El Bolillo

Bakery · Gulfgate

El Bolillo

Bakery · Gulfgate

5

2421 S Wayside Dr, Houston, TX 77023

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Highlights

El Bolillo Bakery serves up a vibrant selection of freshly baked Mexican pastries and cakes, inviting you to load up your tray with sweet treats from conchas to tres leches in a bustling, authentic atmosphere.  

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2421 S Wayside Dr, Houston, TX 77023 Get directions

elbolillo.com
@elbolillobakery

$ · Menu

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2421 S Wayside Dr, Houston, TX 77023 Get directions

+1 713 921 3500
elbolillo.com
@elbolillobakery

$ · Menu

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Jul 20, 2025

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@eater

There’s Still Time to Score Houston’s Viral Pumpkin Spice-Filled Conchas - Eater Houston

"El Bolillo is known for its array of pan dulce, including pumpkin-shaped and colored conchas, though they don't come with any filling." - Brittany Britto Garley

https://houston.eater.com/2024/11/1/24285665/houston-la-hacienda-bakery-latinx-viral-pumpkin-spice-conchas-pan-dulce-mexican-pastry
View Postcard for El Bolillo Bakery
@eater

The 15 Best Pumpkin-Flavored Drinks and Dishes in Houston

"Along with the kickoff of its pan dulce season, this Latin bakery and its five locations will also launch special pumpkin desserts, including pumpkin spice cake that’s layered with rich cream cheese icing and creamy pumpkin pie chiffon; fluffy pumpkin-shaped conchas; and pumpkin spice cake pops dipped in orange-dyed white chocolate. Even Bolillo’s iconic tres leches gets a fall makeover. The bakery will offer pumpkin tres leches cake made with pumpkin-spiced sponge cake soaked in a tres leches milk blend and topped with pumpkin whipped cream." - Brittany Britto Garley

https://houston.eater.com/maps/houston-best-pumpkin-spice-latte-ice-cream-cookies-cocktails
View Postcard for El Bolillo Bakery
@eater

The 26 Best Bakeries in Houston

"Loading up on baked goods is half the fun of visiting this buzzy 25-year-old Mexican bakery, where guests are invited to grab a pizza tray and tongs and hand-select items like conchas, doughnuts, and churros, from well-stocked cases. Fresh tortillas are also prepared onsite, appearing on a conveyor belt as they are flattened, then packaged to grab-and-go. Pro tip: Replace a traditional birthday cake with El Bolillo’s tres leches cakes, which are considered among the best in the city." - Brittany Britto Garley

https://houston.eater.com/maps/houston-best-bakeries-cookies-cakes-pies
View Postcard for El Bolillo Bakery
@onthegrid

On the Grid : El Bolillo

"'Panaderia' means place of the bread. Maybe makers of the bread. And here that comes in all forms. Conchas, cuernitos, empanadas (de calabaza o de camote drool), wedding cake style cakes for any occasion, and—of course—tortillas. Depending on the time of day you can catch them baking all this goodness fresh and maybe even a Mexican hot chocolate. Pro tip: walk in, grab a tray, grab some tongs, and just start loading up. If you spend more than $10, we'd be surprised." - Primer Grey

https://onthegrid.city/houston/east-end/el-bolillo
View Postcard for El Bolillo Bakery
@onthegrid

"El Bolillo, East End. Panaderia' means place of the bread. Maybe makers of the bread. And here that comes in all forms. Conchas, cuernitos, empanadas (de calabaza o de camote drool), wedding cake style cakes for any occasion, and—of course—tortillas. Depending on the time of day you can catch them baking all this goodness fresh and maybe even a Mexican hot chocolate. Pro tip: walk in, grab a tray, grab some tongs, and just start loading up. If you spend more than $10, we'd be surprised."

Houston
View Postcard for El Bolillo Bakery

Karen Wester

Google
We loved this bakery! It's date night! Try the orejas con chocolate- flaky pastry dipped in chocolate, the galletas-rainbow sprinkle cookies, the cone shaped chocolate dipped filled with cream pastry, thick fluffy white bread slice with cream cheese spread and sugar sprinkled on top, chocolate ding dongs, chocolate covered square chocolate cake, churros croissant muffins, chocolate muffins, Oreo or strawberry tres leches, abuelas hot cocoa, flour tortillas, cake pops, small pecan pies. The tamales are good too! We love this place! Buy it up, take it home, eat treats for several days! I like to take a few treats to loved ones as gifts. Some to our older son, some to papa. Everyone loves a treat! We return weekly.

