La Mexicana Bakery

La Mexicana Bakery has the best selection of pan dulce. Every piece is perfectly crafted and made fresh everyday.

Nice little bakery. Very friendly and good prices. A self serve pot of coffee is available as well. The neighborhood is charming with an old feel to it. Lots of places to grab a meal ranging from original Mexican, Chinese, Thai, and American. We stopped in after having some spicy Mexican food, and a sweet cookie with a fresh coffee went down well. Understand weekend mornings are a favorite time to visit. Fresh pasties and a good vib from the neighborhood. Highly recommended.

Cash only, local bakery with very authentic Latinx desserts. Extremely reasonable prices ($7 for the two pastries I got). For the one on the left, the outside was caramelized with granulated sugar and bread itself was extremely soft and layered. The cream custard inside was sweet, moist, and solid enough not to drip everywhere. The other flakey breaded dessert with powdered sugar had the same custard which was lovely. Again, not tax, all cash. I would invite anyone who is visiting the area looking for great bakes or someone looking to get someone else a baked gift to try this place!

Went this morning march 20 to buy 14 pieces of bread and cost me $36 that’s average of $2.57 each piece. No prices on each different bread on display so you won’t know the prices for each until the cashier tally up the total. I usually pay $20+ for this purchase before covid happens. It’s a cash only. Might need to ask for prices before the server put your bread on the tray.

A classic Mexician bakery，smelling so good to attract me to get in and it tastes really good

The bread is super delish, the prices vary depending on what you get, we went early morning and the bread was still warm, it's a small bakery but they have plenty of options. They also have self serve coffee for a few bucks, the coffee itself is good too.

The best pan dulce in the city. I’ve tried many bakeries and always come back to this one.

This Bakery is a Mission staple. I moved away from SF and have never found baked goods as delicious as they are here. I craved their bread with each of my pregnancies and would dream about their baked goods. Try them out you'll agree! Best bakery.

Good bakery ! Fresh pastries - Clean inside - Good prices Recommended ! Love the flavors. I will come back for more in the future!

I'm a big fan of pan dulce and we have tried a lot from various local bakeries all over the bay area, plus a few in LA. From supermarkets to stand alone shops. The pan at La Mexicana is very good and the selection is quite large, but I have to agree with others that the prices are high. Based on what we purchased it seems to average at $2 or $3 a piece, depending. So, although it's still very inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, it is higher than other panaderias. Not a dealbreaker... just something to note. We bought five pieces and our favorites were the concha, the quesadilla Salvedoreña and the polverone. I haven't seen any other places, so far, that had quesadilla Salvadoreña (or perhaps they were sold out) so I would definitely come back for that. It was very good... a little sweet and a little salty, with a pound cake like texture...and even though we only got a small one this time they make them in larger heart shapes and loaves. That is what I would get next time. Cash only but there's an ATM nearby. Street parking as usual but you can often find something easily enough.

As soon as we got out of our Uber, my bf and i were distracted by the smells coming from this bakery. We checked it out before going to lunch and had to come back and get some of these delicious goodies after getting cash! We were all the thumbs and the guy working the counter didn't speak much English but these goodies did and they were delicious whatever they were! cash only spot, self serve with tongs and trays.

