La Estrella Bakery Inc

La Estrella Bakery – Mercado Center Stopped by the Mercado Center location for some pastries, and as always, they did not disappoint. The staff was super friendly, everything was fresh, and the pastries were delicious. Their Mexican breads are consistently some of the best we’ve had — soft, flavorful, and clearly made with care. We’ve tried bakeries in other states where the bread is dense or dry, but La Estrella always gets it right. We were hoping to grab some tamales (yes, it sounds funny saying a bakery has the best tamales… but they really do). They usually sell out — especially on weekends — which honestly just proves how good they are. We’ve tried tamales from plenty of restaurants, but theirs are on a different level. The only challenge with this location is the layout. When it

Visited on a Saturday morning and the place had a long line. There were two people at the register and it seemed to go very slow which was a bit suprising as they only have to package items. You get your own coffee from a carafe in the rear, okay tasting and warm not piping hot. The pastries are the highlight and they are always on point so it's worth the trip.

This bakery was recommended to us during our visit to Tucson and so glad we went. It’s in a beautiful courtyard market that includes restaurants, boutiques, and a coffee shop. Pastries are delicious and not dried out at all (which I am picky about). The gal at the counter was nice, helpful made recommendations since we were unfamiliar with most Mexican pastries. We got concha’s, donuts, empanadas, and a few other things she just put I our bag for us. We also bought a bag of homemade tortillas that were still warm. All of this AND a bottled coffee drink from the fridge for only $20. Go here!

We stopped in at 12:15 pm on 12/23/22. There was a bit of a line, but it moved quickly. We got 4 pastries and it came out to $5! Amazing! The best by far was the donut. The cream cheese pastry cake in second. The pumpkin empanada tasted like baby food. The gingerbread pig actually didn’t taste too strongly of gingerbread. It was a little hard around the edges too. I would go back just for the donut and I would try other pastries too!

Picked up a donut and two fruit empanadas (cherry and pineapple) for a snack. Prices were very reasonable (cash or card accepted). Since we weren't super hungry, we ate the donut first and saved the empanadas for breakfast the next morning. The sugar donut was good and hit the spot with the latte we had picked up from another shop. The empanadas were good, but a little sweeter than I would prefer as they were jam filled.