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    OBRA HandBakery

    3.9 (87 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    OBRA HandBakery Photos

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    OBRA HANDBAKERY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Obra ball
    Vincent N.

    This place is really good! And a great alternative to Porto's! I want to give this place 5 stars but a couple of items didn't really hit the mark, but some other items were amazing! 1. Obra ball is a must get! Seasoned flavorful minced beef with potato and cheese, and it's huge! 2. The Cuban sandwich was delicious! The pork was so juicy! However I wished that they gave more than one slice of thin ham with the sandwich. 3. I also really liked the iced tres leches coffee! Make sure to stir it up before drinking, really great flavor! 4. I didn't enjoy the beef empanada as much as the chicken. The chicken seemed to have more flavor and seasoning l. 5. The deserts were kind of a miss for me. The Dulce Lindser cookies was decent but nothing special. The chocolate chip cookie was on the tougher brittle side. However when throwing it in the microwave, it was actually soft gooey and delicious!

    baked beef empanada, beef obra ball, peach & dulce de leche turnover, Arnold Palmer, chicken square pie
    Ivy D.

    I bought a chicken square pie and a crispy chicken sandwich to go. The sandwich was delicious, especially with the spicy mayo sauce. Plenty of seating and food options. I'd definitely be back!

    Apple turnover, OBRA beef ball, ropa viejo empanada, tres leches latte (iced)
    Kayla D.

    WOW! Came here on a friday morning, about an hour after they opened! Little to no line, so service was super quick, and the lady at the front was super nice and decriptive about all of the menu items that they had available. As soon as you walk in, you're greeted by the sight of all of their baked goods (empanadas, desserts, etc). I got the apple turnover, OBRA beef ball, ropa viejo empanada, and an iced tres leches coffee. Both the salsas and sauces that came with went beautifully with each savory item. The empanada was fluffy and flaky and was delicious, the OBRA ball reminded me of porto's potato ball, and was maybe even larger than that, and the apple turnover as my dessert was sooooo good. I would. most definitely come here again to grab something in the morning! The coffee was sweet and I enjoyed drinking it on my way to work after.

    Homemade Desserts
    Grace C.

    Everything is made from scratch. Casual, Plenty of seats. Cubano sandwich- decent sandwich, good size, but meat was a bit dry. Prefer from Porto's. Passionfruit cheesecake- delicious, not too dense, mildly sweet with lot of passion fruit flavor. I want to try the OBRA balls next time!

    Lunch time
    Diana R.

    Came to Obra Handbakery with my coworkers for lunch. For a while, I had seen this place featured on social media and I was curious to check it out. It's located in a small strip mall with just enough parking. As you enter, you'll be going through the path where you can view all of the items in their glass displays. Take note of what interests you, and you'll place your order at the register after viewing all the baked goods. Everything looks bright and clean. The dining area is spacious and there are many tables. There was not a lot of people while we were there. One big group with about six people and a couple other single people. I ordered the Ropa Vieja burrito since I wanted something simple to eat. I also ordered a beef and potato ball also since it's my favorite at another bakery. Unfortunately, the ball was not included with my order when I picked it up. After eating my burrito halfway, I went back up to the pick up area to ask for it. No apology or anything. In fact, they made me feel a little guilty or something because I was asking for it. Not very friendly service with that encounter. I was polite and nice about it too, but I guess it was an inconvenience for them to heat it up for me. I also had ordered the take and bake empanadas to eat at home. My coworkers all had the empanadas and it looked like two was enough for them. It looked like they were stuffed with the filling. As for my burrito, it wasn't what I had expected. The shredded beef was very sparse, and you can see slivers of the pieces of beef as it was filled with a lot of french fries. There's also egg inside the burrito. The flavor was not for me. I should've just ordered the empanadas then for lunch. It wasn't worth the $13.99 for the French fries burrito. I also ordered two pieces of cake to go for my family. The coconut dulce de leche and carrot cake. They were both pretty good and dense and pretty sweet.

    The Cuben empanada. Split this with my wife and forgot to take a picture
    Matthew R.