So Mother Nature gave me the infamous monthly Red Sea! Yes Mother Nature is a beast at heart & there's no escaping her! I was hungry especially with this freezing weather! After a pupusa from Espiga de Oro, I wanted a dessert & some to take home! For 3 big pastries, I paid $10.50. I got a snowballs , a custard sandwich with white frosting with sprinkles on top & a sweet cornbread cake with pink frosting in between the layers. So let's start with the key points... Pros 1. Portions here are huge! Many places downsized but this place gives Texas sized portions! I was shocked to see that this is one of the few things that has not changed with Bidenflation. The costs for giant sized pastries is quite economical! 2. Self serve: hand sanitizer is present & you help yourself. Many traditional Mexican & Asian Bakeries let customers get a tong & a tray to help themselves! This gives a sense of normality & healing to the past few years as well as a sense of culture. I truly appreciate it. 3. Wide variety of pastries to choose from. Seemingly the bakery seems to rotate some items such as having El Salvadoran Quezadillas one day & the next day none. 4. Since I've been super busy lately, I don't have time to bake my own keto pastries. Thankfully I wasn't too guilty since many of the items here don't have as much sugar as it should. Instantly I know this would offend some folks who expect a sugar rush if they are on their diet's cheat day, but this bakery isn't overtly sweet. Cons: 1. Cash only can be an inconvenience for some folks. 2. Self serve may upset some folks. 3. The items are a little bit on the dry side & could put a wet towel on some folks. 4. Less sugar for some folks defeats the purpose of a cheat day. 5. No ingredient lists to label any potential allergens so close inspection is a must.

Please note that my rating is based on having been spoiled by the original, prior owner's recipes. Under the new management while the pastry appears to be big they also tend to run dry. I was disappointed with what they now offer, seems they skimp on key ingredients that make great tasting, soft (not dry porous) pan dulce. For over 20 years I would stop and purchase multiple bags when driving through the city. Wish they had been able to keep the original owners' recipes. The Mission is changing so the newcomers think what they're buying is decent because they never experienced what those of us who frequented La Mexicana before the change of hands were treated to.

Best Mexican bread in the city. It's far to go to from the outer Richmond, but we'll worth it. I love their croissants and palmiers and turnovers. Their custard cones and bread pudding squares are delicious!

obsessed, their bread is always on point fresh and tasty. cash only. Love their bolillos (spell? im pocho)

I was walking back from Potrero Hill along 24th Street to get to the BART station and felt like getting a quick bite to eat, at which point I saw this panaderia was open. I decided to pick the one pictured below which contained some raisins, as I always enjoy some pan dulce. The bakery has a lot of aesthetically pleasing breads. They only took cash, so I paid $2 for this one and was satisfied with the quality. I kind of wish I had tried more of them and it would be awesome if all the breads had been labeled with name, ingredients, and price (it's been a little while since I made the visit that this review is for) but otherwise, a solid choice for fresh pastries and bread.

This is a stalwart, established, proper local Mexican bakery serving incredibly cheap and incredibly delicious rustic, authentic baked fare. Please, please, please pop in when ever you find yourselves in the area and pick up a tasty treat from this local legend and support the local community whilst you're at it. Gracias, amigos!

I'm no expert on Mexican breads, but they have a pretty tasty selection here. I can't name most of the types I've tried (custard filled cone? Bread with light sugary crust on top?), but there's some that are on the sweeter side and others that are more like dry slightly sweet bread -- it may not sound too good described like that, but it served well for a light breakfast with a cup of coffee! The shop is located on a vibrant section of 24th Street (conveniently on the way between from BART to the hospital) among a bunch of other restaurants and cafes, and it's on the more affordable side of things, so it's super easy to pop in and grab a few things to share. Definitely go earlier in the morning for a wider selection. It seems pretty popular! Bring cash if possible.

Creo que he probado mejores panaderías mexicanas en Mission, con mejor pan y mejor servicio.

Pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) very good but got too expensive! Each Mexican bread is $3 dollars each! Way overpriced! Cada pan dulce cuesta $3 dolares, cuesta mucho! No vale la pena!

3.5 stars This was my first visit to Panaderia La Mexicana Bakery and my first visit to a panaderia in the US (prior visits were in Mexico). I selected three items to try - the concha, the coconut jam roll and a puff pastry topped with chocolate and coconut flakes. I liked that all were quite fresh and not too sweet. However, they I found all them them to be a bit bland with no pronounced flavors of cinnamon, vanilla or even butter. Perhaps I picked the wrong items or perhaps I picked items with similar taste profiles. Of the three, I liked the concha the most. The bakery was nearly empty during my visit on a weekday just before noon. Trays and tongs are stacked by the register. None of the products are labeled or have prices listed. When I presented my items for payment, I was quoted $3. When I asked if that was for each or for all three items the cashier then told me the total was $5. Cash only. Parking on 24th was plentiful when I walked in but less available when I left, with more spots open on the side streets.

