Panaderia La Tapatia

Superb panaderia, far better than any I went to when I lived in Arizona. "La tapatia" means "woman from Guadalajara," and it turns out Guadalajara is renowned as a foodie spot. Rightly so -- this little bakery has a huge variety of huge pastries, reflecting the variety of Mexican baking, including its French influences.

For $8.50, I came home with four gigantic pastries, including bigote con crema, broca with chocolate and coconut, and something that looks similar to ricotta pie. This morning they definitely had bisquets, besos, abanicos, a raisin sweetbread, cubiletes, the usual muffins and conchas, and lots more that doesn't stick in my memory but looked promising. Trays aren't labeled, so I just picked whatever looked most intriguing in the moment -- it's all fresh and high quality. (I know from experience that I like every flavor conventionally used for fillings in pan dulce, though.)

In true panaderia style. you take a tray and a set of tongs, and you serve yourself. The nice person at the counter wraps your pastries and takes your payment. I'm eyeing Google Maps for a comfortable walking route, so I can justify going here more often.

What an incredible gem. This place offers amazing pastries, presented in the attractive, colorful storefront on Grand Ave. A refreshing breath of air from the Italian-American pastries is the fact that Mexican pastries are less sweet, allowing you to indulge and enjoy the sweet delights rather than getting fed up from all the sugar. People behind the counter are super friendly and bring out new surprises every few minutes. You do not need to know any Spanish as you are free to roam around the store and pick things onto your tray but it does not hurt to say a little Hola :).