Cuban Cuisine And Bakery

Man, I actually liked this restaurant. I cannot believe that they are closed down. Ate here a couple of times with family.
Sure, they were not the best Cuban restaurant or bakery, but they were not bad either.
Oh well, I will just have to look for something else when I am in the area.

Friday is a popular lunch day. But you wouldn’t know it here. Empty place, and that should have been my clue. We went there to get some Cuban sandwiches. BUT, they were out of the pork to make three of the sandwiches leaving standard fare — ham and cheese sandwiches or grilled cheeses? I could get that anywhere! OK, we compromised with a Monte Cristo and a pollo sandwich and decided to order mole nachos from the appetizers. Waiter came back a few minutes later to say they were also out of the mole. ok… we’ll get regular nachos. He asked if we wanted chicken or steak. We decided on the steak. Give it a couple more minutes, and he’s back to tell us that there were no steak nachos because the steak was still frozen?! yuck. I asked for the plain complimentary chips they give… guess what… out of those, too!
The sandwiches were made with hard bread and the Monte Cristo was just a grilled ham and cheese with an egg. I got a pastry from the bakery and it tasted like it was made last week!
The final kicker… we went to pay with 2 twenties and he said, oh, we are out of change.
Sorry, but this place was a complete fail. I will not be back.

When I think Cuban bakery I think Portos. But a girl can’t always make it out to Burbank or Downey, especially when she is seeing a Mexican physician in Gardena. I needed to show up to this lunch meeting with dessert. Enter my Unilocal app that led me to Cuban Cuisine Bakery. They have a lovely, clean, new-​looking display case of ornate pastries that look like what I would see at Portos. I was hopeful. I ordered a large fruit tart. It was so pretty and served about 10 for only $ 16. I also ordered a dozen cheese pastries that I would use as the true taste test measurement.
The tart went over very well. The girls in the office loved it and it was fresh and light– perfect for a nice summer dessert. I would buy that again. The pastries did not measure up. I wasn’t impressed. Guess there can only be one Portos. :-) I will be back to this place and order a meal. I love cuban food and this restaurant looks promising. Until next time… xo Dre

Take from a guy that traveled to Cuba and lived on Miami far too long, if you’re craving Cuban food this is the place! Great service too. Leave room for dessert

We just went here for the bakery and not for a sit-​down dinner. So I can’t really tell how the service is. But the bakery staff were so nice to explain to us the different kind of pastries they have. We gave it a shot.
We tried the mango and guava fruit empanadas — both were great.
I got to try the chicken empanada, and I think I came back in 3 consecutive days for more! That’s how good it was for me.
I also got to try their mango iced tea… which I think is just Torani syrup, but still great.
Go try their bakery and have an empanada or two.

You should go here if you’re not in any kind of hurry. The service is really slow here even when there is barely anyone there. And this has happened to me and my family on numerous occasions here. The reason we come back? Because the food is actually really good for the most part.
I’m of the paleo/​caveman variety so I tend to go for meat and salad side and I do enjoy the complimentary appetizer of plantain chips. I have gotten the bistec encebollado that was very good. their side salad of avocado and tomato is also very good. And they make a delicious café con leche, true to its form.

Coming to this place was an attempt to satisfy my craving for Porto’s since it’s a drive from where I live and it almost… ALMOST satisfied it.
Ambiance– The place was pretty big, cute décor and kept clean
Service– Excellent service! Always kept tabs on us & our waters were always filled
Food–
Bakery:
We got there towards the evening time so a lot of their pastries were already gone. I was looking forward to a potato ball of some sort but no luck, they do however have meat pies which were pretty yummy! Their chocolate cake was deliciously moist and rich, a must try for chooclate lovers!
Deli:
Their sandwiches were pretty decent, nothing to really rave about. I got the Italian and my boyfriend got the pastrami. Again, it was «aiight»
It was no Porto’s but «okay» in my book.
Happy Eating!
— Gen

I don’t know if it was my smooth Spanish talking that got me A+ service here, but I must hand it to them, they made my experience one that I want to repeat.
I had a party of ten close friends, who range from food nazis, to vegetarians, to chicken-​bone cartilage eaters, all of whom found themselves going back for seconds throughout our Friday night buffet style dinner.
The buffet had a variety to please the pickiest eater. The service was outstanding, yet my favorite part of the evening was the ambiance and relaxed atmosphere that made our 3 hour visit seem like a 20 minute lunch.
The live music (on tuesdays and fridays with their buffet) is a really nice touch to their well decorated establishment.
I recommend taking advantage of their BYOW (bring your own wine). Also their chocolate cake is a must try.
As far as food, trying out their buffet is a sure bet that you will find something you like. People seem quick to leave negative reviews based on single dishes they dislike, but the truth is there are many dishes that your taste buds will appreciate.
I hope you find this review helpful. I’m already looking forward to my next breaking of my strict calorie diet with their chocolate cake.