I have never felt more at home, before coming to this panaderia. Right when I walked in, I smelled things that were making my mouth water immediately. Once I noticed I was smelling freshly baked pan like back in Mexico, I knew I was going to love this place. I could smell the sugar and flour that go into the dough for the fluffy vanilla and chocolate conchas. Never going back to store bought pan!

No pics cause we ate too fast to take them. Super cheap, super good. Had the quesadilla, some raisin roll which was incredible, a croissant-like thing, chocolate concha, and something with a cookie-like texture that was covered in sugar. All top notch. Now that I know this is here and so affordable it's going to be a struggle to not buy raisin buns for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.

First time visiting a Mexican Bakery and it's in non other than the "Little Mexico" of San Francisco!! (This review is written from the lens of someone who eats Chinese Bakery buns almost everyday). Walking in, it reminded me of the Chinese bakeries that I visit often. When you walk in, you pick up a tray and tongs to clip your buns. There are no prices list out in the open, nor are there signs to label the buns to describe what kinds of buns they are, but that's part of the surprise of buying the buns! I went straight for the turtle shaped panaderia bun! (We grabbed two of these) The bun itself was shaped like a turtle, it was a little softer than the buns you have at a Western supermarket, but it was slightly tougher than the traditional Chinese buns. The bottom part of the bun is a little harder too! This bun reminded me of the pineapple bun, but the top portion is thicker, no honey and a little more like a soft cookie compared to the pineapple bun - pretty delicious!! My friend got the cinnamon bun looking item. We were both not a big fan of grabbing this item as it tasted like rum and it was a little more moist than a cake. In addition, we tried two of the sweet buns with sugar on it and one of the cookies. All together, the cost of 6 items was roughly $8.50, not bad!!! If I lived in this area, I would probably come here often for their buns!

Nothing but the Aroma of Butter & Some Really GOOD VANILLA Baking (through My Mask!!! ) ...... as I stand behind the ropes separating Us from the Pastries Selection wasn't HUGE- but I'm here just passed 11am on Friday

I've been coming here since I was a wee lass, skipping down the street of the sunny mission either after church or school or on the weekends. They have bombastic pan dulces here, to me probably the best in the neighborhood next to Pan Lido which is stellar as well. I love the quesadilla rounds with the sesame, ah those are to die for with a coffee or the coconut rounds with toasted flakes. The gusanos here are very delicious as well so let me stop here before I show my slobbery indulgent side some more lol. Trust me it's good.

Emm. Hmm. Must say: the rating here is probably off. The thing is, it's pretty dry. Not really the moist, chewy and fresh texture I'm looking for in baked goods. It's much more of a cheaper, lower end, place. Haven't really liked anything in particular, tried a few. May as well venture to a delicious SF bakery. But 2 stars in its category.

This has been my spot ever since I was a kid. I think back to all the times my grandma would promise that if I came with her to buy verduras and behaved that we would go get pan at La Mexicana. My favorites are the gusano's (worm) they're a sugar coated bread that look kind of like a worm. They're filled with that delicious soft bread goodness! I also think they have good Conchas and butter cookies with raspberry on top. Grab a tray and tongs and load up! Btw-I'm pretty sure they're cash only. Get there early for the warmest freshest bread, although I believe the bakers bake throughout the morning. Avoid Sunday's as they don't bake that day, so it's slim pickins

Delicious pan dulce. The owners are from Puebla, Mexico. I suggest the nut poundcake and the nut muffins as well as the coconut niño envuelto and the cream one. Also their cream filled horns are real good. I guess it depends on which pan dulce you like but those are my favorites.

That loaf with cinnamon sugar is delicious. The sugar cookies are a bit too crumbly for my taste vs soft. The pastries with filling like cheese or apple are delicious and flaky but sometimes are burnt. Overall the bakery is solid just be mindful of what you're going for.

