Rao’s Bakery

Rao’s bakery
Coffee: it’s coffee
Apple turnover: not a turnover, stale, had to use a knife, could not cut it with a fork, possibly canned Apple filling, no flavor
Tables: dirty
Décor: hideous
Gelato: hideous
Pastries: un challenging
Staff: reluctant to help
Lobby: The sound of the refrigerator cases lining the front space is incredibly annoying
Conclusion: Does not live up to the hype it was given, could just be a poor location.

Awesome cake! Got one for wife’s birthday and couldn’t believe how moist it was. Great gelato as well. Try the watermelon! The hiking trails are also behind the cypresswood location and you can hike there from the park.

Long time favorite, been coming here since before Unilocal… Haven’t been here in 5 – 6 years… Still a great little local place. Greeted when we walked in and the service was better than ever. Hope to be back in town soon to go back!

Atmosphere was ok, sandwiches were ok, customer service was above ok, sweet selection was amazing. Overall, it was meh, just ok. I wouldn’t tell you not to try it but I would definitely recommend something else in the area before I show you the way to Raos.

Upon walking in I noticed this place was pretty packed. I noticed a wide variety of groups: families with their kids, older couples, younger couples, friends etc. I didn’t have time to stay myself because we just stopped by on the way home from the grocery store. I bought a brownie and my husband bought a pecan pie and a cappuccino. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have custom blends of coffees. Once I tried my dessert I felt like it was definitely better than something I’d get from a grocery store, but the brownie itself still had a little bit of a generic taste to it. The frosting made it all better, but I would’ve enjoyed something a little more rich and moist. Other than that, I enjoyed the atmosphere at Rao’s so next time around I want to stop by and try their Gelato.

i went there for some gelato after walking at meyer park. i have always enjoyed their gelato. i was disappointed the last time i was there more flavors and the display case had more gelato selections. the gelato was ok but the server did not wear gloves when i asked why he did not have on gloves he replied that they only wear gloves when handling food items. and the employee did not know the flavors that were in a smoothie i ordered. and the place had a terrible smell. i will not be back. i will buy gelato from the store

This was my first time and wow! I ordered a cold drink and a muffin. The chocolate chunk muffin wasn’t too sweet and it was delicious. The vanilla frappucino was made perfectly. All the employees I dealt with were very friendly — even came around the counter to hand me my items. I went next door to my appointment and came back for a banana nut muffin for breakfast tomorrow

The service is good. The workers are very friendly.
My tiramisu desert tasted like powdered sugar without the sweetness and it lacked the taste of tiramisu. It was falling apart and looked stale. Then I had crème brûlée without any toppings and it was way too greasy. After finishing it, it left 3 layers of butter on the top part of my mouth. It tasted okay though. The red velvet cake pop tasted like canola oil. Straight up. The chocolate they used for dipping was cheap, unsweet and waxy. I would rate below average for their taste.
Overall, 2 stars only because of the service.

Tried Rao’s about a year ago as it is close to our house and overall receives good reviews. I ordered 4 cupcakes and in each one, the cake was dry. I would rate them below average in taste. I decided to pop in there tonight to give them another shot, and ordered two baby cakes, red velvet and double chocolate. Again, cake was dry and overall not very good. Not to mention it is a little pricey. Each mini cake was 7 $. I don’t mind paying for quality but these desserts just aren’t very good.

Nothing beats thir espresso drinks and fresh, glazed, sugar cookies. Unlike the megacoffee chain, they still hand tamp their espresso. I’ve been a patron for years, and most recently I noticed manager and staff going above and beyond when I visted with my three very young children. The manger herself offered to help us to our table when she noticed I was struggling to juggle our food, a double stroller, and one very excited prescooler. The barista was also accomodating when he walked my latte over, so that I wouldn’t have get back up and leave the children alone at the table. This is the kind of customer service that keeps me coming back year after year.

I have been coming to this bakery café for quite some time. The atmosphere is so cozy. Service is great! Such nice staffs! I usually grab coffee before going into work. They have coffee, cakes, desserts, and gelato. Sometimes its really good and sometimes its really not. It really depends on what you get. I have tried numerous desserts. And I have not found any I like. On the other hand I love their gelato. So many varieties. My boyfriend likes the mango gelato the best. He also have had the chocolate chewy (it has coconut in it!) and chocolate chip cookie. He didn’t like it as much.

Pretty Busy for a Café, but I love coming here. Staff always friendly & attentive. Orders always accurate. Wide variety of Baked Goods from Cookies to Cakes. Coffee Selection Great & The Tasty Fresh Gelato my kids Love

Horrible — I can’t get past the poor dirty condition to rank the food. I sat in here reading for about an hour before trying to order something. With 3 employees behind the counter and virtually no customers at the time, I sat in an area with 9 tables and 8 were dirty and full of lunch hour dishes. No one came out to clean even one table.
At about 3:30 they began to get busy so I got in line to order. The same employees who had done nothing for the past hour were now complaining about how there is never enough help for the mid-​day rush. I ordered a pastry and hot chocolate, she asked if I wanted it to go or in a glass mug, holding up a filthy glass mug. No thanks!
The pastry and hot chocolate were okay but the disgusting condition of the restaurant and filthy glasses are enough to keep me away or recommending to others.

