Pasteleria Ideal
Mantecado
Concha
Polvoron con Cajeta
Besos
Cocada
Cajeta Custard Donut
Cajeta filled Sugar Donut
Peach Custard Danish
Angelfood Muffin
Laminated Cajeta Pastry Heart
Laminated Almond Pastry Fish
Alfajores
Pastel de Nuez
Neapolitan Jello
Strawberry Jello
If one were to imagine a pastry shop in Heaven, those with a true sweet tooth could very well envision Pasteleria Ideal, Mexico City’s central source of all things sweet since 1927 that currently boasts several thousand square feet of space spread over two stories and at least two hundred styles of Cakes, Cookies, Breads, Gelatins, Pastries and more.
Truly an iconic destination, both tourists as well as locals bound to be lured in by big glass windows full of treats and a scene bustling with energy that borders on frenzied, those crossing the threshold of the store at Av. 16 de Septiembre 18 will immediately find themselves swept up in the madness, a tray and tongs in hand wandering to-and-fro from rack to rack, the servers speaking almost entirely Spanish and several items unlabeled thus leading to selections based largely on visual appearance.
Open 6:30a to 9:30p daily, weekends particularly busy with people literally nudging one another out of the way for favorites, it was just past noon on Sunday that a visit took place in search of midday sustenance, the process of selecting items from one of four selections and lining up to have them boxed before paying elsewhere unlike anything seen in the United States, the locals – including elderly women – taking advantage of the novice and happily cutting the line without care.
Opting to pass on Cookies given a line of about one hundred, the constant bumps incurred while weaving between shelves challenging the idea of ‘personal space’ as much as Mexico City’s Public Transportation, it was after receipts were collected from both the Cake and Gelatin Counter that eleven items were collected from shelves before paying, the order ‘not big enough for a box’ packed into one at the cost of ten additional pesos for a total cost of $8.23USD.
Obviously not using the world’s best ingredients considering the cost, but turning out fresh items at a lighting quick pace to keep up with the masses, it was after finding a comfortable bench in the nearby park that items were unboxed and enjoyed as a few bites each, the spectacle of so much food and two persons who were obviously visitors occasionally attracting a vendor or vagrant, most of whom were happy to be offered some of the leftovers, not much of the order left after just over half-an-hour with both the overly dry Concha and Mantecado topped in a Crisco-like lightly sweetened frosting taken by a man selling magazines, his happiness in walking away both clearly speaking to a difference between the local and American palates.
Not personally one to be thrilled by Gelatin, though both the Fruit-filled Strawberry Heart and Milk-based Neapolitan were fine for what they were, the best bites of those found at Pasteleria Ideal were those focused on Caramel, the thin Butter Cookie beneath a slick layer probably the best item procured from the floor, though the laminated heart stuffed from top to bottom with Cajeta was not far off from many of the United State’s trendy ‘Cronuts’ with a soft center and flaky, golden break.
Finding both Donuts a bit greasy on their surface, the crumb also a bit dense, the cornmeal fortified Besos was compromised by the same bizarre ‘frosting’ found atop the sweet Bread prior, a rounded Muffin apparently made much like a Cocada and topped in crunchy Sugar pearls far more impressive both in terms of taste and texture while the Angelfood Muffin would have been great with some Berries, though compared to most store-bought versions it was still quite good all by itself.
Again showing well with laminated pastries as relates to the Peach Custard Danish and Fish-shaped Pastry stuffed and topped with sliced Almonds, it was with a bit of disappointment that Ideal had opted not to make a Tres Leches Cake that day, the decision to substitute with Pastel de Nuez once again paying dividends as the buttery Cake was kept moist at its center by a light layer of Frosting fortified with chopped Walnuts while the Alfajores also procured from the Cake counter was far thicker than most, but not overly dry thanks to Caramel at the top, bottom, center and sides with more Nuts and a light Powder Sugar dusting.
http://pasteleriaideal.com.mx/