Located on 24th in the Mission is Panaderia La Mexicana. I walked in and there was no one present in the front , I believe they were in the back. Finally someone came to the front and I grabbed my serving tray and snagged a single piece of Elote which is a mexican sweet bread that looks like a corn stalk. Only .90 cents a piece which is good . Taste: It was very underwhelming so that's why I gave it a 2 star rating especially given I've been to more than a few Panaderia's in my lifetime. Felt a little dry and just didn't have that much flavor compared to other Panaderias I've visited. I like lists what can I say? When I look at reviews sometimes just want to know where to go or how a user compares one venue against another to see if we have similar tastes. Here is a look at how I rank the SF Bakeries I've visited and I indicated what they're known for or a dish I recommend: Rod's SF Bakery rankings (and what they're known for or what I like). ?) Follow my profile to see my most recent reviews I hope I can be helpful since so many Yelpers have helped me discover new places. 1 Neighbor Bakehouse=cinammon almond bostock 2 B Patisserie=Choco Bannana croissant 3 Zanze's Cheesecake=Regular cheesecake 4 Ariscault =Croissant 5 Yasukochis=Coffee Crunch Cake 6 Chili Pies Baking Co=Pies 7 Dynamo Donuts=donuts 8 Golden Gate Bakery=Egg tart 9 Mr Holmes Bakehouse=Green tea croissant ,Cruffin, 10 La Luna Cupcakes=cupcakes 11 Three Babes Bakeshop=pies 12 Anthony's Cookies=Cookies 13 New Hollywood Bakery=Egg tart 14 Dianda's Italian American Pastry=Napoleon , Cannoli 15 Mission Pies=Banana Cream Pie 16 Schubert=Swedish Princess cake 17 Yummy Bakery=egg tarts 18 Stella Pastry & Café=Cannoli , Tiramisu 19 Craftsman & Wolves=Rebel within 20 Bob's Donut & Pastry Shop=any donut 21 Noe Valley Bakery=dipped cupcake 22 Café Greco=Cannoli 23 Kings Bakery=Tres leches cake 24 Benkyodo Co=mochi 25 Cupcake cove=cupcakes 26 Cups and Cakes Bakery=cupcakes 27 Good Mong Kok Bakery=dim sum 28 Karas cupcake=cupcakes 29 Mission Minis=cupcakes 30 Sift Dessert=cupcakes 31 Tartine Bakery=lemon tart 32 Jane The Bakery=matcha twist , cardamom Lattice Bun 33 Café Madeline=various goods 34 Panaderia La Mexicana=mexican sweet bread 35 Hot cookie=Cookies 36 Les Gourmands Bakery=Croissant 37 Mee Mee Bakery=Cow ears

If you're ever in this area, go to this Mexican bakery. I have only been once and stumbled upon it when I had a ten-minute wait between bus transfers and my fat ass wanted some baked goods at 9:30 AM. From the bus stop, the store sign was in sight. I checked my phone to see how much time I had and made the right decision by hustlin' into this bakery. Upon arrival, I was in awe at the shelves of bread. I'm not familiar with Mexican baked goods so I have no idea what most of them are. For n00bs like me, little labels would be great. Without knowing prices, my $5 bill got me at least two items -- the vanilla custard/pudding empanada and the turtle bread. Why? Well, I saw another customer buy the empanada and I chose the turtle bread because it looked cute. The verdict: Vanilla pudding empanada was damn tasty. Soft, thick outside and not-too-sweet, jiggly filling. Winner! Turtle bread was essentially a giant dinner roll with the Chinese pineapple bun topping. It tasted good but kinda dry. Cash only!

The price is affordable, the girl at the cashier is VERY nice, and the pastries are typically very fresh! If you come in the morning, you'll notice a fairly long line but it goes by really quickly. Everyone comes for their fresh custard pastry and their croissants. I love their cream donuts when they're fresh. Their chocolate muffin is my go-to, usually. I'm yet to try their cookies but I heard they're good too!

