Porto’s to open first location with table service and full bar at Downtown Disney

A beloved Southern California bakery known for its cult-favorite pastries and Cuban comfort food is heading to the Disneyland Resort — and it’s bringing some firsts with the opening.

Porto’s Bakery and Café is set to open a new location in the Downtown Disney District, marking a major milestone for the family-run brand that has built a devoted following across Los Angeles County.

The upcoming outpost will serve the bakery’s signature sweet and savory offerings — including its famed Cheese Rolls, Refugiados (guava and cheese strudels), and Potato Balls — while also debuting something entirely new for Porto’s: a sit-down dining experience complete with table service and a full bar.

Guests will be able to enjoy both indoor seating and an outdoor patio at the new location, which will take over the former La Brea Bakery space near the Disneyland Esplanade.

The expansion is part of a broader transformation of the Downtown Disney District, which has recently added high-profile dining concepts including Din Tai Fung and Paseo and Centrico as Disney looks to enhance its food and beverage offerings outside its theme parks.

Porto’s roots trace back decades to founder Rosa Porto, who was born in Cuba and grew up surrounded by family baking traditions passed down through generations originally Galicia region of Spain.

According to the Porto’s website, after petitioning to leave Cuba, Rosa began selling cakes from her home to help support her family. When the Portos eventually immigrated to California with little more than their belongings and a dream for a better life, Rosa continued baking for friends and neighbors — quickly building a reputation for her cakes and pastries.

By 1976, the family opened the first official Porto’s Bakery storefront on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. Rosa’s three children later jouned the business, helping expand the brand into one of Southern California’s most popular bakery chains.

Today, Porto’s operates six locations in Glendale, Burbank, Downey, Buena Park, West Covina and Northridge, with the Downtown Disney shop set to become the company’s seventh location.

Rosa Porto died in 2019, but her recipes — and her guiding principle that “quality is the number one ingredient in everything we do” — remain central to the family-run company’s continued growth.

Disney has not yet announced an official opening date for the Downtown Disney location.

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