Tropicana Bakery & Cuban Café

This is my SPOT! Being Cuban I know what it should taste like. Ive been a customer of this spot since it was Master Bakery. Tropicana is as close to home cooking as it gets. Very authentic and highly recommend this to all Cuban food lovers. Pastelitos de Guayaba and papa rellenos are a great appetizer treat and for the main dinner or lunch dish I recommend the ropa vieja. Have fun and enjoy :)

Hello CUBA. I definitely wish I can go visit your homeland!!! Since I can’t I’m glad that I found this joint in Downey ca. I wasn’t sure what to order. The waiter suggested I try the oxtail plate. Man I’m glad I did. Damn! It so soft and the sauce was perfectly seasoned. It was worth the $ 16 bucks
They bring warm fresh garlic butter bread to your table. Good place for soups especially the chicken noodle soup. The sandwich are cool too.
The atmosphere is nice and relaxing.
For those that like their plantains with sour cream I have bad news they don’t have sour cream. WTF!!!
The staff is pretty cool.

One word sums up their cakes: YUMMY!!!
I highly recommend this bakery. I purchased a cake for my daughter’s graduation and every single one of my guests commented on how delicious the cake was. My family and friends have been faithful customers at Torrance Bakery and Portos but it was unanimously decided that we would all order from Tropicana from now on. My cake was marble with a chocolate mouse filling and whipped cream frosting.
I appreciated that they allowed me to sample the cake, filling, and frosting flavors prior to placing my order. The price was very reasonable and staff is very friendly.

Good selection of food. I’ve only tried the certain pastries and the chicken empinada. The food here is pretty good id give it 4 stars however the service is lacking and is super slow, 2 stars. If you’ve got time to kill it’s not a big deal, but I wouldn’t show up already pretty hungry because you won’t be eating for a while.

Food is ok and service is slow. Had to ask to refill drink had to ask and ask again for straw had to wait and wait for napkins. What a pain. The good think here is the guava pastries are better than portos.

Love this place! Definitely a must try. They have a wide variety of desserts and pastries. My favorite are the pastelitos filled with guava and the ones with cream cheese and ham! To die for! They are quick with service even when it gets busy and they have really friendly staff. Good place to go out for dessert.

Now that I have dined here several times I feel as though I can give a good review.
However don’t just take my word for it, go ahead and try this for yourself.
I really do enjoy coming here, the longest I have waited is about 20 minutes which is nothing at all!
We usually get seated quickly. While I wait I like to look at all the wonderful pastries they have in order to decide which one will be my dessert!
I like to get the turkey sandwich, it is very filling and delicious! I really like that it has Swiss cheese and Ortega chili. The chili gives the whole sandwich a great kick! it isn’t spicy, it is the great flavor that makes this sandwich amazing!
It comes with a side of freshly made chips which are always different but taste amazing!
For $ 7.99 this item is worth it!

This place is not as good, clean, or as service-​oriented as Porto’s — far from it in fact. The lines are slow-​moving, the process is inefficient, the service is subpar, slow, and unfriendly, and for the same price that you would get at Porto’s, the quality of the pastries are not as tasty either. I wasn’t addicted to anything here. I usually can’t stop once I pop, especially with bread and especially with Salvadorean quesadillas, but I was able to save my pastries for later. Almost as though I didn’t feel the need to eat or finish them. I did order a Cubano that was really good but that was about the only thing that matched the quality of goodness. Would I come back? Probably not, but it’s definitely worth a try to see if you prefer it.

Geez, Louise! I’ve been past this place probably a hundred times and never tried it out until this past weekend. We didn’t stay for a sit down mean this time but absolutley WILL very soon.
We did, however, hit the bakery – HARD. Wow, the guava cheese, the empanadas, the beautiful fruit tart we got Pop for Father’s Day was all wonderful.
Can’t wait to go back and try to ropa vieja!

Absolutely LOVE the Cuban pastries sold here. They are always freshly made and are extremely delicious. My all time favorite is the guava! It’s impossible to not go home with a whole box filled with pastries to go!
As far as dining goes, the food is always delicious and the staff is extremely attentive and nice! Nice to stay in town and enjoy Cuban delicacies.

Came here for pasteries, we didn’t wait a long as the other Cuban place nearby and their pasteries here at tropicana were delish. I have been here a while back for their food and was also pretty good and the coffee is amazing. I would definitely come back for the pasteries again as well as to dine in.

