Bakery blocks food tour

Discover cakes galore, flaky sweet pastries and savory breads all within two short blocks!

Who knew that North 5th Street in Olney was a bakery haven? In just two city blocks there are five bakeries turning out some of the city’s best baked goods. Even better, the bakeries reflect the ethnic diversity of the people that call Olney home. On this self-guided walking tour you’ll try Colombian, Mexican and Italian treats plus a Philly original (nope, not a pretzel or a hoagie roll).

You’ll start near 5th and Lindley Avenue, where there is plenty of free street parking surrounding Incarnation Catholic Church. After the first stop you’ll work your way southward two city blocks, cross 5th Street at Rockland Street, and work your way back to where you started. At a steady pace the tour should take about an hour and a half.

If walking isn’t your thing, consider taking the route 47 bus between destinations. It runs straight up and down 5th Street every five minutes or so.

We hope you brought an appetite and a tote bag to take some goodies home!

Destination #1: Panaderia

Panaderia Mexicana El Trebol

5202 N 5th St

267-770-4212

Menu:
Trebol – A clover shaped bread that is lightly sweet and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Concha – A classic Mexican pastry bread with a crumbly sugar crust and flavors of chocolate and strawberry.

Also on the Menu:
This bakery also serves up traditional Mexican platters with rice, beans, avocado, authentic Mexican cheese and your choice of protein. They also make their own Tepache, which is a tangy fermented pineapple juice.

Fun Fact:
This bakery specializes in the food and baked goods from the Mexican state of Puebla (East-Central Mexico). The owners learned how to bake and cook from their Uncle, who is from Puebla, while they were all living in New York. This is their first bakery and all baked goods and food platters are made from scratch on site.

Destination #2: La Caleñita Bakery & Cafe

La Caleñita Bakery & Cafe

5034 N 5th St

215-455-6808

Menu:
Pan de Bono – Crispy on the outside and doughy in the middle with a lightly sweet and cheesy taste. You’ll be addicted! The next stop also has pan de bono so consider taking it to go and doing a side-by-side comparison.

Oreja (pronounced or-eh-huh) or “ear” in English – This heart shaped pastry is pretty no-nonsense. It’s layers of puff pastry with a crunchy crust of sugar on top.

Also on the Menu:
La Caleñita serves up some deliciously sweet espresso and coffee.

Destination #3: Colombian Bakery

Colombian Bakery

5044 N 5th St

Menu:
Pan de Bono – The Colombian Bakery’s pan de bono comes in a donut or ball shape. Order according to your crust vs. doughy center preferences.

Fruit & Cream Cheese Filled Puff Pastries- These pastries are super flaky on the outside and filled with a tangy sweet guava or pineapple filling and strip of soft cream cheese. Not big on cream cheese? They also have ones with only the fruit filling.

For next time:
Ham and Cheese Croissant – If you come early enough in the morning, try a breakfast croissant filled with cheese and ham or just cheese.

Destination #4: Philly Bread

Philly Bread

5005 N 5th St

339-788-8599

Call Ahead:
Philly Bread is a wholesale bakery but if you call ahead, they very well might have some super fresh bread for cash purchase. They love meeting their customers so don’t be shy.

Menu:
Philly Muffin – A new take on the English Muffin, it’s naturally leavened, milled from whole grain wheat and delicious.

Where to buy:
Philly Bread’s products are sold at gourmet grocers such as DiBruno Bros and at food co-ops like Mariposa and the Weaver’s Way as well as farmers markets throughout the region. Check out phillybread.com for more info.

Destination #5: Oteri's Italian Bakery

Oteri’s Italian Bakery

4919 N 5th St

215-457-4958

Menu:
Cakes, cakes & more cakes – This is the cake shop you dreamt of as a child. The air literally smells sweet from creamy frosting and meticulously sculpted fondant everywhere you look.

Italian Cookies – It’s a classic and sold by the pound so take some home for the cookie jar.

As Seen on TV:
In 2014, this location of Oteri’s Bakery was featured on an episode of Cake Boss. The episode culminated in the renovation of the storefront and retail space into what you see here today.