I decided to give this place a try and order some meat pies and chicken empanadas for a Christimas party that evening. I arrived around 2 and their selections were pretty limited. Not to mention, pricey. I placed my ordered for what they had available and they mentioned they had to make some more. No problem, I’ll just pick them up on my way to the party. I arrived a good hour and a half later (knowing when I would pick them up) and they were barely coming out of the oven and not even close to being boxed up.
However, I do need to give them props on their cuban sandwich. It was aweseome! Very tasty and different. Real chunks of pork were inside instead of the usual slices that you see.
I will definitely be back for the cuban sandwich. However, if I’m ever in a pinch to buy some good cuban pastries, I better go to my good ‘ol stand-​by Porto’s. You can’t beat ‘em.

It was always there… but I only got to try it for the first time recently!
The place was a lot bigger than it appeared as I was only expecting a small sit-​down at a bakery for some reason. However, the restaurant is pretty spacious and I enjoyed the interior (you can tell that they spent some $$)
Food was good.
Especially the cuban sandwich, as they advertise as «best cuban sandwich you will try». I don’t know if that’s true and I somehow doubt that, but it was pretty good! I also liked my soup even though it has cilantro and I despise cilantro, and my friend’s meat dish was also very clean yet flavorful.
However, after getting our order, the server never came by other than to bring our food… and there were only few other tables that were occupied. Also, it took forever and ever to get our food, even though mine was just a sandwich!
I quite liked the selection on the menu & their bakery goods, so I will be coming back. Let’s see if they can speed up with the food + bring up the service level!

Place is so nice but inside the restaurant is so hot and the food is sometimes is good and delicious. And one time I ordered pan de Lechon sandwich is so F… salty!!! I can’t even eat at all I just waist my money and time for this place. I think it’s defense who is the cook!:(… Not coming back there anymore!!!
Continue… When I told my concerned they don’t even care at all they didn’t not say anything. What I did is leave the salty sandwich on there table and live a note that the sandwich is salty !..

So me an he husband went in tonight after about a year it looked a lil weary nobody was in there. on A SAT. night really? this placed used to be packed. But we sat and had dinner anyway the Cuban sandwich was ok alot of fat and skin inside. We just picked it out. we went to go look at the pastries and it was gross. lots of lil FLIES INSIDE THE CASE.(ISNT THAT WHAT THE CASE IS FOR???) AND MY HSBAND ORDERED CAFE DE CUBANO.(cuban coffee) and they gave him Some italian coffee. why say its CUBAN WHEN ITS NOT. THIS PLACE USED TO BE YUMMY.
The WHole reason we went was for the CUBAN COFFEE (husbands cuban and i t reminded him of what grandma used to make) so DISAPOINTTING THIS TIME.
WE WILL NOT BE BACK. NEED TO FIND A NEW AUTHENTIC CUBAN SPOT.
P.S REASON FOR CHANGE NEW OWNERS AS OF 8 MONTHS. LOVED TO OLD ONES

Rivaling 1328 Tap Bistro for the coolest place in Torrance. Extra points for being a beacon of light in its location, right across the street from Harbor-​UCLA Medical Center. This also makes my list for one of 2012’s biggest and most welcomed surprises.
Live music and $ 16 buffet on Tuesday nights only. C’mon, let’s picket outside for 7 nights a week!
1. Beef chunks in a zesty tomato sauce, super tender.
2. Tangy bbq pork ribs, amazing.
3. Full roasted pig, delish (but perhaps too authentic for gringos).
4. Rice, rice/​beans (arroz congri), oxtail, fish, baked chicken, soups, salads, veggies, sweet plantains, plantain chips, and a variety of other yummy items: cake, fruit, and more.
5. The servers were very sweet.
6. Café Con Leche was AWESOME! (not included in buffet price)
Super dope décor, super clean, and alongside a gorgeous bakery. The décor, while really nice and new feeling, confuses me a bit. The bakery (and sandwich shop) is as nice as you will find anywhere. However, the restaurant side is part castle, part tiki-​hut. Huh? Whatever, it’s beautifully done.
It’s good for groups, functions, celebrations, and kid-​friendly. Plenty of FREE parking in the lot. Yep, I like it.
Mix all of this value with a super, over-​the-​top hot and beautiful latina singer, Sandra Osorio… which made for one spectacular Tuesday night. Viva!

cuban food!
nice décor and friendly staff. tried the chicken and chorizo empanadas as an appetizer. small portion and sort of dry; wish it came with some sauce or salsa. ordered the house specialty, arroz con pollo — yellow saffron rice cooked in wine and chicken broth with chicken and various spices, garnished with red pimentos. the rice was very rich and flavorful, but the chicken was dry. el pollo loco has juicier chicken. love the platanos. will definitely come back again and try other things on the menu! check out the picture i posted.

