El Bolillo Bakery

I recently discovered this bakery and was pleasantly surprised. They have 3 more locations around Houston. They offer a wide range of baked goods, primarily with Mexican and Latin influences, along with fresh tortillas, juices, coffee, and hot tamales. They also take custom cake orders, which is a great plus. We tried the flan, chocolate muffin, quesadillas, and galleta cookies—all delicious, though some items were slightly too sweet for my taste. Overall, a great spot, and I’ll definitely return to explore more of their menu! The only issue was the staff did not speak English, which made communication a bit challenging. We inquired about the price of a specific product, but due to the language barrier, we couldn't get the information. Thankfully, a kind customer stepped in and acted as a translator. Despite this, the overall experience was fine.

This bakery is a must to try if you are in the Heights. There is a great variety of pan dulce, we love to try the different varieties. The bakery has a nice atmosphere and a colorful decor.

Ordered a tres leches vanilla cake with a blend of cut strawberry and pecans for my daughter's birthday party, and it was a hit! Our guests couldn't get enough of it - so delicious! I'll definitely be coming back for more cakes in the future.

The best Latino bakery I have ever tried in the heights. All the bakery and pastry items were made fresh in front of me, very affordable, high quality, delicious and best part is how authentic. If you want delicious treats please come check them out they deserve recognition

Great!! And cheap!!!! The best bakery is even over n86 degrees and korean bakery, which is very expensive

The sweet bread is the very best I’ve tasted here in Houston, Texas. Soft and fresh! Always worth the drive. Prices are fair.

We ordered a Carlota thinking it’s actually a Carlota but no it’s jello with pineapple. So definitely is not what they said. Also there was a little kid there touching all the bread since it’s always all out. Disgusting. They make so much that it’s not covered properly.

Best pan ever, same feeling like if you were in Mexico City,

Time to stock up on weekend rations for Manuel... we love coming here to grab a platter and browse.

I get into serious trouble here every time I visit. I just can't help wanting to buy EVERYTHING. The pastries here are made fresh almost every hour because they are always so busy. There isn't one thing here I wouldn't recommend. Fresh pastries, bread and tortillas are all amazing. I only wish they sold fresh aguas. Service is always so friendly and the store is always immaculate which is crazy considering the amount of traffic they get daily.

If being a bakery was a popularity contest, El Bolillo would win in a landslide. As one of the city's most visited and sought after panaderias, they've become a landmark in a community where there's no shortage of competition. Their variety of pan dulce and custom cakes is downright impressive and just a couple of the reasons why I view them as one of my favorite businesses in all of Houston. On the weekends, this place is a zoo. The parking lot is spacious, but it looks like the aftermath of a church ceremony, where cars are forced to park across the street at the Houston Farmer's Market and walking over. It's a certain kind of chaos that perfectly illustrates the kind of demand they generate. For pan dulce lovers, there's a lot to appreciate. The spectrum of cookies and pastries is endless with many sporting unique designs and fun seasonal stuff. Their conchas are outstanding, as is their cinnamon cuernos, piernas, caracoles, and girasols. Their namesake and signature item, the bolillo is like a dinner roll with a mini version (bolillitos) to boot. The teleras are underrated, as is their manitas de chocolate. I am here most often for their custom cakes. From the online order to quick phone orders, I'm so impressed with how easy they've made the process. Above all, these pasteles are so well made that I constantly have guests ask me where I get them. Their Mexican tres leches cake is among the best I've had and a perfect cake for any special occasion. I'd be remiss if I didn't remark on their tortilleria or the fact they sell tamales on the weekends. I think it's easy to peruse pastries forever here, and there's just so much to take in every time I visit. The customer service has always been outstanding and they're professional from top to bottom. This is a must visit for anyone who is looking for top notch product, outstanding variety, and a quality experience that is second to none. Make El Bolillo part of your panaderia journey ASAP.