Air Force Major USAF

Google
This is a great place! All the pan dulce is fresh and delicious! The Bolillos are soft and tasty! The prices are great as well. Try the tamales, they are great! I can never get enough of trying all the different pan surtido that they have. They also have Mexican hot chocolate and coffee. The pasteles are delicious as well! Highly recommend this panadería, awesome quality and great prices! Well worth trip and money.

Mark Cortes

Google
Just ordered Door Dash and received THIS from the store... DO NOT RECOMMEND the tamales... Still dough and mushy... Had to throw away my WHOLE DOZEN of tamales!!! Not sure about the rest of the bakery... But THIS batch of tamales I got were COMPLETELY HORRIBLE...

Ana Mercado (anahtx)

Google
Love this bakery! Lots of good sweet bread :) I always order my cakes from here & they never disappoint .

Bianca Lopez

Google
Beautiful wedding cake for my parents. My parents were in love with the taste and turn out of them. Bolillo never disappoints!!! Cakes were delicious our guests loved it.

cynthia rodriguez

Google
Great place for fresh homemade pan de dulce. You have to try one of each and see what is your favorite.

G Gomez

Google
Not the cake I ordered at all while it was a duel mothers day/ bday it was completely different from the one that I showed the person I wanted. The mother's day toper was this God awful thing and not the simple little plastic one ,causing the box not to close, Finding someone to take my order was something else of a headache to. Nobody wanted to help I can see why not only is the service trash but so is the products.

Ana Garza

Google
The best panaderia, quality, service, and cleanliness is unmatched. 🧸
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Fox E.

Yelp
These guys keep leaving comments on my Yelp like "ur ann ideot" and "nobody reads ur sh**" and "ppl lyk u r da rezon yelp sux." I may have to rename them EL TROLL-ILLO. We are passionate lovers of El Bolillo Bakery, and we visit every 3 days at the very least. And it's responsible for us gaining weight and things like that. The regular Bolillos (they're just amazing bread rolls) come out hot and delicious, and then there are amazing chorizo cheese breads with jalapeno, and Ham Breads and great empanadas of the fruit variety, and let's not forget the rather amazing flaky burned pastries (such as discos) and the heart pastries. Service is always good even though it gets really busy, but I've never seen it as busy as the other location honestly. What to get: Bolillos (bread rolls), or the ones with Chorizo and Jalapeno and Cheese. Also Discos and Corazon pastries. Cherry Empanadas too. Whan not to get: The E-bolilla Virus. I came here hoping to score the winner for Mexico at the Azteca. Should have gone to EL GOAL-ILLO. Mexican baked goods aren't always my favourite, however here they are. Not everything is amazing, but my goodness, their little Bolillo rolls filled with stuffed cheese and jalapenos (or even the plain kind) are some of the best treats I've ever eaten in my life! Especially when piping hot! I'm so glad this place is getting a small portion of the masses of Yelp love it deserves. So what is a Bolillo? It's basically a Mexican Roll. Maybe they should rename it to EL ROLL-ILLO. I'm embarrassed to say that I severely underrated El Bolillo the first couple of times I came here. I thought it was a good and eclectic Mexican bakery, but I hadn't discovered the true Wonder of the place. Which is the bread. No pun intended. Wonder. Bread. Get it. Sh** I just got found out as the spy that has infiltrated the CIA at Langley. Now they're renaming this place EL MOLE-ILLO in my honour. The real strength here despite the delicious Tres Leches cakes, lies in the regular bread. The little bolillos and bolillitos (maybe my word, not sure), when they are fresh hot warm and gooey out of the oven. Not the only thing that I like gooey. I came here hoping to buy a pony for my little girl. Oops. Should have gone to EL FOAL-ILLO They also have stuffed ones, which are even better, if that is possible. The regular are $0.20 and the stuffed ones are $0.60. This stuff would be 3 or 5 or 7 dollars at some places in Montrose or The Heights and wouldn't taste a fraction as good or fresh. But here isn't just a few cents. Wow. I came here hoping to post some pictures of cats, of myself in the gym, and of a girl in fishnet and stripper heels, all over their walls. I was asked not to. But in my honour, they renamed themselves EL THAT-GUY'S-OUT-OF-CONTROL-ILLO. The stuffed ones are orgasmic. They're stuffed with delicious creamy cheese and spicy jalapenos, and they are some of the best things you could possibly eat in the Houston area. You really can't get much better than this. Anyway you wanna go out tonight? A movie? Bowling? Bowling at this place? No, they're not EL BOWL-ILLO. They're extremely busy and service is can be brisk, but other servers are lovely and flirtatious (with me) (tosses hair). I asked how they keep the place warm when it gets cold. I didn't like the answer. They use EL COAL-ILLO. Some of the best Mexican snacks I've ever had in my life. I come here at least once a week and if I lived closer it would be more like once a day. I asked if they have a lot of franchise locations. They assured me that they are the EL SOLE-ILLO. Barbie: "EB is la bomba punto com!!! It feels exactly like a panaderia in Mexico. They have all the traditional Mexican pastries. Their cakes are really good! We had a pineapple cake that was amazing, so moist and delicious! The chocolate tres leches cake is so yummy! They also have different tortillas, from the traditional corn to wheat ones." Moist and delicious is right. So is she. OK so it wasn't about the jeans. But get here and try these rolls. They are the Rolls Royce of rolls. The original location on Airline is my fave, but this one is basically the same thing and less hectic. Make sure you try it. Speaking of rolls, my stripper friend pretty much lives here now because they're so good. They may even rename in her honour: EL POLE-ILLO.
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Gillian B.

