Stopped by Ombra Hand Bakery and wow... everything looked absolutely beautiful and fresh. I ordered the cubed sandwich, and it did not disappoint. The bread was soft on the inside with the perfect crisp on the outside, and every bite tasted fresh and flavorful without feeling overly heavy. You can tell a lot of care goes into both the presentation and quality of the food here. The bakery itself had such a clean, modern, cozy vibe, making it a great spot to relax and enjoy lunch or coffee. Definitely a hidden gem in Santa Ana, and I'll absolutely be coming back to try more items from the menu! read more

See all

Parking Lot? Yes Easy to Find? Yes Clean? Yes How'd it go? I came in just past 4pm on a Friday. I was greeted kindly and asked if I knew what I wanted. I didn't. "It's my first time visiting actually, and I'm here for the Yelp Elite Experience" the cashier replied, "Ah, okay" and went on to give me the breakdown on the experience. Me: "Cool, okay I think I got this." What did I order? 1 Ropa Vieja Empanada (4/5 stars) 1 Chicken Curry Empanada (3/5 stars) 1 Chocolate Cookie (5/5 stars) 1 Tres Leches Latte (4/5 stars) Ropa Vieja Empanada: First thing to note is that these are baked and so it's expected to have a flakier and dry dough vs a fried variation. Personally I'm partial to the fried variety but lIl say I definitely enjoyed the Ropa Vieja. The beef stew filling is very flavorful. Definitely got an instant "Mmmm" The sauces that accompanied the empanadas complimented this empanada the best. Chicken Curry Empanada: Filling leans towards a Thai inspired curry. Curiosity got the best of me but unfortunately it fell short. Maybe it's my bias. Thai curry just tastes better over rice to me. Tres Leche Latte: This is a delicious drink. I nearly bought a second round. Me: "Hook an ivy of this latte up to my veins" haha! Loved it. Chocolate Chip Cookie: Baked crisp edges, soft chewy center, delicious bits of chocolate chips. Me: "Nom nom nom!" I think I'll comeback to try a sandwich and some other pastries. Maybe an ivy of that latte too haha! read more

Ok so this spot is a hidden gem. The location is very central, the staff are very friendly, the interior is so clean and spacious, but most of all the food slaps...so hard! I tried multiple empanadas, potato balls, a chicken pie, and some desserts. They have a really solid selection of ready to go pastries, but also a whole menu of cooked-to-order sandwiches and burritos. The pro tip is to order a dozen empanadas or more and then they'll throw some in for free! Will definitely be back ASAP! read more

OBRA HandBakery - Inside seating - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

See all

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! read more

See all

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! read more

See all

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. read more

OBRA HandBakery - Apple turnover, OBRA beef ball, ropa viejo empanada, tres leches latte (iced) - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

See all

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! read more

See all

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. read more

See all

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! read more

OBRA HandBakery - The Cuben empanada. Split this with my wife and forgot to take a picture - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

See all

Cute, clean place with nice staff and great offerings from drinks to snacks to full on meals! I decided to stop by before work so was in a bit of a rush and didn't get to order everything I wanted to try. I got the breakfast, chicken curry and bbq pork empanadas and tres leches latte. The empanadas were delicious esp with the generous sauces they gave ! I would say the coffee was wayyyy too sweet for me so I didn't like that at all and the only other reason I docked it some stars was I just didn't get a chance to try other things. I will definitely be back ! read more

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. read more

OBRA HandBakery - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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. read more

OBRA HandBakery - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

See all

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. read more

See all

For the empanadas and potato balls Lots of parking accepts cc I liked the ropa vieja and curry chicken empanadas The pastry skin was thin and it was stuffed with fillings It went really well with the creamy cilantro sauce Potato balls are made to order - huge compared to portos and delicious. Also came w creamy cilantro sauce The cocada was probably the best coconut macaroon - not that sweet and moist Lemonade tasted like real lemonade not the soda fountain kind I would definitely come back for more empanadas and to try their sandwiches read more

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. read more

OBRA HandBakery - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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. read more

OBRA HandBakery - Jalapeño empanada, chicken empanada, dulce de leche cookie and an Arnold Palmer - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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! read more

See all

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. read more

OBRA HandBakery - Fried Plantains - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

