When something amazing is headed for an area, the common way to start the story is "move over, other amazing things, there's a new sherriff -- er, coffee/yogurt/cinema -- in town."
But there's no way we'd ever tell the boysenberry pie of Knott's Berry Farm or the Dole whip of Disneyland or The Kroft's short rib poutine or the carnitas tacos at Taqueria El Zamorano to step aside, for Orange County is a large and lovely place jam-packed with juicy, flavorful, and amazing dishes that are iconic and craved, both.
There's room enough, is what we're saying, for Porto's Bakery & Café, the LA-area restaurant chain that was just named the #1 eatery on Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. 2016 list in mid-February.
It's true, OC residents: Cubano sandwiches and savory steak salads and the beloved, icing-pretty cakes are headed your way in autumn 2016, when Porto's debuts in Buena Park.
Of course, to call Porto's "a chain" is perhaps putting airs upon it that are undeserved; it has three locations, in Glendale, Burbank, and Downey, all of which feel highly local, nicely bustling, and as if they've been a part of the community forever. (Porto's feels forever-y, as SoCal restaurants go, and with its 1960s-era beginnings, the always-been-here label sort of fits, at least in the unpredictable world of restaurant openings.)
As for the exact address you'll need to find your Cuban cuisine and pastry-perfect nosh come the fall? Make for 7640 Beach Boulevard, which is not too far from Knott's Berry Farm and Medieval Times and the other entertainment options of the busy throughfare.
Yelp, and moreover the review site's users, has called Porto's a must-try-in-this-lifetime experience. Turns out this classic California-meets-Cuba, bucket-list-y superstar will be just that much easier to reach for residents of Orange County, and points further south.
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Of course, fans in LA will make the short journey, too. Will it now not only be imperative to eat regularly at Porto's but to visit all four? Here's a new item for your bucket lists, Porto's people: Chow down at each location in a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and, of course, a cake-nice dessert.