Wonderful sandwiches, delicious healthy soups, & fabulous pastries. OMG a cool new spot in the South Bay! I haven’t tried the Cuban menu but hope to try it soon.
I had the veggie sandwich with eggplant and it was delicious! Highly recommended. My Dad & Sis had the Pio Pio which is a chicken & pineapple sandwich. Chicken soup was also healthy & scrumptious according to my Dad. lol
Interior decorations were cute, service was great & attentive (maybe we cuz we were the only ones there at the time lol), & nice clean bathrooms.
Tuesday nights buffet dinners.

Haven’t been here for some time and was not aware that this restaurant was under new management. As Tropi-​Cuba Café this place was a 3-​star restaurant at best, but now? Gosh, I hate doing this, but I’m gonna have to give them a two star review.
Whenever I go to a Cuban restaurant I get their garlic chicken dish with rice and beans; I use this dish as a barometer for yumminess for the rest of their dishes. To me, a good Cuban garlic chicken should be so moist the meat is falling off the bone and the garlic sauce really garlicky.
First, the rice was not cooked right, it had a gravel-​like texture. The beans were nothing special and the chicken was dry. The garlic sauce was also very bland. The customer service was okay, not stellar. There’s nothing wrong with the physical space. It’s clean with a nice atmosphere, however, it’s the food that needs improvement.

Cuban Cusine and Bakery has a lot of promise.
It’s such a cute little restaurant and bakery with a rainforest type of theme. I love the little waterfall in the front that has lilypod pond. I like the bamboo décor inside.
Not only is their restaurant cute but their baked goods are lovely looking as well.
They have different kinds of cakes, cookies and empanadas.
Their downfall however is their baked goods are expensive! They offer a lot of the same things that Portos has but they are about 3x the price. (For example, they have my favorite dulce de leche kisses. At Portos they are 50cents and here they are a $ 1.50).
I didn’t want to walk away from here without trying something though ;) and so I got the galleta de nuez. Galleta de nuez is pecan cookies with powedered sugar. They were 75 cents. I really liked these. They were small, oh so cute and tasty. What a nice little sweet treat.
Although most of their bakery treats are pricey, I did notice that their Cuban sandiwches an drinks were decently priced. Sandwiches starts at $ 5 and drinks starts at a little under $ 3. Perhaps I will be back to try those out.

I didn’t realize this place existed until a co-​worker of mine told me yesterday. I was looking for a bakery to buy some pastries and normally I would go to Portos (yum!) but I figured might as well check this place out and see what they have.
PROS:
–restaurant and bakery is cute inside… especially the style and décor.
–No long lines or wait

CONS:
–Selections /​variety are limited in the bakery
–Pastries /​dessert are overpriced. For example, the guava & cheese pastry is $ 1.75 each. At Porto’s they’re $ 0.75 each
–When buying in larger quantities, prices are not cheaper. They still charge per item. For 15 pieces, I paid $ 26.thats double the amount I would pay at Portos
–No other customers were in the restaurant or bakery which I thought was odd
Overall, the pastries were still delicious, but if buying in larget quantities for a potluck /​party, etc you’re better off going to Portos to get at a better cost and more variety to choose from. I still want to try their food at the restaurant so i’ll eventually come back again

I didn’t realize how close this restaurant was to work. I went here for lunch with a friend and the atmosphere is pretty cool. We walked in and the first thing you see is the bakery… meaning dessert first! :) The bakery has a ton of sweets, from cheesecakes, fruit tarts to chocolate cakes and cookies! All looked so good!
The restaurant is located to the left and there was no wait. Not much traffic going on at noon, which I thought was weird since noon is usually a pretty rush time for lunch. The restaurant is pretty cute, you feel like you are in a tropical island despite the big television screens in the back playing Cuban/​Spanish television. For lunch, I ordered the eggplant sandwich, but they brought me a chicken sandwich instead (yes, she got my order wrong. the waitress did not speak English). The chicken sandwich (I forget what it’s called) was okay. The chicken was cold and the pineapple in it was mushy. It came with sweet potato fries which were decent. My friend ordered a chicken and rice plate. It looked and tasted good. Lastly, we had raspberry cheesecake for dessert. The cheesecake was okay, not great nor good just okay. To put it more into word (s) «meh» & «blah». It did not taste like raspberry cheesecake and the berry on top was not even a raspberry, it was a blueberry. I left the restaurant not hungry nor full.
If you go here, good luck and please do let me know what plate to get!

The empanadas are so good! I tried the chicken empanada and chorizo empanadas, then couldn’t help going back for more. The pastries with guava and piña we delicious! I was planning on having one empanada as a light breakfast, but everything was so good! After downing 4 empanadas and pastries, I ordered a sandwich to take with me for lunch. Highly recommended!