Awesome empanadas da best in California. Been open since 1967. We stop here every time we are in town. Pineapple and cream are the best. Don't miss it. read more

My neighbor swore that this was the ultimate Mexican pastry shop, and she would send her hubby at 5am to pick-up the fresh baked goods. Well, I can definitely say she was sadly mistaken. When I arrived, they had the typical pastries, but there were flies everywhere. I even saw a couple in the actual pastry cases--YUK. Maybe the key is to arrive at 5am when the flies are asleep. read more

BEST. CONCHAS. EVER. ' You owe it to yourself to order some fresh-out-of-the-oven conchas from El Nopal. They're like little warm fluffy pillows of goodness. Every time we're in the area to visit my in-laws, we have to stop at El Nopal to order a bag (ok, fine... a few bags) of conchas. This place is awesome and I hope they never go out of business. read more

best Mexican bajad bakery ever! you can't go wrong whatever you choose to taste, it will leave you craving for more. and the customer service is absolutely the best :) read more

My family has been coming to this bakery for decades. I love their pastries more than any other bakery. Their breads are so soft and delicious. You have to go during the day for a larger selection of pastries. The bad: It's a small bakery and it can get crowded, parking is tight and they don't have fat free milk. read more

Their bread is super duper freaken good. It's soft, moist and sweet as heaven lol. Deffenetly, not the place to go when watching your diet. The herraduras and the conchas are my favorites ones, especially when they are warm. read more

the best concha i have ever had in my entire life. don't walk run here! they're 60 cents a concha!!! i live an hour and a half away and i'll be making the drive here without a doubt. amazinggggggg read more

Friendly folks running the place. Even with a line in the morning you are out of there within minutes and under 2 bucks for a handful of empanadas! The pumpkin empanada is my favorite. They also know how to make a good piggy spiced cookie. They also sell milk if you are on the go! read more

El Nopal Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Watsonville, California

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I love this place. I would give it more stars if I could. My parents have brought me here since I was a wee little kid. Their Conchitas are awesome and so soft. Especially if you are lucky enought to get them fresh out of the oven when they are still nice and warm. Give me a conchita with a glass of milk and I am one happy camper. Their empanadas are also delicious. My favorite are the one's filled with pineapple filling. They have little cookies with a dallop of jam in the center that are also great. All in all, you can't go wrong when you visit El Nopal Bakery. read more

Churros are excellent... We bought a couple, along with a few other pastries and left. As we walked away, we bit into one of the churros and then immediately turned around to buy more!!! Very small place... Basically counter only. We hoped to find a cafe or coffee shop type place to sit down and hang out for awhile. Regardless, their baked goods are excellent! Especially the churros!! :) read more

The best bread EVER!!!!! I've been going there since I was 3. I am now in my 40's! Best conchas ever it reminds me of my grandmother and church right across the street from them. read more

Never disappoints, besides when they're out of conchas been coming here since I was like 5. So about 15 years now. Same bakers, same owners, same amazing bread. And prices are ridiculously cheap. You can call ahead and ask when their next batch of bread will be out, so you can get it nice and warm...it's the best!!! It's a must try in Watsonville! read more

Our family has buying pan dulce from El Nopal for years! Even some family members that have moved out of the area continue to come back and pay the bakery a visit. I love their conchas! Always warm and fresh. read more

No doubt this is best "Pan Dulce" around have been coming here since a kid. Ever since the original owners passed away the service here has been getting worse and worse. Now when I come from out of town to try and buy some bread they hardly have anything. You have to special order now I guess..? This is a joke now..used to like walking in and they were always putting out fresh pan dulce. It sells out so don't understand this mentality of keeping the display cases empty. Sad..Get your act together El nopal! Wouldn't be surprised if your doors close in the near future for bad customer service. read more

I have been going to this bakery since I was a child am 34 and the bread is really good just like I remember. But it's been 1 week that I've been going every day and they just never have enough bread Conchas are the best and I can't believe they don't make enough that sad read more

When i was a kid my mom used to drive across town for the nopal bakery pasteries but i wasnt impressed with with my latest trip to the nopal last week i stopped by and the sweets tasted day old and they werent regular size breads they were all almost mini portioned and over priced for that quality and quantity if i go again hopefully the portions are better and are more fresh read more

Best conchas and puerquitos in town, hands down! The ladies could be a bit more courteous at times, but theyre nice enough.

The best bread in California. Never have I tried a better selection of bread in California. If you want authentic conchas this is your place. My personal favorites are the conchas, ladrillos, diamantes, empanadas de betún, and the galletitas. You won't be disappointed. read more

Born and raised in Watsonville, now live in San Diego. Every time I'm in town this is the first stop and last! Have never found conchas as good as these anywhere else ! read more

Been coming here since I was a kid and the bread had never disappointed me!! Best bakery for sure!!! Love the chocolate conchas & empanadas!