See all

Stopped by on a rare rainy morning and felt immediately warmed as we entered the space. The delicious aromas and beautiful display of empanadas, potato balls, pastries, & cakes were so tempting We ordered the Strawberry Cheesecake & 3 Empanadas - Cuban, BBQ Pork, & Chicken. The empanadas had flaky crusts and packed with flavorful meat. The side sauces were yummy too read more

OBRA HandBakery - Cuban, Chicken, BBQ Pork Empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Saw this place in social media and just happened by it on my way back from the dentist, how appropriate! I wanted to try out so many things from the menu but settled with a Cuban sandwich, a beef and a ropa vieja empanada ans somw sweets. All to go and enjoy back at the office. The Cuban sandwich was good, haven't had one in a while. The beef empanada was good, the ropa vieja one a little dry and undercooked. The cookies were a little disappointing. Staff was friendly and service was prompt. Didn't have to wait too long and it gave me time to take some pics. I'd definitely come back for more empanadas and another Cuban sandwich. read more

See all

Beautiful presentation with branding right on the crust. Golden outer and perfectly balanced between filling and pastry. They were not dry. The sauces served with each of the jalapeno and chicken empanadas were perfectly paired. Each empanada was marked with the type of feeling which made it easy to identify and share Quick grab-and-go service! It was perfect for checking out of the hotel with a snack in hand. read more

OBRA HandBakery - Chicken and Jalapeno - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Very nice staff with plenty of indoor seating. No wait on a Saturday afternoon and plenty of parking. They were running out of everything by 4pm so come earlier. Fantastic potato balls that were better and bigger than Porto's. Just as crispy on the outside and the inside was seasoned well, including the potato. Both chicken and beef were great and I'd recommend both. The empanadas were unfortunately a little too dry and bland in comparison. I wouldn't recommend them. Their chimichurri sauce was also bland. Definitely would just order a bunch of the potato balls and die satisfied. read more

See all

People compare it to Portos but I think this place has a different vibe. I bought an assortment of empanadas (ropa, jalapeño, sausage and potato, bbq pork, cuban), chicken and beef balls, banana nutella cigar, and a chocolate chip cookie for good measure. Empanadas and fried chicken and beef balls were fresh and had good flavor. The flavors were familiar-comfort food. The banana nutella cigar was sweet and full of nutella. Aside from the banana chips on top, didn't see any banana inside or maybe they crushed banana chips inside? Either way, I didn't get any banana flavor. The cookie was dense and PACKED full of mini chocolate chips (I'm not mad at it). Overall, I'd come again and try the other menu items. Give this place a try! read more

See all

Empanada was great, had to try the Cuban (of course) The salsa and crema took it to the next level. Also ordered a tres leches latte, which was good but could use some more espresso. Guess I'm use to cuban cafecito's from Miami or cafe buestelo that are basically shots of jet fuel. The pastries and sandwiches looked incredible, will definitely be back. Love seeing an authentic Cuban bakery in Orange County read more

OBRA HandBakery - Love the attention to detail with the pastry seal on the empanadas - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

ugh idk why we did not like this place at all. had such high expectation but for some reason the meats were kinda sour. :/ we thought maybe it was the sauce that leaked out but that wouldn't make no sense lol read more

OBRA HandBakery - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Newly opened Cuban bakery and we had to check it out. This store has another location in Long Beach that is popular and we are happy to see it in OC. Great selection of empanadas and other treats. Very good selection. Easy parking on a weekday. Nice indoor seating area. Please come and create your own adventure. read more

See all

Working in Santa Ana gives you plenty of options for some really good eats. Their online ordering system is easy to use. They use toast and is one of the top ordering systems out RN. Ordered at 337p drove from the back and arrived at 345p. There were no people in the store at the time. Took them about good min to acknowledge me. The 2 people at the register were having a conversation. Even the person in the kitchen made eye contact immediately. I was then asked if I was ready. I said I have a pick up order. They said it would be ready by 357p. I said ok I would gladly wait. I waited for about 3 mins and was handed my order. I ordered their Cubano s'wich and wanted to try their chicken empanada. Chicken empanada crust was on point, filling was dry but did have an ample amount of chicken. Would I go back? I'd rather go to Nate's just around the Korner... read more

The food is so good! I have been a few times. I have tried the spicy beef empanadas, the chicken balls, shredded beef breakfast burrito, and the breakfast sandwich. The Tres Leches coffee is super sweet but super good! Staff is 10/10. They provide a great service and great food. read more