Location: airline Parking: plenty, multiple lots, front , back Staff: DELMY was terrible. Place was super packed and her customer service attitude was terrible. Every one was nice and greeting with a smile. Seems like she seemed overwhelmed and taking it out on customers. She was rolling her eyes and talking rudely. Wait time: none, do not get confused on crazy packed lines, they move pretty fast. Seating:no seating Price: low-average Drink: multiple coffee options, hot coco, aguas frescas, holiday drinks such as champurrado Food: delicious sweet bread, tamales, cakes

Bread is always A1! Service is quick for how busy they are at pretty much any time of day. Ambiance very Mexico City vibes. Absolutely love this place and will drive 20 plus minutes just to get their breads.

Went here on a whelm on Saturday after a visit to the farmers market across the street. This place is SUPER busy. I'm not sure if it's like that every day, but on this day, it was. To me, that's a huge indication that it's got to be the best. When I walked in, I grabbed my tray and tongs and started to walk around and pick the pastries that caught my eye. I must admit, I wasn't planning on getting as many items as I did, but they looked way too good to pass up. I also noticed that they had tamales. Why not just pick up a dozen of those for dinner? When I went to the register, there were two women working the register. Neither one of them spoke English and were pretty upset that I didn't speak Spanish. Don't get me wrong, I don't care if someone doesn't speak English, just don't give me bad service because I don't speak Spanish. Luckily, there was a nice gentleman in line behind me who spoke English and Spanish and translated for me. After they added up my pastries, I asked for a dozen pork tamales. They rang them up at two 1/2 dozens. I was ok with that because maybe they only come in 1/2 dozen packs. After you pay for everything, you have to go stand in another line to get your tamales. Again, they ladies working at that counter were very annoyed that I didn't speak Spanish. So, I just handed them my receipt and said that I had paid for a dozen tamales. They reached into the cooler and pulled out one package of tamales. The foil was tore open, but I didn't want to complain about that. I asked them if it was a dozen. She said yes, so I showed her my receipt and said that I had paid for a dozen. She said, "Yes, dozen." So I trusted that it was in deed a dozen. When I got home and planned to serve the tamales for dinner, I opened the foil pack, and there were only 6 tamales in there. So, she gave me a 1/2 dozen when I had paid for a whole dozen. So, I had to change dinner plans on the fly when I thought I had enough tamales for 4 people. Back to the store I go. The takeaway from visiting this place for the first time. The staff is VERY rude, especially if you don't speak Spanish. I realize that I'm only one person, and this place makes plenty of money without me going there, but I will not be returning. There are plenty of other places that serve these types of pastries that have much better customer service and don't take your money without giving you what you pay for.

This place is fantastic! When you walk in it smells like heaven. There are so many different types of sweet breads and cakes to buy and they also make fresh tortillas, sheets cakes, and bollio breads. When you walk in you grab a round silver tray and tongs and make your way around grabbing the things you like. I always try a bit of everything and honestly you can't go wrong with any selection. Please check this place out if you're a bread lover or have cravings for sweet things. Parking can fill up quickly but there is space in the back along the street and some additional in a gravel type area behind the building as well.

We live to go here! Authentic Mexican bread, cookies and pastries. You can also order cakes. Everything is so good and very reasonable prices.

I've had the opportunity to visit several times during weekdays after being in the area for work, and this is a wonderful bakery location! Having tried the Wayside Dr location, I was hoping that the North Houston El Bolillo would hit a similar mark. This location has been great! My main go-to is the bolillitos with cheese, jalapeño and chorizo. Every time I've visited, they've been fantastic. The bread is wonderfully fresh and they add a nice amount of chorizo with each bite. I also tried the macarons and found them very tasty and with a lovely crunch level, though they were more expensive than I expected. The parking outside has always been sufficient when I've visited (on the weekends around lunch time). There's also a farmers market across the street with a lot of fresh produce. Staff have been very kind and efficient with checking you out. The store itself is a little more cramped compared to the Wayside location. Even at noon, there are often long lines, because this bakery is just too popular (in the best way possible)! On a side note, I saw the El Bolillo tamales on a list of best Houston tamales and can't wait to check them out on my next visit! I get too distracted by the cases of sweets and hadn't noticed them before.