I've been a loyal customer of El Nopal since I was a kid and it is undoubtedly the best pan dulce around! The conchas, cinnamon sugar cookies, empanadas, cuernitos are all amazing! read more

Went here for the first time. Really good stuff! I highly recommend the strawberry like bear claws they have. Yum!

In my opinion this is the best bakery in Watsonville. They have extremely soft conchas which are great with milk. They have amazing customer service, and they are extremely patient .I would recommend this bakery if you are in Watsonville, CA. read more

The best Mexican bread ever! Cash only. They do have an ATM machine but it looks old. You have to try the conchas. They always ask what color conchas do you want...it doesn't matter, they taste amazing. Soft and sweet. The sugar will get all over! Your hair! Your car! Your Face! OMG, be prepared. read more

I don't live in Watsonville, but my wife and I have now been coming to the area for vacations for more than thirty years. El Nopal Bakery has been and will continue to be a first-day stop, and then we go back every two days while we are here to refresh the supplies. In short, we love what they make. My home is in Berkeley. We are blessed with many high-end bakeries. We can get outstanding pastries that are done more in a French style. It is not that I don't enjoy those as well, but there is something charming about the simpler offerings at El Nopal, and relative to Berkeley prices, the final tab is always a delight. Even relative to Mexican markets in the area, the prices here are much lower and the quality is higher. On our most recent visit, we came on the first day, got four small rolls and seven pastries, and the tab was around $7. We came back two days later and bought significantly more pastries. I think the tab was around $12. In Berkeley, even for the simplest pastries, you would be paying well over $3 per item. At my favorite French bakery the entry point is about $5 per item, and they are miniscule. We have a number of favorites. I don't know the proper names, but hopefully the descriptions will help you identify them should you wish to try them. They make a layered flaky pastry that is sold in the form of rectangular pieces that have just the right amount of custard between the layers. This is just a delight. They also make a custard-filled sugar-coated cone that is delicious as is, but I like to put fresh strawberries and/or raspberries into it. They make something resembling an empanada that has a variety of fillings; we particularly like the sweet potato and pumpkin versions. They also make a flaky pastry with either guava or strawberry filling that we enjoy. They make a coarse-sugar-coated "pretzel" that is fun and delicious. There are numerous other items we enjoy. They don't always have all of them available, but we always find things that we enjoy. Numerous other reviews rave about the conchas. Finally, each time we went in, the service was friendly and helpful. If I lived in Watsonville or near Watsonville, my doctor would probably have to put a tracker on my ankle and electroshock me every time I went within a half mile of this bakery. I would probably be there daily. read more

I definitely do not like to put businesses on blast but wow this place is absolutely terrible. My sister ordered a rosca for the kids and they told us to pick it up and pay that same day. We show up to pick the lady at the front says oh we have tried to get ahold of you to tell you what we didn't make it because you didn't pay it ahead of time. I go to to the car and inform my sister she looks at her phone there is no missed calls. I told them we would have paid ahead of time if we needed to reserve one. The owner came out and did not even introduce himself. He said oh well we didn't make it this happens every year and blew me off. This place has always had the best bread in town but there customer service is atrocious to say the least... read more

I have such fond memories of coming here back in the 70's when my family would come to Pajaro Dunes. I, too, remember the conchas, and empanadas. But my favorite, hands down, were always the huesos, a sweet crunchy flakey stick of deliciousness. But the last time my parents tried to get me some, they said they don't make them anymore. Is it true?! read more

I agree for the most part with other Yelper's but... I grew up in the neighborhood and as a kid I remember the days when they actually sold more than Conchita's and Empanadas. They had full bread display and top notch flavors for most of there bread. It is sad to see the recipes lost to time. It is very depressing to walk inside and find no bread and a poor presentation. It hasn't change since the early 90's which where Golden Years for this place. They should have a better schedule to announce when the Conchita's will be made for walk-ins, since all the pre-orders leave us without anything to buy. I do agree with the other comment below. They should sell good coffee and have some tables since there is not much else happening with the furniture. read more

This is the place for the best Pan Dulce. You can't go wrong with the Chonchitas & the Empanadas de Piña. But I must say, the quality of the empanadas is not the same as when the mother and the son made them. I could honestly said this cause I've been coming here since I was a child. read more

bomb bread but worst service and employees ever the owners of this place need to change the way the run this place every time i go and ask for a certain bread they say they dont have any while i can see the racks behind them full of it and there excuse is always those are pre ordered bread WTF. and from all those bread you can sell me 1 will never be coming back rather waist my money on those nasty 711 prepacked bread. read more

By far the best pastry I've ever had...they always taste and look the same...#consistency...cash only boo...super cheap they should charge more...they have a huge cult fallowing...hollister was not the same experience...thumbs up to the Bakers!!! read more

This place is amazing! They are so friendly and gracious with my Spanglish (at best). The conchitas put even the best donuts to shame.