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| - ¡Azúcar! Is this the only Cuban bakery in Las Vegas? The sign advertises that they are "like Porto's," where I've never been, but I understand is the west coast standard for Cuban bakeries. I also know that Porto's is approximately the size of the entire island of Cuba, which Roly's certainly is not. I'm from south Florida, where there's a lot more variety and competition for this style of bakery, but I can report that I'm very pleased to have Roly's here in Vegas.
My first visit (I was driving east on Tropicana and made a right turn with no notice when I saw a sign that said "cuban coffee"), I started with my standard order: cafe con leche and a guava-cheese turnover. The turnover was good, but did not fully meet my expectations (a bit dry? not enough cream cheese?), and I was disappointed when my cuban espresso with steamed milk was served unsweetened. In Florida, it is automatically assumed that you want sugar, or they will ask, already fully prepared to pour a full cup of sugar into the hot espresso. Only in Las Vegas, and a small Cuban cafe in Tucson, has my coffee left me wondering, where's my azúcar? Sure, I can sweeten it myself, but I don't enjoy the guilty feeling of dumping loads of sugar into my coffee cup. I could continue this rant, but instead I will note that I'm glad that I selected a slice of guava cake to take home, as it tasted fresh and moist and convinced me that Roly's deserved another visit.
The selections I tried on my second trip were better. I found a slice of the guava strudel more pleasing than the turnover with cream cheese from my first visit, and was introduced to the masareal de coco, two layers of dense, cookie-like cake sandwiched with a sweet coconut filling. I also love the tocinillo de cielo, a dense, yellow flan on top of a layer of sponge cake that helps soak up the caramel syrup. In addition to desserts, Roly's does have a menu of savory options. My husband has tried the traditional pressed sandwich, and said it was OK, but he doesn't have much Cuban sandwich experience for comparison. Having never sampled Cuban pizza, I ordered a veggie, which came topped with fresh spinach, onions, green bell peppers, cheese, and a sweet tomato sauce with a hint of cumin. The crust was more like a thick round of focaccia, so it was a very bready pizza. I'm glad to have tried it once, but probably would not order it again.
Prices are very fair at Roly's: many of the desserts are under $1. Breakfast specials are cheap and worth checking out. Empanadas and papa rellena (those little fried mashed potato balls with a ground beef filling that people seem to be so obsessed with) are also available. Plus, the place is usually packed with Cubans taking multiple boxes of pastries to go. You may wait a bit for counter service, but I think that's a good sign.
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