-to-find delicacies traditional to her childhood, such as the Osh Al-Bulbul. This eye-catching Syrian dessert that resembles a bird’s nest is intricately woven out of kunafa dough and filled with pistachios.
You’ll also find various renditions of baklava in all shapes and sizes, such as a cream cup, cream roll and in a shell, all with the sweet, honey-soaked flavor and thin, crispy crust signature to the dessert.
Matouk also features a handful of date-based desserts in her bakery that highlight their natural sweetness, whether that be through their date balls, biscuits or dates dipped simply in chocolate.
While she realizes that many of her tried-and-true pastries are new to the area, she allows customers to mix and match different desserts to encourage them to try new flavors, with some priced at only 50 cents. She said many customers started out by ordering items they are familiar with, like the chocolate Swiss rolls or apple cinnamon rolls, but felt more adventurous on their next visit once Matouk had won their confidence.
When did Rosa’s Pastry open in Cordova Mall?
Following the success of the first location, Matouk debuted a new location on Sept. 1, 2025, in Pensacola’s Cordova Mall, near the front entrance, to make it more convenient for customers to access their favorite treats.
The Pensacola location served as a place to sell her baked goods baked out of the kitchen of her flagship Pace store, which carries her full inventory.
What’s next for Rosa’s Pastry?
While her Pensacola chapter is ending, for now, Matouk is keeping customers on the edge of their seats for what she has in store next.
“We’re also working behind the scenes to grow and expand our business in new and exciting ways. This is not the end — it’s the beginning of a new chapter, and we can’t wait to share what’s coming next!” Rosa’s Pastry shared in a statement. “Thank you for your continued love, support, and loyalty. We look forward to welcoming you at our Pace location and sharing more exciting updates soon!”
For more real-time updates and information on Rosa’s Pastry, follow Rosa’s Pastry on social media.
Hungry for more? Stay up to date on the latest restaurant news by subscribing to our free Pensacola Eats newsletter, delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. Sign up for the newsletter at profile.pnj.com/newsletters/pensacola-eats/
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Rosa’s Pastry closes Cordova Mall kiosk but keeps original Pace shop
Reporting by Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal | USA TODAY Network