Traditional tastes of Mexico. Cinnamon, love and sugar coat these baked goodies. The molasses pan is my favorite abd the elephant ears hear me too. Our air bnb host gifted us a beautiful bag of these pillows of pleasure and we had to go back for the coffee and more morsels. The history is rich here of old world baking. Rolling pins and aprons. Flour sprinkled onto your toes. Houston has another feather in it's hat!

I ordered a slice of caramel tres leches and it was quite dry and had lots of whipped cream The concha pastry was good, I enjoyed the creamy filling although it was mostly all on one side The pastry with yellow circle in the middle (not sure the name) was unexpectedly hard in the middle. I thought it was going to be a soft center. Overall it was a great price for 3 pastries and a slice of cake ($6.00 total)! I would definitely come back and try all the other pastries one by one!

Overwhelming. In a good way? Kind of. This place has everything- bolillos, empanadas, conchas, marranitos biscuits, cakes, cheesecake, and all the other pan dulces that I didn't really grow up eating. The place is busy. I think we arrived at 6 on a Saturday and it was packed. Everyone knew what they were doing. Everyone was on a mission. It was literally every person for themselves. In the meantime, I was floundering in search of tongs. Finally with tongs in hand, I judiciously followed my boyfriend around to put the desired item on the tray. Seriously. It's a two person job. We picked pieces from each case and realized... no marranitos??? A nice lady directed us to a baker's rack full of freshly made pastries where I found the reach of delicious cookies! And they have packages tortillas!! The marranitos were my favorite. As Usual. They were perfect with my coffee. The conchas were soft, sweet, and delightful. The tortillas are perfect!! I wish I stocked up. The only disappointed was the empanadas. I thought I was getting cheese, but ended up with quince. Not bad, but definitely not cheese! 10/10. However, if I could go when fewer people were around, that would be great!

We ordered a tres leches cake from here and I was greatly disappointed that it didn't have much flavor, was barely moist, I ordered fresh strawberry's to be placed in the middle and it barely had any. It was a pretty big cake and they only put 3 pieces of strawberry and 3 pieces of peaches on top. For the most part, this cake was just icing. I don't think it was worth $45. I also got some bolillos and although I am aware it was 1pm and they could have gotten hard from being out for so long, they tasted and felt like if they had been out for an entire day.

This is, without hesitation, the best panadería in town! Their bread is always fresh and consistent with the flavor. We only buy conchas, cochinitos (gingerbread pig), and empanadas (pineapple and pumpkin) The staff is nothing but friendly and helpful. The place is beyond busy. So, if you're planning to visit for the first time, make sure you go with a mindset that parking lot is going to be packed and busy on the weekends or during their peak time (6pm-8pm) As you enter the bakery, you will be overwhelmed with the bustling of the place. Don't be afraid, just get your tray and your tongs and enjoy the fresh-taken-out-of-the-oven- bread aroma (Yummy) and move around the place as you pick your favorite bread (pan dulce) The place is huge, busy, loud, and it has different areas, The bakery, the cake-ordering area, the dessert area, the tortilla factory, and the french bread area! Everything you see at this bakery is just a joy to watch and get entertained by the main purpose of El Bolillo which is provide their costumers with the freshest pan dulce in town!

This place is simply amazing, there is nothing else to say about this. the parking can be a bit tricky to figure out, but there is plenty adjacent parking in the front, and additional lot in the back. I go during off peak hours, 8AM weekends and get in/out quickly and without much hassle. The bread, and sweet breads here are unmatched.

So I finally got to try this famous bakery my family had been telling me about and let me tell you OMG. The pan dulce and bolios are outstanding. Best ever. Sorry there's only a half a concha I couldn't help myself it was that tasty.

I will be back for more! I waltzed in across the street from the Farmer's Market and was amazed. Everything is baked fresh in house (you can see them doing it). The walls are LINED with bread- this carb lovers dream!! The angel in disguise saw the joy of the bread paradise in my eyes and gave me the gracious pro tip that the baked goods in the middle of the store on metal sheet pans should not be passed up- they are fresh out of the oven! I stocked up on homemade tortillas (they make them in front of you!) I grabbed so many goods, and they were all so delicious. Highly recommend this precious panderia!

