Porto’s Bakery & Cafe

HANDS DOWN LOVE THIS PLACE! My family and I ALWAYS make a stop here before we go home to the Bay Area. This bakery is only located in Southern California and with only 3 locations! Oh, how I wished the Bay Area had one. Their CHEESE ROLLS are to do die for and super delicious. Better yet they’re addicting! This recent trip of ours we left with 7 dozen of cheese rolls! Each dozen is $ 6.99 or was it $ 7.99 either way it was well worth it! Yes, since this bakery is popular the lines can be pretty long, but be patient! It’s worth the wait! I normally order their pork tamales (delicious) and love their briouche. My sister ordered their apple turnovers and thought they were a bit dry. I know that means she’s not eating the other one. We also ordered the potato balls and it’s flavorful and good! Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend this place to everyone who loves sweets or looking for great baked goods. I know i’ll be back soon !

Yum. I’ve been here twice. Parking lot is crazy packed. and yet you always some how get a spot within a reasonable amount of time. We walked in and it was packed. Porto’s is the definition of organized chaos. There are people everywhere, and yet… you are able to get what you need relatively fast and painless. My boyfriend got the pastrami melt, his brother got the tuna melt, and I got as many potato balls as my stomach could handle. I absolutely love the potato balls here. If you had to get anything… get the potato balls. I had three for lunch and was set until dinner. The sandwiches were really good too. The bread is nice and crispy! The guava and cheese pastry was really good too! Perfect ratio of pastry to filling. I love coming here. I seriously drool when I think about those potato balls.

Dear Porto’s,
Y’all seriously need to open up a place in NorCal otherwise my family in LA is going to have to keep coming here to bring me home some goodies. Think about all the business you can make by adding a branch up here!
I only visit SoCal less than five times a year and every time I drive down to LA I always have to hit up Porto’s.
No matter what time you go, the lines will always be long. Whether you arrive at 7 am or before closing time, this place is busy and I think it’s pretty obvious as to why.
CHEESE ROLLS. Yummy delicious rolls that have descended from the heavens. I cannot even describe how perfect they are. You need to try one. Actually no, you need to get a box or two, or three, actually nah you better go get five dozens. It’ll be gone within three days (haha jk, not really).
Potato balls! Yummy meaty balls of goodness. It kinda reminds me of the Filipino dish, Beef Giniling, except rolled into a ball, wrapped in potato hash, and breaded and fried. Mmmmmm. You can ask for them to serve it to you piping hot or room temp. Make sure to get room temp if it’s not going to be eaten right away, otherwise it’ll get soggy.
Cheese Rolls and Potato Balls are my go-to’s but they have so many cakes and pastries that are just as delicious. The Tres leches, fruit tart, and cheesecake are some of my family’s favorites.
Try avoiding the Chicken Croquettes, definitely not a fan of them and probably the only baked good I don’t like from this joint.
Make sure to order ahead of time (24 hours before) if you want to order a giant box/​dozens and dozens of cheese rolls to avoid the line. Just set a pick up time and make sure to pick up your order at the catering/​pick-​up line. You can also add to your order once you’re picking it up! It’s a great way to have to avoid going back in line if you want to buy some extra goodies. If you ordered the cheese rolls in bulk, add $ 1 if you want them to organize your cheese rolls into a nice platter with strawberries and such.
Porto’s, my love, till we meet again!

It can appear daunting during the weekend because the lines can look LONG. But these guys have the system DOWN and know wassup. They move so quickly and efficiently. But, do try to have an idea of what you want do by the time you get up in front you can just order.
My go-​tos are the potato balls, empanadas/​meat pies, and the cheese guava. They have a new jalapeño cheese potato ball… LOVE IT. Once I stopped by when they had a seasonal seafood potato ball. so good.
I also LOVE their Medianoche preparada (w/​croquette) sandwich. On POINT. When I’m driving through SoCal, this is a must stop.
Don’t forget the tapatio!

Organized chaos in the best possible way. They seem to have a great system that may not totally be clear but it works great and you get in and ordered quickly despite the Disneyland status lines.
The food is amazing! Love the potato balls and the plantain chips. I ordered the seasonal special veggie sandwich and it was everything I could have wanted. I was a little bummed that I didn’t get plantain chips like i did last time I was there but it may have been the difference between eating there and taking it to go. Next time I will just order an extra side of them. I have not tried any of the desserts but they do look so incredible. I will need to share food next time so I can fit one into my diet. :)
I cant wait for the location in Buena Park to open so I can go more often. for now this is a splurge when i go to the Unique Vintage or Pin Up Girl Boutiques.

