Birthday Cake Review! Ordered a 20-25 person Tres Leches cake. Just under $80. The cake was moist, perfect level of sugar in icings. Cake decoration was simple and good. I didn't want to pay extra for decoration but they still did a good job. My guests complemented me on the deliciousness of the cake. "Caro" helped me with the order and even called me the 2 days before to confirm order. Ambience of the restaurant is busy and a little crowded during peak times. But worth my time. read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - Tres Leches Birthday Cake - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Their flan is flavorful, creamy without too much vanilla. My son loves their chocolate and custard cream pastries too. Mellow coffee.

This is my go to local spot for cakes! Fresh, delicious cakes! I've bought several for different events & people always compliment. Delicious salteñas too. I'll share some photos of several cakes I've bought from them. read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Ordered milanesa and it was a mixture of flour and egg with little ton chicken spread the route. No refund was offered, and the substitute plate lacked flavor and meat as it was mainly fat there was a peach drink moco, chinche that was so sweet. I felt as if there was 1000 tons of sugar in it. I had to repeatedly add in water to dilute it. The service was not the best as they had a sassy, rude tone at every exchange of words with them. Wouldn't recommend. :/ read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - Ordené milanesa, y fue una mezcla de huevo y harina casi nada de pollo - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I love this bakery! As soon as you walk in there are amazing vibes, as you smell all the freshly baked goods and see the savory + sweet options. The workers were super nice answering all my questions and even helping me practice my Spanish! The food was extremely delicious and for an amazingly cheap price, definitely recommend this bakery. read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - Crème filled croissant - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I made a quick stop to get a saltena, one single chicken saltena, and that was dumb because I should have gotten a whole bunch. Delicious, juicy, big chunks of chicken, and with the slight sweetness that us Latinos like. You can't see them from the counter they're in a warmer towards the back. when you first walk in it's all sweets, which look pretty yummy and generous sizes. There's almost no place to sit so don't come and plan to eat there. I saw a steady stream of Latinos coming and going ordering everything from savory food to desserts. I'm going to go back because it's been years since I had such a good saltena. read more

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The saltenas are the best in the DC metro area. The place has nice people and great hot food and baked goods. Enjoy!

Came in to have some authentic food and found my favorite plate from this place. It's called TRANCAPECHO it's absolutely amazing, full of flavor it's crazy how one bite takes you back to your roots. Their staff was very attentive and super nice this time around Im so happy coming into a restaurant and seeing staff smile and greeted. We also had some Saltenas but the picture was not possible because it was gone with two bites. Lol This place makes the best Saltenas your choice of chicken or Beef. They also have a huge pastry selection it'll make you want to try it all. From a Bolivian Native this place is one of the Best I have tasted in Virginia. If your in the area or visiting make sure to stop By this Grace boliviana Flavors this restaurant has to offer. read more

Oh. My. God. The saltenas are incredible. My taste buds were gifted with the savory stews that filled the inside of the slightly sweet dough. The beef and chicken are both delicious, I have a slight preference for the chicken. The tucumana saltena is soooooo good. Instead of baked it is deep fried. Oh man. Wow. I think they might be fried to order so you'll have to wait an extra 5-10 minutes. I will be back to try the rest of their food! read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - Saltenas and empanada royal - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Food - excellent - recommend the Bolivian Saltenas Service - called ahead and food was ready to go in 15 min. Fast, friendly and helpful Ambiance - nice for lunch or takeout - family or groups - table seating and TVs for entertainment read more

The best food and cake I always come here to buy a cake for my family and friends all my family and friends comes here all the time

As a Bolivian American I'd like to say that I've been loyal to this place since I've been born. The food has changed over the years, but for the most part it remains delicious. dangerous even. This restaurant is much more than just food: it provides safety and community. I feel safe walking in with the smell of the food coming in knowing my belly, my wallet and my tastebuds will be satisfied. I'm picky about Bolivian spots as not everyone was blessed with my abuelas culinary skills but here...? they do know how to make a salteña... ask for a big empanada or an helado de canela then you'll see what I mean. read more