The service was phenomenal and the lady agreed to make my Tres Leches Latte less sweet which I truly appreciated, but upon my first sip it had no distinct flavoring, except burnt espresso w/ milk. I tried the beef and potato empanada and felt the flavor needed to be enhanced with a salsa, then I didn't enjoy the chipotle sauce and the green salsa tasted mostly like onion. For a coffee, one empanada and tip it was $12.32 read more

Follow my Lovely to here , treated me with Empanada & potato ball for brunch. Nice ( New ) store, nice & quick service with fresh foods (meals) I like this store than the other in Long Beach city Surely we will come back to try their sandwich & other items soon read more

See all

OK, I think this place is a little bit overrated and expensive. The empanadas are good, but they're not that good to be charging that amount of money almost 6 dollars for each piece .. it doesn't even come with the sauce. You have to buy that separately. Staff is friendly read more

Everything I've ordered here has been delicious and fresh, whether it was sweet or savory. My favorite items are the chicken square pie and the chocolate chip cookie. read more

Great atmosphere great customer service plenty of seating to enjoy a wonderful lunch. Everything we tried was delicious from the empanadas to the chocolate chip cookie. Amazing. Can't wait to come back. Thank you for the hospitality and the delicious food. The Cuban sandwich was amazing. The bread was perfect the unsweetened iced tea paired great with it. read more

See all

Came here after finding out there was on closer to me in Santa Ana. So I was excited to come and try it. It's located in a small strip mall.They did a great job on the outside and it's very bright and clean in the inside also. Lots of seating space. I wanted to try the most popular things so I ordered a spicy beef empanada and a chicken and beef potato ball and for something sweet I went with a peach and dulce de leche turnover,they were out of the guava ones. I brought them home to share with my son. The spicy beef empanada was good but lacking the spice. It comes with a green sauce that was ok not quite a Chimichurri sauce. The potato balls are huge compared to another famous Cuban bakery, but I think the ratio of potato and beef was not right .It was too much potato and not enough beef . The chicken one my son ate and it looked the same ,it needed more chicken and the pieces of shredded chicken were too big. And Lastly the peach and dulce de leche turnover was actually quite tasty, at first I wasn't sure if those flavors went together but it works. I would come back and try some of their other stuff and maybe a coffee. read more

See all

This is a viral spot known for their Cuban baked goods, both savory and sweet ones. I'd like to think of it as a more homey Porto's with larger portions. Get the dozen empanada deal where you get two free. I'd recommend air frying them first because they're a bit dry and stale if not warm. read more

OBRA HandBakery - Chicken empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

See all

These empanadas were full of flavor and reminded me of my Cuban abuelitas empanadas. Beautiful location with very kind staff and quick service. I bought the mini dulce de leche cookies to take home to my family and they lasted 2 minutes on the kitchen table. Will be back for sure!! read more

OBRA HandBakery - Beef empanada, ropa vieja empanada, chicken curry empanada, chicken empanada - Empanadas Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Neat new bakery to the Santa Ana area, the cafe area has a good amount of seating, music was popping but you could still keep a conversation. Food was being prepared fresh. The staff were very helpful explaining the items and some of their best sellers. Would definitely recommend this place for the empanadas, will go back to try their sweet items! read more

See all

I had visited Obra in LBC and it was excellent. A nice alternative because Portos lately tastes refrigerated and processed imo, not to mention lines not worth it. Obra is smaller, family owned but does not lack in flavor anywhere. First of all, I read all the three star reviews holding this place at 3.9 stars, I would continue to give this place another try. Service and ambiance are great, It's the best thing to happen (culinary wise) to SA in a while. So glad to have Obra in town! Best potato beef balls, larger in size and tastes more homemade. Their Cuban sandwich is great for a quick lunch. In regard to desserts and pastries, go for the guanábana cheesecake and definitely don't forget a chocolate cigar ! Shop small, shop local yall. Yes it's often times a tad bit higher in price, but that's the trade off for not supporting corporations. read more

Waited about 20 minutes for our food and the spot was pretty empty and not busy. Unfortunately none of the items we ordered were good. I had the Cuban sandwich, along with the crispy chicken sandwich and guava cheesecake, and all were disappointing. Sadly, I won't be coming back. Slow service and mid food. read more

Came in early Sunday morning and were super impressed by the front of house service. We stayed in to eat our breakfast empanadas and the sitting area was very clean. Only got to try their food menu but excited to come back and try their drinks. Overall this was a great experience and excited to have a bakery that has both sweet and savory items in the south coast area! read more

See all