When I get a craving for chicken croquettes or potato balls or dulce de leche kisses I drag my husband to Porto’s Bakery in Burbank.
Every time we go we are lucky enough to find off street parking which means that we are always meant to go to Porto’s each time we’re there. There’s also always a line that’s at least 10 people long, but we do go on the weekends so that’s to be expected.
Whenever we go now I get a half or full dozen dulce de leche kisses: shortbread-​style cookie exterior with a sweet and caramel-​like creamy filling. Every calorie is worth it! These would definitely be part of my last meal! We also get the chicken croquettes and potato balls. They’re savory and flavorful; really can’t go wrong with either of these. Sometimes we spring for a pastry or a loaf of bread. Their baguettes are crusty and fluffy — so good just by itself or with Brie or butter and garlic!
The ordering system is a little hectic so I recommend getting their menu card and writing down the amount of each item that you want next to each item. This is easier than trying to talk over the loud crowd and ensures that the clerk knows exactly what you want. Ever since we’ve started doing this, I don’t get anxious when we get to the front of the line, and helps move everything faster for the next person! If you haven’t gone to Porto’s in Burbank, just go!

I had only ever had a few things from Portos but after meeting a friend for lunch, WOW, their menu is extensive and is all delicious. I had a simple Southwest salad but it was hearty, tastey and perfect.
This ports was extremely busy, with parking being kind of an issue (a 5 minute issue). The line was fast and we were seating within 3 minutes of waiting for a table to open up.
Can’t wait to try their other food!

Man, who stands in line for a bakery? Well everyone does if it is Portos! If you only buy two things, get the Cheese Rolls and Potato Balls.
Do not be intimidated by the line which extends outside… it goes fast.

Umm… it’s pretty amazing when a restaurant becomes a tourist attraction. And Porto’s is definitely one of them.
My boyfriend took me here to try their Potato Balls and Cheese Rolls. No doubt — they were DELICIOUS. The Potato Balls were hot and soft. But it’s not just potato — it also has some meat in it. When you pull it apart, you can see the steam rising from the inside and smell the deliciousness. The Cheese Rolls were sweet and yummy as well.
BUT my favorites were the Chicken Croquette and the SPICY Potato Ball (boyfriend says the spicy ones are new). These two completely stole the show from the other two. The Chicken Croquette was hot and not dry at all — which tends to be the case with a lot of savory pastries. It’s like a mini on-​the-​go chicken pot pie, but yummier than a chicken pot pie. The Spicy Potato Ball was steaming hot and cheese was bursting out after I took a bite.
I was somewhat overwhelmed by the two lines for Pastries and Bakery but it seems the Bakery is more like larger cakes and things while the Pastries line on your left is where you wanna go for quick bites and sweets. But despite the long lines, we ordered fairly quickly and luckily, found a table in the corner. And they have this uncanny Porto’s magical ability to find a customer and serve food in a room full of people and no table markers? I’m not too sure how they do it and we didn’t stick around to find out so it’s now the magic of Porto’s…

Those cheese rolls… damn!
Need I say more?
Ok, I guess I can. In Chicago, most supermarkets sell an amazing cheesecake. (Well, «cheesecake.» It’s technically Cheese Danish Coffee Cake.) Safeway and a couple other stores in California carry it, but it’s a far cry from what I get in the Midwest. i.e. it has nothing to do with it. The cheese roll from Porto’s came pretty darn close, with the exception of the sugary top layer. (CDCC is less sweet.)
The smell was spot-​on, and that was good enough for me. The top layers are made of flaky buttery goodness with granulated sugar, which I could have done without, but it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet.
Good stuff! I would love to try some of their other pastries and breads.

Every time I’m in Cali I swing by Porto’s and pick up some delicious pastries to go. Rosa Porto opened her first bakery on Sunset Blvd in 1976 after her family emigrated here from Cuba. Today there are three locations and long lines out the door everyday. It doesn’t stop people from picking up box of cheese rolls, potato balls or a cake. In addition to the pastries, they have some amazing sandwiches, juices and a full café. Some of my personal favorites I pick up are empanadas, ham croquettes, meat pies, and of course the potato balls (try the spicy one). You also can’t go wrong with any of the danishes or croissants either. Heads up… the parking lot at this location can get a little busy.

My friend brought the cheese rolls, chocolate croissant, and cheese-​guava pastry for me, and they were delicious! The chocolate croissant was pretty average but huge, so I was a bit disappointed by that.
I absolutely loved the cheese rolls and the cheese-​guava rolls! I ate at least 2 in one sitting. The cheese rolls have sugar on the top so that they are sweet but also complimented by the cheese. The guava rolls are my favorite because it has a fruity taste but not too overwhelming.

