Buenavista Bakery & Cafe

Amazing sandwiches, bakery, everything is fresh and the service is even better. A hidden family owned gem! Going back all the time

Ok so let’s start out by noting that this place is NOT a traditional Cuban restaurant but more Salvadorian «cuisine». This should tell you that the food in fact is cooked in the Central American variety more than the traditional Caribbean way. There is definitely a difference.
Although I know it is unfair to compare anything in Los Angeles to Porto’s I have to say that this place is really terrible. Let’s start off with the potato balls and empanadas. Both are covered in an excess of dough and the meat fillings have absolutely no flavor at all. Further, the empanadas are drenched in oil and the dough has obviously been cooked way too long resulting in a almost burnt taste. The Cubano sandwich was served cold and the meat (when you could find meat) had a texture that permits one to incur that it has been left out unrefrigerated. The guyava and cheese is cooked in the same lack luster way the empanadas are; oily and burnt.
Besides all this, the place was empty but still took 40 minutes to bring me my order. I would not recommend this place to my worst enemy or my mother in law for that matter. Do yourself a favor and spend a few dollars more and drive out to Burbank for real Cuban food. Better yet, stay away from this place and maybe it will go away.

Such a hidden gem! If it werent for my obbsessive bakery addiction i would have never found this place! Decided to stop and get a drink and a fresh pastry and discovered this amazing café!!! They have fresh made pastries made to order!!! Along side some great trafitional mexican and eslavadorian dishes such as tamales, pupasas, chilli relleno and other great meat combination dishes. Coffee, juice, smoothies and a massuve fridge full of imported sodas! In other words DO NOT COME HERE HUNGRY YOU WILL WANT EVERYTHING!!! Amazing family owned establishment, with a huge savory selection & amazing service!!!

Went in to see what they had and the place looks dirty and there were flies inside where they have to bread. Some guy in the back was wiping his nose and then proceeded to continue placing pastries on a tray. The whole experience was unpleasant. Ended up walking away and not buying anything.

This is the best Cuban bakery in the Valley, the pork is perfect, the tamales are plentiful and the mother and son who run the place are so passionate about feeding everyone great food. Even a boring loaf of bread is delicious and perfect from this panaderia.

The prices are great, I can buy a full breakfast with dessert for four for less than 20 $. The guava and cheese pastry is amazing they’re very generous with the guava and their chicken empanadas are sooo good and authentic tasting. The dough part of their sweet empanadas is so flaky and tender, nothing like the dry cardboard you get from places like Vallarta. I’m glad I found this place so close to home.

Whoa! This place is delicious!
We had a number of pastries and the classic Cuban. All of which were very good!
I highly recommend this bakery to everyone, if you don’t go you will miss out!

Picked up some fresh bread loaves and potato stuffed balls with ground beef. «Papa rellena». My husband loved them. And he hates trying anything new. Just get there early. They sell fast.

Little whole in the wall place but very good!
I had a chicken empanadas and a Cuban tamale, which I had never had and it was delicious! The staff was very helpful and friendly and I will definitely be back

Can’t believe it took me so many years to find this place. Love that it’s local & that I don’t have to drive all the way to Burbank to go to Portos to get my Cuban food fix.
Not a fancy place but the food is great. Empanadas are delicious and only $ 1 a piece. The potato balls are so yummy too.
Yolanda and her son Pepe are very nice people. Love that it’s a family owned business– I’m a huge supporter of this! One time when I was waiting for my order of empanadas, Yolanda offered me free coffee. What a nice gesture and the coffee was so fresh!
Looking forward in trying the Cuban sandwiches!

Gross, sorry. Dirty, terrible service, not even real cups to take coffee in. Dumped mine. I will never come again.

Horrible customer service! I can’t even review the food because I ended up not purchasing the cake after the lady that attempted to help us had her outburst!
Walk in to order a bday cake for my sister in law! The lady attending my mother in law and I asks if the cake is for a boy or girl. We let her know it’s for a girl so she asks if we want pink roses on it. We comment that it’s for a girl but kind of a boy. My sis is gay and tomboyish and an amazing person no doubt! The lady comments «You don’t read the bible? Because people like that don’t walk thru the gates of heaven!!» We were like WOW!!! We let her have it and probably should have jumped over and slapped her but we decided they didn’t need our business and we weren’t gonna give it to them. Sadly for them everyone we know will hear how they discriminated and probably will not be going there either!!!
You need to keep comments like that to yourself when you have paying customers! I mean for real, it’s just cake!!! I was raised to believe we are equal and to love all! Obviously this lady, the owner, will choose to question your choices to serve you! Never coming back here again!!!

