» Porto's « With humble beginnings, Porto's is a Cuban bakery founded by couple, Raul Porto Sr. and Betty Porto. After immigrating from Cuba, the Portos didn't have much except for the clothes on their back. Betty, a talented baker, began making cakes for neighbors and friends, and soon developed a loyal customer base. With hard work and delicious recipes, the Porto family, with their three children, continue the tradition of baking pastries which they started about 40 years ago. The Buena Park (Orange County) location is the 4th they've opened, others located in Downey, Glendale and Burbank. I finally visited the newest and first Porto's in Orange County. I've never actually been into a Porto's but have tasted it through friends and family bringing me the delicious pastries. John and I weren't planning to visit, but because I had a meeting in the area and had about an hour to kill we made our way to the iconic bakery.
» Food & Drink «
Is there a pastry Porto's doesn't do?! Their menu has countless baked goods from empanadas to croissants, from breads to pies, from cakes to cookies. With so many choices it's so hard to choose one item and that's why whenever you see someone leaving the store they are most likely carrying several large yellow boxes with them. Everything is priced very fair and inexpensive: pastries priced around $1, slices of cake at $4 and sandwiches at $6. Their drinks include house blend coffee as well as fresh fruit smoothies and juices.
Cheese Roll ($0.80) - Yes! They are only 80 cents and taste amazing! They have a nice flaky outside and cream cheese filling that is perfectly sweetened. It's sweet but not too sweet. If you bring them home, you can easily pop them into a convection oven and they still taste great. I eat them cold sometimes (#toolazy).
Guava Cheese Strudel ($0.89) - Similar to the cheese roll, they have a sweet flaky, puff pastry and guava filling. The guava is a nice alternative if you don't like cream cheese.
Fruit Tart ($3.45) - I love fruit tarts but this one was just okay for me. I like how they add dragon fruit to give it that beautiful pink color for the tart, but it doesn't do much for the flavor. The custard didn't have a rich enough flavor for me and the hard crust tasted more like a cookie.
Napoleon Dulce de Leche ($3.45) - The napoleon is sweet and I mean sweet. The flavor isn't too bad but the texture is a bit disappointing. It was very difficult biting into it because the middle layers were soggy making cutting into the napoleon difficult.
Potato Balls ($0.98 ) - I didn't order it this time but have had them before and I really like them. They have a nice crunchy outside and yummy potato filling. I can eat them all day. Mango Smoothie ($3.95) - I am a BIG mango smoothie person. If there is a mango drink on the menu, I'll try it. I LOVED their mango smoothie! They use fresh fruits and it has the perfect amount of sweetness and delicious mango flavor.
Recommend: Potato Balls, Cheese Rolls, Guava Cheese Strudel, Mango Smoothie
Food & Drink | 40/50
» Service «
Porto's is a veteran in handling crowds. Even though there are a ton of people coming in and out of the store, they stay organized and very helpful. The store is divided into three areas: the cafe, bakery and coffee bar, which alleviates the traffic of people and keeps it organized. They have an employee helping in the parking lot, one handling and directing people at the outside line, helpful servers at the counter who will give you free samples and even a person checking in with customers inside by answering questions or supplying a menu. They handle serving so many people very well. A friendly, organized staff.
There are several sitting areas. They have two rooms in the cafe side and a large outside patio.
Service | 30/30
» Aesthetics & Atmosphere«
An architectural beauty. The outside is covered in big glass, bringing in lots of natural lighting and the high ceilings keep the building from feeling stuffy even though there are numerous people inside the store.
They have quirky accent pieces such as a large lamp which you can see when you are in the line outside, pictures of the Porto's and decorative tile wall in certain parts of the restaurant.
Aesthetics & Atmosphere | 15/15
» Parking «
Porto's has it's own parking lot (for now, there's a restaurant opening next door but they are the only two business in the lot). There is only one entrance to the parking lot on Beach Blvd. Entering the parking lot it is pretty tight but the trick to finding parking is looking for all the people who already have their yellow boxes since they are done shopping and you can take their spot.
Parking | 5/5
» Price «
SOOOO Worth it! Their signature pastries are less than $1?! I bought a dozen of their cheese rolls for $10. Their prices are much cheaper than other big, popular bakeries such as 85 Degrees and Paris Baguette.
Price | Worth It!
» Overall «
Porto's is a must visit (and if you've been, a must revisit)! It has a wonderful backstory, food & drinks, service, aesthetics & atmosphere, decent parking and great price. I was amazed how easy it was getting everything even though there were a lot of people when I went. I was able to go in, order food, eat, and get out in an hour during the Saturday lunch time rush. It's a nice place to just hang out with friends and family while eating yummy treats. I'll definitely be coming back whenever I'm in Northern Orange County. Hopefully they open one closer to me, maybe Irvine or something.
Overall | 90/100
Porto's OC Monday through Saturday: 6:30 am to 7 pm
Sunday: 7 am to 7 pm Other Locations: Downey, Glendale and Burbank
Follow me for food reviews & pictures of food
Be part of the foodie fam: subscribe & write your own review
Thanks Porto's!
The American Dream | Great Signatures | Yummy Bakes
» Last Updated: April 5, 2017 «
Have you ever had Porto's? If yes, what do you usually get? Where's your favorite bakery?