One of the biggest reason why I’m allowing this Bakery & Café my five stars is because of how quick their line moves, regardless of how long it looks. The workers are all friendly and move on their feet. The second big reason is of course, their dessert which I love to critique. As a baker, I often eat different variety of desserts and coming here I didn’t want to eat something I could make myself. The cakes they have here not only look the part but tastes amazing too. Best of all, it’s not overly sweet and doesn’t give me that cringing feeling when I bite into cakes from most bakeries.
Since it was my first time here, I wanted to try as much items as I can. I ended up leaving the bakery with a box of a dozen guava & cheese pastries, 3 potato balls, 3 chicken croquettes, spinach croissant, 2 cheese pastries, dulce de leche napoleon, strawberry shortcake, Italian cheesecake, and last but not least a fruit tart. Oh my… I had no idea what I did until I got back to my friend’s house with the box of goodies. Between the two of us, we stared at each other thinking. how are we going to finish everything between the two of us?!
At first I didn’t think too much of it as I was FINALLY excited to try Porto’s for the first time. I started digging into the potato balls and then the chicken croquettes. Both were very good but I prefer the flavor of the chicken croquettes over the meaty filling of the potato balls. Try it with their chipotle dipping sauce, it’s a good pair. Next item to try was the guava & cheese pastries. I had two of them and was ready to move onto desserts. We split the desserts into halves for the two of us to enjoy. I was in pleasure with the flavors of each dessert. Again, it wasn’t overly sweet and I loved that about it. But my pleasure became painful quickly as I realized I kept eating while already full. The pain was worth it. I’m already craving the guava & cheese pastries again, not to mention I want some more of the chicken croquettes again too. I guess I’m already anxious for my next SoCal trip so I can stop by this bakery again…

If you can brave the crowds and almost non existent parking this is an excellent spot to grab some lunch.
As I walked in to the Cuban bakery/​restaurant I was meet by a large crowd in what I could best describe as a controlled chaos. I felt as if I was on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Baristas and staff were shouting orders and scrambling to put out orders while several customers were chatting contributing to the buzzing environment. Just below the dull roar of voices you could hear the faint and rhythmic sound of Reggaeton (Latin hiphop).
Despite the lines being long, we were able to place our order within 15 mins. When I found an empty table with two stools, a calm washed over me and I was even further relieved to see my sandwich arrived a few minutes later.
The potato balls were almost a meal in themselves because they were hearty, rich and stodgy. The Cubano sandwich was well balanced with the right amount of savory meat paired with a slight pickle and salt flavor.
As far a price goes I believe I have spent more on a Starbucks lunch with less flavor. You can’t beat the prices here.
Because I am not a huge fan of large crowds, I am good with my single visit but at least I can say «been there, ate that». Overall, I must say… you gotta try this place at least once!

This is one of the bigger locations I’ve been to. Their seating area is pretty big, but they can get super busy to the point where the line goes out the door.
Avoid peak hours & you’ll be fine. Pretty much everything is good. Both savory & sweet!

Its so far from San Diego but when in Rome. bring home boxes and boxes of pastry delights!
Okay, we didn’t go overboard like most people. I think we got one big box and a smaller one which was a rare sight for most folks who usually are walking out with bags like they just raided a Macy’s sales rack on black Friday or something.
It was really our first time there (gasp!) and people are serious about their Porto’s Parking was a breeze and those lines… two separate lines being funneled in like a Disneyland ride. But hmm. you can just smell the sugary pastry of love.
You can pretty much get a good view of the pastries from the line but if you look up there is a menu that serves hot food! What?! Cuban sandwiches and other Cuban food… ugh. I’ve died and gone to heaven.
We ordered the infamous guava cheese rolls, a few cheese ones, a coconut one that no one ever told me about (HOW DARE YOU KEEP THIS SECRET FROM ME!) a strawberry and cheese filled one and OMG… potato balls! We got one of each kind and wish we had gotten a dozen more. So creamy, savory and oh so delicious. The perfect snack!
There is so much to choose from here! It makes me sad that there is none closer to SD. I see why people go nuts once they get there. I’ll probably end up being one of those people too when I go back.

Wow this place was great! I loved the atmosphere and the food was a plus. Great location in Burbank, CA. The people were nice and the food selection was fantastic.
The beef pie was fabulous! We ended up going back the next day for another.
The sandwiches were great too.
The pastries were different and good in the same way.
This place is great for breakfast, lunch and a early dinner. The line was extremely long during brunch time, but worth the wait for the food.

