Ode2Fatty

Porto's Bakery

February 19, 2006.
315 North Brand Boulevard ¤Glendale ¤ CA ¤ 91203 tel. (818) 956-5996 ¤ fax (818) 956-0696 http://www.portosbakery.com/*another Porto’s now on the corner of Hollywood and Magnolia in Burbank*


Porto’s website proclaims itself “Glendale’s Finest Bakery”. It’s a family-owned and operated Cuban Bakery that’s been around for over 35 years. Valleyites flock to this pastry parlor par excellence, and a source told that one major studio department gets all of its birthday cakes at Porto’s. This place is packed. Always. Expect to wait - you can stare and salivate at the glass cases housing all the tasty treats while you wait in line. My only disappointment was that I was expecting Porto’s to be this cute little mom-and-pop place - old and kinda dingy but charming (think Follow Your Heart Restaurant), but it is actually very shiny and modern looking (think Coffee Bean but brighter, bigger and vaulted ceilings). Noisy too - like I said, this place is packed. With a large amount of Pinoy (I was told that it’s because Cuban food is like Filipino food . . . )

On this particular trip, we ordered the Guava & Cheese Strudel (a.k.a. “Refugiado” and one of the top sellers). Delicious and only 60¢! We also indulged in the apple and coconut strudels. Who has ever heard of a coconut strudel before!?! Mmmm. But my favorite - of course - was the “real” dessert (the pastries were just warm-ups) . . . another bestseller . . the Tres Leches, a yellow sponge cake soaked with three-milk sauce - condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whipping cream and finished with meringue icing.

Porto’s also serves lunch, and my companion had the Feta Sandwich (Greek Feta cheese, served with sliced tomatoes, onions, fresh basil, and olive oil on a French baguette). He has ordered the Glendale Veggie Sandwich (roasted egg plant, peppers, and zucchini, with havarti cheese, hummus spread, lettuce, tomatoes, on wheat) on a prior occasion, but found that the Feta Sandwich at $3 is just as good as the Glendale Veggie at $5. Other House Specialities include fresh meat pies, potato balls, croquettes, chorizo pie, tamales, and more. I was encouraged to order the Roasted Pork Sandwich (Pan con Lechon), which is oven roasted pork served with special Spanish garlic dressing (Mojo) on Cuban bread, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

posted by Fatty @ 11:03 AM