Golden Crown Bakery

Hidden Gem

Although situated only a few blocks from the bustle of Old Town Albuquerque, the Golden Crown Panaderia does not attract too many tourists. Bordered on all sides by homes, it blends into its residential surroundings. Passers-by will more likely smell the escaping aromas than actually spot what we consider Albuquerque’s best bakery. No eating tour of ABQ should skip it.

Sweet Pastries

The challenge here is choosing from a large number of pastry options. Deep-fried empanadas boast pumpkin, apple, blueberry, or cherry filling. Powdered sugar envelops ruler-sized fruit flautas. Cinnamon sugar blankets crisp tostadas. We suggest you eat these delicious, freshly made pastries at an outdoor table. Here, you can soak up the sun and not worry about all the sugar that falls to the floor with every bite.

The single best way to satisfy a sweet tooth is with a biscochito. New Mexico has declared it the official state cookie. Perfectly crisp and sprinkled with sugar, it reminds us of a shortbread cookie. Traditionally, it’s anise flavored. Golden Crown also offers them in chocolate and cappuccino varieties. Buy them by the dozen, because they are addictive.

Hail Green Chile Bread!

Much as we love Golden Crown Panaderia’s desserts, we would willingly abjure every last one of them for the bakery’s green chili bread. Each loaf is a piece of edible art, perfectly shaped and golden brown. And the taste is enough to make any keto-dieter forsake his or her strongest convictions. Tomatoes, onions, cilantro, Parmesan cheese, and spices pack plenty of punch into every bite. Freshly-roasted green chili makes the bread uniquely New Mexican. Although delicious in and of itself, the bread gets even better when toasted and spread with a light layer of melted butter. For us, a few bites actually make time seem to stand still! Other flavored loaves (i.e. rye, cinnamon-raisin) do emerge from the oven. But these are best left for locals to whom green chili is a daily staple rather than a rare treat. In our book, the green chili bread is what definitively ranks Golden Crown as Albuquerque’s best bakery.

In addition to baked loaves, Golden Crown makes dazzling pizzas. Some of them feature a green chile crust.

Golden Crown will ship biscochitos and loaves of green chili bread (including one shaped like a Thanksgiving turkey!) anywhere in the United States.

-Orginial Post by Chris Ayers