Such an amazing Cuban spot, and not just for bakeries! I was thrilled when they extended their restaurant for more seating. They have classic, delicious Cuban meals but also a lot of healthy options. The Tropicana Bowl is crave-​able, with chopped spinach, brown rice, black beans, chicken, avocado, and plantains! YUM! Too much food, but oh so good! Their café is great too, with wi-​fi and little coffee tables — I have spents many hours working off my laptop with a cortadito and guava pastry.
My family also order lechon for Christmas Eve from Tropicana, and it is delicious. They have a great set-​up that is very efficient for the many Christmas Eve orders they receive.

My first time here and it is amazing. You must try the appetizers first. Have a coffee and pastries and then decide on lunch or dinner.
I will be back very soon.

Cuban pastries to its finest! This joint is the real deal when it comes to authenticity cause it brings the Cuban feel into it. My girlfriend and I went here after we workout and feels great to just pig out. I mean literally pig out cause their Pan Con Lechon Sandwich is so good, it blends the salty and sweet on its aftertaste. We ordered a lot of pastries cause it is our first time going to Porto’s Bakeries’ hometown rival. I’m a bit skeptical going to this place since I’m a Porto’s fan, but dining in and eating their food makes me wanna go here all the time. The ambiance is awesome! I saw Cuban musicians perform during a birthday celebration on their diner area and it’s fun seeing that enthusiasm towards their costumers.
People that works here are very polite and helpful; it seems they love to work here even it is busy all the time. The parking is horrible by the way, but that’s how it is when it comes to popular food joint just like this. I really recommend to be patient when it comes finding a parking in this area. Anyway. Let’s get back to the delicious food they serve.
Obviously, they are famous for their breads and it doesn’t disappoint! I honestly think their cheese rolls are the best! The salty and cheese creamy feel into it, just makes my mouth water. They have great meat pies as well! What separates them from their competitions is they serve their pastries hot from the oven. We ordered their smoothies, too. We ordered the papaya and mamey (Cuban fruit similar to papaya). So fresh and I cannot get enough of it! Overall, this place pride itself on its authenticity and the Cuban culture. I will be back again and highly recommend this to my friends and family.

Had not been here in a while. I’m not sure how I reviewed it last time, but I know I had a much better experience this time.
We came on a Sunday afternoon and things were pretty hectic.
There a line for the bakery as you walk in and the sit down restaurant area is to the right.
We put our name down to wait to be seated, but then hit up the bakery line while we waited.
We ordered and received our bakery order just as we were called to the restaurant.
The food was excellent, the service was above par, and the prices are reasonable for a Cuban restaurant.
I was extremely satisfied with the large portions and very tasty food.
We were in a large group so I picked at people’s
Food to get a taste of different dishes and everything really tasted great.
I strongly recommend Tropicana if you’re in the area.

This place was suggested by a co-​worker because she felt that Porto’s is too expensive with ridiculous lines. Came on a Wednesday around 6:30 pm. Gonna keep this review short.
Decided to mix it up and order both sweet and savory. I liked the savory more than the pastries. I wanted to compare the cheese rolls to Porto cheese rolls. Tropicana ones tasted «doughy», if that’s even a word. The savory items had flaky crusts, which I liked.
Bottom line — gonna stick to Porto’s. And believe it or not, actually made a trip to Porto’s tonight. :-)

Delicious cortadito coffee and ropa vieja dish!!! The dish had flavor unlike other places. My only complaint was that the service was a bit slow when it wasn’t that busy! The desserts look very tempting, I did try a cheesecake it was good. I would love to try more of their desserts!

This place has good food but there service is horrible. We waiting in line for about 20min to buy one empanada. Management need to open more cashier to accommodate all the clients.

Great place, just make sure you have time if you go after 4ish. This place gets packed and for a good reason.

The food is amazing here, I just wish the managers could know the importance of an organized system! The servers and cashiers are pleasant & helpful but the lines are outrageously long & the waitstaff & host are so unorganized.
I try to do pick up orders here over dining in.
The Ropa Vieja plate here is second to none.
The Medianoche sandwich is also the best I’ve had anywhere.
The coffee & pastries don’t disappoint. Try the guava & cheese pastry. It’s to die for.

