Pan American Bakery & Grill

FANTASTIC cakes.  PERIOD.  My favorite is the fruit cake.  Eat your heart out!

I'm so lucky to have these savory/sweet chicken saltenas served with a super spicy green chile salsa just down the street from my home. How can you resist a family owned counter service joint where food is delivered piping hot with a smile? Often packed so you might have to wait for a fresh batch of these yummy el Salvadorian  pockets. But well worth it! We also tried the chicken sandwich recently and it's a boatload of tender chicken and mayo sauce and some kind of slaw that was just delish!

Having lived in Miami, I was happy to see the choices for Latin bakeries on my visit to Arlington.  I peeped in and saw that Pan American bakery might be the closest thing to the delicious Cuban bakeries that I missed oh so much.  There were a variety of sweet and savory options available.  I chose what looked like the Cuban sen~orita pastry (Napoleon), an alfajor, and what I call a concha and I believe was called a cornete here (the custard-filled cone).

The cornete was awesome!  It was flavorful and had just the right amount of crunch and sweetness on the crust.  The alfajor was not my favorite.  It did not have enough filling for me and was a bit too crumbly and dry, although I know some types are intended to be that way.  The sen~orita was a bit bland.  It would be better filled with custard rather than whipped cream for a bit more flavor.  

With all of the dessert reviews in mind, I have to wonder if what makes this place is their savory options.  I heard a few people ask for the chicken soup and empanadas.   The bakery was pretty busy with locals, so I will get more cornetes and try some soup and empanadas.  I'm glad I tried this place, but it didn't really live up to my expectations.