Yelp
This really is a one stop shop. They sell fresh made tortillas, pan de dulce, customer cakes, tamales, milk, cheese and eggs. It's like stepping into Mexico but here in Houston and off wayside. Customer service is always friendly and fast upon check-out. Since you pick out your own items to fill up your metal serving tray...I'm always running out of room. I highly recommend their tres leche cakes. They have soo many flavors to try!
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Jando S.

Yelp
El Bolillo is one of the city's most well known panaderias and one of my favorite businesses in Houston. They're one of the few establishments that does a little bit of everything and does it well. They do a stellar job in just about everything and are a go-to option for cakes, confections, and special occasion customized desserts. They have an outstanding selection of Mexican cookies and pastries. I love coming in here just to browse and many of their items are perfect for a potluck or a party. Custom cakes are where it's at, I will call in and order for pick up. They're excellent about having the cake ready at the proposed time. On weekends, they have hot tamales for sale. On weekends, this place can be super crowded. The parking situation can be tough, so don't be surprised if you have to utilize the parking at the Houston Farmer's Market across the street. The staff is mostly bilingual with Spanish and English. El Bolillo is one of H-Town's great panaderia institutions. I recommend anyone and everyone to come enjoy their variety of pan dulce and quality foods.
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Danny T.

Yelp
Been going here for years. Their bread with cream cheese are so good!! They also started having bread with chorizo and cream cheese which is also great. Usually packed here and staffing is well equipped to manage the crowd. I haven't really tried the cakes or other items since they're a bit too sweet for my taste.
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Courtney M.

Yelp
Our go-to for fresh, delicious pan dulces. Their conchas are unmatched! Always soft and seasonally designed. Always a "hit" for gatherings.
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Chef T.

Yelp
Been coming here since the dawn of time. Sundays is super crowded with quite a wait but the cream cheese croissants are to die for.
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Beatriz T.

Yelp
I've gone to this location twice this year at different hours and the quality of their products is top notch. Typically at bakeries if you arrive later in the day the options are less and the bread isn't as fresh. It was so satisfying to walk in and find the same experience both times. The manager at this location, Jose, is also very knowledgeable of his product and was completely helpful with the large orders I've made. There are several El Bolillo locations but I am definitely committed to this one.
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Terri T.

Yelp
Super cool bakery!!!!! The ambiance is amazing and gives fresh bakery!!!! The pastries were delicious and the staff were nice and friendly. I can't wait try the cakes.
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Genesis M.

Yelp
Love coming here to get pan dulce! They have many great options! I love getting the conchas. My husband also loves the cuernos. Their bolillos smell amazing and it is so hard not to get one! Everything smells so good Although there are a lot of people you will be in and out fast!
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Brooke B.

Yelp
The best pan dulce in Houston! I have always loved fresh baked breads and sweets and El Bolillo has plenty of both. I first stopped here one morning before picking up my boyfriend from Hobby since it was super easy to get to off IH-45. Once inside, the bakery was huge and had a large selection of breads. After grabbing a tray and serving tongs, you can select anything your heart desires. Myself, along with many others, had a mountain of freshly baked pastries, each baked to perfection. And if the food itself was not good enough, the prices were even better! I purchased 8 pastries for just around $10. You simply cannot find a better treat for the price. El Bolillo has rightfully earned a spot on my weekend breakfast rotation and after visiting, it will likely make its way on to yours as well.
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Oliver B.