I come to this place all the way from Corona, food is good and pastries are awesome but they lacks of good customer service and attention to your order. Today I order some guava pasteles but the Person who took my order decided to give me instead guava, cheese and guava. Well I just don’t like cheese in my pastries and it make me upset that he could not have the courtesy of telling me the beginning That they did not had guava only at that time. i like to think that Since I am paying, I would
Like to make my own decision
i don’t think is right that someone else decides for me. How about if I am allergic to cheese? He should told me in the beginning and I would order something else, anyway I guess I am going to Porto’s from now on. Check your boxes before leaving because more than once they forget items

Love this place!!! Brought a group of 10 a few times and everyone loves their meals…
I get either the Cubano sandwich, chicken breast or the Cuban fried rice… everyone else got media noche, omelette and the chorizo plate…
The pastry bar is phenomenal… you really gotta visit this place…
My friends love the coffee Americana!!!
The waitresses are awesome too.

It’s better than Portos.
The cubano sandwich bread was very good. Tres Leche cake was very rich. I came back the next day and brought my girlfriend I liked the food so much.

Ending the night with a warm hot chocolate and Pan de Guayaba con Queso and delicious Potatoe ball filled with Carne Molida and raisins.

I wish Unilocal had — Stars so I can give them –5 stars.
First they didn’t give us our waters till 15min later then we waiting 40 min for a sandwich and chicken plate (that we never got)
Everyone that came after us got their food
I’m definitely not coming back

They get very busy here to but the cakes are delicious. I have yet to eat a meal here. I always go for just the pastries.

Much better than portos in my opinion. Best pastries and I’ve pretty much loved every thing I’ve tried here.

I bought my wedding cake here and let’s just say people were coming back for seconds. It was gone in a matter of seconds and everyone asked me where I got it from so if you need a bakery for your even this is the place. My personal favorite is tiramisu and the guava filling sponge cake with cheese frosting; so yummy. I like coming here because they always custom made my cakes and they turn out awesome!

Ropa Vieja is soo yummy! With white rice and black beans on the side & platanos. They’re buttery toast as an appetizer was good as well. The Jupina which is a pineapple soda was ok but it was too carbonated & almost tasted like alka seltzer. Cons: wait time for a table during peak hours. Limited parking. Kinda pricey. Probably will return though

The service was terrible. We asked for three of the cheese croissant things and she gave us two and one raspberry pastry we didn’t order not to mention we checked in since you get something free when you check in. She told us it was something guava and we said that’s fine and we come home open up to not only wrong orders but no free guava dessert. So mad

My bestie and I always catch up at this establishment. We are either getting chicken sandwiches or hot chocolate and cheesecake. I’ll bring slices of cheesecake home to for my family. I’ve even taken my boyfriend recently and he’s impressed. The bakery has so many yummy treats. The food is very tasty. The staff is helpful and moves the line as quickly as possible. Even if this place is a bit of a drive for you, it’s worth it!

I need to be patient with all these new employees they keep messing up my coffee drinks and this is the only reason I go to Tropicana’s for their espresso it’s the best in town. Obviously when it’s prepared right I was even very blunt and vocal with the lady I told her they keep messing up my drinks and I understand that there’s a lot of new employees can you please make sure that they get the Miami style correctly she assured me they would and I’m watching the kid and he messed it up and had start start all over again if I wouldn’t have been watching he was just going to give it to me the way he did it he was just throwing in shots of espresso with regular milk a complete mess and then I was given a cortadito double he forgot to put the milk I seem to always wait for long periods of time and there’s only one person in front of me in the line. never come on a Sunday night you will be waiting forever.

Ropa Veija (shredded flank steak) with plantains was delicious. I really appreciate that my dish wasn’t too oily because the food at Versailles always made me feel a little sick/​bloated after (I get their chicken plate with plantains). The service is a little slow here, but there’s Wifi if you need to have a group meeting for school or work.
Their pastries are good too — I tried the guava cheese roll. I might like the Porto’s one better though.

Amazing pastries and amazing service everyone here is supper nice and help you out supper fast. I love it that they stay open till 11 on Saturdays.

Decided to give it a try for lunch. Sad mistake. Our food was cold. My ropa vieja has no flavor. Beans have no flavor. If you want a dull experience eat here.

It was my first time having Cuban food! I had a Cuban sandwich, the flavor of the bread is still in my mouth! Very delicious! Its sweet bread (steak sandwich) For desert I had tres lech cheesecake. i don’t like cheesecake but this cake was simply amazing!!! The servers are dressed Cubano style, very cute and very reasonable prices!
Great place, I’d go back real soon!

This is probably my favorite Cuban restaurant. I always get the Tropicana bowl. On the menu it is under the «salad» section, but it actually comes with rice, beans, avocado, and chicken all with some veggies. It’s a great entrée between healthy and a little carbs. Don’t forget to add the hot sauce. It so hot but so good. I always ask myself why I put so much hot sauce -.-
Overall I would recommend this place!

