This little Latin bakery is tucked into the back of a retail center and definitely feels like a hidden gem. They offer cakes, empanadas, and a variety of pastries. I stopped by a little later in the day, so they were almost sold out, but I still managed to grab some guava and cheese pastries. They were light, fluffy, and exactly how pastries should be...absolutely delicious. I also tried a chocolate cupcake and a slice of red velvet cake. Both were a bit denser than I prefer, so I'd personally stick with the pastries because they were fire! The café itself is very quaint, with a few bar stools inside and a couple of tables outside, making it a cute spot to sit and enjoy a coffee and pastry. Overall, I'll definitely be back for the pastries. Yum! read more

Bakery Makel - Pastries - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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In the Clearwater area and. Was in the mood for cafe con leche and Latin baked goods. Tucked in a small plaza we found this cute bakery- full of surprises. Apart from the traditional sweet Latin baked goods, they have empanadas, Latin bowls, breakfast sandwiches as well. Service was quick- we ordered breakfast Cuban sandwich and cafe con leche. Very good and reasonably priced. It was a nice day so we ate outside. They have a few tables with umbrellas. We also took some guava and cheese turnovers and beef empanadas to go! Highly recommend! read more

Bakery Makel - Breakfast Cuban Sandwich and Cafe Con Lechecafe - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

We stopped by late on a Monday afternoon after a drive by Clearwater Beach. Many of the pastries were already sold out--which is usually a good sign. We grabbed a cheese and guava pastry, a cheese pastry, and of course a tostada cubana to go with our coffee. Yum! Small and tucked into an unassuming plaza, but a great spot for all the classic Cuban goodies. read more

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I missed the Latin bakeries that I used to hit up when I lived in Miami, so I decided to check out Bakery Makel. It's a small shop in a strip mall off Drew St. All their items looked super yummy, and I enjoyed the whimsical selection of green and red treats for Christmas. I had to go with the classics: a guava & cheese pastelito, chorizo empanada, and a cafe con leche. It was all delicious, albeit a bit pricey. I'm still happy to return to support this local business and try more of their selections. read more

Bakery Makel - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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Probably the worst bakery I've been to. The eclair here was drier than a sponge. It was hard, dry, flavorless, and old. The flan, tres leches, guava and cheese, and lemon pie were edible but do not get the eclair if you insist on trying this bakery out. Please check your inventory and if it's old to not sell it to costumers. And if they try to tell you, don't ignore them. 0/10 do not recommend. Poor service and bad items. read more

The papa rellenas and cafe con leche are both so good. Service is quick and friendly. Excited to try the tres leches next!

I have been in this store before They have sandwiches, pastries, etc. I went and I ordered a 4 leches cake, it was small really cute First there was no 4 milks, I mean I've tried tres leches and it's normally very moist. The 4th milk was dulce de Leche, oh boy, it was dry, and the whip topping was hard maybe some kind of meringue? Anyways i should have gone back and say something but I ate like 3 bites and suddenly I got this stomach pain fast!! Maybe it was not fresh This is something bakeries should be really aware of and maybe remove quickly when is old Anyways I hope it's better next time read more

A cute little latino bakery tucked away in a new strip mall on Drew St. I would haved to have tried the empanadas but unfortunately I was there to late in the day. I did however purchased a small tres leche, and a Key lime pie which were ok. read more

Prices are not listed and when you ask for how much is some pastry they just come up with a verbal price. I asked for the price of several pastries that I have ordered in Tampa bakeries. The pastries Tampa were much bigger and had more filling. The pastries at Makel were much smaller and you could barely see the filling. At Makel the prices were much higher. Customers beware as I didn't see any prices marked. I did not order anything and left. I will never come back again. I don't know how they get away with this business practice. read more

Thanks to Rachel M, my wonderful wife and I tried out Bakery Makel yesterday. Well, truth be told, I first went alone in the early AM while I was running errands and then I brought my wife back together in the afternoon. Twice in one day! Bakery Makel is hidden in the back of a strip mall on the north side of Drew. I highly recommend navigating as it doesn't have the largest sign. In case you are wondering, Makel stands for the two owners, Mabel and Kelly. One of them is Nicaraguan hence the Latin influence. When I first entered, there were 10 people squeezed in this small but spotless and well lit establishment. The counter and register are to the left while there are stools for eating in or just waiting for your order to the right. Sarah was taking orders, filling pastry boxes and making coffee for all the customers. She was friendly and fast moving! The pastry display cases are beautiful and mouth watering. On the left are guava, cheese and guava and cheese pastries as well as guava and cheese bread! In addition, they have many different kinds of empanadas which are all quite large. My wonderful wife tried the steak and jalapeño empanada and she loved it! It was very generous and flavorful! To the right are more sweet pastries of many varieties. They even have pavlova! I stuck with guava and cheese pastries to go which turned out to be very flaky and delicious! We of course ordered a sweet colada which had an amazing crema and was very excellent tasting! I know this is designed to be shared among 5 or 6 people but I can handle one by myself as can my wife. Caffeine and sugar are good things on a lazy Saturday! I highly recommend Bakery Makel and we can't wait to return! read more

