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Shops 26 Oct 2026 7 min read

Mexican Sweets and Pan Dulce in the UK: Where to Buy Them

Conchas, pan de muerto, Mexican sweets and ice lollies in the UK: the bakeries, grocers and online shops in our directory that sell them, and what to try first.

Edmond BojalilEB

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Mexican Sweets and Pan Dulce in the UK: Where to Buy Them

A concha with coffee in the morning, a tamarind sweet dusted with chilli, a fruit ice lolly from the paletería on the corner: Mexican sweet bread and sweets are part of everyday life in Mexico, and British supermarkets sell almost none of them. But a small network of home bakeries, market stalls and online grocers has grown up to fill the gap, and with Día de Muertos at the start of November, this is the season when the pan de muerto comes out. This guide lists the businesses in our directory that sell Mexican sweet bread, sweets or ice lollies, according to their listings as of October 2026.

What pan dulce is

Pan dulce, sweet bread, is the name for the whole family of Mexican baked goods eaten at breakfast or in the late afternoon. It came about after the Spanish brought wheat to Mexico, and it developed its many varieties under French influence in the nineteenth century, which is why so much of it feels like a cousin of the brioche and the croissant. The most familiar piece is the concha, a soft, brioche-like roll with a crunchy sugar topping scored like a seashell, most commonly flavoured with vanilla, chocolate or strawberry. Pan de muerto, bread of the dead, is the seasonal one: a sweet bread baked in the weeks before Día de Muertos on 1 and 2 November and placed on home altars as well as eaten.

The Mexican bakeries

Three small Mexican bakeries in our directory sell pan dulce in the UK. All three work online or through delivery and pop-ups rather than from a shop with a counter, so check their websites for what is available and when.

  • Sweet Nibble Bakery is described in its listing as an online Mexican bakery founded by Araceli Maldonado, making artisan pan dulce, including conchas, calvos and pan de muerto, with produce from British farms.
  • Pancito London is described as a micro Mexican bakery founded by Carla and Pepe, making fresh conchas in creative flavours and delivering across London and the surrounding area.
  • Pa'l Susto Vegan Bakery is described as a vegan Mexican bakery, making vegan conchas and besos, with a monthly postal delivery across the UK and pop-ups in London. Its listing mentions a vegan award.

If you want pan de muerto this year, order now: seasonal bakes from small bakeries sell out, and Día de Muertos is only days away.

Mexican sweets and snacks

Mexican confectionery is its own world: sweets made with tamarind and chilli, milk fudges, caramels made from goat's milk, known as cajeta, amaranth bars, marzipan made with peanuts, and fruit pastes. The online Mexican grocers in our directory are the easiest way to buy them.

LaTiendita Online

Address: 365 New Kings Road, SW6 4RJ
Opening hours (directory listing): not listed in our directory
Website: latienditamex.co.uk

Its listing describes the UK's largest online Mexican grocery, with Mexican food, sweets and snacks among its specialty products. It also has a physical concession in Fulham, LaTiendita Mexican Groceries.

Latin Products UK

Address: Liverpool
Opening hours (directory listing): not listed in our directory
Website: latinproducts.uk

An online Latin American grocery based in Liverpool whose listing mentions sweets and drinks from Mexico, Central and South America, delivered across the UK.

Paletas and tamales in Brighton

Casazul Brighton

Address: Unit 45, Marshall's Row, Brighton Open Market, Brighton BN1 4JU
Opening hours (directory listing): Mon–Sat 11:00–17:00 · Sun 12:00–16:00
Website: casazul.co.uk

A shop and taquería in Brighton Open Market whose listing describes a Mexican section with salsas, dried chillies, preserves, hot sauces, paletas and artisan tamales. Paletas are Mexican ice lollies, made with fruit or with a creamy base. Our guide to Mexican restaurants in Brighton covers the rest of the city.

The bigger Mexican grocers

The larger Mexican grocers in London are worth checking too, though their listings in our directory focus on cooking ingredients rather than sweets. The warehouse shop in Peckham describes a wide range of Mexican food, drinks and artisan products with delivery across the UK, and the Mestizo Market online shop lists Mexican snacks alongside its tortillas and salsas:

Mexican Mama

Address: 232 Rye Lane, SE15 4NL
Opening hours (directory listing): Mon–Sat 10:30–19:00 · Sun 10:30–16:30
Website: mexican-mama.com

Mestizo Market Online

Address: 101 Hampstead Road, NW1 3EW
Opening hours (directory listing): daily 12:00–20:00
Website: mestizomarket.com

Sugar skulls and the Day of the Dead

The other sweet you will see at this time of year is the calavera, the skull made of sugar or clay for Día de Muertos and All Souls' Day. The most widely known edible ones are made from cane sugar and decorated with coloured foil, icing and beads, and they sit on home altars alongside the pan de muerto, the photographs and the marigolds. Our directory does not list a UK maker of sugar skulls, so if you want one for an altar, the simplest route is to make your own with a mould, or to look at the stalls at Day of the Dead events. Our guide to building a Día de Muertos altar explains what goes where, and our guide to celebrating the Day of the Dead in the UK covers the rest.

What to try first

  • A concha. The classic, and the one to judge a bakery by. Eat it fresh, with coffee or hot chocolate, and try a chocolate one and a vanilla one side by side.
  • Pan de muerto, in season. A simple sweet bread, often with anise seed, orange flower water or orange zest.
  • Something with cajeta. The goat's milk caramel turns up in sweets, wafers and crêpes.
  • A tamarind sweet with chilli. Sweet, sour, salty and hot at once.
  • Amaranth bars, known as alegrías, made from amaranth seeds with honey or sugar, a sweet with roots in Tulyehualco, in the Xochimilco borough of Mexico City.

Baking it yourself

Pan dulce is very achievable in a British kitchen: the flour, butter, eggs and yeast are the same as for any enriched dough. Our recipes:

And because pan dulce is never eaten alone, our champurrado recipe, the thick chocolate corn drink, is the traditional companion for tamales and sweet bread on a cold morning. Our guide to Mexican desserts beyond churros has more ideas.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I buy conchas in the UK?

From the small Mexican bakeries in our directory, which sell online or deliver in London; one of them is entirely vegan and posts across the UK.

Where can I buy pan de muerto in the UK?

From the same bakeries, in the weeks before 1 and 2 November. One lists pan de muerto among its breads. Order early.

Where can I buy Mexican sweets?

From the online Mexican grocers in our directory, two of which list sweets and candy specifically.

Where can I find more Mexican shops?

In our shop directory.

Sources

Edmond Bojalil
Edmond Bojalil

Founder, Recetas Mexas

Mexican from Puebla, IT professional and foodie. Author of 1000+ authentic Mexican recipes adapted for home kitchens worldwide. Based in Madrid since 2018.

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