J & M Bakery

Colombian bread, cannoli and tres leches

The case at J & M Bakery covers more ground than most. Colombian breads sit on one side, plain and filled; Italian-style sweets such as cannoli and tiramisu occupy another; and celebration cakes, tres leches among them, hold the middle. The filled breads are worth the attention, particularly the guava and cheese version, and the tres leches is built on a light sponge with peaches layered inside rather than served as a plain soaked slice. Empanadas, chicken or beef, cover the savoury order. Daily specials change through the week, so the case is never quite identical from one visit to the next, but the anchor stays constant: bread, savoury pastry and classic sweets made to traditional family recipes. Cakes are made for occasions as well as by the slice, which is how a bakery this size ends up serving three traditions at once.

An old-style Queens counter

This is an old-style neighbourhood bakery rather than a modern café, and the difference matters to how you use it. Everything happens at the counter, with limited seating and a practical fit-out of cases, trays and glass, and no décor doing extra work. Takeout is the default, so the shop functions as a quick stop for something fresh, substantial or sweet on the way somewhere else. Regulars treat it as a bread shop with a pastry case attached, and the coffee is there to be carried out rather than lingered over. Freshness follows production, and the case is at its fullest early in the day, before the morning traffic has worked through the trays.

Bread first, then something sweet

Choose Colombian bread, a filled loaf such as guava and cheese, or a chicken or beef empanada if you want the savoury half of the bakery. Then move to the sweets: cannoli or tiramisu for the Italian-style thread, or a slice of tres leches for sponge and peaches. Coffee belongs with either, and a pastry and a coffee taken at the counter is how most regulars use the place. For a group, the celebration cakes are the larger-format option, and the weekly specials are worth a look before you settle, because they are where a bakery this traditional varies its own routine. A mixed bag of empanadas with a filled bread is the most representative thing to take away.