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This is a hidden gem of a bakery that you won't want to miss. It is a small bakery but packs a punch with amazing fresh and flavorful food. read more

Bakery Makel - Amazing Local Bakery with fresh baked goods daily! The breakfast sandwich and Cubans are the best in Tampa Bay! - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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Holy moly, this place is a frickin 10/10 every time. I always get the Latin bowl with pork and it SLAPS. So incredibly flavorful and juicy. I just tried the arroz con leche and it's the best I've ever had. I'm gluten free now but I've had their guava pastries and empanadas in the past and all so phenomenal. Would recommend this place 100 times over. Some of the best Spanish food I've ever had. And I use to live in Miami so that's saying a lot!!! read more

Bakery Makel - Latin Rice Bowl with pork - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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The food was pretty good, but there is no seating. There is three bar stools, but it's kinda awkward. The eclair was really good. The service was average. I wouldn't make the drive to this place, but would eat it if I'm near. read more

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OMG!! OMG!!! This bakery is my Dream!!!! Grew up in Miami, so I had the access to every delicious latin cuisine. Coming to Clearwater was hard in the stomach cause I missed my empanadas, pan sobao, and tequeños! This is the bakery I never knew I had and needed!! They have everything I grew up eating (I'm Puerto Rican but I'm sure I ate more cuban/Venezuelan food than my own). The croquetas have the crispiness, the color, and the FLAVOR!! The tequeños are the superior cheese stick haha if you've never had it, it's cheese wrapped by a nice semi sweet dough (more savory than sweet). Lastly, the guava+cheese pastelito. Talk about extreme craving satisfaction! Pair it with a nice cafe con Leche (gotta have that espumita). Recommend!!! I ordered through DoorDash and it was on time, still hot/warm, and extremely delicious!!! read more

Bakery Makel - Top to bottom: guava and cheese pastelito, Ham croquetas, tequeño - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

I see makel hasn't made any changes to the amount of filling in their empanadas bummer! In the picture with 2 empanadas is just about where the filling starts in the steak and jalapeño. I just wanted to give a visual reference so you could see what I'm talking about. It's pretty inexcusable to only get filling after eating half of the empanada but I always give businesses the benefit of the doubt and decided to give makel another chance to no avail. Maybe I'm not picky but no one buys empanadas for the shell! We want the goods inside lol anyways this will probably be the last time I buy empanadas here and instead opt for the desserts because makel does have quite the selection. Tembleque I presume is their version of rice pudding but instead of rice there is coconut . So basically coconut pudding with cinnamon . read more

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Good cuban selection of patisseries, the guava cheese was very delicious . The cortadito was authentic and great flavor , cuban sandwiches was tasty , was a little dry though bas it was nice read more

The food is incredibly delicious! The Cuban sandwich is the best I've had this far. Great pastry selection. Looks like a family run business yet the customer service is excellent. Prices are great. Plenty of parking highly recommend. Place is clean and cozy only seats like 4 people but it's a must stop. read more

Bakery Makel - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

The Cuban and pork bowl are very greasy and have a lot of large chunks of fat throughout. Hardly edible and makes you sick to your stomach if you try to eat it. Feeling very nauseous and gross after trying to eat just some of the sandwhich. Threw the bowl away. Just awful. I'm sure they have great pastry's, but stay away from the food!! read more

Bakery Makel is hidden off the road, but if a product is good, people will find it. And they have! The place was very crowded which was a good sign. I asked the worker how long they'd been there & she said 4 years. So I'm late to the game. The bakery has many bakery items from the countries to our south. Plus they have empanadas, Cuban sandwiches, & coffees. All I got was a Guava & Cheese pastry. It was so good. I saw in other reviews I need to try some other things, so I'll be back. read more

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Great food and service. This is my go-to for a colada. Double colada that is definitely worth the trip! read more

Bakery Makel - Double Colada - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

The Cafe con Leche, Empenadas, pastries, and Cubans are top notch! Can't wait till they open their new location in Lutz and really looking forward to possibly a Palm Harbor location. please...please...please! My only complaint is that I wish their delicious Empenadas had more filling. The ratio of the fried dough and filling was way off. Please add more filling to your Empenadas. read more