Pics in context in blog. Portion three of my interview day entailed a bus-ride from the VA to San Francisco General - conveniently located in The Mission area of San Francisco - home of Dynamo Donuts. Having heard wonderful things of the bacon-laden option I finished my interview at 4:00, bid my farewells, and changed back into my jogging shoes. Rushing through the streets of The Mission past any number of unique Hispanic, Korean, and Chinese options I finally saw the sign for Dynamo - and the metal awning closing before my very eyes. Stopping the clerk I was informed that they'd been sold out of donuts since "about 2:00" and that he'd merely been selling coffee. He invited me to come back the next morning, but alas my schedule didn't allow for such - there is always next time. As I was walking away I was somewhat disappointed but plenty excited to proceed to my next stop (Humphry Slocombe) until I was stopped by a well-dressed couple who stated "Don't worry, their donuts aren't that good - if you want to try something awesome there is this little Mexican pastry shop up the street called Panaderia - go there and get whatever the clerk recommends as fresh baked." Having already passed a Mexican Bakery and being admittedly impressed by the display I figured "Why not?" and continued along until I found the small shop exactly where they said it would be. Walking in the door I was instantly struck by the wonderful smell of apples and cinnamon - and the fact that I couldn't read a single word on the wall, menu, or pastry cases! Taking the advice of the couple I asked the clerk "What's good?" only to get the response "What you like?" Stating I wasn't sure didn't seem to get me anywhere as I once again received "What you like?" as a response. Not wanting to drag this on for too long I responded "Something fresh, with fruit" and the man smiled and led me to the case where he stated "Get this, and this." Asking what they were (and having it written down so I could remember) I was told a Mexican Wedding Cookie with Guava and an Empanada de Calabaza (pumpkin.) $2.20 cents later I emerged with my prizes and dug in. First opting for the Empanada I must admit I was somewhat skeptical due to its plain appearance - a skepticism that resolved the moment I bit through the flaky crust and tasted the burst of pumpkin-pie-esque flavor. With hints of cinnamon and vanilla the dainty pastry worked excellently and was almost like a hostess fruit pie yet far more tasty. Not too sweet, not too heavy - I probably could've eaten 2-3 if I weren't planning on ice cream and a subsequent dinner. My second choice, the Mexican Wedding Cookie, was another wonderful surprise and reminded me of a better version of the Russian Tea Balls my aunt makes each year at Christmas - but with chunks of almond and walnut plus a wonderfully tart compote that tasted of strawberry and cherry at once. Eating as carefully as I could I still managed to end up with about a teaspoon of powdered sugar on my black suit (a fact noted by myself and chuckled at by the cashier at Humphry Slocombe - who additionally noted her love for Panaderia when I attempted to explain myself) but it was absolutely worth it - and the dry cleaning bill!

I have been going to this bakery since 1992. I was just a little kid. We lived around the corner and my mom would take us all the time. We ended moving and until this day I have not found any pan dulce that comes close to the bread they make at this bakery.. seriously BEST pan dulcet I've ever had! I wish they open a place up in the east bay!

Incredibly fresh and delicious pan dulce. Wide selection, reasonable prices, friendly and efficient staff. If I lived nearby I would be here daily!

Super solid concha at fresh and reasonable prices. You will pay more than the grocery stores nearby but I think the quality is worth it. Show up early and the pan will still be warm. Mmmmmm.

Best mexican bakery in the area. They also have: 1) Alligator shaped custard buns 2) Pineapple crusted turtle buns What more could you want?

Came to this place for some last minute bread for day or the dead which we celebrate. The bread was good and prices were reasonable. The staff was friendly and quick. The only reason I didn't give ot 5 stars was due to parking. There is not a lot of parking available in this area.

Good pastry's! Only complaint is they don't have any prices posted. And they're cash only.