    Ordered a cuban empanada and a strawberry blintz pastry. The empanada crust was flaky with a generous amount of filling and well seasoned. The strawberry blintz pastry was flaky and buttery with a sweet and creamy filling. Service was quick and the staff is well mannered and eager to help. The restaurant was clean and spacious with plenty of seating. Will definitely come back!

    Ashley U.

    Saw this place open up and we stopped by for lunch. Easy to get to with a good parking situation. We got a few empanadas to try and loved that they had options with no egg like the traditional ones. Food was warm and it was a good spot to grab a fast lunch.

    Tatiana M.

    Came at 8 am, plenty of parking and no lines. However, took a while to get my order... not sure why! The empanadas were ready, and I ordered to go. Oh well. They had a good deal by the dozen so I got the flavors I knew I'd like: ropa vieja, chicken, etc. Came with sauces and I picked creamy cilantro and chimichurri. Took the box home. The dough wasn't too thick or undercooked. and all the fillings were flavorful. My favorite was beef that kind of remind me of Cuban picadillo' flavor. Not sure about the drinks but saw a few people having them with coffee and juices; the place looks clean and roomie.

    Pastries
    Diana N.

    This was my first time coming here since I came here for the experience and made my purchase. Today, I got in my purchase was an iced matcha latte & red velvet cookie. The iced matcha latte was decent, delicious, and great flavor. I love my matcha sweet so I got another 3 pumps of vanilla. The red velvet cookie was soft, chewy, and great flavor. The employee was super nice and very friendly. She was very helpful and accommodating if we needed anything! The store has a great atmosphere, spacious, and clean. Great place to do some homework & has wifi. There is plenty of parking. I would definitely come back here to try out their other pastries.

    Dan J.

    Had been hearing the hype about this place. It's about a mile from my office, so I decided to stop by and give it a try. Upon entrance, you have a small area that loops around their display cases til you get to the register. Visually, everything looks appealing. I ordered 2 empanadas; 1 Beef and 1 Cuban. As an empanada connoisseur, I was not impressed. The Beef one had more potatoes than beef, and the Cuban was very bland. I'll give it another shot to try their Cuban sandwich, but I think there are much better places in the area.

    Jalapeño empanada, chicken empanada, dulce de leche cookie and an Arnold Palmer
    Janeva G.

    Loved how the place was spacious! My favorite thing I picked up was the chicken empanada as it was the most flavorful! Jalapeño and cheese empanada didn't have much flavoring. The Arnold Palmer was good. I would have loved the dulce de leche cookie but it felt a little dry. It did have a nice snickerdoodle taste but I wish the cookie was slightly more moist.

    Beef & potato empanada, sausage & potato empanda, Beef Obra ball
    Kelly N.

    Came across this bakery on Yelp and finally stopped by this weekend to pick up some empanadas. I ordered one beef & potato empanada, one sausage & potato empanada, a Cuban sandwich, a chocolate chip cookie, and a peach & dulce de leche turnover. The empanadas came with spicy mayo and green salsa. The spicy mayo wasn't spicy at all, but the empanadas themselves were very flavorful. The Cuban sandwich was out of this world; easily one of the best I've ever had. It was absolutely delicious, and the oven-roasted pork was juicy and tender. The cookie and peach turnover were good as well. Overall, a great visit and I'd definitely come back!

    Fried Plantains
    Erika N.

    OBRA just opened their second location in the Costa Mesa area, and I stopped by on a Sunday morning around 10am to check it out, specifically for their empanadas. There was a line when we arrived, which is always a good sign, but it moved quickly, about 5 to 7 minutes tops, and the food came out just as fast. The service felt efficient and well organized, especially for a busy weekend morning. We ordered the traditional beef and the sausage empanadas, their best sellers, and neither disappointed. Each one was packed to the brim with flavorful, perfectly seasoned filling. You can tell they do not skimp. Every bite was hearty and satisfying. The sauces served alongside were the perfect complement, adding just the right amount of tang and heat. Honestly, one empanada alone is surprisingly filling. I also could not resist ordering the platanos, fried plantains, which I had not had in years. One bite instantly brought me back. Sweet, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and completely nostalgic. I happily polished off the entire bowl. The display case was filled with so many other dessert and options.