Bakery Makel was a great find. It is tucked into a plaza on Drew street. They have some signs on the street talking about their cubans. I have tried several things here including a cuban and many baked goods. The cuban was meh. Mine was small, lacked filling, and super dry. The pork was dried out and there were not enough condiments. I have had better cuban bread too. I would like to try their empanadas and bowls. I probably will on a future visit. The baked goods however, are worth 6 stars. I am going to give them a 4 overall just because the cuban was so disappointing. They have a napoleon eclair that is the absolute best eclair I have ever had. They have a few other desserts that I have tried. I have tried a bundt cake that was heavenly. The Caramel Milhojas is a great call. It has flaky layers and delicious dulce de leche. Some of the desserts have names that I cannot remember, pronounce, or say. Every single one that I have tried has been amazing. I don't think you can go wrong with the sweet stuff. There are some desserts that are always there, and others that rotate out. They also have some impressive looking cakes (I have not ordered one, but I have seen them). Overall, I am glad that I found Bakery Makel. I will definitely hit them up when I need something sweet. I am also going to try some more savory items... just probably not another cuban. read more

We have eaten and ordered here a few times. The sandwiches and croquetas have always been good. This time - not so much - we ordered ham croquetas and They were overly crispy as well as the oil tasted as if it had been used over and over "old" ps The inside of the croquetas tasted good but the outside - had a distinct taste - where they had to maybe change the oil Like them and will give them another try read more

Bakery Makel - Croquetas - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

Can't believe I did not know about this bakery. If you love meringue like I do you'll love Bakery Makel. I had the meringues and the lemon tart. Fantastic. I also bought the cookies that were in a bag and a flan. I loved the cookies and haven't tried the flan . Everything was well displayed and signed, There are coffees , sandwiches, Latin bowls and empanadas , I'll definitely return to try more of the items. If you know Mac's Scuba just turn in to the strip center next door, read more

Don't underestimate this small bakery in this unassuming shopping plaza. My go-to is their Cubanos *chef's kiss* just so flavorful and moist! The best Cubano I've ever had around here. Their empanadas are also soooo good. Flaky on the outside, a little fluffy in the breading inside, and the meat fillings are on point! Just be aware that it can get crowded during the lunch rush so it may take a while to get your order, but it's so worth the wait! There are so many other things I want to try since they have a lot of options in their display case. Will be a back! read more

For my 50th review I wanted it to be for a small local business who deserved a voice. Came here with my mom for some breakfast before a workshop down in clearwater. Let me say that the food was out of this world. I grew up in a cuban/ american household so I know when a cuban sandwich is good. I ordered the breakfast sandwich with ham. The eggs were extremely fluffy and it was the flavorful. The bread tasted sweet and was not over pressed at all. You have the option to have mayo or butter and I chose mayo. I feel like butter might of tasted a better but it was still extremely delicious. My mom ordered the medianoche which from what she said was the best she has had in a while. She was happy that it was a true medianoche with butter and no salami! When I tasted the sandwich I could tell that it was made with love like my grandmother use to make and made me feel like at home. We also ordered the caramel cannoli AND IT WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD. never would I have imagined that caramel would go together. Me and my mom have both agreed that we will try to make it a weekly outing to come out here and enjoy more deliciousness. Recommend to anyone that enjoys latin/cuban food. read more

Little bakery tucked in an out-of-the-way strip plaza. Stopped in for something different, came out with a Cuban and arroz con dulce. The Cuban was so good, fresh and hot and the bread was excellent. Service was quick and friendly. The baked goods looked amazing. I will be back for pastries and cafe. read more

Bakery Makel - Baked goods - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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I'm so glad I tried this place! I found it on Uber Eats and I ordered because it was free delivery for sharing a delivery with a nearby order. We tried a tequeno, small cafe con leche, cheese and guava pastry, breakfast empanada and Cuban empanada. Everything but the breakfast empanada was amazing. I expected the breakfast empanada to be scrambled eggs with chucks of bacon and cheese. The empanada was mostly empty with a small piece of bacon and a fried over hard egg. The Cuban empanada would be better with a side of mayo/mustard mixture for dipping. It was stuffed full of pork, cheese and pickles. The cafe con leche was sweetened just right. I saw a previous review complaining about the size. I think it was the perfect amount considering it's espresso and not regular coffee. Of course the tequeno was delicious. Who doesn't love fried cheese?! The guava cheese pastry was good but not as much cheese as I prefer. I will be back for more! read more

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Food is good. service is very bad, unfriendly and lack of professional courtesy, at the front it is a young boy running the bakery! I understand is a relative of the Chec, but he is turning off customers. I would not recommended again to anyone . ambience is nothing to write home about it. read more

Where do I even start....Sarah was an absolute gem! This place made me feel right at home, food was absolutely delicious. I had a Pan con Bistec and it was to die for! I usually order for delivery but I am so glad I went on my lunch break and was able to meet such genuine people! I HIGHLY recommend their pastries, cafe con leche & food! Its a small taste from Miami in Clearwater without a doubt, try it. You wont regret it!! read more

