Porto's Bakery and Cafe

Porto's Bakery started off as just one woman selling cakes out of her home. Now there are two branches of the Cuban bakery and cafe and both are thriving. On weekdays, I often drive by Porto's in Burbank just after it opens and it is already packed with an early morning crowd looking for cakes or coffee to start off their mornings.

Porto's Bakery in Burbank is in a large building on the corner of Hollywood Way and Magnolia Blvd. There is indoor and outdoor seating and, although the restaurant always looks packed, I have never had trouble finding a seat. The restaurant is clean and the staff is always friendly and willing to help.

My first purchase at Porto's was some fresh baked bread for a baby shower I was co-hosting. I was taking the bread to a place where they don't have many bakeries and can't get fresh baked bread. The bread was perfect--I paid only $11 for three large loaves of sourdough. The bread had a crisp outside and light and chewy inside with a delicious sourdough flavor.

The next time I went to Porto's it was for some desserts to serve my parents. They have a huge selection of pastries ranging from cookies to miniature cakes to mouse pyramids to éclairs. You can also buy full cakes either custom baked or just from the rack. The pastries are delicious. Everything looks good and then it tastes even better. I would not be embarrassed to serve these fancy desserts on platters at a ball.

This weekend, I went to Porto's for lunch. It was packed. There were two lines and the lady at the door handing out menus said we could use either line to order. We chose the left line and perused the menu while waiting.

At the counter, I ordered the Medianoche sandwich. The Medianoche comes on sweet bread with pork, ham, cheese, pickles and mustard. All the sandwiches are served with plantain chips. I also got one of the Chorizo meat pies. My dining companion ordered the Ropa Vieja beef sandwich with peppers. We got two fountain drinks and no desserts.

The fountains are in both the dining area and by the door. We grabbed a table and waited for them to deliver our food. The meat pie I ordered was given to me at the counter. It was small but surprisingly filling. Inside the empanada-style pastry was hot ground beef and spices. The dough was just right and lent a nice texture to the pie. As always, we enjoyed a fair amount of people watching from our table with the varied personalities that dot the restaurant. Our food arrived in not much time at all.

The Medianoche is delicious. It combines fresh pork roasted with some kind of herb and spices to make a delicious flavor. I could almost do without the ham, because the pork is so amazing. The pickles give the sandwich a little kick but the sweet bread really ties it together. The plantains need a little salt (which is available by the fountains)but add a satisfying crispiness to the rest of the meal.

The Ropa Vieja tasted very similar to the Machaca beef found at Mexican restaurants such as El Mexicano. The peppers were mixed and cooked with the beef. The sandwich tasted good but not nearly as good as the medianoche.

Even though Porto's look crowded from the outside, it is worth going in for a little pastry or a sandwich, the food is delicious and the lines move pretty quickly.





Porto's Bakery and Cafe
3614 W Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505
Map