La Especial Bakery

I've been going to this place since I was a little girl and now that I'm not local to the valley, I always try to make a stop here when I visit.
Now, trying pan dulce from basically everywhere (Nevada, California, North Texas, The RGV) I'm able to honestly say that this place is my favorite.

Also has the best prices. There really is no marketing or signage directing you to them, but the building is next to an antique shop.

Closed Mondays

My favorite pastries are the conchas, pigs, pink and yellow cookies, rainbow cookies, pink donuts, and the Sweet potato empanadas are amazing. Okay so basically everything haha! Pastries are usually 3 or 4 /$1

If you want some of, if not, the best pan dulce you've had in your life for a price that is little to nothing? Then this is the spot you need to hit up. My life changed when I first bit in to a choncha from this place.

Incredible pan dulce. We're in town from Minnesota visiting family and absolutely loved the selection. The softest roles de canela and delightful conchas. We'll be back again before we leave.

Good ol fashioned sweet bread , best prices anywhere around . This place has been here for many years and will be here for many more ! So good!!!

Since as far as back my memory permits, (I'm now 48 --yikes lol) this is my family's go to for Mexican Sweet bread. At least twice a week after school my mom would get fresh bread for us from there. Our house always had a bowl in our kitchen with pan de dulce. I have gone to other places since and I will take a look at it or take a bite and push my plate back. I do not like to eat any other bread from anywhere else unless it is from La Especial. I live now in North Central Texas and when I visit RGV I we take a couple of bags with us. My absolute favorite is the empanadas de calabaza. But really ALL OF IT IS DELICIOUS! This is when you appreciate when a family business sticks to traditional recipes!!

Stopped here to pick up some pastries on our way to McAllen. So glad we did. The staff was friendly and all the items looked and smelled delicious. We got pan fino and a few other time that were all warm and delicious.

When researching for the best quality AND best prices for local make and local offerings of baked goods for a large event we recently hosted in the RGV, we were told about La Especial Bakery in San Juan. The first time we went to check it out, it was closed (closed every Monday) and looked empty and rather run down. The store front is small, older "vintage" and the sign's paint was a bit faded. I felt rather dubious. However, my friend and fellow researcher insisted that we come back on another day to give them a try. Oh my. Folks were lined up out the door and down the street, qued up to get in and buy the wonderful goodies they bake. By the end of the day, everything is gone! One of the nice things about this bakery is that some of the items are sized a bit smaller. In an event like we were hosting, we wanted folks to get to try a number of things. For example, the little pig cookies, maranitos, were just perfect. Great taste but a bit smaller than from some other places. Prices were very reasonable at this bakery, and everything we tried was excellent. The sweet potato empanadas = exquisite! The magdalinas, a sort of slightly sweetened biscuit type pastry, which contained raisins as well, were so very good, too, as well as some pastries for which I don't know the name like those with apple bits on top, and the ones covered with colorful sprinkles, and the Mexican type of oatmeal cookies.All good. Another wonderful thing are their conchas. Those from places are either just so-so, or are dry and not very good at all. These conchas were tasty, moist, the frosting just right, and again, their slightly smaller portions sizes was a plus for us. You all need to try this place. It's THE place for local baked goods which are both excellent in quality and reasonably priced.