Although it’s been open since April 2011, not many people know that Rosedale Brick Oven Pizzeria is there, tucked away in the NE corner of Pine Ridge and Goodlette-Frank by the Starbucks. If we hadn’t been told about it by a friend, we probably still never would have gone in there, despite driving past it almost daily. When you do go, you will find a down to earth, amazingly delicious New York-style Italian restaurant. Our first visit several months ago left us with full bellies and a great taste in our mouth so I highly recommend you check them out.
One of the owners, Joe Arato, sat down with us for a few minutes to talk more about Rosedale, their food philosophy and how they got started.
“Neither of us had culinary experience. But we know what tastes good. And we have a passion for it,” Joe told us. “Everything we serve to our customers is homemade: gnocchi, sauces, meatballs, pizza dough, you name it.”
Never afraid of trying things until you get it right, some recipes like Wings Italiano took the Rosedale team months of fine tuning before they were perfect. But the end result are flavorful, tender, moist chicken wings with a distinctly Italian flair (although they’re clearly not “really” Italian which the owners make no qualms about) which disappear off the plate in minutes.
The owners’ passion for good food and a high level of customer service comes through when you visit Rosedale. But it doesn’t come with a high price tag or a stuffy dress code. Instead you just get quality ingredients being turned into quality food which is simple yet powerful and certainly rivals other local Italian eateries.
“Italian food is meant to be simple,” said Joe. “You’ve got to be able to taste the real flavors of the food.”
The Rosedale menu features Napoletana-style, thin crust pizza, baked in the wood fired oven, hearty pasta dishes (try the Rosedale’s Marinara with Italian Sausage on your favorite pasta – yum!) or other specialties. They also have a nice selection of Italian wines. 
Before we left, Joe said the following: “If you make a commitment to come here to us for lunch or dinner, we do the same for you. Tell us when it’s not our best and we’ll do our best to make you satisfied.”
Based on what I know about these guys, they stand behind their word. Keeping customers happy and satisfied is paramount, so let them wow your taste buds.
Rosedale Brick Oven Pizzeria
1427 Pine Ridge Road, #105
Naples, Florida 34109
(239) 325-9653
Note: This article written by Tiffany, author and editor of No Ordinary Homestead, first appeared on FoodieNaples.com in 2014 and has been republished with permission.
