1/1/2023 0 Comments Portos fruit tart![]() ![]() You might not expect a Latin bakery in Historic Filipinotown, but Gigi’s gets raves on Yelp for its traditional Cuban eats. There aren’t many places where you can still get a complete table service lunch for two with coffee and atmosphere for about $25.īasics: 10218 Paramount Blvd., Downey, 56,. Even if you’re drawn in by the pastry, stay for a meal. The cafe serves complete lunches, such as ropa vieja with sides ($16.50), sandwiches ($6.50-$8.99) and Cuban style espresso drinks ($1.95-$4.75). We chose: pastelito de queso, a cheese-filled cylindrical treat topped with sanding sugar that sparkles and adds crunch pastelito de guava, a strudel-like sweet with lots of pink fruit filling in every bite and pastelito de carne, with savory picadillo stuffed into a slightly sweet puff pastry round. Order a pastry trio ($1.15) while you sip coffee and wait for your entree. And there’s an extensive catering menu with Cuban items on one side and Mexican food from Los Pollos on the back, so grab one if you’re planning a party. Their Cuban Tropicana Mocha blends Mexican hot chocolate with Cuban espresso ($3.50-$4.25 or $4.75 for an iced version). You can even get pan dulce because the founding family is Cuban/Mexican. ![]() You might have to wait for a table but that’s OK, you can plan your dessert order by taking note of the many cakes and pastries in the large cases at the entry. The decor is down-to-earth diner, Cuban style, with painted scenes of Old Habana, national flags, crucifixes and devotional portraits of the Holy Family. ![]() During a recent weekday lunch rush, bilingual waiters in guayaberas and fedoras served a largely Latino clientele from all walks of life: cops, business execs, families treating grandma to a meal, hipsters glued to their cell phones. Step through the doors of this bakery cafe founded in 1999 and you’d never know you were in Downey. Grab a café con leche and Cuban toast on your way to work ($5.50) or search the menu and find a favorite: cortaditos ($2.50-$4) vanilla, matcha, chai and dulce de leche lattes or caramel machiattos ($4-$4.75), cold brew ($4) and more.īasics: 417 S. There are salads for the health-conscious, and brawny morning meals for those who like to indulge, like the Hearty Breakfast Plate ($11.75) which piles on two scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon, two sausage links, country potatoes, Cuban toast and two buttermilk pancakes.Īnd it’s definitely the place for coffee. Sandwiches range from classics such as medianoche or the Cuban (both $7.75) to turkey avocado croissant or caprese (both $10.50). So whether it’s a sculptural guitar-shaped cake or a three-tiered romantic design for a wedding, this bakery can deliver.Īt the restaurant there’s a menu “For the Foodie” of Instagrammable dishes with whimsical names such as the Celia Cruz ($11.50), three pancakes soaked in tres leches and the Ricky Ricardo, ($10.50) three eggs with shredded roasted pork, grilled onions, peppers and avocado mash in a flour tortilla served with fruit cup. It isn’t just coffee and pastry at this popular Monrovia cafe, Merengue caters and turns out custom cakes with a client list that’s oh-so-Hollywood and includes the Lakers, the Dodgers, Paramount and Universal studios. A fifth spot is slated to open this fall at 1360 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, 81 8233 Firestone Blvd., Downey, 56 7640 Beach Blvd., Buena Park, 71. There’s a coffee bar with a lounge area, a cafe with a patio, and a huge bakery with two cases and a separate pickup zone for cake orders.īasics: Four locations in Southern California. The big, bright and airy space has a contemporary look with blond wood, black and white tile and a patio with avocado awnings. If you haven’t been to the Buena Park location it’s worth the drive. We also like the delicate meat pies (99 cents) baked golden brown with a flaky crust. It’s not a messy Southern-style sandwich with a sweet drippy sauce but big chunks of slow roasted pork with a crunchy bark, topped with crisp Napa cabbage slaw on a sweet bun. We recommend the Guava BBQ Pulled Pork ($6.95). ![]() #Portos fruit tart zipFor example, try the Porto’s cortadito ($2.59) and you’ll get a little extra zip from the addition of sweetened condensed milk.Īlways go hungry to Porto’s so you can have breakfast, lunch or dinner. In 2016, Yelp named Porto’s the best bakery in the country, based on positive reviews, likely because the restaurants get all the traditional dishes right and add their spin to new items to keep regulars returning. With locations in Burbank, Glendale, Downey and Buena Park, it offers the entire gamut of Cuban delectables from beautifully decorated whole cakes to coffee, sandwiches and plated entrees. ![]()
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