Yelp
El Bolillo Bakery is a staple of Htown and now I know why. This place has everything delicious in it. Give your sweet tooth some pleasure and head over to this establishment off Wayside. The parking lot may look crazy, but this place is so huge you won't realize it. My now go to place for treats!
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Goretti A.

Yelp
Took me back to Mexico! I'm originally from there so my standards for pan dulce are really highly. The variety was large and everyone that worked there checked in with me while I shopped and were super helpful. Not pictured are the fresh tortillas. These are also a 10/10! Must visit in Houston!
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Farrah A.

Yelp
My family has been a loyal fan of El Bolillo Bakery (Airline location) for more than 10 years. Tres leches cakes for birthdays, baby showers, graduations, etc; King Cake for the Christmas holiday; conchas, churros, bolillos and tortillas for just about every Saturday morning. And I am SO grateful there is another location in my new neighborhood. I can zip over, grab whatever cake or pastries my mom is requesting and not have to detour alll the way over into The Heights. For those who've never experienced the magic of a Mexican bakery, El Bolillo is as good as it gets in Houston. In fact, Mayor Sylvester Turner declared September 27th as El Bolillo Day! The bakery does a good amount for the community, most notably feeding hundreds of people during Hurricane Harvey, as employees worked all night (some 20 hours) to bake bread for the community. https://www.facebook.com/ElBolilloBakeries/photos/a.10153190495039672/10156196175424672/?type=3&theater If you're new to the experience, simply walk in, grab a large silver platter and tongs, and have at it - select all the breads your heart desires. Pay, and you're out! You can also place cake orders in person or over the phone (in person is best).
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Sherri H.

Yelp
If I am craving something sweet and I have a little time before picking up my mom from work I always love stopping by this bakery! There is always something baking in the oven and when you open the door you get hit with the smell of fresh bread! French Bread:5 Their French bread is perfect and what makes it's better is that they're always rolling out with fresh bread since it's in high demand! You'll see people buying 20 at a time since they're 4 for $1! Cookie:4 What draws me back are the cookies! Yes I'm a bit childish but the designs on their cookies are amazing and they taste amazing! They're not super sweet either so it's perfect for an adult's palate. The designs constantly change and they tend to reflect pop culture (ex: they had a special HOUSTON strong cookie and special Astros cookies for their championship run) The icing on top is that they are sold for a good price. Tortillas: 4 They're tortillas are not my favorite but they are better then the ones from HEB. I wish I could review the Mexican breads and desserts but because I don't eat them often I cannot give an accurate review.

Carmen M.

Yelp
Luv coming here usually every day but lately hate it the corn tamale every time is smaller n for the same price.
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Yianni A.

Yelp
Got there early about 10 people showed up however I would go at 8:30-8am next time because the glass shelves were empty. They bring some of the items out every -10 min. I got like 10 different sweets at 7:15 am but didn't see the other items like horns or flan as of yet. Place is very clean and the sweets are great!! Just go later!!!
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Kailee C.

Yelp
Awesome Mexican bakery in Houston. You start by taking a big tray and tongs when you walk in and there are tons of cases filled with fresh breads, croissants, tortillas, tamales, desserts, cakes, churros, and pastries that you fill your tray with. We got quite a few pastries and it came to about $8. $5 minimum for paying with credit. They also had coffee to buy. Big parking lot out front. Would love to come back.
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Rachel S.

Yelp
I've been here a few times now, and I have to say that I have mixed feelings about El Bolillo. I bought some pastries from here that were delicious (conchas, orejas, and a few others I can't remember the names of) and of course the bollilos are crisp and pretty much perfect. The service was reasonable (you fill up a plate yourself and bring it up to the register at the end where they bag your yummy findings and ring everything up). Everything is VERY reasonably priced. You can get a bunch of pastries for less than $5. Literally the only reason I'm giving 4 stars to El Bolillo is because of the cake ordering. We ordered a tres leches cake with two layers of chocolate and an inner layer of vanilla with a chocolate chip filling. El Bolillo definitely delivered, but with a regular cake instead of tres leches. Again, it was delicious - moist, the whipped cream was soft and elegantly arranged, and the chocolate chips added a really nice crunch. I was just upset that we didn't get the cake we ordered. Overall, this is a really great place (and definitely check in here on Yelp, you'll get a free 16 oz coffee with a $10 purchase!) Just make sure you double check big orders you place in advance.
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Monserrath M.