Wow, wow, wow!!! I've never experienced anything so amazing!! Best yet, the pastries taste as good as they look.

We had our wedding cake made here and it was absolutely beautiful AND was moist and tasted wonderful. The cake made our day so special. If I could give 6 stars, I would. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The best bakery I have ever been to!! Absolutely LOVR this place! The service is exceptional with very little wait time! We are in Houston every three weeks and visit without fail. Best bread, fresh tortillas and cookies I've ever had! Their verde salsa is a must have!! Never leave without a few jar..my family practically puts it on everything from eggs to tacos to sandwiches and rice!

Do not come hungry. I would have bought one of everything if I wouldn't have felt ashamed. Most of their pan dulces aren't as sweet as American style pastries, but all that means is you don't feel gross after eating. Haven't tried them, but there were people bunched up like ravenous vultures looking at a sick wildebeast at the kolache section.

Oh my goodness. My friend got me a Tres Leches cake here for my birthday and DANG, it was SO good. I have never had it before, and people say it's the best Tres Leches in Houston. It's not too milky, but perfect amount of moist, strawberries, chocolate drizzle and more. Absolutely loved it! Huge and perfect for 10 people!

This place is amazing. I know very little about Mexican bakeries and were so glad we visited this bakery. It's truly eye opening. This place does a little bit of everything and does it well. They have an outstanding selection of cookies and pastries and you can tell instantly it's a local's favorite. If I ever stop by Houston again, 10/10 would visit the bakery.

Bollio is the Houston gold standard in Tex-Mex Pan Dulce. Texas-Mex Pan Dulce is a fusion of traditional Mexican sweet bread and Texan flavors. This hybrid pastry retains classic elements like the sugary toppings and rich, bready textures, while incorporating Southern twists that might include pecans or local honey. Pan dulce, which literally means "sweet bread," is essential to family gatherings and festive celebrations, often enjoyed with coffee or Mexican hot chocolate. The confections are as varied in flavor as they are in shape, each with a distinct personality. My top five types of Tex-Mex Pan Dulce are: 1. Conchas - Shell-shaped, with a crunchy topping. 2. Cuernos - Croissant-like, often with a cinnamon twist. 3. Empanadas - Pastry turnovers filled with pumpkin or fruit. 4. Marranitos - Molasses-flavored, pig-shaped cookies. 5. Orejas - Puff pastry, named for their ear-like shape, with a caramelized sugar topping. Good stuff!

This place is amazing with their traditional Mexican sweet breads. It's a grab and go system which I love. The freshness of the conchas is unbeatable. The pink mini concha is just the right size and a perfect treat with a hot cup of coffee or champurado. I only wish they had a location closer to me. Please open up a new location in The Woodlands

Fun busy Mexican bakery!! Love the vibes! Felt like a little kid in a candy store! Got a bunch of baked goods, a cake slice, and flan. The cake and flan were alright! My fave was the caramel filled churro! Sooo good when you warm in up in the air fryer. Their danish is good too!! Overall, cool experience! Parking can be a bit difficult on the weekends

Authentic Mexican bakery. Lots and lots of bread, pastry, sweet breads, and dessert choices! They had tamales today! Great pricing. Plenty of free parking. There is additional parking behind bakery. Located across from Houston Farmers Market.

Love this local bakery, so many baked goods! It was so hard to pick! Bakery items are quite cheap too. Got the oreo tres leches, fresh tortillas, and a cheesecake pastry. The oreo tres leches was moist and had a layer of oreo crumbles in the center. The tortillas are some of the best I've had, stays fresh in the fridge! Loved the cheesecake pastry too.

