Gloria’s Bakery

The restaurant was initially focused on pan dulce — Mexican sweet breads and pastries — baked by Zaira’s parents, Gloria and David. They also served breakfast burritos, hustling orders to people waiting in their cars. By January 2021, as COVID restrictions eased, the family debated whether to renew the lease and continue the business. “When you have a goal and a dream, you just have to push through the challenges,” Zaira says of the decision to keep the restaurant open.

Today, as people crowd around a fully stocked pan dulce case and wait in line for tables, it’s hard to imagine a time when Gloria’s Bakery wasn’t bustling with hungry customers. Located in a nondescript shopping center on the east side of Flagstaff, the restaurant is a hidden gem that offers a rare opportunity in Northern Arizona to enjoy authentic cuisine from southern Mexico.

Gloria and David immigrated to the U.S. decades ago and met in the early 1990s, while working at hotels in Tusayan. They got married, moved to Flagstaff and had two children, Zaira and David Jr. When the children were growing up, Gloria often baked exquisite sweet treats, an art she’d learned in Mexico. David was passionate about cooking, too — he’d worked in restaurants in his native Oaxaca and liked to make traditional recipes. “They always had this idea of starting their own restaurant,” Zaira says. “It is the American dream to start your own business.”

Gloria’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, but it’s best known for breakfast. A favorite is the chilaquiles oaxaqueños, a traditional Oaxacan dish featuring fried corn tortilla chips, eggs and mole. There also are daily specials and tried-and-true Mexican breakfast options such as migas and huevos rancheros. And for anyone with a sweet tooth, it’s impossible to leave Gloria’s without a colorful pan dulce from the big glass case. Options include cream-filled treats, tres leches cakes and traditional seasonal breads.

Zaira and David Jr. are now the managers of the successful family operation. Meanwhile, their parents rise at 3 a.m. every morning to make a fresh batch of baked goods. “We are always trying new things,” Zaira says. Despite the rough start, they’re living the dream. And success never tasted so sweet.