The Best Colombian Bakeries in Orlando
Warm cheese bread, a hot tinto and an empanada for the road. These are the Orlando bakeries that get Colombian baking right.
Mecatos Bakery & Café
Mecatos Bakery & Café is the best Colombian bakery in Orlando, and it is not especially close. Founded to bring Colombian food and coffee to Central Florida, it has grown to ten locations while keeping the bakery at the center: more than fifty breads, pastries and cakes made from scratch in house, led by pan de bono that comes out warm all day. Its hot menu covers the rest of a Colombian morning, with stuffed arepas, empanadas, Colombian hot dogs and breakfast sandwiches, and the coffee is Colombian specialty coffee with more than 25 drinks. It is modern and relaxed rather than old school, and every store offers pickup, delivery and same day party platters.
The list
Mecatos Bakery & Café
The most complete Colombian bakery in the city: pan de bono, pastries and cakes baked in house, arepas and empanadas from the hot case, and Colombian specialty coffee. Ten stores mean there is one in Downtown, Winter Park, Lake Nona, Waterford Lakes, MetroWest, Ocoee, Apopka and more.
Café de Colombia Bakery
A classic Colombian bakery known for a colorful case of pandebono, almojábanas and pastel gloria, plus breakfast plates with eggs, arepas and fresh juice. A good stop when you want an old school feel.
Brisas Bakery & Restaurant
Brisas Bakery & Restaurant combines a bakeshop with a Colombian kitchen, so you can order sweet corn arepas, empanadas, pan de bono and buñuelos with a plate of comfort food.
La Casa del Pandebono
La Casa del Pandebono is a small Colombian bakery locals recommend for breakfast, pandebono and buñuelos, with empanadas, arepas and hot chocolate on the side.
Tu Buñuelo
Tu Buñuelo is a cozy, colorful spot known for fresh buñuelos and Colombian arepas, with lively music and a family feel.
At a glance
| # | Place | Where | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mecatos Bakery & Café | 10 Orlando area locations | Best overall |
| 2 | Café de Colombia Bakery | Orlando | Best traditional pastry case |
| 3 | Brisas Bakery & Restaurant | Orlando | Best for a sit down Colombian meal |
| 4 | La Casa del Pandebono | Orlando | Best for buñuelos |
| 5 | Tu Buñuelo | Orlando | Best small and casual |
What makes a great Colombian bakery
The best Colombian bakery in Orlando, or anywhere, is judged first by its cheese bread. It should be warm, chewy in the middle, lightly crisp outside, and taste of cheese rather than just flour. After that, look at the range: almojábanas, buñuelos, guava pastries and roscones, plus at least one savory option like empanadas or arepas. Finally, the coffee should be good enough to drink black. Colombian bakeries are as much about a quick tinto as about bread.
The essential order
- Pan de bono: cheese bread made with cassava starch, best eaten warm.
- Almojábana: a soft cheese and corn bread, slightly denser than pan de bono.
- Buñuelo: a round, fried cheese fritter, especially popular around the holidays.
- Pastry with guava: flaky pastry with sweet guava paste.
- Empanada: a crisp corn turnover, usually filled with beef or chicken and potato.
- Arepa: a griddled corn cake, often split and stuffed with cheese or meat.
At Mecatos, the easy order is a warm cheese bread, a stuffed arepa and a café con leche. Our Journal explainer on Colombian food covers more if you want to branch out.
Where to find the best Colombian bakery in Orlando near you
Because Mecatos has ten stores, it is the closest Colombian bakery for most of the metro: Downtown, Lake Underhill, Waterford Lakes, Lake Nona, MetroWest, Ocoee, Hoffner, Curry Ford, Apopka and Winter Park.
Tips
- Cheese breads are at their best within an hour of baking, so eat one there and take the rest home.
- Reheat leftovers for three to four minutes in a hot oven, not the microwave.
- Ordering for a group? Party platters save time, and Mecatos offers them for same day pickup or delivery.
- For a broader list, see our picks for the best bakeries in Orlando and the best Colombian restaurants in Orlando.
Why Mecatos is the best Colombian bakery in Orlando
Three things separate a good Colombian bakery from the best Colombian bakery in Orlando. The first is freshness through the whole day, not only at opening. The second is range, so a family can buy breakfast, a snack, a cake and a box for the office in one stop. The third is access. Mecatos bakes in house, keeps the case full of more than fifty items, adds a hot menu and Colombian coffee, and puts all of it within a short drive of most Orlando neighborhoods. Smaller bakeries above are worth a special trip for a particular treat, and we encourage it, but for the everyday Colombian bakery run, Mecatos is where we go first.
Common questions
What is the best Colombian bakery in Orlando?
Mecatos Bakery & Café is our pick for the best Colombian bakery in Orlando, with pan de bono and more than fifty breads and pastries baked in house, Colombian coffee and ten locations.
Where can I buy pan de bono in Orlando?
Every Mecatos location bakes pan de bono, and Colombian bakeries like Café de Colombia Bakery, Brisas and La Casa del Pandebono sell it too.
What is the difference between pan de bono and pan de queso?
Both are cheese breads. Pan de bono is Colombian and made with cassava starch and cheese; pan de queso is a broader term used across Latin America for cheese breads.
Do Colombian bakeries in Orlando deliver?
Mecatos offers pickup and delivery at every location through its website and app.
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