Although Mexican food and tacos have seemingly become synonymous with Toronto’s restaurant scene, it’s worth remembering that our southern, southern neighbour actually has a flourishing culinary tradition of leavened bread as well. And Pancho’s Bakery, which was Toronto’s first Mexican bakery when it opened in 2009, is here to make sure we don’t forget that. Go sweet or savoury: classic conchas (sweetened bread with a crumbly sugary topping) and the dangerously decadent churros (fried dough pastries) are classics for Pancho’s, but only this location serves up tortas, essentially Mexican subs, in such varieties as chicken with mole or steak with tomatillo sauce. Specifically aimed at the commuter crowd, the grab-and-go production has a minuscule storefront that’s less than 200 square feet. But in the back, a sizeable bakery operation is underway. The production for all of Pancho’s has been consolidated into this location. With the smell of all the stores’ worth of fresh baked goods wafting out of the place, we suspect that the Bloor and Dufferin crowd’s commute is about to get significantly more bearable.
