This is a review of Porto's Bakery, located a 30-minute drive from Irvine, California. It's known for its affordable prices and delicious pastries.

The Dilemma:

The US isn't all about fancy bread. Coming to Irvine, you'll be surprised to find that familiar pastries like those from Tous Les Jours (a popular Korean bakery chain) are hard to come by. You might even start to understand why Starbucks' bakery items, while high in calories, taste rather ordinary. The US suburbs, while great for raising kids, lack those charming dessert cafes you'd find in Seoul. It's not easy to find a delicious, affordable slice of cake within walking distance.

Recommendations and What to Expect:

Google recommends the Potato Ball, Guava and Cheese Strudel, Medianoche Sandwich, Ropa Vieja, breakfast items, Mamey Shake, and Tres Leches Cake. Blog reviews rave about the Cheese Roll, though I was unfortunately unable to get it, settling for the Cheese Ball instead.

Be prepared for long lines if you're buying in person. There's an extensive display of bread and cakes, but the checkout counter is located at the beginning, not the end. This means you won't have a chance to browse the entire display while waiting in line. It's best to come with a list of desired items based on recommendations. 

My Experience:

The bakery itself is huge and modern, even for the US. 

The menu board only lists a limited selection of items. 

The bakery display is expansive, with various options spanning over 3 meters in length. It's hard to see everything at once, especially with the crowds. 

I ordered the Coconut Strudel and Guava Strudel. The Guava Strudel wasn't as crunchy as I expected, and the guava jam, while good for me, wasn't a hit with my husband. He found it had a grapefruit aftertaste. The Coconut Croissant was more crispy.

We both loved the Tres Leches Cake, which wasn't mentioned in any blog posts I saw. It's a milk cream cake with soft bread that almost resembles ice cream or pudding. The cream is light and not sticky, suggesting they use high-quality ingredients. 

The Spicy Cheese Ball (which we ordered instead of the Cheese Roll, thanks to a miscommunication) is like a cheesy pizza croquette. The Potato Ball is similar, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Both the regular croissant and the churro croissant were delicious. My sister said the churro croissant was even crispier than the cream pan strawberry croissant. The churro croissant has a cinnamon sugar coating, just like churros.

Update: I tried to order the Cheese Roll twice on rainy weekends but the lines were too long. On my third try, I waited 36 minutes and finally got it. The Cheese Roll has a crispy exterior and a slightly sweet cream cheese filling, not a salty cheese. It's quite tasty, though not heavenly. It costs around $1.19 per piece.

Overall:
Porto's Bakery offers fantastic prices and great pastries. Even though I didn't get to try the Cheese Roll until my third visit, I still highly recommend it.