— Short Synopsis —
One of the best Cuban bakeries I have been to and I live in Florida where Cuban places are a plenty. The pastries and sandwiches are just so delicious! Plus, there is a large variety of goods.
— Detailed Review —
From sandwiches to pastries and cakes and more, Porto’s is bound to have something you will like!
The pastries here are just so good!!! The popular guava cheese rolls are delicious. The meat pies are great! I love the slight sweetness of the pastry go contrast with its savory interior. The cheese rolls were amazing with the crunchy sweet exterior from the hard sugar. The chicken croquettes were delicious! Just the combination of all the ingredients plus the crunchy exterior of the skin was awesome.
The pan con lechon is down right delicious! The pork is succulent and the bread is nice and soft. Plus there is some type of garlic butter on the bread that’s just elevates it. And don’t forget the pickled onions that provide a nice crunch and taste contrast to the juicy pork and soft bread. A great sandwich.
I will be back to try more of Porto’s delicious items.

Ok. so 5000+ people said everything there is to be said but you know what, I still wanna throw my 2 cents in there.
Porto’s is arguably the best bakery in the world. The selection of items they have from their sandwiches, rice plates, drinks, baked goods is unparalleled. I was lucky enough to be in Burbank for work and I check my Unilocal app and Portos was literally 10 minutes away. I pull up and bam I get a parking spot immediately and head on in there. I ordered the Cubano sandwich (best selling sandwich on their menu) and a guava smoothie. The cashier guy was cool and even asked me if it was my first time there and gave me a free potato ball.
Cubano Sandwich — This sandwich is legit. The bread is crunchy, yet soft the meats are fresh and all the ingredients go together very nicely.
Guava Smoothie — refreshing and bomb af.
Potato Ball — Delicious but even better cause I got it for free.
And the greatest ending to this review is that PORTOS IS COMING TO OC. LITERALLY DOWN THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE. I love Orange County.

Who doesn’t love Portos? Are anymore reviews even necessary? This place is the best… For cake, for pastries, sandwiches and coffee.
Pastry must haves are of course the cheese rolls, guava cheese rolls and the potato balls.
Cake must haves are the chocolate Parisian cake and the milk n berries.
The line will be long Any time, any day. So be prepared to wait but it’s definitely worth it.

Porto’s bakery um lo mas rico en pastels, postres, smothies y sandwiches se los recomiendo a todos bayan a saborear estos deliciosos platillos.

There’s no issue with the taste and quality of the bread, but I wish they were more precise and patient with getting orders. If you are first time here, just be ready to be lost for a moment. The one who got my order (whom I assumed to be a newbie) didn’t double check ours, and later we found exactly three of ours were different. I corrected one of them before I paid, but I found out two of them after we sat on the table. We didn’t make it a big deal to avoid complexity, and because it was so busy there we simply understood there could be a mistake. One thing I wanted to complain though, was that we changed our order to dozen just to get it as special price, but when we were asked to choose between hot and room-​temperature, he didn’t let us know making it hot would change it back to normal price.
But it was our first time trying this famous bakery, and now we have more confidence in all the process. Compared to what you would get, everything is super cheap and tasty. I also loved the way that the manager tried to be kind and hospitable to customers during all those hassles.
The things we got were very ordinary and traditional.
–Potato balls (good. I loved the regular one more than spicy one)
–Cheese rolls (the best as I think)
–guava& cheese strudel
–ham croquette (so so)
–Oreo cheesecake (you definately will need hot Americano as a supplement cuz the cheesecake alone would be way too heavy. But with coffee, it’s all good)
Ambience is lively and loud, but still clean and casual. I loved the lightings too. Most workers were hospitable and kind.
Will visit again!

I don’t understand you people coming from other states and saying Porto’s is «overrated» after you’ve tried it ONCE.
Porto’s is, in short, amazing.
I prefer the Burbank location because I like the caprese sandwich (without prosciutto) and for some reason the Glendale Porto’s does not offer this. Also, Burbank is better than Glendale. :)
All of the employees are super friendly and seem like they enjoy their job and the food is SUPER, unbelievably inexpensive. Whenever someone is taking my extremely long food order (we always get a bunch of pastries to go), I think, «there’s no way they’re going to remember all of this,» and somehow, they always do.
The mango mousse (glazed – never tried it without glaze but they have it) is ridiculous. Definitely give it a try next time you go.

