Preciosa Bakery Is a Taste of Venezuela in Carrollton

Preciosa Bakery traces its origins to La Villa del Rosario, a small town in the Zulia state of Venezuela, where the Preciosa family opened its first bakery 30 years ago. Decades of baking and a couple of cross-country migrations later, it’s the same passed-down family recipes that are served in what is now Preciosa Bakery and Restaurant, a hidden-from-sight Venezuelan gem in Carrollton.

Here you'll find a one-stop shop for your week’s bread, traditional arepas and other treats. While you're at it, maybe go ahead and inhale a tres leches cake.

We quickly devoured a classic meat empanada — a deep-fried pastry shell stuffed with Venezuelan-style shredded beef — and followed up with a couple of tequenos filled with stringy melted cheese wrapped in a coil of lightly fried bread dough.

Pasteles are a close cousin to the empanada, with a flaky croissant-like dough. Order these filled with shredded potato and cheese, or try a mysterious pizza mixture that we didn’t have room for (this time). For only $2 each, a to-go order is almost a necessity; it’s hard to resist the urge to pack some up for the road.

Venezuelan hamburguesas, arepas and empanadas, among other things, are more fit for the hungry traveler. For $13, we enjoyed the cachapa, a sweet corn pancake stuffed generously with melted queso de mano (hand-pulled cheese) and dressed in a mayonnaise-based sauce, all under a blanket of more shredded cheese. Or go for the Venezuelan arepa, a similarly-shaped cornmeal pancake that arrives at the table with your choice of meat, dressings and, of course, more cheese.


The Preciosa experience doesn’t end there. The aromas of fresh bread that waft through the store even in the late evening hours and the colorful array of pastries insist on a post-meal treat. At $4 a piece, the pan de queso is a tempting option: lightly sweetened bread stuffed with a cheese filling and sprinkled with toasted cheese flakes. Other traditional Venezuelan baked goods include a pan de guayaba, bread rolled with layers of guava-fruit jam, or classic Spanish galletas, vaguely reminiscent of a buttery shortbread cookie.

A refrigerated section in the back offers off-the-menu sweets, including different roll cakes and a stock of tres leches. At the back of the shop is a shelf of a dozen types of bread bound by no menu or labels.

While appetite constraints didn’t allow us to venture off the menu this time, we’re glad we stumbled upon this hidden gem. Next time we’re craving cheese, bread or a couple of sweet Venezuelan pastries backed by 30 years of family recipes, we know exactly where to go.

Precioso Bakery, 3030 N. Josey Lane, Carrollton. Monday – Thursday, 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.