La Delicia en Pandebono y Cholados

After 75 days abroad I had a layover in New York. Left the airport and went straight to this shop for hot, cheesy, crusty, slightly gelatinous Pan De Bono. Excellent crispy* corn empanadas as well. Bless this country.

Though it scares me to disagree with Jeff O. and others, the panedebonos at this place are just not to my taste. These are a very particular kind of panedebono — the flavor is very cheesy, and they are sweeter and heavier than other panedebonos I’ve had and liked. I prefer my panedebonos to be a bit gentler, a bit less butch.
AND they are $ 1.25. Really?
This might be the place for you if you’re looking for a very particular (and sweet) kind of panedebono, but I prefer the ones at some of the other bakeries in the area — and they’re only $ 1 at the other places too.

As the completely tempting sign in the front suggests, the pan de bono ($ 1.25) here is without question good. This is one of the only places that comes close to making it as good as the Brazilians make their pao de queijo. A couple here and two tamales from the ladies across the street near Roosevelt make for a perfect meal.

The best pandebonos on the planet. The insides are not quite gooey, more nearly gelatinous. Whatever it is, it’s delicious. They are always fresh, always out of the oven — never from the glass case. Ask it by name and they’ll open their warm treasure chest for you.
As for the rest of the selection, they love to promote their cholado drinks and other juices. They have some good looking desserts, but you must get the pandebonos first and foremost. Everything else is secondary.
Definite language barrier here. I am still trying to figure out the difference between a pantebono and an almojabana. It is most useful to just point.
82^nd Street. You can spend a day there easily. This is my mall. When I need to clear my mind and think about all the possibilities in life, I take a walk down Roosevelt to 82^nd street. I used to walk supermarkets, now I walk 82^nd.
Discovered through the Latin America in NYC guide «Nueva York» by Kugel and Gonzales.