Locals follow their noses – or their particularly perceptive sweet teeth – north to Glendale's family-owned and-operated Porto's, the community's first stop for specialty cakes, decadent pastries and down-home Cuban cooking for nearly four decades. This quintessential neighborhood bakery easily rivals its Miami counterparts, packing in a loyal patronage who can't get enough of the fresh potato balls, ham croquettes and sweet Latin treats. Warning: Unpublished scientific studies show direct correlation between further bites of cappuccino mousse cake and increasing political approval of the Castros. No alcohol available. Serving breakfast, lunch and early dinner daily. (Closes late afternoon on Sun.)
Where the Locals Eat rating
Best Bakery
Top 100 Restaurant, Los Angeles
"The bakeries in Miami should be nervous."
—Cuban-Food-USA.com
"On any given weekend, the line to place a lunchtime order at this popular destination for Cuban sandwiches, coffee and baked goods of all stripes nearly stretches out the door. But, as with most things that have reached this level of popularity in the L.A. eating world, it's worth the wait."
—Los Angeles Times
"On Sundays, it seems as though the entire Cuban-American community is here for home-style specialties. ... But the loyal clientele has become very multi-cultural and the selection of pastries–from Cuban to French to Danish to Italian–is endless."
—Gayot
"The classic Cuban party trays in Los Angeles come from Porto's Bakery in Glendale. Its ham croquettes, beef pastels, chorizo-filled empanadas and terrific meat-stuffed deep-fried potato balls have been staples at Cuban fiestas for years."
—Los Angeles Weekly
How others rate Porto's Bakery
Zagat 2009
24 food rating (very good to excellent)