Burbank Bakery or Sweets

[ruthkennison]

If you were to find yourself in Burbank (or very near) and wanted an amazing sweet treat, where would you go? Is there a special bakery there or place that has an unusual sweet you can't find other places? Help. Looking for something delicious and sweet in Burbank. Have heard about Portos. Is it great? Thanks

[burgundy1]

I agree with Martino's, their teacakes are like no other... Perfect texture, flavor and sweetness. Craving one now.........

[JackonCrack]

Since Portos and Yummy cupcakes were already recommended, i'll give a shout out to Martino's Bakery on Victory. Their teacakes are tasty as all get out.

Martino's Bakery
335 North Victory
Burbank, CA
http://www.martinosbakery.com/

[CynD]

I was going to recommend Martino's. We used to use them as suppliers years ago when my dad had a coffee shop. The quality is still excellent. The bakery also sells gelato, and their pies are good, too.

[monku]

Check out United Bakery, from what I understand they used to work for Martino's and have cakes, pies, breads and pastries (including the popular "tea cake"). Good prices-wholesale to the public.

United Bakery
727 S Flower St (across the street from Kelly Paper)
Burbank, CA 91502
[phone]

[Das Ubergeek]

OK, I have to jump in with a non-recommend here on United.

I worked down the street from United and first of all, it's the most depressing bakery I've ever seen, wholesale bakeries included. But even allowing for the fact that it's about the food, not the decor or the location, the worst of it is that more or less 90% of their business seems to be teacakes (the ones that used to be sold at Martino's before Martino's itself was sold)... and the teacakes practically ooze grease. You can see it on the bottom of the box, you can see it on the pans.

Definitely not a recommend. However, if you insist, you can go across the street (and a block up) to Chulada spices and buy Mexican spices from them, as fresh as it gets without travelling.

[monku]

Had tea cakes from Martino's (new bakery) and United side by side and noticed no difference in taste. Never noticed the grease effect you're talking about.

You probably will never go back, but if you do ask for Don the owner/manager and he'll listen to your complaints.

A majority of their business is wholesale and I don't see any difference between them and any other wholesale bakeries I've been to. I don't understand your comment about the place being depressing either.

[Das Ubergeek]

When Martino's first reopened I think they were making their own teacakes for a while and people complained. Certainly it was talked about here on CH. Perhaps they've started sourcing their teacakes from United now.

It's a bit like watching sausage being made though -- and I found the place to be dirty. The display cabinets were greasy, the door was excessively dirty, the floor was unswept out in the front where the customers are.

The staff were really helpful and the teacakes were certainly cheap enough -- 50 cents each, though this was two years ago -- but the greased paper thing just absolutely put me off, so you're right, I won't be back.

[monku]

Never noticed the dirty conditons you described and usually I notice stuff like that right away and I've looked inside the bakery from the loading area.

As far as greased paper I suppose shortenening or butter in the tea cake recipe might explain the greased paper? -- but that's not good enough for you.

[Das Ubergeek]

Why are you getting angry? It's just a difference of opinion. I found the place to be dirty, and the cakes to be greasy. You didn't. Now people reading the thread have two points of view and can explore as they decide to.

[monku]

I'm not angry.
I'm just skeptical when people use sanitary conditions to trash a place, almost sounds like you have an agenda.

[Das Ubergeek]

The major objection I had was the grease. It also looks run down and if a place is dirty I will say so. And accusing me of having an agenda to smear the place is just ludicrous. Maybe if I were a three-post newb. Otherwise, wouldn't I have talked about it negatively before?

[The Oracle]

I have no clue what Martino's does to source now, but the teacakes I had several weeks ago were not greasy in the least. I'm not a huge teacake fan, but my family LOVES them.

I found it refreshing that Martino's doesn't gouge the consumer on price for individual sized items (everything was about a dollar) - and they certainly didn't skimp on quality for everything I tried.

I recently placed a dessert order for an event I threw, and it was a huge success.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/608123

The actual bakery shop (Martino's) is a small, unassuming spot that looked newish and was very clean with a few tables... a great spot for a quick, inexpensive treat.

[Benny]

Okay. What the heck is a teacake?

[JackonCrack]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=tea+cake

[monku]

Martino's tea cake
http://www.martinosbakery.com/M-Baker...

[jackattack]

If you want teacakes, United or Martino's will do fine, but everything else at Martino's is pretty food-service-awful. The icing is right out of a sysco tub I imagine, and the pie fillings are all canned and too sweet/awful...high fructose corn syrup on steroids. The worst thing about Martino's is that glop that they put on their "creme" pies. What is it, anyway? Crisco mixed with sugar and vanilla? It's worse than cool whip. Marie Callender's is light years ahead of Martino's for about the same price, with some fairly tasty pie filings and real whipped cream. Even pies and cakes at Vons/Pavilions are much better than Martino's.

As for the original question....when I want something sweet in Burbank I'll go for carrot cake, a macaroon or the pecan streusel coffee cake at Porto's,..... a lemon bar or a pecan pie bar from Lovebird's Backstage Cafe on Olive (across from Avis)....or a napoleon from the Paradise Bakery up on Glenoaks.

[attran99]

Yummy cupcakes makes some awesome Red Velvet cupcakes...they have traditional cream cheese frosting and a cocoa cream cheese frosting. I'm partial to the cocoa cream cheese frosting. Their other flavors are just as good.
Cupcakes and Co. has lighter cupcakes than Yummy. I like their strawberry cupcake...fresh strawberries in the cupcake batter with a light cream cheese frosting.
Totally agree with everyone else on Porto's....simply FAB!
There are a couple of different yogurt places, too. But I've only been to Yogurtiers. Nothing like Pinkberry, but good, if you need a quick yogurt fix.

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Yummy Cupcakes
2918 W Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505

Cupcakes & Co
130 E Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA

Yogurtiers
130 N San Fernando Blvd, Burbank, CA

[latindancer]

I stopped by Yummy Cupcakes, finding myself in Burbank yesterday, based on the recommendation on this thread.
I ordered (2) red velvet cupcakes and (1) vanilla conconut.
I agree that the cream cheese frosting on the red velvet is really good. However I'm not sure I'm into the cake part. The cake is dense but there's something about the texture that isn't to my liking...it's almost like cornbread if that makes any sense.
The vanilla cake had some aftertaste that I tasted.
Perhaps I should try something different there.

[Das Ubergeek]

Yes. Go now. Walk away from the computer, get in the car and just go see for yourself.

[SIMIHOUND]

Yes. It is fantastic. Amazing. Seriously. Let us know how you like it after you have gone there. Check out the sandwiches too.
http://www.portosbakery.com/
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/539942
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/305054

[maxzook]

Yes, Porto's is great, well worth a trip. Definitely the best desserts and pastries to be found in Burbank.

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Porto's Bakery
3614 W Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505