Azucar Morena Is The Viral Bakery In Central El Paso

It was a blistering Saturday morning over on Piedras, and there I sat comfortably in the cool air, surrounded by friends and the smells of fresh pastries from Azucar Morena.

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A little bakery with the word "Bakery" sitting in bold red letters, waiting to let people know she is there. If you haven't already heard of this budding new bakery from some of their viral social media videos or local magazine articles, please allow me to introduce you to a welcoming and wonderful place in Central El Paso called Azucar Morena Bakery.

I live fairly close to Azucar Morena, so I was actually surprised that I had never seen it! I was even at Kiki's Mexican Restaurant recently, which just so happens to be right across the street from this bakery, and I STILL didn't see it! In a sense though, I am kinda stoked I didn't see it, because my first time inside wound up being a better impression than any random visit ever could have been. Saturday I found myself in Azucar Morena because the owner, Naomi, had opened the space to a songwriting workshop for local musicians! I showed up early and joined a homie inside this wonderful little space.

Even before I walked in I was already excited to see more. Outside the main entrance doors is an adorably symmetrical set of white tables and chairs placed beneath equally symmetrical palm trees. Already so aesthetic, and on a green wall sitting beside the entrance, a neon sign set in the sun made me chuckle with a complimentary "Nice Buns" that I unashamedly took a selfie with. The inside was equally quirky and welcoming, with white walls and perfectly circular marbled tables topped with board games and Jenga blocks. It was early enough that fresh conchas and pan dulces were still being baked in the back, some making their way to the counters as we waited for our crew to arrive. The smell of cream-filled sweet bread and savory cheese-covered buns had me ready to take the whole store back home for my mom to try.

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Naomi, the owner of Azucar Morena, was so friendly and immediately started cracking jokes with my friend and me while she also told us all about the bakery, since it was our first time in. She was bubbly and fun and full of energy as she ran from front to back, helping customers and working with the crew to finish up pastries while making sure everyone was taken care of. Plenty of people purchased her recommended favorites: the Cheddar Jalapeno buns, the cream cheese filled bagel buns, and the kolaches filled with what I assume is some kind of homemade cheddar dog that I wanted to order a million of. Everything was so good, and I wasn't even able to try everything I wanted to because I was already full. I tried the Concha of the Month, which was an absolutely spot-on Orange Creamsicle flavor that was ALSO filled with orange creamsicle filling that had REAL orange in it!!

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I didn't get to try the Patrick Star cookies or the other incredible chocolate confections Naomi and the team were pumping out, but I did try as much as my body could physically handle, and I wanted more. I couldn't find any conchas that didn't have filling in them, and when I asked why, Naomi responded simply that filled conchas are her favorite, so that's what she makes. I spent a good few hours with friends writing poems and playing card games while Naomi joined our conversations when she wasn't taking care of all the Saturday pastry lovers! I loved hearing how many people would say "We found out about you on TikTok!" and I even spoke to some of the people funneling in. Most were regulars who were just there for the weekly or daily treat, others had just heard about it but were already in love with both the savory and sweet options. In just the few hours while I was there, I saw new and old customers do nothing but praise Azucar Morena's sweet treats. So of course, because I was one of those new customers, it only felt right to share it with you, El Paso.