La Guadalupana is more than just a shabby bakery in a flamingo-pink-and-yellow strip mall—it’s also a popular, homey Mexican restaurant. The small, haphazardly decorated space suggests authenticity in all its downmarket glory. You’re first greeted by the case of cakes and cookies, and croissants that are used on Mexican hybrid breakfast sandwiches. Take-out is common, but there are about ten tables squeezed into another room, where you might start your morning with chilaquiles, breakfast tacos, or spot-on huevos rancheros with a spicy salsa ranchera.

For lunch and dinner, try torta sandwiches with a choice of pork, chicken milanesa, or carnitas, piled with beans, jalapeños, onion, lettuce, tomato, and avocado. Considering the bakery, the torta bread is delicious, a bit sweet and spongy. Even slightly overcooked, a chicken breast with mole poblano (a dark, bittersweet dry-roasted chile sauce integrating pumpkin seeds and chocolate) is nutty and complex. Authentic soups like caldo de mariscos (seafood soup) and pozole (soup with hominy) are comforting and delicious.

As you can imagine, these prices are unbeatable. And there’s a surprise treat in daily changing juices, like carrot, orange, or “Vampire” (carrot, orange, and beet). Cinnamon-spiced Mexican coffee is terrific with a pastry, even a not-so-Mexican almond croissant.