THE BEST POTATO BALLS & CHEESE ROLLS!
If they had this place in the Bay Area, I’ll be all over it! But too bad it’s only in So Cal.):
My cousin, friends & I waited a cool 10 minute outside but it’s only for safety concerns so no one get trampled on while waiting in line outside. They were great with keeping organized & splitting the lines into 2 on each side of the store since it’s so big. Waiting again for the line inside but it wasn’t bad at all! We went crazy & bought 3 boxes of pastries & drove all the way home to Nor Cal to share with friends & family.
We need Porto’s in the Bay Area. (-:

I LOVE BALLS!!! Potato balls that is.
Ah Portos… you’ve captured my heart. Clearly they don’t need another 5-​star review but heck I gotta give it one anyways. Most people (including me) come here mainly for their delectable pastries such as their famous cheese rolls & guava-​cheese strudels, but even little meat treats like their potato balls and meat pies don’t disappoint either.
The cheese rolls are best when you take em home to toast, it’s honestly such a huge difference from eating them unheated. The potato balls are DA BOMB! The meat filling inside its soft, tasty, gloriously seasoned with a burst of flavor and then there’s soft mashed potato wrapped around it with a thiny crispy outer edge. Porto’s balls in my mouth = heaven in my mouth. Wowie~
There’s a pretty large cake selection too and honestly they’re pretty good but nothing special. When at Portos, go for the pastries.
The cherry on top? All the items are cheap (without sacrificing quality of course)! Most pastries are under $ 1… and let’s just with $ 20, I got 2 dozens of cheese rolls, 6 potato balls, 6 empanadas, and 2 guava-​cheese strudels. Sometimes it makes me wonder how do they even make a profit!!! Jk, I know they definitely do, but wow. Quality goods at an unbeatable price. That is all.

POTATATABALLS, CHEESEY ROLLS and my new favorite Medianoche Preparada AKA Midnight sandwich WITH ham croquettes.
First it all started with the cheese rolls. The nice cheese flake-​y sugary goodness in a roll. Definitely order it if you never had one and you don’t know what to get.
Potato balls. I remember the first time I had this, in my head, «Where has this been all of my life.» Its mash potato with chili inside a fried crunchy outer layer. That initial bite into a crunchy then instant mushy potato then the chili hits you and that’s when you’re in heaven.
I stumbled upon the midnight sandwich with the ham croquettes (That is the key!) by accident. Let me tell you it is AMAZING.
They currently don’t have it on the menu. Maybe they do, and my blurry vision can’t seem to locate it! But every time I stumble upon Porto’s I ALWAYS get it. I let my friend have a bite and I instantly got 7 of my friends ordering the same sandwich. No lie its bomb. com
It seems to ALWAYS be busy no matter what time you come in. When you enter the front door go to the line to the left, its shorter than the line on the right side!
Make sure get it for dine in because you get the banana/​plantain chips. If you take it to-​go no chips!

CHEEZ ROLLZ! POTAHTO BALLZ! GUAVA CHEEZ PASTREEZ!!!
Porto’s makes me so happy. Every time I visit (which unfortunately isn’t actually all that often) I always buy a big box of pastries all for myself hehe. Of course, they don’t ever taste as good as they do when they’re fresh, but they stay pretty true to their original selves even a few days later. I haven’t tried much else in terms of food, but if everything is as good and as cheap as the three I mentioned with extreme excitement at the very beginning of my review, then you really can’t go wrong here.
I did also get an iced horchata latte when I was last here, and initially it was TOOOOOO sweet and very thick (which is weird to describe a coffee drink? but that’s how it was). But it was more manageable after the ice melted a bit. Not sure how the other drinks were, but I would proceed with some caution after that experience.
It does get very crowded! Be prepared to wait, but the line usually goes by decently quickly.

I was in the area a couple days ago and decided to stop by Porto’s. I had never been before, but heard good things. I ordered the beef-​filled potato balls and the chicken croquettes and OH. MY. GOODNESS. So good especially with Tapatio hot sauce. Four each plus a fruit tart ended up being like…$ 11. Pretty sweet to me. The wait wasn’t too long, and I found meter parking fairly easily.
Will definitely be back when I’m in the area! I want to try out some of their other signature treats. Good place to bring a date or friend for some snacky snacks.

Finally fulfilled my dream of returning to Potro’s and eating another Cubano sandwich. It was just as I remembered!
And… Porto’s was celebrating their birthday, giving out free slices of red velvet cake, strawberry cake, and more!
We ordered a meringue fruit tart cake for my cousin’s birthday (delicious) and some sandwiches to go.
Tip: when you pay for a cake at the register, you can order sandwiches and other treats to go!
Also, everyone seemed to be ordering a beautiful pink blended drink that looked refreshing and delicious.

