By Denise Ortuno
In traditional fashion, this Old Town Indio sweet spot offers classic Mexican as well as American style baked goods, all at Casillas Bakery.
Off Oasis Street in the Old Town part of Indio, sits Casillas Bakery/Panaderia. The popular old school bakery has been providing sweet baked goodies to the surrounding area for almost thirty years.
It’s the kind of place that feels strangely comfy, although the décor is lacking…well, décor. But the simplicity of the place, is actually part of its allure. It’s an old school no frill bakery, but whatever they don’t have in the frill department, they make up easily in authentic and tasty baked treats, with a shiny reputation aided by their longevity.
Casillas Bakery member Alexa Hernandez walked me through the numerous items that they have to tame a sweet tooth. First off, when you enter the bakery there is a wall with medium sized glass doors, and inside there are racks with the goodies on them. Patrons grab a tray with a pair of tongs to select what they would like to purchase, self-service style. There are racks upon racks of different items, some that look familiar, and some that might need a little bit of a description, especially if you are not familiar with pan dulces (sweet bread).
There are American standard pastries that they offer such as jelly rolls, a variety of cookies, cakes, cinnamon rolls and donuts, as well as croissants, pretzels and rolls. But it’s the pan dulces that seem to be a little more fun. They have names which include Chicken Legs (pan dulce shaped like a chicken leg) Borracho (a bone like shaped pan dulce), and Yo-Yo (jelly roll type cake, rolled in coconut), among others. Many of the pastries are playfully formed Concha’s, which is sweet bread with a sugary topping.
The sugary aspect of the goods at Casillas Bakery is one to make a special note about, as they are NOT overly sugary. It’s a refreshing part of the way that their baked goods taste. They are light, in texture and in sugar content. The treats don’t leave you feeling as if you just downed a pound of sugar. A couple of items that I relished in on my visit was their bread pudding, their buttercream atop a slice of pan dulce and the pineapple cake. The bread pudding kind of reminded me of the way my mom used to make it. It was dense, not overly sweet, and had a sort of crust to it, bringing me back to my mom’s kitchen. And because I’m a butter freak, I had to try their buttercream, which was fantastic spread over some light sweet bread. However, I must say that their pineapple cake is super delicious, with moist cake and real pineapple.
Casillas offers up specials as well, and even tamales during the winter months. Having a birthday party, wedding or any occasion that needs a cake? Casillas has you covered there too (can we say buttercream??). Apart from their lip smacking goods, their prices are crazy affordable, with most items less than $1 (not the specialty cakes).
Casillas Bakery bakes their pastries and bread daily, starting at a mind boggling 3:30am every day. They are opened from 5am to 8pm Mon through Sat, and until 1pm on Sundays.
For authentic pan dulces and other sweet indulgences, Casillas Bakery has a traditional flare that will have you coming back for tasty treats again and again.
Casillas Bakery is located at 45-228 Oasis St, Indio 92201
