Mexican cookies steal the show at Golden Crown Panaderia
New Mexican cookies steal the show at Golden Crown Panaderia
I’m guilty of too liberally applying the word “hipster” to establishments I enjoy.
If I see one old-timey light fixture, that’s the first clue. But Golden Crown Panaderia, in the middle of town, is the cool older kid hipsters look up to and try to emulate.
There’s no place like it in Albuquerque.
This family business has been around for about 45 years, because it’s got a perfect formula, the envy of any dining establishment: a spot with character in the middle of town, fresh New Mexican and Mexican baked goods, low prices, and creativity.
It also has a smart strategy: When customers walk in and order, staffers hand them a biscochito, on the house. It worked for me, because I went back and ordered half a dozen, along with half a dozen Mexican wedding cookies, because when you find a good Mexican cookie, you take it.
Both are incredibly good, New Mexican and one of the best things about our culture, but you usually find the great ones around Christmastime when the cookie season peaks.
A good biscochito should almost melt in your mouth, like this one does, and shouldn’t be too sweet or too rich. For consistency and texture, biscochitos are like Mexican snickerdoodles hot out of the oven.
At Golden Crown, you can get a fresh biscochito, a Mexican wedding cookie, empanadas, tres leches cakes that look like they were just made, coconut-covered cookies, various breads and rolls (some of which they supply to fine hotels and restaurants across town), even sandwiches and pizza.
I can confirm, the biscochito is muy bueno.
Perfectly round, golden brown, they almost crumble when you touch them. They’re bursting with sweet cinnamon and anise, and they remind me of the southern border around Christmas, the best time of the year.
Too much anise is not enjoyable. Golden Crown’s biscochitos have, if anything, too little. It’s just a hint, not overpowering, and in perfect balance with the cinnamon and sugar. (At first bite, I thought I detected a hint of red chile, but by the time I
finished the bag, I wasn’t so sure.) And they’re cheap — half a dozen are $2.97, not counting the free one you got when you ordered your meal (or the free one that came with the meal or three that come with pizzas). They taste like pure Christmas and love, and Golden Crown is rightly proud of them.
The Mexican wedding cookie was delicious, loaded with pecans and dusted with powdered sugar. They’re dry, so they go perfectly with a hot beverage like coffee or hot chocolate. They cost $2.48 for half a dozen and you can finish them off in one sitting.
You’ll find tasty treats at the Whole Foods “cookie bar” that do just fine in a sugar crunch, but they’re not exactly fresh. And no sane person is going to make homemade biscochitos more than five times in a week. But Golden Crown — or GoCro, as I call it — bakes its cookies and empanadas daily, so there’s a good chance what you’re eating was in the oven half an hour ago.
Lunch isn’t bad, either, even if it’s not as remarkable as the bakery. I had the turkey and Swiss sandwich, and it was good and filling. The green chile bread was perfect, and the turkey was highquality meat, freshly carved. It was only $9.95, so don’t expect a massive, gourmet sandwich with exotic toppings. This one came with lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard, mayonnaise and Italian dressing. It was toasted and came with a pickle spear, plain tortilla chips and a tiny cup of darkorange queso dip.
Golden Crown serves pizza, and the three that passed by looked amazing. A full-service coffee bar is also a featured attraction, as are freshly baked loaves of bread of every variety.
I feel like this is the place the quiet professionals in Albuquerque eat. It’s hidden enough to keep out tourists, it’s quaint and friendly as can be, and it’s priced just right; also, you can find some Mexican treats that are hard to find north of the border.