Ok so this place is as great as everyone says. However we went on a Sat at 930am and the line was huge! To be fair it was their 10^th year anniversary. It was well staffed and it took me less than 10mins to be helped.
Ambiance: very large and has large amount of eat in space.
Food
— Potato balls: hands down one of the best things they sell. I got the spicy 4 cheese and the meaty one. It is so savory and well done. I haven’t seen these anywhere else and felt that it was pretty unique to here
— Chicken and beef empanadas: very flaky and tender. However but doughy
— Chocolate mousse cupcake: I am not usually a fan of frosting but this was done so right. Sweet but not too sweet. The batter super fluffy
— Tres leches ice coffee: looks sweet but actually not, it is pure espresso with the freshest of milk added. No extra sugar or calories. I love love it. Wish I knew how to make this as good at home
— Midnight sandwich and Bacon/​Omellet Sandwich: great pricing. Delicious but nothing to write home about.
Parking: lot in the back
This place is fantastic! Amazing baked goods and reasonable prices. I would definitely come back here again. Also this will be next place I get my next bday cake for the hubby. Only con is the long lines but they move it through pretty quickly.

You’ll [hopefully] never find a place more cheap AND delicious as Porto’s. I cannot for the love of life, hold myself back from overbuying here. There’s something about their pastries that just makes you want to eat more than one. For example, I tend to buy 6 – 10 potato balls, 6 – 10 cheese rolls, 6 – 10 guava cheese rolls, and everything else every single time I come. Excessive? Yes. Problematic? No, because I instantly become everyone’s best friend when I go home… At least until the Porto’s runs out.
So in case you don’t know, everything here is awesome. Definitely get potato balls and cheese rolls when you’re here, everything else (pastries, sandwiches, drinks, desserts) are left up to your discretion. Don’t be fooled by the «long line», it moves pretty quickly and the servers are very efficient. So all of this sounds fine and dandy except… How much am I gonna pay?
$ 20. I pay $ 20 for enough pastries to last me a week. That’s how cheap Porto’s is, a potato ball is a little under a dollar and cheese rolls are like 78 cents each. So it’s no wonder why it’s so easy to overbuy and still not go broke.
I just wish there was a Porto’s closer to where I live.

It seemed so appropriate to make my 300^th review one of our favorite places!
It is such a rarity that we return to the same place more than twice and are just as impressed as the first time. Parking here can be painful, but with a bit of patience you will eventually find a spot. They do have a tiny parking lot however there is also plenty of street parking potential nearby.
Upon entering this place, don’t let the long lines scare you. They move swiftly and all the employees seem to have it all down. They are even in good spirit which is awesome considering I’d go crazy working at a place like this. There’s two lines, one for café goods and one for pastry goods. There is a third line but that is only for full cake orders and nothing else. Seating here can be challenging but we opted to sit outside since the weather was decent. They do their best to keep everything flowing smoothly, trash emptied, condiments stocked and most important everything here is quite clean.
On our most recent trip we ordered a few potato balls, chicken empanadas, cheese and guava pastries, chocolate croissant and a chocolate éclair. None of the above disappointed us. Even though I couldn’t hear myself think inside this place, the person taking our orders and ringing us up was most patient. We’ll continue to return here on our trips to SoCal!
2016 Review #8

