Panaderia Ortiz Bakery offers a variety of authentic Mexican cuisine and is located at 1404 NE Monroe St. in Peoria. Photo via Panaderia Ortiz Bakery Panaderia Ortiz Bakery offers a variety of authentic Mexican cuisine and is located at 1404 NE Monroe St. in Peoria. Photo via Panaderia Ortiz Bakery
Panaderia Ortiz Bakery offers a slice of traditional Mexican cuisine with a menu that includes more than just baked goods. The family-run bakery offers a variety of dishes that can satisfy the cravings of any indecisive customer.
The bakery’s menu spans far beyond popular Mexican pastries. It includes more traditional Mexican dishes such as soups, tortas, burritos and tacos containing steak, chicken, barbeque and many more options.
One of the most popular items on the menu is menudo, a traditional Mexican soup containing pork, and is only made on weekends.
“We’re more than just a bakery and we’re more than just a restaurant,” the owner, Bernardo Ortiz, said. “We want to be a place where everyone can find whatever they’re looking for and get it with quality service.”
For students with food allergies or dietary restrictions, Panaderia Ortiz Bakery will make sure to prepare food so there is no cross contamination.
“We have a lot of customers that come in with different food-related allergies,” Ortiz said. “So, we do whatever we can to make sure their food is handled properly and that they feel welcome to come back over and over again.”
Panaderia Ortiz Bakery first opened its doors in 2012 after Ortiz moved to Peoria from Chicago.
“I already had family in the area and I was able to find this building, and with the help of my family I was able to get the bakery up and running rather quickly,” Ortiz said.
While the bakery has not been involved in too many events on campus, it has made its mark within their community by staying involved in local events. Ortiz said the bakery sets up a booth at the Riverfront Farmers Market each year.
The bakery can also be hired to cater for different events such as block and holiday parties. Ortiz said he wants to be as involved with the community as much as he possibly can.
The bakery does get some customers from Bradley, but Ortiz hopes to become more involved with campus events and get more students interested in his food.
“I hope that I get more students interested in the bakery,” Ortiz said. “I really can’t wait to be able to get more involved with Bradley’s campus and be able to cater to as many student events as possible.”
The bakery is located at 1404 NE. Monroe St. in Peoria. It is open seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