Yelp
I love all my pan dulce !! Always fresh out of the oven !! A WIDE VARIETY from cochinitos to conchas and THE CREAM CHEESE JALAPEÑOS Mini Bolillitos are to die for !!

Carlos R.

Yelp
tamales where trash and horchata drink was trash waste of my money. Bread did look good tho.
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Alma R.

Yelp
I thought this place would have really good sweet bread since it is in a good area with local Hispanic people. The bread was so greasy and didn't taste good. Any bite I would take and the shortening would stick to the roof of my mouth. I've had better sweet bread inside FoodTown.
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Sarah R.

Yelp
I love El Bolillo. They are my go-to for tres leches cakes. They run their business like a well-oiled machine. You can order cakes ahead of time, and they are always ready, beautiful, and delicious.
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Fernando H.

Yelp
They are open. Fresh every morning. Since its popular, they keep baking. Try a Maranito ( molasses bread ), Concha ( classic Mexican round sweet bread), or a Empanada ( various fillings in a mini-calzone like pastry ). Mexican Grandmas approve of this place! Be prepared to stand in a proper line.

Ignacio M.

Yelp
I will never go back to this place. We found a nasty hair inside the bread. We send an email to let them about the situation and they never even took the time to reply.
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Kevin B.

Yelp
El Bolillo is a popular institution of a Mexican bakery here in Houston. Come visit for a veritable panadería experience. Expect a crowded shop floor with walls and rolling bake trays packed with assorted pastries, including cochito (gingerbread pig), concha (seashell sweet bread), empanadas (fruit-filled), oreja (ear-shaped flaky pastry), churros, and more. Honestly, most of the time I didn't know what I was picking up - I just found the ones that looked good. You'll walk around with a platter and tongs and just load up your tray with what you want to buy. It's all super cheap - around $1 per item - so you can get a whole bag of pastries fit for a family for like $5. It's also all very authentic - most of the time, I was the only non-Mexican (or at least non-Spanish speaker) inside. They have another location on the north side of the city. Compared to that one, this southern location is a bit larger and nicer, but both are great. To be honest, I don't LOVE Mexican baked goods. But El Bolillo has some great ones, and the experience is just fun. Stop by for a unique activity and tasty treats!
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Holly H.

Yelp
The cream cheese and jalapeño bolillos are addictive! I'm not proud to say it, but I've eaten like 3 in one sitting before and it was worth it! Would definitely recommend this place!
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Julie W.

Yelp
I would be happy to update this, but until then I will leave it with 1 star. I was interested in purchasing a Tres Leches cake for a birthday party at work, but since I don't live right around the corner, I decided to email the bakery to see if it was necessary to place an order. The first attempt at emailing them came back undeliverable because the email on their website is misspelled. Realizing that they were missing a letter, I resent the email (including informing them of the email typo), but received no response. I tried calling and calling, but nobody would pick up the phone! To me, if this is indicative of their quality of customer service, then I'll choose to get the cake elsewhere.
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Maria W.

Yelp
[I hope I don't receive compliments nor messages from people accusing me of being a racist because I state what I don't like about this bakery] Well, here we go... My favorite thing about this bakery is the fact that you can pick out whatever you want, whichever size you want, and still pay cheap for it. You can get 25 items and still only pay $8 for it. Now, that's smart thinking. They have the best tres leches cake, empanadas, Mexican cheesecake, and pink conchas. But what I highly don't like is the fact that if you are non-Hispanic they will treat you differently than Hispanics. Most of the staff will pretend that they don't speak English, and even most of the customers will look at you with disgust. Now whose the racist now?! Anyways, another thing is I wish they would add name tags to the different pastries. That'll be so much nicer. Or even have at least one person who speaks English and can recommend some of the sweets. One young lady named Noemi G., was the nicest staff member that didn't treat me differently. She was personable, even made small talk with me and quickly wanted to serve me as her peers shyly tried to walk away when I came to the counter to order. Also, another thing I can't stand is the fact that some of the items may look good, but as soon as you bite into it..its as dry as the desert. No moisture whatsoever. However, the tres leches cakes (round) are $22 even. The empanadas are $.50 cents There was another thing I got this time around that was as moist as the tres leches cake, but unfortunately I don't know the name. It looks as though it has vanilla filling, two raisins, and a small mouth. So good!! These three items are moist as well as the cheesecake. To feel safe in an area like Wayside, they do have a security guard sitting at the door on his phone. Also, there are camera monitors in front of him, so don't think you can steal.. If you like bread, come here. Majority items are made from yeast and sugar. I usually come here looking to indulge, though I don't make it my everyday thing. The parking lot has plenty of spots, but do be careful backing in and out. Lots of families like to stand and socialize.
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Lavinia D.

