How a San Jose Pan Dulce Van Turned Into Four Neighborhood Bakeries

On October 11, the ribbon-cutting at 5469 Snell Ave. was over almost as soon as it started. By the time owner Aldo Ortiz had taken a family photo under a balloon arch and cut the red ribbon, the line was already a block and a half long. People had started lining up an hour before opening, so the planned remarks from District 2 Councilmember Pamela Campos and Mexico's consul general were skipped, San José Spotlight reported. The cases were empty within 90 minutes.

That shop is Panapolis Bakery No. 4. Two years ago it was a single storefront. Today it is four bakeries in four parts of San Jose, and three of them took over kitchens that other businesses had left. The bakery's growth depends on that kind of space, and for a lot of households the pan dulce run is now a short trip.

Four bakeries, three of them in someone else's old kitchen

Each location has a different backstory. Spotlight's list of addresses, with what came before each one:

The Almaden Expressway suite was most recently Queen Eggroll Express. The Santa Clara County facility inspection record for that suite now lists Panapolis 2 and logs a change of ownership on October 9, 2025.

All four locations keep the same hours, 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. One phone number, (408) 726-0086, handles orders for all of them.

The van came first

Panapolis started out driving to its customers. In 2023, Telemundo Área de la Bahía profiled the mobile bakery Ortiz ran alongside his storefront. He told the station that his grandfather, uncles and father were all bakers, and that he started baking at 1 a.m. to stock both the shop and the van. He posted the van's stops and schedule on Instagram every day. Evening stops began at 5 p.m. and continued at 6.

Ortiz told Spotlight that the van's first months were slow. He didn't yet know where to park or sell, so he tried a Target and some apartment complexes and kept making videos. One video reached 9 million views. Daily sales went from under $200, barely enough to cover ingredients, to more than $1,000.

The first permanent location came from family. Ortiz had been renting kitchen space in his uncle's building on N. 13th St. to bake for the van. When his uncle sold the building in 2023, the new owner resold it to Aldo. It was already a bakery, so the switch was fairly easy.

The van taught him which parts of the city would line up for fresh bread. The storefronts that followed are in those same kinds of places, and they have kitchens.

Why a former restaurant suits a bakery that barely closes

A panadería that sells around the clock needs a working kitchen more than a polished storefront. Ortiz told Spotlight that Panapolis closes at 9 p.m., takes a short break, and starts baking again an hour later. Staff work 14 to 15 hours on most days, making 40 to 50 kinds of pastry and selling 4,000 to 5,000 items a day.

For comparison, Ortiz said that during his first year at his uncle's Panaderia Ortiz in Morgan Hill, the bakery grew from 500 items a day to 3,000 after he switched to better ingredients and made everything bigger. Today the San Jose operation sells more than that every day.

An empty restaurant gives a baker most of what a bakery needs. Converting one still takes work. Ortiz told Spotlight he spent a month in late 2025 turning the former Chinese restaurant on Almaden Expressway into Panapolis No. 2, working 15-hour days with one helper. He knew nothing about permits at the time. No. 3 on E. Julian St. took over a building that had been a Taco Bell and then a ramen restaurant. Ortiz advertised that opening by handing out 5,000 fliers.

The E. Julian opening shows how the locations support each other. Ortiz said the line lasted three hours and the shop sold out four times. He cleared out two of his other bakeries to keep it stocked, until no bread was left anywhere. Three months later, Snell Avenue sold out its cases in 90 minutes. Each new location has drawn crowds bigger than the network's supply on opening day.

Snell Avenue brings it to District 2

The fourth bakery is the farthest south. It puts Panapolis in District 2, which Councilmember Pamela Campos represents. She arrived with the first wave of customers, planning to try the elote pan dulce and the conchas. She told San José Spotlight:

"Having Panapolis choose their fourth location in District 2 has me excited. I have so many childhood memories of panaderias like this. As a resident, we need more diverse bakeries and local small businesses to support. I know I will be visiting this business a lot."

Ortiz said he wants to open more. He told Spotlight his goal is 100 bakeries in California within five years. The story was picked up beyond San Jose, with SFGate republishing the profile on November 2.

For now, the four locations give a practical guide to a weekend pastry run:

1. North of downtown: 784 N. 13th St., the original building
2. East of downtown: 792 E. Julian St., the July 2026 opening
3. Almaden corridor: 1492 Almaden Expressway, Ste. A
4. South San Jose: 5469 Snell Ave., the newest location

On the case, Spotlight's photos show orejas and fresh bolillos for tortas. Telemundo's 2023 profile listed cream horns, ojos de buey, doughnuts, corn bread, jam-filled pastries and cheese tacos, along with pan de muerto in season.

The next test is January 6

With four locations, the biggest single day on a Mexican bakery's calendar will look different this year. That day is Día de Reyes, when families share a rosca de reyes.

The January 2025 rosca season gives an idea of the demand. Telemundo reported that Panapolis sold a traditional rosca, Nutella- and cajeta-filled versions, and a "Panapolis Special" topped with Nutella, Ferrero and Oreos. In the same story, Mexico Bakery said it prepares for the season months in advance. NBC Bay Area reported that Mexico Bakery expected to sell about 5,000 roscas on January 6 that year.

That count is close to a normal day of output for Panapolis today. The rosca also starts the next celebration. NBC Bay Area explained that whoever finds the figurine baked inside hosts tamales on February 2.

For this season's flavors and ordering, follow the bakery's Instagram, @panapolispanaderiaa, which is also where the van announced its stops. San Jose has other choices for the holidays too. Dulcinea Panadería Oaxaqueña at 795 S. Second St. has made Oaxacan breads, conchas and chicken-mole tamales since 2021, according to a February 2026 Spotlight profile.

In past years, a rosca from Panapolis meant a trip to N. 13th St. In January 2027 there will be four counters to choose from, and one is probably close to home.

If a new bakery down the street has you thinking about which parts of San Jose fit your weekly routine, Yuri Lavrentiev is happy to talk it through, from Snell Avenue to E. Julian Street. Let's Connect.