OH MY GOSH! THIS IS SO GOOD! I am a big fan of Bolivian Salteñas and I have tried many places in the DMV area, and this place has the BEST Salteñas! 10/10, I would recommend! Please do yourself a favor and order their Salteñas! They have Chicken (pollo) and Beef (carne) options. Here is what I ordered and my thoughts 1) Chicken Salteña - WOW! Wow, wow, wow, wow.... out of the chicken and beef options, I prefer the chicken more. So much more flavorful-- I love the veggies inside it (the peas and carrots). Thank god there are no olives in these. I don't like olives in my salteñas. There is one small slice of egg... I wish the egg slice was larger. It's so thin. But overall, the crust is flaky, the filling is perfectly thick and juicy. When a Salteña is too soupy/runny/liquidy, it's not good for me. Overall, GREAT, please buy like 10, and pop them in the oven to reheat.. I'd rate this a 10/10 2) Beef Salteña - DEEELICIOUS! This is the 2nd best option. The beef option reminds me too much of a beef stew, so its not my favorite. There are slightly different seasoning/spices compared to the chicken option. Its still good, but not my favorite. I'd rate this a 9/10 3) Spicy Empananda - not my favorite. If you can see the photo I attached, its mostly filled with air... and a tiny layer of cheese. I wished it was stuffed more, with something extravagant. Not my favorite, but its pretty good I guess. The cheese got hard by the time I got home and ate it. And the "spicy" comes from jalapenos in the cheese... which isn't really spicy at all. I'd rate this a 5/10. Overall, I love it here, will come back for more chicken salteñas read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - Outside - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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We got the small tres leche cake for my sister bday and she loved it! There are really cute cakes and pastries here. Highly recommend giving this place a try and buying one their cakes! read more

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Nice selection of pastries and savories. Quick and efficient service. Small with a few tables. May be better to pick stuff up in the morning for an easy weekend. read more

This is incredible! The owner is not in the business and the employees do everything but not costumer service Ignorance is a must , they don't know how to interact , they don't have forks , we order and payed in advance 40 salteñas and they denied paper plates because they said "I can't give you 40 paper plates, I don't have authority to decide " we bought for our workers and we have to pay for paper plates separately The food is ok but nothing special , sad Bolivian place read more

My best Bolivian friend loves this place, and today I discovered why. It's cheap, authentic and muy muy delicioso! He recommended Pupacacas, which are shaped and baked like salteñas, with a light, slightly sweet, almost cookie crust and a kind of thin cheese filling with mild jalapeños that provides just enough heat to create a little dance in your mouth against the sweetness. So addictive! I've never tasted anything in Europe that compares. No wonder this place and the restaurant next door are filled with Bolivians. It's like a pilgrimage spot! read more

If you looking for the best Churrasco Argentino, go there! They make it so good. I was there with my 2 friends and they even asked me about that meal and became fans. Also, great deserts, looks very fresh and shiny.. Here is a picture! You cant really resist that... read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - Can you resist that?? - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I'm first gen Bolivian-American and this is the spot my family and I go to when we need an authentic fix. I don't live in Virginia anymore but anytime I'm back in town I have to stop here. 100% try the salteñas, chicken or beef they're both great. Think a savory and slightly sweet empanada filled with stew. The trick is eating it with your hands and not making a mess. ;) Other favorites include the chicharrón with mote (fried pork with hominy ) and the sopa de maní (beef soup made creamy with peanuts, so luxurious) both available on the weekends. Silpancho if you're hungry (or try it on a sandwich: trancapencho!). For breakfast I'm also a big fan of api and pastel, a warm, filling purple corn drink and fried bread with cheese. Any of the cheesy breads are great honestly. Note the Columbia Pike location has limited seating but they Alexandria location has tons! And oh man, the parrillada there is just *chefs kiss*. I love this place and I wish there more Bolivians in California so I could get a taste of home. read more

The place itself is a hole and cramped (that's why I subtracted a star) but man their South American food is tasty and authentic. The silpancho? Amazing. Cuñape? Fantastic. Salteñas? Good if you're into those. Wish they were closer to me I'd get the silpancho platter regularly. read more

DELICIOUS & CHEAP SALTENAS. That's all I have to say. They're really popular with the locals - always long lines and lots of people. I went to get Saltenas and they ran out of Beef ones!!! Booo! But that just speaks to how popular they are. Definitely try the beef saltenas! But the chicken ones are good too! read more

Stopped by here after running errands around South Arlington and were instantly charmed by the warm and inviting feel of the place. The bakery smelled wonderful and it was nicely busy for a Saturday afternoon. We ordered two spicy cheese empanadas and brought them home to eat later on that day. We warmed them up in our toaster oven and were super pleased with the texture of the pastry on the outside and the amount of green chilies on the inside. For $3.25 each they give you a big pastry! The service was quick and friendly and we would love to come back to try some of their dessert options! read more

Consistently good food at a reasonable price and fast service. My go to place for salteñas. Sopa de mani also fantastic.