So delicious! Tropicana never disappoint! I usually take my orders to go but I decided to eat in the diner with my mom. I ordered the Ropa Vieja plate and it was absolutely to die for! The plantains were perfect and the rice and black beans were the best side act to the show stopping Ropa Vieja. My mom ordered a spicy steak sandwich and she enjoyed it to pieces. We ordered dessert to go and were so happy we didn’t skip it. This place is soooo good.

I’ve been to several Cuban restaurants and this is on my Top 5 list. I like to think I’m an ox tail connoisseur, with that said, I highly recommend the Rabo Encendido. It’s ox tail braised in a savory sauce of tomatoes, garlic, and bell peppers. The meat falls out of the bone and the flavors burst in your mouth. This is served best with white rice.
Their customer service is world class. Specifically, Andrea, our server was amazing. I brought both my brothers here for the first time. They commented on how Andrea’s recommendations were on point and we all agree her smile and demeanor made our dining experience delightful. This place definitely gets 4 «Tadows» out of 5. This place is the bomb!

After a day of baseball, sightseeing, and driving around something sweet was what we were craving. As we were driving by we decided on Tropicana Bakery and Café. I have been here before but only picked up stuff for other people and I have been wanting to stop by myself. I remember seeing all their pastries and desserts and have been wanting to try them for some while now.
We were seated within 5 minutes which was a relief as I had stood in line for over an hour before. After perusing the menu we placed our order and were server rather fast. My Café Cubano was as I expected really good, but my friends cappuccino was lacking some flavor, to bad for him lol. Our pastries were good, ok but not blown away as I’ve had better, but still enjoyed them. I guess it was because my mind was on the cheesecake that had sold out. But still received good service from all the girls so it was a rather pleasant dessert eating experience.

I will be dedicating my ***600^th Review*** on Tropicana Bakery & Cuban Café.
When we first walked in, there were some older guys who were hanging out at the bakery with Cuban hats. Seriously, these guys looked like mobsters from that movie «Scarface» who knows they could’ve been Tony Montana’s homies? But I felt that this joint couldn’t get any more authentic than that.
Anyways, this place is one the best bakery and café combo restaurant places around for food and desserts, especially in the Latin category.
My choice entrée that evening was the Pollo Frito con Cebolla. Its crispy tender fried chicken, topped with fresh onions. The chicken had a marinade taste to it and was lightly crisp. The onions even made it flavorful. White rice was also added on the platter to complete a cozy home style meal. Simply delicious!
As for the sides I went with the Frijol Negro. Its Cuban style black beans in a slow cooked stew. Nice hearty signature Cuban side. I like to call it protein with a hint of sweet flavor.
Now for the main event.
For dessert was the awesomeness called «The Triple Threat» On the menu, it’s under flans. This triple goodness, is flan, cheesecake and tres leches all layered to one. To describe this it was sweet, milky, smooth filling in the middle, followed by spongy, sticky, then sweetness again toward the bottom. Trifecta Perfecto!
Also worth a try at the bakery are their Guava & Cheese Pastelitos. These hand pastry pies has a crisp, flaky outer shell with that sweet guava and cream cheese filling. They are fun to eat but they will leave you with sticky fingers.
Good service with fabulous Cuban food and desserts that Downey has to offer.
I raise my cup of Café Con Leche and shout out «cheers!».

Back to Portos
1 star today (down from 5 last visit).
The food is great but the service sucks.
The staff here is rushing to get folks in and out… failing to make sure you are taken care of completely before rushing to the next customer.
It turns out the one who packs the bakery items grabbed the wrong thing plus left out some items and the cashier already rang stuff up before I had my items in my hand to double check. As I am still at the counter double checking, the cashier is already ringing up someone else instead of making sure the items I ordered were what they were passing off. Had to wait an extra 5 mins for them all to figure it out.
Plus I am still waiting for my food and they must have forgot my drink over 40mins. Arrr…