Bakery Makel - Pan con Bistec - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

Bakeries and pastries are my weakness. I have a fairly low-carb lifestyle, when it's time for the occasional "cheat", this the place I go. Their guava tarts are by far the best in the county...the perfect balance of pastry and filling. Their flaky crust is consistently flaky. Going beyond the tarts, their other Latin dishes are top notch as well as seasonal specialties like pumpkin pie. Their Opera Cake is out of this world...and they sell it in 'squares' if you don't need the entire cake. (BTW, Opera Cake is a difficult dish most bakeries stumble on.) If you are carb-conscious, there's nothing worse than 'a bad cheat'. Bakery Makel will however you make up for your cheat worthwhile. read more

Oh good lord... I have lived in Miami for a long time so I had grown accustomed to Hispanic food. I absolutely love it so when I tried this place, oh boy, my taste buds went for a ride. I placed my order through UberEats and I got the Cuban sandwich and a guava and cheese pastry. It cost about $9 for everything and the portions were adequate (however, I've had bigger pastries in some Miami Cuban bakeries). The pastry was super yummy and the pastry even stuck to your teeth a little when you bit into it. The Cuban sandwich was heavenly. The pork kind of fell apart in your mouth and the cheese was pull apart delish. The bread was nicely pressed and crunchy in the mouth. Condiments and the pickles were adequately distributed throughout the sandwich. If you love Cuban sandwiches, coladas, and pastries filled with yummy cheeses and guava, this bakery is for you. I might have to take an actual visit to the story one of these days. Live long and prosper, yelpers! read more

Bakery Makel - Guava and Cheese Pastry - Desserts Near Me - Clearwater, Florida

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I don't have any pictures because the food was gone too quickly. It was that good! I ordered catering for a party of about 25. I ordered the chicken mini empanadas, croquettas, papas rellenas, and some pastries. Crowd favorite was definitely the papas rellenas! The catering was easy to order online and very reasonably priced. I expected the food to be packaged in tin catering trays but they were plastic wrapped styrofoam trays so I recommend eating right away, but nevertheless, everything was still delicious (Cuban boyfriend approved). I will definitely order again. read more

Maybe I went to the wrong entrance. Standing room only coffee shop, limited pastries and menu. Coffee was good and pastries tasty. Staff was ambivalent read more

Everything here was absolutely delicious. I love their café con Leche!! Their pastries were amazing as well

Let me start off by saying I am Cuban and from the Miami area. That being said, I find it near impossible to find a worthy Cuban place in this area. I ordered from here because I was BADLY craving a Café con Leche and decided to give it a try. I ordered the breakfast Cuban which is egg, bacon, and cheese on toasted Cuban bread, a tequeno, and a extra large Café con Leche. One word-DELICIOUS! I was not disappointed one bit. The Cuban breakfast sandwich was toasty and good and a pretty decent size! Tastes very authentic. The cafe was just what I expected and hit the spot just right and the tequeno to me was the BEST part. It was flaky on the outside and the inside was warm, soft and cheesey, on my second bite some butter squirted out and it seriously was beyond fresh. Mmmm, now I'm craving more. I can't wait to try more goodies from this place! read more

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Listen Here- If you are in the area i HIGHLY recommend trying Bakery Makel. I honestly have never been inside- (NOT YET) But I work about 15 mins down the road from them and my team and I have had their food delivered to us multiple times. If something is this good via uber eats- I have to believe its even better when I physically go there! I looked at all the pictures and there are things on the pictures that aren't offered via uber eats... that look so good! Empanadas are the best. Their sandwiches are soooo good! My fave are the little ham croquettes... tiny yet full of flavor! so I'd just get a box to share instead of a couple of them. Coffee is yummy! I can definitely tell their food is made with love and intentionality. Wouldn't Be surprised if this is family run and owned. read more

Authentic. Recommend the alfajores. They have party menu too. Servicio muy bueno.

Love their pastry. Did not like their breakfast sandwich at all. It was pressed and there was hardly anything on it. Wouldn't get it again. My husband likes the empanadas a lot. read more

I was on the hunt for some good coffee during my visit in the Clearwater area and once I found this place and saw all their delicious bakery items I knew I must try! This spot is located in a small strip mall, and is a cute storefront with their decor! Wow, the guava and cheese pastelito is everything!! I've tried a few of these from other bakeries and this one was one of my top! Highly recommend. My mom got the chicken empanada and thought it was really good too! I also got a caramel frappe and this was just ok, nothing compared to the Starbucks frappe. What I did really enjoy was the whip cream for some reason? It had a unique flavor that I enjoyed! Can't put my finger on what it was. The staff was really nice, and the prices were great for what we got! read more