Yelp
All of this and a slice of tres leches cake was about $13. Very cheap and all very fresh. I highly recommend the tres leches cake. It comes in many flavors. Also recommend grabbing friends to try all their offerings. If you're not familiar with Mexican desserts it may be hard to choose cause there's so much to pick from. You can't go wrong with just trying as much as you can. Also a great place to practice your español!
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Carlin T.

Yelp
Best place for tres leches! I walk out every time feeling like I just had a steal-the-deal moment. Honestly, one of Houston's gems. I wouldnt be surprised if they have or will be a James Beard award recipient some day.
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Maria B.

Yelp
This is my spot for pan dulce!!! It's been a tradition since I can remember. Their bread is fresh every time.
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Ely L.

Yelp
love this place! They have really good bread and it's always fresh. I've ordered many cakes from here and i've never been disappointed. Always come for the bolillo bread and piggies :) Also the customer service is fast and very nice. Hoping they open more locations closer to me I attached my gender reveal cake they did
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Chris W.

Yelp
El Bolillo is one of those neighborhood staples that transcends a rating system of 1 to 5 stars. It is first and foremost a testament to our city's Latin heritage; secondly, as if almost an afterthought, it is a destination for curious foodies to explore. My first visit was only just earlier this year. As I left clutching massive bags of bread in both arms (it requires utmost discipline to avoid buying more than your waistline can afford), I was amazed how I had not even step foot into this wonderful place during the 20+ years of my existence here. Though well-known in the communities of northwest and southeast Houston, El Bolillo garnered unprecedented media attention in September 2017: the story came out that the bakers, having been trapped by Harvey's floods, baked nonstop and distributed the breads to people in need. Every time I come, I am humbled by the tenacity and perseverance of the staff, who truly embody the best qualities of my hometown. If you're unfamiliar with the Mexican breads and sweets that fill the bakery's shelves, use smell and sight to determine what you want to try. You really can't go wrong with any random choice (unless you have an allergy of some sort, in which case you should ask any one of the helpful employees). For me, my favorites are the sweet empanadas (the ones filled with coconut cream or mango are BOMB) and the simple bolillo (which is sensational when still warm from their oven, and exceedingly good when toasted and slathered with jam or kaya). I'm not a huge fan of conchas, but the ones here are solid. The tres leches cake comes in 6-7 flavors that I always have to ask about - just choose at random, and try a new one every time. There's also orejas, donuts, churros, tortillas, cookies, danishes, croissants, and a huge selection of bottled drinks...it is impossible to list all their offerings. Bolillos and pan dulce are baked nonstop throughout the day, so unless you grab one of the prepackaged plastic bags, you're sure to get something freshly made. There's a $5 credit card minimum that is surprisingly hard to hit, sometimes - everything is so damn cheap. Come for the carbs. Stay for the culture.
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Sarah C.

Yelp
Went at 7 pm looking for a donut that I saw on this app however, there weren't any. Wasn't too disappointed since they had many many other fulfilling items. Wedding cookies, pigs, random breads and bagels. Custom bakery and cold food items/essentials. Def will be going back in the morning hours to get that donut!
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Emily Phuong L.

Yelp
This place brings so much happiness to my life. I've been looking for a good tres leches place ever since I moved from Minneapolis to Houston. This place is the dream! It's much larger than I expected. When you walk it, it's like an 85C bakery where you grab a tray and tongs and work your way around the store. They have 7 flavors of tres leches!! My only complain is they didn't have a flavor tag for each kind. After the server said the 7 flavors out loud, I completely forgot them all, took a long time to think, and eventually go with chocolate - and it was mind blowing! It was about $3/slice. I didn't know happiness can be bought for such a great price :D I also wanted to get some churros too but they were out and the next batch would come out in 20 mins. I want to check out their other location in the Heights as well. I love Mexican bakeries!
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Cuong T.