I love this place! They have the best tasting, and the most beautiful tres leches cakes you can find. You can order in advance, or go in and choose from what's available. The flan and choco flan are also both very good. We also like their flour tortillas and bolillo bread. My kids always like to get the cookies and pastries. My daughter loves the canastas and empanadas. They also make a cinnamon doughnut that is filled with a Bavarian style cream, and that is the best doughnut I have ever had in my life! They don't have them every time I go, so when they don't, I get piernas de queso. Everything we have had from this bakery has been fantastic, and check them out around holiday periods for festive bakery items. You won't be disappointed!

We walked over after dinner at Connie's Seafood for some pastries, they have a lot to choose from and everything is so fresh. All the employees are friendly and make sure to move quickly to take care of everyone. They were very busy, but everyone was so friendly and courteous. Definitely recommend them for cakes, cookies, Mexican sweet breads...so good!

Tried more stuff this time. Chocolate covered croissant (cone) filled with whipped cream $2.95 - this was really good! Pineapple stick $1.10 & Strawberry stick? - bf really likes these and always gets them Concha w/ pineapple filling $1.35 - soft but not enough filling. Not that sweet Bolillo 45c - we always get these

Bread is always fresh! Everything is so good, you really can't go wrong with any type of pastry. This place is always busy, people are always coming in and out the store.

The greatest of all time Mexican bakery and panderia in Houston! Such a fun and festive atmosphere once you step foot inside- you'll want to immediately have an excuse to buy every baked good and throw a fiesta, just because. I always order their famous Tres Leches for birthdays and parties, and it is always a hit. You can customize with whatever filling, flavor, icing you would like too. My personal favorite is the Marble Tres Leches with Chocolate Chips filling and Stawberries! Super affordable for the sizes, quality, taste, look of the cakes as well! Their empanadas are tasty too, and don't forget the conchas- soft, fluffy, and fresh! Head to El Bolillo if you need to bring something for a pot luck, you will be everyone's favorite person, guaranteed!

What a find for a Mexican bakery here in Houston. Lots of assortment of breads, pastries, and dessert choices to choose from. All are baked fresh in house. Recommend going early in the morning to get the best selections. They also make the tortillas fresh in house daily. Highly recommend the pineapple empanadas. There is a parking lot out in the front which tends to be full during the rush, however there is additional parking right behind the bakery.

Pretty cool place, must see. There is a huge selection. I think we were a little disappointed in some of the things we chose but there was so much to choose from, surely there must be something good there. Check out my live action video experiencing it all. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRw9vEsT/

Great service! Felix the manager was very kind. Employees are like family here, always smiling and saying nice things very clean establishment ! Coffee and sweet bread were fantastic ! Would definitely recommend this place if you want authentic baked goods

I've never been to a bakery like El Bolillo - my perception of bakeries was only my familiarity with small pastry shops in the NorthEast. When I entered, there was a line filled with people holding circular metal pans with breads & desserts filled. There was so many options to choose from, although I specially came for the concha's. The manager at this location, was a very friendly Hispanic lady. Although we had some language barrier, she was so kind enough to let us try some of the pastries (as we were not sure what it was). I appreciated the family oriented environment. If you have a sweet tooth, I would highly recommend visiting this bakery for a mind-blowing authentic experience.

El Bollilo is my bakery for life! Their bread is always fresh and super soft I can go all day with the recommendations! Try everything it's all amazing! They always have the cutest seasonal items! They are my custom cake place they have never let my family down! Every idea or inspiration we've brought them they nail it each time! Especially loved my purple bday conchas

Wow! Imagine the day before a holiday and you need your rolls and pastries? That's what it's like here everyday! It was like a controlled chaos. Shelves and trays of amazing treats. It was our first time coming here. We didn't know what to get so we basically got one of everything, lol. The staff did there best to keep the lines moving. We were in and out quickly. There is parking but it fills quickly. We would definitely return. Clearly this is the place to be.

The mocha tres leches (with pecan) was delicious!!! It was my first time there. It was pretty crowded for a Sunday I thought. Now I know why. Totally worth it. Soooo many things to choose from. Breads,cookies,cakes oh my!!

