What Is a Pandebono?

A pandebono is a Colombian cheese bread, golden and crisp on the outside, soft and stretchy on the inside, and baked fresh throughout the day. It is one of Colombia's most loved baked goods, and in Toronto you can try it at Ohana Coffee, our family-owned Colombian café in the High Park area. If you have never had one, think of a warm, cheesy bread roll with a gentle bite, best eaten minutes out of the oven with a cup of Colombian coffee.

What is a pandebono made of?

A traditional pandebono is made with cassava starch, corn and cheese. Cassava (also called yuca) is a root vegetable widely used in Colombian cooking, and its starch is what gives the pandebono its signature texture, crisp at the edges and almost stretchy in the middle. There is no wheat flour in the traditional recipe. The dough is shaped, baked until golden, and served warm, when the cheese is at its best.

A short history

The pandebono comes from the Valle del Cauca region of Colombia, the area around the city of Cali in the country's southwest, and it has been documented in Colombian writing since the 1800s. For generations it has been the bread of Colombian bakeries and family tables, eaten at breakfast, at coffee time, and at just about any hour in between. In October 2026, TasteAtlas ranked pandebono first on its Top 100 Breads in the World list, a nice bit of recognition for a humble cheese bread with a long history.

How is a pandebono eaten?

The classic way is simple: warm, on its own, with coffee or a cup of hot chocolate. Colombians also split it open for sandwiches, serve it alongside soups and grilled meats, or grab a bag to share at home. A fresh pandebono does not need anything on it, but it welcomes company.

How Ohana makes it, and reinvents it

At Ohana, we start with the traditional recipe and the way it has always been made, cassava starch, corn and cheese, baked fresh in our café at 2100 Bloor St W in Toronto. Then we have some fun with it. Our pandebono waffles press the dough into a waffle iron for crisp edges all over, our wafflebono sandwiches turn it into the bread for a proper sandwich, and our brunch plates build around it. Tradition first, then reinvention. That is how we think a classic stays alive in a new city.

Ohana is a family business, and the name is a family word. Our mom has called our family "ohana" since we were little, and it has always meant home to us. In Colombia, that warmth has a name: la casa de la abuela, the grandmother's house, where love is shown by feeding you and there is always room for one more. That is the feeling we bake into every tray.

Where to buy pandebono in Toronto

Fresh from the oven at our café: Ohana Coffee, 2100 Bloor St W, Unit 5B, Toronto, in the High Park area, a short walk from High Park Station. We are open Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 7 PM, and Sunday, 9 AM to 6 PM.

To bake at home, pick up our frozen pandebono bags (450 g, 10 pieces) at the café, order from our online shop at ohanacoffees.com/shop, or find them at No Frills Dufferin Mall, Familia Fine Foods in Burlington, Toronto Latino and Nosso Talho.

Questions people ask

Is pandebono gluten free? Not every pandebono is gluten free, so always check the label. Ohana's recipe uses cassava starch and corn instead of wheat flour, and our frozen retail bags are labelled gluten-free and egg-free. If you have celiac disease, please ask our team about preparation before ordering, and we will walk you through it.

How do I bake frozen pandebono at home? Bake from frozen at 350°F for 20 minutes, or 12 minutes in an air fryer, until golden. No thawing needed. Our frozen pandebonos are proudly made in Canada.

Where can I buy pandebono in Toronto? At Ohana Coffee in the High Park area, fresh and in frozen bags to take home, through our online shop, and at No Frills Dufferin Mall, Familia Fine Foods in Burlington, Toronto Latino and Nosso Talho.

Ohana Coffee, 2100 Bloor St W, Unit 5B, Toronto, ON M6S 1M7. Phone: 437-557-1962. The Warmth We Share.