I love this place. I have to periodically refrain from bread/pan dulce, but when I can eat it, this is my local bakery. I love the quesadillas with sesame seeds, especially the heart-shaped ones. Sort of crunchy on the edges and so moist inside, mmmmm. I love that they don't use too much sugar, pastries aren't overly sweet but flavorful. I really like the cream-filled cuernitos. I can feel my diet slipping... I've been coming here since the early 90s, and when I'm in the mood, they never let me down. One of the family places that are so sadly disappearing in the Mission, this one is really special. So grateful that they are still here, and represent on the holidays.

This bakery is close to my husband's place of work and is open early. Driving up at 7 AM I had no trouble parking. The storefront is adorable, the main entrance is flanked by two window cases neatly filled with pastries. The interior is well maintained and clean. I loved the vintage look of the black/white linoleum floor. I have been to panaderia or two in the past so I knew the routine -- pick up tongs and tray and serve yourself from the well stocked bakery cases. My husband was a bit lost with this process so I advised him to just watch the other customers. We watched and copied a couple who selected warm, just out of the oven, pastries from a baking rack located towards the back of the bakery. We also selected some from the glass cases. We filled our tray in no time. Even though we were clueless about the names of most items, we enjoyed our little morning adventure selecting ones that just looked tasty. The wonderful smell of fresh baked goods helped us too. We brought our tray to the cheerful young lady behind the counter and she carefully bagged our 8 or 10 items. Total price for our large bag of yummy pan dulce --- $11.40. Not bad at all. We'll definitely be back. Once we were back in the car we divided our treats. My husband made a grab for any pastry with crystal sugar, there was a pretzel shaped one, a bowtie, and a cream horn. My favorite was a turtle looking pastry with raisin eyes. (I later gave it to a group of seventh graders who dissected it like it was a frog in biology class. They loved it.)

Take it from someone who has tried every single pastry on the walk from 24th Street Bart to SFGH that La Mexicana Bakery is by far the best!! The folks that work here are really friendly and no matter what you get, it will be dirt cheap and f-ing delicious. I love their cherry pastries, anything with cinnamon, and their Salvadorian quezadillas are amazingly light and fluffy. Sometimes I ask what's in the pastry and other times I just roll the dice, but every time it has been perfect. I also enjoy the cinnamon coffee, though it can be a bit weak. Cash only. When you arrive just pick up a tray with tongs, go crazy picking out pastry and get rung up!

Growing up on this bread I've had the good and the bad of Mexican Pan (bread). This place makes great pan! I don't live in the area, but every time (pretty much every time I'm in the City) I am in the area I make it a mission to get pan here. Mind you early AM is best when they just baked it and you have a variety to choose from, but there is a lot of people inside the place all the time. I recommend anything with pineapple. Oh and the coffee is great too because the make it with real cinnamon. Cash Only!

Um ...................................................... YUM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so glad (but unhappy for my waist) that we stumbled in here after breakfast at St. Francis Fountain this morning. None of us had ever been in a Mexican bakery and we unsure what some of the items were. The woman in store was very eager to help and tell what things were. Everything we bought was super yum. And, nothing tasted like it was loaded with butter or fat. They were kinda light and a bit dry sprinkled with sugar. Totally tasty. A good find to nosh on on a windy, rainy Sunday.

I've been coming to this bakery 40+ years. This family owned business takes pride in what they do by providing excellent customer service, maintaining a clean venue and fabulous traditional Pan Mexicano aka Mexican Bread. Coming to enjoy a treat from here has me doing the happy dance. The consistency in taste and variety of selection makes it hard to chose just a few treats. Buen Provecho

I'll admit it. Sometimes I am wary of Mexican bakeries because I am so scared I'll pick the wrong thing and hate it. I have many times wasted a $1.50 on a something and all because I am too chicken to ask what it is or what is in it, if its crispy or what. I used to think they were dry and not for me. So far here, I'm doing very well. Everything I've plucked from the shelves has been very delicious. One of my favorite things looks like a mini pineapple upside cake with a maraschino cherry half, but its a cake, filled with custard. Another is the plain old sugar bread. Its soft and not dry. They also have coffee with cinnamon in it. I'll soon get over my shyness, I'm here once a week now that I work nearby, and the nice lady at the register lets me call her Tia.