Horrible customer service… I was not greeted when I walked in. Although several employees were doing absolutely nothing, I was never waited on. After the customer before me paid for his order, the cashier went to the back and never acknowledged my presence!!!
No thanks!!! I will not spend my money at this bakery!

You really can’t go wrong here. Have ordered many cakes and cookies from here in the past that have all turned out beautifully. Recently bought some muffins for a family breakfast during the holidays that were delicious as well. So great to have this bakery close to my neighborhood.

Loved this place! A must see bakery! Great service and recommendations. Breakfast and lunch they have a great selection!
Cheesecake ball
Fruit Tart
Cannoli are all must try’s.

We stopped in for a quick lunch combo. I had the half club sandwich, cup of loaded potato soup, and chips on the side. Surprised there was a good amount of people inside. Service was kind of slow. The guy at the register handling money needs to wear gloves if he’s going to be the one bringing the food out. Sorry, but that’s just gross. The food came out messy. The soup was definitely loaded with potato. Definitely, is not your healthy selection. It was okay. The chicken on the club was really good. Unfortunately, there were several tables left uncleaned after the customer has left. 3 people behind the counter doing– really nothing at all should come clean off the table. Next time I’ll just stick with the bakery selection and have it to go! This place doesn’t seem like a pleasant sit in place to eat.

Amazing baked goods. I’ve loved pretty much everything I’ve tried.
While the sweets are amazing (they so know how to make decadent desserts and their pastry crusts are unbelievably flaky/​layered), my favorite thing they offer is their Dobasche cake.
I’m more of a savory than sweet person and this place did a great combination of both.

I used to go to the original Rao’s in Beaumont a couple times a year on the way to and from my grandmother’s house in Louisiana. It was a fantastic family-​run bakery with great cookies and cakes. I was elated to see that they have opened a couple of locations in Houston. I’ve tried it a couple of times about a year apart and while they still produce high quality goods, this location doesn’t meet the standard of the one in Beaumont.
I’ve noticed that the people working here weren’t trained well (or at least it seems that way). Both times, the person helping me had a lot of trouble with the cash register (understandable if the register is finicky, but this seems to be a pattern) or didn’t know basic information about the menu. I’m guessing they have a high turnover of employees and don’t have the time to train every new person very thoroughly.
I love their cakes but I am not too crazy about their cookies. I also like that they sell cake by the slice so you can try it out before ordering a whole one. Their cakes are always moist and beautifully decorated. The cupcakes are huge and very pretty. The cookies, especially the seasonally-​decorated sugar cookies, look adorable but I find them too be too dry and the icing way too sugary and not creamy enough. I can’t really complain about that too much since everyone has their own personal preferences about the flavor of cookies and icing.
I appreciate that they always have a great selection and keep their pastry cases well-​stocked. They also have gelato available but I’ve never tried it. I’ve never had any their savory snacks or sandwiches but I can imagine that they’re delicious.
Overall, this is a good place to order delicious cakes and sweets that are high quality but won’t break the bank.

Please add half of a star to this review.
I rescind my comment I made about there not being a Rao’s bakery in Houston, actually it’s on the outskirts… waaaay outerskirts like Northwest. As I made my review for the two that are in the Beaumont/​Nederland area I was sulking wondering why they have not opened one up in Houston but to my surprise when my sister in law read it she informed me that there is one and I do not have to drive 40 minutes across town to get there!
If you have been to the other two Rao’s then you might feel a sense that something is missing in this one. Yes, there are the Blue Brother’s life sized statues here, the Gelato, the cake, the pie case as well as the coffee bar. It seemed like it is a bit scaled down, not much but not as detailed as what I am used to seeing in the other two.
Enough about comparison, I must add at least that there is your Gelato case with a good amount of selections, I would say about 15, give or take a few. The cake as well as the purchase by piece is on the left hand side and behind you as you are looking at the menu is the coffee bar. Microwave and even a toaster is located on the other side of the coffee bar if you want something heated real quick.
There is seating outside and what I like about this particular location is it is between a walkway that is covered. Do you know what that means? It means you can enjoy your purchase in the shade on a hot summer or rainy day accompanied by a water fountain while you are looking at the romantic view of the parking lot.
The personnel here are pretty much friendly in which you will be hard to find any negative vibe in the atmosphere. «Would you like a receipt» is still an awkward question to be asked, just give me my receipt automatically, I promise not to throw it on the floor.
If you have ever been to the Cypresswood Courthouse for your «random taxation» spell then you will find that this is located right behind it.
Wifi is offered to their customers here, just ask for it and they’ll be happy to give you the word.
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