Driving down the street heading to Gloria’s Cocina Mexicana:
Me: «Oh, look babe, that place is really good. We should check it out sometime»
The babe: «Sounds good to me»
We get to Gloria’s and it’s a 40 min wait, «Ain’t nobody got time for that!». So we decided to go to Tropicana. As soon as we head towards the facilities door, we hear salsa music playing (Oh Yeah!!). We walk pass the bakery (which let me tell you, the cakes and pastries look delicious!)
We head towards the host, he takes our name down and does small talk while the waitress cleans out the table for us. 5 Minutes later we get seated and as we are debating on what to eat we hear the congas, some maracas and the employees begin to sing happy birthday for a customer. It did scare me since the congas are a bit loud but I thought it was super cool how they try to get everyone in the restaurant to participate in the singing.
Anyhow, my boo-​thang decided to go with the ropa viega (shredded steak simmered in garlic, tomatoes, onions and bell peppers.) with plantains and congri (Cuban rice mixed with black beans).
I was indecisive if to either copy him or go with Mic’s Special (lean chicken breast, brown rice, salad with fresh fruit and vinaigrette dressing) … I didn’t want anything too heavy, so I decided to go with Mic’s Special since I can always pick at his food, Ha!
Both dishes were delicious! We will definitely come back.
Oh! don’t forget to check in, you get a free pastelito with your purchase. We got the cheese pastellito, so good!

The food here is delicious. I’ve come here several times throughout the past several years, and I’ve never had a bad experience.
Half of this place is a bakery, where they have a wide assortment of sweets. The other half of this place is the actual restaurant. From there, I usually order the grilled chicken, with white rice, and plantains. Their coffees are good, too. I ordered the iced cappuccino, and it gets me going! The food hit the spot.
It’s definitely a great option for lunch and dinner. I have yet to try their breakfast items. Stay tuned.

Yet another restaurant I continuously drove pass and finally stopped in for food. It is also another place I should kick myself over for not visiting sooner because this was some pretty good Cuban cuisine.
Formally, I’d always go to Porto’s for a medianoche (type of sandwich) but its safe to say this will be my new go to for it. All plates that were ordered were great! The chicken was moist, had a crispy outside and was very flavorful. The broth along with the tender shredded flank steak left no desire for a single drop to be left behind. And last… the medianoche was perfect. No shortage here of pork nor ham between a buttery sweet bread. Oh yea… plantains, lots and lots of plantains which I like.
This was my first and most definitely will not be my last visit. Lots more of the menu to be explored.
Lunch 6÷28÷2015

Se mira algo delicioso, pero voy a probrar apenas„ lo cual quisiera darles 5 estrellas pero aun no he probado.. Por el momento les voy a dar 3 estrellas.

Muy lentos pero muy lentos para servir y para sentarte también la comida es la mejor de los Angeles el servicio al cliente es bueno pero como dije antes son muy lentos.

Super pesimo servicio al cobrar de la cajera. Cuando me cobraron note a la cajera medio confundida pero no me decía nada. Paso un buen rato y decidió llamar por ayuda. Todavía no me decían nada y estaban arreglado algo de la cuenta. En eso se me ocurre fijarme en mi cuenta de banco por mi cell y veo un cargo de 21.44 y otro de 14.36 y les digo que tengo dos cargos y la cajera me dice no se preocupe y yo le contesto claro que me preocupa y más que preocuparme me molesta y el Manager me dice todo va a estar bien y si se fija bien no son cargos están pendientes y le digo ok si veo eso pero quien me garantiza que sólo se va a cobrar uno? Y me dice que en dos días voy a ver mi crédito así que yo le contesto que aunque 14 dllrs no es mucho pero esa puede ser la diferencia de algo que se tenga que cobrar en mi cuenta y que yo no tengo porque esperar dos días por mi dinero y me dice la cajera de nuevo usted no se preocupe. El Manager se va sin antes de decirme que el se va a asegurar de que sólo se cobré la cantidad correcta. En eso le digo a la cajera que necesito me ponga en el recibo el nombre de el Manager y el de ella para saber a quien reclamar en caso de que se me cobren las dos cantidades y me contesta que ahorita le va a ir a decir al Manager y le empieza a cobrar a la siguiente perdona y me deja esperando y que les armo un escándalo pues a mi nadie me va a dejar esperando. Y mande sacar al Manager de la cocina y me queje de la cajera y de que nunca me pidió una disculpa. Sólo porque tenía prisa en irme no les hice más escándalo pero si me traje mi recibo firmado por ellos y les deje un mal review en Unilocal.No veo mi review no se porque. Así qué aquí esta de nuevo. Alguien tiene que explicarles que aquí en este país el servicio al cliente es lo primero. Muy bueno su producto pero el servicio dejo mucho que desear. Espero no vuelva a suceder de nuevo. El Manager prometio hablar seriamente con esta muchacha. Eso espero.