Probably the worst pupusa I’ve ever had. I asked if they had a jalapeño and cheese pupusa and they said yes. I had to wait 20 minutes for one pupusa. They could have at least had the curtesy to tell me that I had to wait a while. Then when I finally got my food, it didn’t come with the side of cabbage mix that you normally always get with pupusas. I got it to go so I didn’t know it wasn’t included until I opened the container. And not only was the food tasteless (I figured it would get better, I was wrong) but as I got to my third bite, I realized I was chewing on a nasty piece of expired jalapeño. They use expired jalapeños! Ugh, never ever EVER again! I have a stomach ache as I speak.

Arrived promptly at 8 am. No smell of food or baking in the air. Desperate for a cortadito… Machine broken. Wanted to try meat pies and potato balls… None to be found– «Should be out by 9am». Got egg and chorizo on roll, gave me cramps. Bought 2 chicken tamales, in micro for 3 minutes, meat looked/​felt raw, bland, soggy mess. *sigh*
I guess I need to trek to Porto’s. I’m really sad and disappointed. Lady was nice though! Assortment of cookies and native items.

It’s not a fancy place like Portos but the Pan Con Lechon is simply Greatness! Very good potatoe balls and pan dulce. I am stoked I don’t have to drive all the way to burbank for a good cuban sandwich. I will try their medianoche next time.

No Bueno. Unilocal says open at 730 am. Sign says open at 730 am. It’s NOT open at 730 am. Not only is it not open. No one in sight including back of the shop. I expect a bakery to start baking way before opening time so it’s ready to sell at opening time.

Let me say that the GUAVA CHEESE PASTRIES are the business! I went a bit crazy and got 6 and instantly ate 2.
I went for the first time yesterday and it was very quiet. Plenty of parking but it was pretty damn hot in there (no AC I’m assuming?)
The lady was so sweet, I think it was just her that day so she let me play with her dog (so cutttteee). She gave me 2 free cheese spinach empanadas. Definitely going back!

Love the bakery I’m Cuban the papas rellenas are amazing overall the food and their pastries are delicious !!!
Thank you Yolanda !!!

You really do feel like you’ve taken a day trip to Cuba when you go to Buenavista Bakery & Café. There is a man in the corner sipping on a coffee and reading a newspaper at the table. His fedora covers his face so you can’t see him. All that’s missing is a cigar. The lady behind the counter takes your order, and you can add a calling card or some laundry detergent too. It’s a one-​stop-​shop, while you’re visiting pseudo-​Cuba.
The pace is slow as she makes your sandwich. The coffee’s run out but she’ll put on another pot for you. You can see the baker making fresh bread and new pastries for the shelves.
While authentic, I have had better cuban sandwiches. There is something missing here but I can’t put my… tongue…on it. (ha ha get it?) I like the pickles mixed with pork mixed with jamon and cheese. It seems like a very sinful sandwich. My Unilocal check-​in gave me a free guava pastry and while I was at it, I selected one of each to try. I bit into the powdered custard, apple, and pineapple empanadas, and guava and guava with cheese pastries. They were – don’t hate me – just ok. At about sixty cents a piece, I didn’t mind trying a bunch. It makes sense. (ha ha get it?)
Maybe I will come back when there is coffee, to place a pastry order for a party, when I need fresh bread, or when I’m craving a 99 cent pupusa or potato ball. I’m glad I sucked it up to try this place though. Thanks for the day trip mini Cuba shop down the street that’s been there for years while I lived in a bubble…

Well if you’re looking for a café this is not it. It’s a bakery and yes they sell hot food but it doesn’t feel like it until you look up and see a large menu on the wall, it feels like a mini market /​bakery. there are advertisings on a table next to the coffee and refrigerated section with foods and drinks and then a shelf of dry goods they sell. believe me this is not a café.
But I tried a few good things the potato balls really good and big for $ 1.00. I think I might like it even better than Porto’s potato balls. the bread pudding really good taste like the one my great grandma used to make but the guava strudel not good at all it was hard not flaky and fluffy go to Porto’s for those. I bought quite a few things for less than $ 4.00
this is one of those places you find something you like and then you pass by every once in a while to get one to go but not a café more like a doughnut shop.