For years, Inland Empire residents have logged serious miles on the 10 freeway just to reach Porto’s Bakery — West Covina, Buena Park, wherever the nearest location happened to be — for cheese rolls, potato balls, and Cuban pastries that make the drive feel worth it. That ritual is about to get a lot shorter. Porto’s has confirmed its first Inland Empire location in Ontario, California, anchoring a new commercial development near Ontario International Airport, with an opening projected for 2028.
A Campus, Not Just a Counter
Porto’s Ontario isn’t a strip-mall outpost — it’s an 8.6-acre development with ambitions to match.
Three commercial buildings. Roughly 50,000 square feet of restaurant, café, and retail space. Outdoor dining areas, landscaped walkways, and a central plaza. The site sits at the southwest corner of Archibald Avenue and Inland Empire Boulevard, near Interstate 10 and Ontario International Airport — a location as convenient for travelers passing through as for families making it a weekend destination.
The scale here signals something more than a standard expansion. Ontario city officials say the development is expected to create hundreds of local jobs and attract thousands of visitors daily. According to city officials, Ontario worked nearly a decade to bring Porto’s to the region and sees the project as a way to activate a long-vacant site.
- First Inland Empire location for the six-location Southern California chain
- Site: southwest corner of Archibald Avenue and Inland Empire Boulevard, Ontario
- Development: approximately 8.6 acres, 50,000 sq ft across three commercial buildings
- Construction expected to begin in 2027; Porto’s opening projected for 2028
- Expected to create hundreds of local jobs; city officials reportedly pursued the project for nearly a decade
The Family Finally Has a Home Here
Porto’s roots run deep — and so does the loyalty of the customers who’ve been crossing county lines for it.
CEO Raul Porto captured the moment plainly: “For years, we’ve welcomed guests from across the Inland Empire who have traveled to visit our bakeries, and we’re excited to finally have a home here.” It’s a statement that lands differently when you consider the brand’s history. Porto’s was founded in 1960 by Cuban refugee Rosa Porto and remains family-owned, with second-generation family members — including siblings Betty, Margaret, and Raul Porto — guiding the business today.
That continuity is part of what drives the loyalty. Meanwhile, Porto’s Downtown Disney location in Anaheim is also under construction, planned to include a bakery, quick-service café, sit-down restaurant, and full bar — a distinct format from the Ontario project’s restaurant, café, and retail concept. Ontario isn’t a footnote in a larger expansion story. It’s its own chapter, built for the community that kept showing up long before there was a location nearby.
What’s Still Unknown
The announcement is real; several specifics have not yet been publicly detailed.
The exact menu, operating hours, parking arrangements, and additional tenants for the broader development have not been announced. An official opening date remains unclear beyond the 2028 projection, and construction is expected to begin in 2027.
Given the lines that wrap around existing Porto’s locations on a typical weekend, Ontario’s long-vacant corner is likely to see significant demand from day one — though just how that demand is managed will depend on details still to come.
