New Restaurant Opens in Former Lopez Bakery
Del Valle Oaxaqueño and a second La Casa Del Pan bakery had soft openings last week.
1100 W. Historic Mitchell St. Photo taken October 10th, 2019 by Jeramey Jannene.
Lopez Bakery closed last month after more than 50 years in business, leaving its legacy — and family recipes — in the hands of Heladio, Efren, Silverio and Bulmaro Garcia.
The brothers, owners of La Casa Del Pan, are dedicated to preserving the Lopez’s beloved recipes. But they haven’t stopped there. The group, along with Heladio’s wife, Miriam, recently opened a new restaurant and bakery at 1100 W. Historic Mitchell St., the former site of Lopez Bakery.
Del Valle Oaxaqueño and La Casa Del Pan 2 began its soft opening on Feb. 23, offering a variety of authentic Oaxacan dishes and handmade breads.
“We are so excited and happy to be able to offer some of our background, or our culture, because when we present our foods, it’s part of our culture,” Heladio said. “We want to share that with people here in Milwaukee.”
Miriam acts as the chef for the new restaurant, preparing tlayudas, mole Oaxaqueños, tamales Oaxaqueños, tacos, memelitas, tortas and more, along with breakfast items such as quesadillas fritas, empanadas de amarillo, molotes and enfrijoladas. The restaurant also serves coffee, champurrado and atole blanco.
Meanwhile, Heladio and his brothers run the bakery side of the business.
The family is particularly proud of its Oaxacan-style breads, which Heladio said are unique and “very good.” In Oaxaca, he added, baking is one of the biggest sources of income for many, especially during Dia de Los Muertos, when decorated pan de yema (a brioche-like bread also known as pan de muerto) is in high demand.
Oaxacan breads, typically made with eggs or egg yolks, are set apart by their soft, fluffy interior and golden crust. La Casa Del Pan sells pan de yema, hojaldritas (fried bread), pan amarillo, pan resobado, pan dulce and more at both of its locations. In addition to bread loaves and rolls, the bakery offers cakes, cookies, muffins, turnovers and other sweets.
The restaurant is a new addition to the business, which has operated its flagship bakery, 2131 S. Muskego Ave., since September 2020. Heladio said he’s been eager to expand his offerings with restaurant items, but didn’t have the space to do so until recently.
Before acquiring the Mitchell Street building, La Casa Del Pan operated a food truck outside of its original bakery.
Since opening last Friday, Heladio said he’s received a positive response from community members. Visitors have included plenty of new faces, as well as returning customers from Lopez Bakery, he said.
Del Valle Oaxaqueño and La Casa Del Pan #2 is open daily from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Details about a future grand opening event will be shared on the business’s Facebook page.
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