    Cuban, Chicken, BBQ Pork Empanadas

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    OBRA HandBakery Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - OBRA HandBakery

    Board & Brew

    Board & Brew

    4.4(158 reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$

    I consider myself above average in the field of sandwich expertise. I work in the field as a…read moreRegional Manager, I enjoy sandwiches still and I try out different spots often to see what the "competition" is like. Board and Brew is definitely top notch! I was deciding on where to snag lunch on my way to another store doing my rounds and I really wanted a sandwich. I decided to get the Turkado, some dirty Maui chips and drink. The total came to $17 and some change, not bad about the avg for the area and any lunch. The service was great, the woman who helped me was nice, and efficient, she helped me select what chips to get. Not much bantering but I do enough of that at work, so all good here. The store was clean, nice vibe, music. My order was ready in the time it took me to fill my soda cup and sit down to scroll 1 scroll thru outlook emails. Maybe 5-7 mins the woman who gave me my order asked if I wanted some secret sauce on the side, and put it in the bag. The bag felt heavy! The sub was huge! Probably 8inches bread was nice and springy, there was enough lettuce, tomato and sauces on it. I love the sunflower seeds, gives it a nice little crunch. The meat is more of a very thin piled high but there is a lot of it! I like how the sub is assembled meat, cheese, toppings sauce, it seems to hold together nicely.

    This review covers my experience across multiple locations, including Harbor Boulevard in Costa…read moreMesa and Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach. When I first started coming to Board and Brew, I would have given it a solid five stars, but my perspective has shifted after six years of exploring other local options in the county. The Evolution of the Experience: * Ingredients: While the food is definitely better than a pre-made deli sandwich from a grocery store, it isn't exactly top-tier. The bread and meat are good, but as you try more specialized places, you realize these are fairly standard. * The Famous Sauce: Their signature sauce is tasty, but it feels like it contains a high amount of monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is a neuro-exciter that can make people feel overstimulated or unwell after eating it, and it feels particularly intense in this recipe. * Consistency: Both the Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa locations were great initially, but they now feel more like a solid, middle-of-the-road option. The Best Use Case: * Catering & Events: Even with a three-star rating, this is absolutely the place I would go if I needed catering for a birthday party or a large event. Their pricing and preparation for bulk orders are hard to beat. Final Thoughts: If Yelp allowed half-stars, I'd probably give this a 3.5. It's a reliable, solid sandwich shop, but the ingredient quality and the intensity of the MSG in the sauce keep it from being a five-star favorite for me anymore. Edit: The owner replied to my comment about how their food is high quality, but 6 years of taste testing says otherwise. While you may not add pure MSG crystals to your sauce, it still contains MSG.It is misleading to claim "No MSG" or "High Quality" when the sauce relies on ingredients that are chemically identical to it. For instance: Tomatoes and Tomato Paste: These are among the highest natural sources of free glutamate. If the recipe uses tomato paste--as many copycats do--it will test positive for MSG. Soy Sauce & Worcestershire Sauce: Both frequently cited in recipes for this sauce, these contain naturally occurring MSG through fermentation or hydrolysis. Nutritional Yeast: Often used to provide a savory flavor, it naturally contains high levels of glutamate.Hydrolyzed Proteins: Ingredients like "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" (HVP) or "yeast extract" are processed specifically to release glutamates. Legally, a company might say they "don't use MSG" if they don't add the pure additive, but that is a technicality. MSG is linked to various health issues for sensitive individuals, and just because many consider it "safe" doesn't mean it's healthy or non-harmful. If the food is truly "high quality," why rely on these additives to create flavor? Best Wishes

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    Board & Brew
    Board & Brew - Online Order rack for easy pick up!

    Online Order rack for easy pick up!

    Board & Brew - Chicken club: marinated chicken breast topped with bacon = $10.95

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    Chicken club: marinated chicken breast topped with bacon = $10.95

    OBRA HandBakery - empanadas - Updated May 2026

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