I randomly stumbled upon this bakery when I was walking to a Dolores Park picnic some years ago. It feels wrong to show up empty handed, so I walked into this shop, captivated by the smell and racks upon racks of pastries. One of the pastries that I grabbed was this bread pudding-like thing (I know, very eloquently described). There's no better way to describe what it was like to bite into it except to say that this was one of three SF pastries that caused me to have a come-to-Jesus moment. Cue to this past weekend when I really wanted a friend to experience this come-to-Jesus moment. I drove all the way to the Mission, parked my car and put money in the meter just to come to this place. Walked in. There was no bread pudding. "Excuse me, do you have any bread pudding?" "No, we just sold out" (oh hell no) "B-b-b-but -- it's my favorite thing here! I drove all the way out here just for it! I wanted to bring it to a picnic!" "Okay, hold on... (he goes to the back and comes out with a piece of bread pudding) Is this what you wanted?" "Yes!" "This is the last piece and I had just removed it from the display case. Do you still want it?" "Uh, yeah, I still want it." "Tell you what -- I'll give this to you for free so you can take it to your picnic. (hands bag to me) Enjoy." I tried to buy some other pastries, but he told me it was alright, implying that I didn't have to buy anything just because he gave me a piece of bread pudding, but I insisted I needed to bring more to the picnic. As if having that bread pudding wasn't enough to make my day, that experience here put a smile on my face for the rest of the day. The pastries may or may not have arrived to the picnic with a chunk missing from every piece :)

So many goodies, and so little time, to pick through all of them. My friend who grew up in the mission, loves this place and always takes us here. Cheap and easy! Like everyone else says...get tongs, grab a tray, and load up, and get rung up. :-) Bring cash though!

Been coming here my whole life. This Place has amazing pan dulce (sweet bread). Been to other panaderia's and it's sad because La Mexicana has spoiled me. I really can't eat anywhere else. Beware: This place place will spoil you hearily.

Welcome to affordable bliss. Standard well made Mexican and Central American breakfast breads and pastries. My standout favorite is the Salvadorean-style quesadilla, a small, sweet, circular, crispy-edged, soft-centered, subtly-cheesy, sesame seed topped, four-bite wonder... that pairs well with a good cup of coffee. Enjoy!

WoW these pastries sobered my drunk ass. I went there on a Sunday morning after a long night of drinking and smoking buds. The funny thing is that I was at Pop's dive bar (next door) couple of hours ago. After Pop's, I went to my buddies' flat house 2 blocks away from this bakery to party more. At the end when everybody is passing out or went home, and my friends Raccoon & Ed wanted to get pizza at 4am. Raccoon asked, "Hey do you want to chip in for a pizza?" I said, "Man, pizza suck, that shit is overrated sober food. Everytime is pizza this, pizza that even a old cold pizza from a shitty ass parlor. I'm tired of eating that crap. What are we? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? I'll wait until the bakery is open or a taquería is open that serve menudo or breakfast burrito. Something different to get the munchies". Raccoon said, "You're gay" I said, "Pizza is gay just like you" So the guys ended up passing out and I'm the only one who is a awake. I left the house and walked to the bakery. The bright fluorescent light in the window of the bakery was so bright that my eyes were suddenly awaken. The smell of fresh pastries woke me up, and I was also excited to munch. There are some pastries that are shape of alligators and turtles. The cookie melted in my mouth after I took a bite. It was like a food strip club or porn, cause the partries were so damn fine.