Their salteñas are the best in Northern Virginia! I specially e joy the chicken salteñas. Always great service. read more

I tried the top 3 here according to my yelp mates:)What a hidden jam! Taste: Fantastic! The steak with fried eggs, salsaish stuff, and a little bit oily rice. Grilled stuff with chicken and beef. Chicken one was better. As soon as I cut half, the magically delicious juice came out. Tres xxx cake was simply good. Not too sweet. Don't forget use their spicy green sauce! Not for cakes tho. Price: Not bad. Customer service: Good. Atmosphere: Super casual. Packed with South American ppl. Parking: Free. Location: Many small local business around here. read more

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This place is Gem here in Arlington . Delicious food from soups to Saltenas. Not a big dine in spot but if your looking to change up dinner and go with something more local please do order from here I promise you will not be disappointed . read more

Salteñas every damn day son! Thank you to Pan American Bakery for saving the day. I had volunteered to bring an appetizer to a Latin themed dinner party I was attending. I had grand plans of making a knock-your-socks off dish, but after three episodes of House of Cards and one nap later, it was obvious that making a dish was out of the question. The boy and I decided to investigate the Latino bakery down the street which always had a hot empanada sign flashing. It turned out that the only fillings they had for empanadas was cheese so we decided to try a salteña instead. We got one for test purposes only and after splitting a giant stuffed pastry, it was decided. One dozen to go. A salteña is basically a Bolivian style empanada filled with a beef or chicken stew. Think hearty chunks of carrots, potatos, and other delicious and filling spices. It's God's gift to man and at $2.65 a pop, they are practically giving them away for free. While we waited for the store keep to box up our order, we noticed so many yummy plates of food coming out of the kitchen. Namely the chicharones. I'll be back with a bottle of Lipitor for this! The salteñas were a big hit, and they were so big that we ended up with tons of leftovers. I ate a salteña every day for breakfast for the past three days and I'm still not sick of them. Go Team Bolivia! read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - Bakery case - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Beautiful Bolivian cuisine! I came here looking for another place that I had tried a few years ago, which I ironically discovered was next door and also Bolivian after already placing my order. I'm glad I walked in here first. The food was amazing and the staff and patrons were very friendly as I was clearly not Bolivian and my limited Spanish did not help to explain what was on the menu. After a popular regular walked me through his favorite dishes I decided on the Pacumutu. It was effing delicious!!! The chicken was grilled to perfection. The plantains were the right amount of sweet and savory. The yuca brought it all together well on a bed of warm soft white rice which was well-flavored in itself. My friends live down the street from here and I look forward to going back to Arlington to try more of the menu. read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - Pacumutu - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

On my second visit to Pan American, I was able to visit the actual storefront. FOH has about five tables and there is a $5 card minimum. There are two display cases with a good number of cakes, pastries like pan dulce/conchas, and other breads. The flat screen TV menu displays a slideshow of daily specials such as soups and sandwiches. I was able to get another beef saltena and my friend ordered me the trancapecho. The trancapecho is a sandwich made with silpancho, which is essentially a beefsteak, pounded thinly and fried. Trancapechos are a carb-lover's paradise. Whoever created the trancapecho decided to put fried potatoes, white rice, and a fried egg along with a small amount of pico de gallo. The filling-to-bread ratio was a little lacking for me and the silpancho could've used a little bit more seasoning but otherwise I was totally satisfied by the end of my sandwich. read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - cross-section of trancapecho - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Everything your doctor tells you not to eat... starch, steak, and eggs... though perhaps because he wants to keep it to himself. But if you have a heart attack walking out of Pan American Bakery (or it's neighbor, El Pike restaurant) you will at the very least die happy. This is the comfort food to end all comfort food. And not only that, this food is shockingly cheap. I would happily pay double for the quality (and quantity!) of what we got. We in the office haphazardly ordered a lunch of salteñas, beef heavy lunch specials, and South American pastries, rendering ourselves pleasantly catatonic for under $8.00 a person. Not only did we live to tell the tale, but we plan to someday return. This food is just too good. read more

NOTE TO SELF: Order 2 chicken saltenas next time. Don't eat anything before hand, each saltenas is the size of my fist. read more

You need a saltaña (the chicken one) in your life. Love the food, always fresh. And their cakes are amazing. Highly recommend.

