Where to Find Miami’s Best Pastries

Don Pan Bakery

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Coffee drinkers take their coffee seriously. This is especially true in a city like Miami because there are so many coffee-drinking cultures represented there. I am not a coffee drinker, but if I were, I might like a little pastry paired with my morning java. Where do you find good pastries in Miami? At Don Pan Bakery-Deli-Café. There are seven locations to choose from, so there is likely one near your hotel right now. (“Near” being a relative term in overcrowded Miami). We stayed at the Aloft Doral, which was right down the street.

Within five minutes of opening, their popularity was obvious. The line grew fast!

We selected several pastries early in the morning and went back later in the day when they began serving savory lunch items to pick up a few of those. Normally, we wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of making two trips, but it was all in the name of research for my dear readers. You’re welcome. Oh, the sacrifices I make!

Here are the sweets we bought:

• One Golfeado ($3.99) with Guayanes cheese ($1.25)
• One apple pastry ($1.99)
• One Milhoja ($3.50)

Here are the savories we bought:

• One ground beef empanada ($3.50)
• One cheese empanada ($3.50)
• One spinach empanada ($2.99)

Personally, I really enjoyed my spinach empanada. Perhaps it was because we had been trying empanadas all over South Florida and having some variety in the filling was a nice change. Perhaps it was because I had it all to myself because my husband doesn’t eat spinach. Either way, it was served too hot to touch and crispy-delicious!

We selected the Milhoja specifically for Mr. HomeFree because it looked a little like a Napolean and he loves those. Stacked layers of puff pastry, cream and dulce de leche called his name. It was beautiful and yummy too! It was also quite large and we got several servings out of it.

The apple pastry warmed up for about 20 seconds in the microwave was perfect. It’s too bad I am not a coffee drinker, really, because this baby was made to accompany a hot drink and a trashy magazine. Ahhh….

I do have to be honest though, we had one experiment that wasn’t as successful. The Golfeado is a Venezuelan version of a sticky bun. However, the filling isn’t typically just butter and sugar. There is cheese in there too. We didn’t know any of this, mind you. That’s why they call it an experiment. We saw things in the glass case that looked good and attempted to ask what they were. However, as I have mentioned before, no one in Miami bothers to try and speak English. A nice man in line in front of us, translated for my husband and suggested that Mr. HomeFree try a particular pastry with “Guayanes” on it. What we discovered much, much later after returning to our hotel and Googling is that Guayanes is a salty cheese. I do not like cheese Danish. I LOVE cheese but I do not believe it should ever meet my dessert. These two things should remain separate, so my husband was on his own eating this crazy thing.

The verdict:  Ick. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and that was ours. We paid an extra $1.25 to have them plop a hamburger-sized slab of cheese on top of this pastry, and we would never do it again. It was like an atheist at a tent revival. It just didn’t belong there.

With seven locations, Don Pan Bakery isn’t exactly a small Mom & Pop operation, but the glass cases are filled with beautiful works of pastry art. On your next road trip to South Florida, make time to check out one of their locations. Just remember to research translation apps for your phone before you go, so you can communicate questions to the staff. Add a cup of something steaming and you are ready to face the day. . . Miami style!