Yelp
Such an underrated gem in Houston. Sure the area may be a tiny bit sketchy, but the blissful atmosphere created by the gentle aroma of freshly baked goods accompanied by the hustle and bustle of dozens of customers salivating over everything they're about to purchase will draw you in and let you leave with a giant smile on your face. Welcome to El Bolillo Bakery. You'll find a plethora of Mexican pastries here ranges from... well, I honestly don't know what to call 99% of these things. Conchas? Orejas? I really only ever get the churros and cakes (under the glass counter). I honestly can't specifically recommend anything other than those because I don't know what they're called. There is a caramel filled empanada thing tucked in a corner somewhere but don't hold me to it. In any case, sometimes a fresh batch will be presented upon arrival, but if your good has been sitting at room temp for a while, just heat it up in the microwave for like 30 seconds before consuming, especially the ones with filling. The best part? It's good and CHEAP. Like I honestly think they profit all the quantity that they sell. I often find myself reaching for my credit card only to find out I only need to pay $5. Cashiers are nice and welcoming too. Only criticism I have would be the lack of signs for many goods that I want to try but don't want to because I don't know what it's filled with. 9/10, would definitely come again and would recommend to a friend.
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Alkeisha S.

Yelp
If you're a fan of Mexican breads and pastries, this is definitely the place for you! I've gone to a few Mexican bakeries in my days and from what I hear, El Bolillo is among the best. They have all your usually choices and the set up is like most places--grab a metal tray, tongs, and fill'er up. I had my mouth set on conchas because I'm a big fan of them. There was absolutely NO shortage of them and they didn't disappoint. It was racks on racks on racks of them warm and fresh out of the oven. There were other choices I wanted to try, such as the empanadas, but I kept it simple. Now that I know their conchas are the ish, I'll be back to try more things. Great bakery!
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Esther B.

Yelp
I was so excited to finally try this place out and it definitely did not disappoint! The place is super packed and it's hard to find a parking space because it's so popular here. When you walk in there are a bunch of fresh bread trays, donuts, and churros. I got a bunch of bread and even 2 tres leches cake pieces for a total of around 13$. My favorite bread is the conchas! It's super soft and not too sweet! I wish I got more of them! My only complaint is that the worker who checked us out was a bit rude. But maybe it's because it was busy. Please come and try this amazing bakery out! There are so many options of breads you can choose from and it's so fun trying all them out!
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Desiree B.

Yelp
I love how organized and kind the ladies are and I mean no one can ever complain about a bakery. This place is the best. Everybody whose anybody has been here before and bought either a cake or sweet bread. They have the best tasting sweet bread. My boss is Australian and craves the wedding cookies... surprising her today with bucket of them
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Nancy C.

Yelp
Be the cupcake in a world full of muffins. I'm on cloud nine when those near and dear to me or anyone is reminded of me. When they go out of their way to say, I thought of you when I saw this. I was tagged in the KHOU 11 News post almost a dozen times by co-workers, friends and family, all in one day, Friday. I couldn't wait to get out of work to get me some Unicorn Conchas or Uniconchas. Pan dulce it's a tradition. My grandmother had it for breakfast and dinner as often as she could. My dad, being the health nut that he wants to be, can't seem to break the habit either. My kids and I are on the fence. We love sweets and it's hard to decide between donuts and pan dulce. Someone just treat us to whatever and we are happy. I have an Arandas and a Shipley's not even 5 minutes from me. I could walk there. Depending on the day and the traffic I think, I will come here more often then not. Just for the uni conchas & uni polvorones! Polvorones are my favorite pan dulce. They have gorgeous unicorn cakes and cupcakes too. I'll be buying that next year for a little someone who loves horses and unicorns too. THE HONEST TRUTH: They don't taste any better than any of the panaderias near you. Only go out of your way if you are extra special. I AM EXTRA. I'll be seeing all you EXTRA's soon.
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Cynthia J.

Yelp
Yay!!!! I am definitely a fan of El Bolillo Bakery!! I mean the name alone carries two of my favorite things: bolillos and bakery! My father's parents, back home in the Caribbean used to own a bakery that produced absolute delicious, hot, and fresh baked bread and bolillos are the closest thing to them. I love bolillos and pan dulce in general. The bolillos here are so delicious and they are available in different sizes. They have a MASSIVE assortment of pan dulce, cakes, cupcakes and fresh churros. Not to mention chocoflan, tres leches of all varieties, and chocolate covered strawberries. If you want fresh, homemade tortillas they got that too. This place is authentic. Their tres leches is more authentic than Arandas ( which I love) and that is why I prefer Arandas tres leches. Arandas cake is not as moist and does not come with the milk at the bottom, which makes El Bolillo supreme but I am not about that authentic tres leches life. I have to stick with Arandas on that one! Everyone that works here is really nice and helpful! Yes, this is a predominantly Spanish speaking establishment, they have a right to speak their own language! Money talks so buy your pastries, enjoy, and live your life. You won't regret it either because this place takes the cake........( see what I did there?) YUM. Getting off work in five hours and heading straight here...... Amazing bakery!!!
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Leanne E.