Their price on sálteñas and rollos as of 01/08/2021 are; Sálteñas $ 3.15 ea, Rollos $ 2.69 ea. Tried them both are they are good! read more

Do yourself a favor and order the saltenas. Order some to eat there and some to take home because youll just want more after the first bite. They have other items on the menu and also a variety of pastries but the saltenas is what I would come back for. They are filled with meat, potatoes, and veggies and taste like heaven in your mouth. Yummmm! I also ordered a croissant and it was just okay. They put a sugar or honey coat on top so it can be a little sticky to eat but nothing too special. read more

Pan American Bakery & Grill - Latin American Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Saltenas are really good! I take my out of town friends to try Saltenas every time. I also enjoyed the pastries. Their sweets are much lighter than what you'd get at Whole Foods. read more

Authentic and delicious pan American pastries. Service is quick! I'm and out in about 5 minutes.

When I first called, someone who spoke in Spanish picked up. She transferred me to someone who spoke English, and I explained that I wanted a tres de leches cake for pickup the next day. We exchanged some words in terms of the order but basically, they wanted to upsell me a larger cake and did not acknowledge the online March special for the cake. I went to the bakery the next morning, which is conveniently less than a minute walk from the bus stop. I told them I placed an order for the cake, and they got one out of the freezer and boxed it up. Meanwhile, I asked what the items were in the display case since none had a label or price on them. I opted for an alfajor ($2.00) and something else ($2.80). Maybe it was my first time, but I wasn't that impressed with the alfajor (it was hard and not as soft and buttery as I expected). The other thing was better but not much. On the other hand, the cake survived a bus ride and about three hours out of the freezer. As soon as I used my fork to take a small piece, the fork cut through the three layers easily. The tres leches cake was super moist and delicious; the milk flavors provided a sponginess and flavor to each of the three layers and was super soft. It got great reviews at my book club. Service is ok here. You're handing over your credit card and need to reach over to get it back. They don't bother to meet you halfway. The place felt crowded when I went in last Thursday afternoon but it is a smaller place with lots of stuff. In addition to the items I mentioned, they had a whole display case of other items and there was at least one tall rack of fresh items being wheeled out on top of their restaurant options. read more

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The cakes and empanas are very diverse and delicious. I also tried "salteñas" and they are hot juicy meat or chicken empanadas that taste super delicious. Great snack or quick meal. Who would think Bolivian food was so nice. read more

Love their Salteña's! They're on the end of the row of shops, and a competitor next to them has a big "Salteñas" sign that might fool you. Don't be fooled. Love their Salteñas so much I haven't eaten much else there. It's mostly carry out -- just two tables inside -- so plan accordingly. read more

I've been eying this place for a long time and we finally stopped in yesterday night for dinner! I used to travel frequently to Bolivia and loved their empanadas so was excited to try these out. Sent in the hubby who didn't get the saltenas but instead surprised me with some of their plated meals, and I was very impressed with what he ordered. Had the lomo montado which I believe is beef steak meat which was really tender, a sauce was tangy and flavorful mixed into rice, noodles and veggies. I'm not sure of the name of the other dish but it was also delicious and different--made with plantains that were soft and slightly crisp on the edges, steak strips done tender and soft, mixed in with yellow rice. Both dishes were heaped onto the takeout boxes and there was more than enough leftovers for lunch the next day, making these a great value for the $10 each we paid. We also tried an alfajor which made me so happy--it was traditional style perfectly done with the soft cookie part and creamy dulce de leche, and not too much or too little powdered sugar. I can't wait to come back and try the chicken and spicy cheese saltenas, peanut soup, spicy cheese saltenas, tres leches cakes, guava pastries, and pan de queso. Also remember that they're cash only! read more