I would like to say that the staff are friendly....but I was pretty disappointed with the execution of the actual Tres Leches I ordered. I'm not sure if it's COVID-19 that affected their supply shortage or possibly having to cut back on ingredients, but in the past, I recall there being more fruit inside the Tres Leches cakes....and then the icing they used to write out "Happy Birthday, Eric" was sloppy and it dried up and discolored. There was hardly any fruit in between the layer, and just overwhelming amount of whipped cream. I also emailed them a photograph directly from Their own website, and it didn't look like the photo at all. So I was kind of disappointed about this too. If they plan to just design it at their discretion, they shouldn't ask me to send them a photo and just take the liberty of doing their own design. I was put on hold three times just to place one Tres Leches order...so this is why I am mentioning the fact about emailing a photograph because it was a waste of time. They used to have numbers on their cake designs which was way easier to reference but they've since revamped their website. I still love their cakes! Price point is affordable and I always imagine Tres Leches cakes to be a fun experience overall. It could be that it was Valentines weekend that affected the overall experience too..

"Our Famous" Tres Leches cake...at least that's what the box says. It's a visually nice looking cake, but as far as it being a "Tres Leches" cake...I'd say it's a tall triple layered white cake with a little bit of moisture on the bottom layer. If you like a cake with actual leche goodness making the whole cake moist - This one ain't it as you can see from the photo and packaging. I waited to take a photo a day after to see if any leche sets in, but as you can see there's hardly any. Maybe hold on some of the crazy amount of frosting, knock a layer off, and put some more well...leche...in it. On A SIDE NOTE: THEIR CONCHAS and POLVORONES SLAPPED, which is why they got a 3 instead of a 2 stars.

Best bakery ever! Such good food options and I love the ambiance is exciting! Service is quick bc you get to serve yourself.

They don't put prices on the bread.So you kinda go crazy grabbing bread cause it looks good.Once you go and paid.Youre paying 30 plus so yes it's expensive.They need to put and lower prices.

First time here in years. The selection remains incredible and the prices are fantastic (our bill was under $10 for 7 items). We went in at Sunday at 5, which I would not advise if you hate crowds as it was elbow to elbow jam packed.

Love you guys you have been a part of our family tradition for 25 years! Not too good for my health but yolo! El bollio just hits different during winter! (chocolate abuelita with kahlua & conchas you're welcome)

I felt like a child in a candy store - I surrounded by so many colors and lovely smells and I wanted to try absolutely everything. I took a tray the size of a pizza pan and started loading it up with conchas, cookies, empanadas, cream horns, and pan dulce. Everything I tasted was delightful, well-made, super fresh (even warm in some cases), and very affordable. There were no prices on the items, but don't let that deter you; most items are a couple of dollars or less. This panadería clearly puts a lot of care into their baking and you could see how much the customers appreciated it by their full trays. They even have a separate section for fancier cakes and refrigerated items. This bakery is perfectly located right across the street from the farmers market!

On cold days like today, a warm chicken tamal , with coffee just hits on a different level . This is a must place try if you are in Houston .

What a delightful experience we had here a couple weekends ago before heading out of town. It is busy on a Sunday! We loved the energy and there was such a nice mingling of people there. Basically, you walk in, grab a massive platter and tongs, and go to town. We got a ton of pastries as well as a couple bread rolls, and since there was nowhere to sit, we ate them in the car like a bunch of fatties with crumbs and sugar flying everywhere. We have no idea what most things were, but everything was delicious. We tried our first concha--strawberry?--and we loved it! It's kind of like a lightly sweetened bun. There was also a cinnamon-caramel churro that we enjoyed, but one of our favorite was this massive cone thing that was filled with whipped cream. Do not miss that one! We weren't in love with the M&M cookie (a bit too hard for us), and there was a yellow one that we were clueless about that was only OK. We got a danish-type treat that was wonderful, and we used the bread rolls for lunch the next day. Service was friendly as were all the patrons who were trying to show us the ropes despite the language barrier. We really had a pleasant time here and would recommend it as a Houston food destination--we'll definitely be back again.