Porto's Bakery & Cafe

Rosa Porto emigrated to Los Angeles from Cuba in 1960 and brought with her the recipes that have sustained her famous bakery ever since. She's now retired, but her kids and her extended family still bake up her world-class delicacies at three locations (Burbank, Glendale and Downey) and fans still line up to get a taste. Be sure to try the Cheese Rolls (a cream-cheese filled flaky pastry) for only 75 cents each, along with the classic Refugiados (a guava and cream-cheese strudel), which will cost you 80 cents. Porto's Tres Leches Cake is a yellow sponge cake soaked in a three-milk sauce and topped with meringue icing, a steal for $15.50. Don't miss the savory delights found here, too, from the infamous Potato Ball (a mashed-potato ball filled with seasoned ground beef and fried up) for $1 to the empanadas and chorizo pies that melt in your mouth.