Because San Antonio is so deeply rooted in Mexican culture, it’s no secret that pan dulce is made with a little extra love and care here.
That’s likely why it stung so many San Antonians when national tastemaking magazine Bon Appétit snubbed the Alamo City in its “Where to Find Conchas Around the Country” list, which dubbed the iconic Mexican pastry as the “new croissant.”
“A longtime staple of Mexican panaderías, the concha is now showing up across the U.S. bakery scene in creative, new iterations,” the magazine’s Thursday Instagram post read. “From Austin to Vermont, bakers and pastry chefs are experimenting with brioche dough or sourdough starters, heirloom grains, and Mexican cacao, cinnamon, and vanilla.”
The post included eight bakery mentions in total, listing only two shops in Texas — the state that shares the longest border with Mexico — and none from San Antonio. Of course, people in the comments did not seem pleased.
“San Antonio would like a word,” @s_k_ultra wrote. “Choose any bakery in San Antonio for this list,” added @johnmarrvelous. “Conchas aren’t just food — it’s a lifestyle in San Antonio & you will see people wearing conchas as apparel in South Texas.”
“Glad to see more coverage on it. But notably missing is @lapanaderia’s conchas, a chain in San Antonio, which really helped spark the movement and made an effort to use high quality premium ingredients at a price people still can afford,” wrote @mariselmsalazar. La Panadería even weighed in, adding a simple red heart emoji to a commenter boosting their reputation for soft, pillowy conchas.
While Bon Appétit may not have mentioned any San Antonio bake shops, locals know there are plenty of places that sell quality conchas. For a quick bite into where you can find some of the best, take a peek at Express-News food critic Paul Stephen’s list here.