Items Selected:
Cuban Sandwich — Pork, Ham, Pickles, Cuban Spread, Cuban Bread
Chicken Croquetta
Ham Croquetta
Chorizio Pie
Chicken and Vegetable Empanada
Carrot Cake
Tres Leches
Florentine
Baba au Rhum
Caramel Éclair
Sally Cake
Guava Streudel
Sweet Croissant
Dulce de Leche Bundt
Almost universally celebrated for their Cuban Sandwich, Potato Balls plus a stunning array of pastries, Portos has withstood the test of time in a city where «new» often seems to be misinterpreted as «best,» and now with three locations spread throughout the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area including an enormous outlet in Burbank the only real questions when visiting are «how hungry are you?» and «how long are you willing to wait?»
Busy from open to close, the draw entailing what seems like every age and race, arrival at Portos found the line nearly seventy deep on a Friday just before closing and with chaos controlled by queues plus a sort of «traffic cop» hostess the experience unfolded in a slow-​moving march to the counter, options perused at varying distance on the approach before placing a sizable order to a young man who memorized it with ease.
With most items immediately boxed or carefully wrapped while sandwiches require a short wait it was with luck that a table was secured in the jammed-​packed dining room and tucking into hot items first both croquettas proved both creamy and oilless while the small handpie and empanada actually came across dry despite a good amount of filling and spice, likely the result of my late arrival and time underneath warming lights.
Receiving the pressed Cuban just before snapping the last photos of dessert one is immediately struck by the use of a light yellow spread in place of simple mustard and offering a bit more subtlety by breaking tradition the pork duo is allowed more room to shine amidst the melted cheese and pickle chips, those watching their salt intake best advised to avoid.
Underwhelmed by a disastrous ‘croissant’ that eats like a dinner roll and Carrot Cake that is both dry and lacking in spices beneath frosting that speaks of little more than Crisco and Sugar it was onward to more intriguing desserts that the tasting progressed and beginning with a nutty Florentine dipped in chocolate Portos showed a knack for anything featuring caramel, the buttery bundt’s soft crumb far more delicate than the popular chain based out of Nevada while the éclair’s crisp choux showed signs of French skills that the croissant sorely lacked.
Having enjoyed the Guava Cheese Danish in the past there was little doubt the jam-​filled Streudel would perform equally well and expecting good things from the Tres Leches my assumptions of sweet, milky pudding was soon confirmed — the smallish round devoured in slow, smile-​inducing bites.
Intrigued by the «Sally Cake,» essentially a cinnamon crumble topped Blueberry Muffin with a surprising density of fruit, it was with the sopping wet Baba that the tasting concluded, the booze flavor admittedly a bit artificial but the intensity of sweetness and subtle almond notes more than enough to make me not care.

Though this place is always SUPER crowded, the lines go by FASTTT! Whenever I’m in SoCal, I have to bring back these goodies to NorCal.
I’ve been a couple times. Everything you get here is DELICIOUS. I personally like the chicken croquettes, cheese rolls, guava and cheese rolls, empanadas, potato balls, sandwiches, and so on… Their drinks and desserts are also really good! The desserts are actually not too sweet!
Friendly and quick service!
You can’t leave SoCal without getting a box of Porto goodies! No, seriously, you really can’t.

Usually if I see a bakery with over 5k reviews I would say it is overhyped but the reviews are accurate for Porto’s. Lines are long no matter the time of day but it moves along quickly. Plenty of seating inside/​outside. Prices are decent with the infamous cheese roll being 75 cents and potato ball 98 cents.
I only got a chance to have the cheese roll and potato ball and both were good but prefer cheese roll. The cheese roll is super flakey and light without being dry/​oiley. The cheese isn’t really a chedda/​american cheese but more of a cream cheese. Definitely worth a try! The potato ball is fried with a mash up of potatos which was not bad.
If you’re in the area this spot has to be on your list. Most certainly wherever you live doesn’t have a bakery quite like this one.

This place is soooo overhyped. We ordered a bunch of pastries to bring back to the Bay and before we hit the road, we had some sandwiches here. The cubano and the midnight sandwich were really tasty but I can’t really say the same about the pastries.
The guava rolls were good but they weren’t amazing.
Potato balls and croquettes were okay but I got kinda queasy from eating too many of them.
Empanadas were really dry and chalky…
The fruit tart was my favorite thing, it was really yummy and I wished I ordered another one.
Once is enough for me, I’m not a fan. Definetely wasn’t worth the 1 hour wait and lugging all those boxes of pastries back home.

FRUIT CAKE. That’s all I can say. GET THE DARN FRUIT CAKE!!!
I had it once & couldn’t stop myself and got it for every special occasion that was going on in my life. Lol
What is their darn secret? Why is it so addicting? The fruits are all so fresh and good.
I fell in love. I’m in love with a fruit cake.

Exclusividad en pasteles! Me encantan los pasteles de porto’s, porque tienen variedad, buen sabor y un excelente servicio! Muero por el Tres leches!!!

Not to be missed food-​gasmic experience if you’re in the Burbank area, and well worth the long lines and wait to order. Take that as an opportunity to oogle the glass cases full of delectable pastries, turnovers, donuts, croquettes, cookies, pies, cakes, and treats all made with an Cuban bakers fabulous touch.
For breakfast, try the egg and chorizo sandwich, oozing with spicy flavors. Or, the potato balls, a deep fried mash potato and ground meat ball. Or, the chicken croquette — a crunchy deep fried outer crust surrounding a creamy chicken mixture. I could eat five of these easily!
For lunch, the turkey croissant sandwich was simple and satisfying, and served with fried plantains that were crisp not too sweet or oily. Ah-​mazing.
Sweet lovers may enjoy the guava strudel, layers of flaky dough surrounding a tart guava filling. Or, one of the many gorgeously presented desserts. I wanted to try everything, and in the end, couldn’t even manage a bite of the beautiful fruit tart after gorging on the savory goodies. I’ll be coming back to Porto’s again, for sure!

