DALWORTHINGTON GARDENS, Texas—A local pop-up bakery has turned into a thriving brick-and-mortar business thanks to viral social media marketing and its unique niche as a Japanese-Mexican fusion bakery.
The Pan Pan Bakery & Cafe, located at 2110 Roosevelt Drive, Suite A, offers a variety of Japanese-Mexican fusion baked goods that went viral on social media because of the shop’s aesthetics and unique items, such as matcha conchas.
It has become a popular destination in the Metroplex because of its Japanese-Mexican treats and social media presence, including on TikTok and Instagram. The successful bakery uses the handle @panpanbakeryandcafe on both platforms.
Customers often line up to purchase the desserts at this first-of-a-kind Japanese-Mexican bakery. Pan Pan offers a variety of baked goods and drinks, ranging from shiopan to horchata matcha. The bakery also features seasonal items. Banana cream matcha and arroz con leche matcha are among the best-selling drink offerings at Pan Pan Bakery & Cafe.
Shiopan is a Japanese salt bread, and Pan Pan offers a variety of flavors, including birria, a popular Mexican dish.
“We have a lot of savory traditional Japanese breads,” Pan Pan owner Laura Molinar said. “For example, shiopan, and then we have that in all types of different variations that people are absolutely loving.”
Molinar turned her passion into a business built on creativity and skill. Her journey began with pop-up bakeries and later led to the opening of her own shop, where she decided to blend Japanese and Mexican influences.
Molinar said she’s always been fascinated by different cultures and lifestyles around the world, including how people prepare their food and drink.
Molinar began baking at a young age, starting with cake.
“When I was 7 years old, I baked my own cake for the first time,” Molinar said. “I had a vision and I wasn’t going to rest until I had a cake.”
When Molinar was a high school student, she launched a pop-up shop called No Name Bakes, which proved successful.
“No Name Bakes, that was my business name,” Molinar said. “It was fun because I didn’t have the concept, so that allowed me to be creative and figure out what I wanted to do. I would prepare something different every single pop-up.”
She opened Pan Pan Bakery & Café in August 2024 in Dalworthington Gardens. Molinar said the name is a play on words, noting the word “pan” means “bread” in both Japanese and Spanish.
Molinar said social media has proven beneficial in boosting business and helping her bakery gain popularity.
“Well, luckily in this day and age, marketing can be free,” Molinar said. “That helps small businesses around the world.”