I was making my way toward an event and I needed something for dinner when I stumbled upon Panaderia. Even though it was late in the day (right around 6pm), there were still many items on the shelves. Unfortunately I don't speak a word of Spanish, so I had some trouble distinguishing what each item was. The gentleman behind the counter tried to help as best he could and I greatly appreciated it. I ended up with a Mexican wedding cookie for only $0.75! I was amazed at the price for the size and had to hold myself back from purchasing more. The cookie was simple and delicious. The only thing I would have changed is the amount of powdered sugar on top (I have a tendency to make a mess...). I would love to return to Panaderia La Mexicana (with a translator) to try out some of their other traditional items. The price is right and the people service was great.

I need to come back here with someone who knows the pastries!! I've had Mexican bakery goods before and thought I would be able to figure things out, but nope. There are no signs or labels here whatsoever, and the only guy that was working here (that I could see) didn't look friendly/helpful at all. I picked two pastries that looked like they were custard filled (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/o_687zG5kw-GdtVCMN7Z7g?select=7kH8K3iME7-axP9-nHNNbQ#sAXTNDwftX22sdH-iO9pTw, http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/o_687zG5kw-GdtVCMN7Z7g?select=7kH8K3iME7-axP9-nHNNbQ#nJ4p-R7oVW6r5z0WivzgfQ) and went to the counter to pay. I might've been ripped off since there were also no prices posted, but will never know. I liked the first pastry a lot better than the second, which looked pasty and undercooked, and tasted kind of undercooked. However, there were 20+ different types of baked goods to choose from, so they are not lacking in variety! I would still come back, but only with a Mexican baked goods expert! Parking can be tough in this area, but it's do-able.. and Humphrey Slocombe's is only a couple of blocks away!

Grab a tray and tongs on the counter and load em up! I love the pan dulce, or mexican sweet bread.. They are so adorable! It's shaped like turtles, rocks, ears, shells, etc.. They're the cutest little things! The cinnamon and sugar dusted concha is excellent with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate. Muy delicioso!!!

In my opinion Panaderia La Mexicana is a 2 star panaderia. This a very small panaderia on 24th street between York and Bryant. You enter, pick up a tray and tongs, and help yourself. The panaderia is very clean and appears to be well kept. There's not much customer service here since you serve yourself but for those that are nitpicky - no one greeted me as I entered and no one asked if I needed help or had any questions despite taking my time deciding what to get. I ultimately settled on a slice of pound cake and a Salvadorian quesadilla, and thank goodness that was all I took because I was quite surprised at the price of $2.50! Perhaps I am cheap, but I'd like to think I just know what fair prices are for pan dulce. I actually regret not walking away when I heard the price because I didn't think either piece of pan dulce was anything more than average. I was expecting to pay between $1.50 to $1.75 but not $2.50! I'm sure someone reading this is thinking how could I give this panaderia 2 stars after only having tried 2 pieces of their pan dulce? Well - here is how: as a business you have only one opportunity to make a first impression and you should never count on two. Bake every piece of pan dulce to the best of your ability and offer fair prices. It's absurd to think a customer will continue to sample your offerings if their initial impression is average and overpriced...especially when you're in a market as saturated as yours is with competition. Panaderia La Mexicana earns 2 stars for only average pan dulce and extremely high prices. This panaderia is not worth visiting in my opinion.

Right across the street from La Torta Gorda, this panaderia was the perfect place for some post lunch sweets. Grab a tray and tongs and select what you want. Mexican bakeries use use many different types of flours/grains. I like the corn flour pastries. Also this pretzel looking wheat flour treat, with the big granules of sugar on top. I don't know any of the names, but the lady is very very helpful and sweet. It's bright and super clean.

This is the best and earliest opening pan dulce bakery in San Francisco, but not quite in the whole bay area. They open daily at 430am. I think 5am on Sundays. At this time their pan dulce is super fresh. So fresh that you can take it home and leave it in the bread box and it still tastes pretty good after 2 days. They have a decent selection. They are very helpful. The only bummer is their prices can be high for most items. They also have the most authentic tasting salvadorean "quesadilla" which is more of a cake with no frosting sweet bread and doesn't have anything to do with cheese and tortillas.