Portos is always SUUPPER dupper packed! We got here on Thanksgiving Day to pick up two pumpkin pies that we preordered and the line had wrapped around the entire building! Keep in mind that there are actually a million different lines and it’s pretty confusing. There’s a line to order hot foods and another line on the left corner of the building to order actual pastries and cakes and then far off on the right side was another line for preorder pickups and in the center was the pickup line for drinks… sooo confusing. It would be helpful if their signs were bigger or placed higher so people could see. Took us a while to find the right line.
We needed to get some cheese rolls and meat pies. Thank goodness they let us order that when we were picking up our pies Bc we did not want to wait in another line! The workers were extremely nice and so helpful! Especially with all the hectic ness of everyone running around back there. Great job on the service Portos! Pumpkin pie is soooo good here. I would highly recommend it. Unfortunately didn’t get to try their cheese rolls since we got that for another party but I’ve had them before and they are
!

I’ve been wanting to visit this place for a while now, ever since one of my coworkers told me about it. They told me it’s a very popular bakery that serves really good pastries, sandwiches, and such. They told me to expect a long line if I ever drove up.
Surprise surprise… I didn’t have to drive up or even wait in line!
My coworker was nice enough to bring in a bunch of cheese rolls and guava cheese strudels! Apparently his family hit up Porto’s during the morning and he asked them to buy extra so he could bring it in.
These pastries were delicious! The cheese rolls we’re my favorite. The croissant had a nice buttery taste and crisp flaky texture. Inside there’s a delicious creamy cheese filling. The guava cheese strudels were pretty good also, just not as good as the cheese rolls. They both had a nice perfect balance of flavors.
I still look forward to checking this place out in the future and trying out more of their offerings.

You really don’t need to read my review. I’m not gonna talk about the things that makes this place so popular. You can read about the meat and cheese-​filled potato balls and guava cheese rolls elsewhere. (Although I would say that in my pre-​vegan days, I once enjoyed a guava cheese roll from Porto’s and it was delicious!)
So why even write a review? Because Porto’s kinda surprised me!
I came here kicking and screaming. Ok, not really. But the Meateater BF dragged me to this popular Cuban bakery. It’s obvious this place has a lot of hype that I’m sure is well deserved. But considering my current eating habits, I was pretty confident that I wouldn’t find anything to eat here.
We walked in and the line was crazy long just as expected. The line moves quick though! We could see all the baked goods in the display case which I pretty much ignored while the BF drooled. But then I looked up at the menu and lo and behold, a veggie sandwich!
Porto’s Veggie is stacked high with roasted eggplant, zucchini, and red bell pepper. It also came with lettuce and tomato on wheat. What made this sandwich so amazing was that the oils and seasonings from the roasted veggies blended into the hummus spread which made for a savory drippy dressing. A simple nix of the havarti cheese, a side of plantain chips which caught the legit flavors of the savory drippy dressing, and I was happy :)
If you’re thinking «Who orders a friggin’ veggie sandwich from Porto’s? Pshhh!!!» You know what? Get over it! That just means more meat and cheese-​filled potato balls and guava cheese rolls for you ;P

Es de los pocos restaurants que siempre esta lleno no importa a la hora vengas o el día que vengas, realmente delicioso !! Me siento como en casa muchas pequeñas cosas parecidas como en mi país ! Disfrutando siempre de sus bondades ! Q rico

La verdad que ser cubana es un privilegio! Love Portos !!! Very delicious everytime I go must haves are medianoches, plátano, tres leches and above all refugiados (guava & cream cheese pastries) !! Lol thank God I can get my craving of cuban delicacies whenever I want just by walking into my kitchen …
~La Cubana~

Para mis hermanos cubanos. No hay otra panaderia que se compare. Que mas puedo decir.

i love the dulce de leche kisses yum!

Oh my god!!! The perfect sandwiches, the perfect pastries, the perfect coffee, the cute fellas behind the counter, this place is one of the greatest things life has to offer!!! Have the steak torta, media noche preparada, choco crossaint, dulce de leche latte soy, potato ball, ground beef impanada, any custard pastry… The food here is so mind blowing that if u moved away from so cal, ud want to cut urself… If u havnt had portos, u havent lived life!