Yelp
This place is a slice of heaven on earth. I love just walking in. The smell just takes me back home to the valley. Everything I've tried I've loved. Their donuts, empanadas, conchas...all the pan dulce is so delicious. This is one of my favorite bakeries in the Houston area. For National Donut Day they had donchas!! Donchas are concha donuts. Talk about sweet but sooo good!! We all loved them Whoever thought of this is a genius! They made my day but every time I go it does that. If you're wanting some great Mexican sweet bread, this is the place to go.
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Sam T.

Yelp
Im going to start by saying this; EL Bolillo is way underrated, the sweet bread, the bread, tortillas, the tres leches cakes , and regular cakes are all so good, I don't eat sweets as much, but when I do pick up for my family this is the place, they have plenty of bread and fresh, do be careful with the time you come here, it is always crowded, and you may get a ding or two on your door, people are careless around this area. But overall there are three locations, and this one is by far the best, fresh ingredients, and nice young bilingual employees, they are polite and helpful. I don't have pictures at this time , but this place deserves a good display!
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Sally H.

Yelp
I am here every other day just to buy the Bolillos. While not exactly like the French bread of my birthplace New Orleans it is always hot fresh and delicious. Go to HuffPost and read about how they supported our neighborhood during hurricane Harvey !
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Bethanne A.

Yelp
Wondered upon this location while getting gasoline for hub's Motorcycle for the Nun Run Fundraiser Ride. I drive to the Convent because bikes aren't for most city women. Anyway, we went back to it after I picked up the SUV at the Convent and it is HUGE and like Airline, it's packed. Great pastries with labels of what they are on the side. It took me awhile to actually see them though. Everything is freshly prepared and by the time I got home had eaten a Dulce de Leche filled Churro, a Cajeta filled Empanada and a Chocolate Covered Shortbread Cookie. We picked an assortment of items and even ended up with 8 Concha from a customer behind us. I did call to say we received them and he may be calling for them. With a half gallon of milk and a platter of assorted breads, it was $13.00. Well worth a trip to this location. The line to order cakes was almost to the door...Run, don't walk. .Delicious.

Kristy V.

Yelp
Everything is great about this place. The prices, the product, the service!! Cakes here are by far the best I've ever ordered no matter what style or flavor u get
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Mario F.

Yelp
The pan de dulce is to die for .... the bolillos make great tortas...the flour tortillas are delicious ! 1000 times better than Aranda's bakery....
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Jessica R.

Yelp
This bakery is huge. There is always fresh bread and baked goodies coming out. Lots of variety and deliciousness and always at a great value.
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Vivian N.

Yelp
For my mom's birthday I was searching around Houston for a good tres leches cake, it's her favorite and I have yet to come across a decently made one for a reasonable price, but finally I came across this little gem. When I got here, this place was super cute and clean as well. There were trays next to the entrance with tongs to pick out your pan dulce. I love pan dulce so of course I veered of the course and headed straight to all the glass cabinets filled with these yummy treats along the perimeter of the store. There were so many options and they were all reasonably priced. Although a little more expensive than your average pan dulce at the grocery store, I figured this place would probably be better since it's literally a bakery. And I was right. Everything was so good. I bought some empanadas, conches, cup cakes, churros and some various breads that I don't know the names of. The empanadas were quite good. They weren't dry and crumbly at all which I love. The conches were good too. A little flakey, just moist enough, and a tad sweet. The cup cakes were super moist and super flavorful. It tasted fresh, not like the regular ones you get at the grocery store that tastes like boxed cake mix. The churros were good. I mean, they're churros. What's not to like about them? I also got some bolillo rolls since they just came out of the oven and was super cheap. Finally I made my way to the cakes. I ordered the pecan mocha tres leches cake since she loves coffee flavored cakes as well. I bought a quarter sheet for $27. I didn't think we would have a lot of leftovers, but we barely dug into it. The cake was really tall, so that factor really added into the size and portions. This is literally a lot cheaper than all the other places I have been to and it was definitely a great deal. The cake was delicious. I hate when tres leches cakes are super soggy, but this place made it super moist and milky without making the cake fall apart. The icing was pleasantly flavored with a hint of coffee. This cake was definitely more buttery than sweet especially with all the dairy in it, but that's how I like it. In conclusion, I would definitely come here again whenever I'm back in Houston. Everything was delicious and the staff were super nice and helpful. Hands down my favorite place to get pan dulce and tres leches.