Authentic Oaxacan Bakery and Deli: Sweet Dreams Delight
Pan Dulce and Oaxacan Foods on Broadway
Halfway up Broadway Avenue in Seaside is a beacon of Oaxacan baked goods, foods, and drinks. It is a cultural center, a community gathering place, and an organizing hub. To visit Sweet Dreams Delight is to walk inside an Oaxacan eatery full of smells and smiles from this traditional culture of a region in Mexico.
We visited the bakery during the annual baking of a bread called Rosca de Reyes, also known as Three Kings Bread for the New Year. This event is called Día de Los Reyes, and the bakery sells over 1,000 pieces of dessert bread. Hidden inside some of the loaves are small figurines designating who will have the honor of contributing to the annual community feast.
A Taste of Oaxaca in Seaside
The care and attention to detail bring Seaside's Oaxacan population a sense of home and community through this annual tradition. The easiest and most reliable way to know that this bakery is a community center is to witness the steady flow of customers lining up to buy their favorite baked goods until nine o'clock at night.
Sweet Dreams Delight remains rooted in the traditional baking processes of the Oaxacan culture as well as some creative variations like pretzel-shaped traditional Oaxacan bread. You can find amazing baked goods for an extremely reasonable price. If you want to get baked goods for a party in the Seaside area, this would be a fantastic choice. Sweet Dreams Delight provides quality Oaxacan baked goods at a price that delivers great value.
Family, Community, and Food
This organization is spearheaded by Juan Mijangos, a recent CSUMB graduate, and supported by five family members, all with varying roles within the business. It is crucial to not only provide authentic baked goods but to remain a family-based business. The sense of family comes out in the aura of the bakery when you go in to select your goods.
When we corresponded with Juan, he had this to say about Sweet Dreams Delight:
“We are trying to reach all hungry customers who are looking for a distinct location that is focused on providing traditional foods from our small town called Oaxaca in Mexico.
Our business is focused on offering baked goods called “pan dulce” as well as a variety of pastries, hot drinks in the morning such as Atole, champurrado in the evenings, and of course drip coffee. Not only are we a bakery, but we are also a restaurant that serves sandwiches called ‘tortas,’ burritos, plated dinners, and specialty items such as tacos oaxaqueños, dobladas, gringas, and tlayudas.
Our specialty is Pan Dulce and Oaxacan foods, such as our grilled meats, due to our seasonings and the way we prepare them.”
When it comes to what he hopes for in the future, Juan writes: “We hope to achieve great customer satisfaction by leaving them with a great first impression as well as serving them delicious food and sweets. We hope to one day expand and open a second location elsewhere.”