Since 2021, Bella Flan Bakery & Café has been serving up authentic Cuban food to the surrounding areas of Richardson. This establishment has nearly perfect ratings and boldly claims to have the “best Cubano in Dallas”. With a wide range of delicious meals, vegetarian dishes, desserts and pastries, there is likely an offering to make everyone happy.
Starting off strong, we tried Bella Flan’s famous Cubano, except as its vegetarian counterpart. Layered with mushrooms, pineapple, pickles and served with plantain chips, this sandwich brought an interesting flavor combo that satisfies both sweet and salty flavor profiles. Encapsulated in a perfectly crispy and soft bun, this sandwich will be a repeat purchase, ensuring vegetarians are not missing out on “Dallas’ best Cubano.”
Next was the spinach and feta croquette. This was a tasty bite with a super crispy exterior. The inside was creamy with feta cheese that added a salty touch. Overall, this croquette was good, but we would venture to try something different next time. You must buy each small croquette individually, so we recommend buying multiple or a different meal instead if you are hungry.
If you’re looking for a light, savory treat, the Papa Rellena, also known as a Cuban potato ball, is a great choice. Papa Rellena is a fried dish with mashed potato and meat filling. The meat has tremendous amounts of flavor from spices and vegetables and combines well with the creamy mashed potato filling. The crispy deep-fried panko outside gives a very nice crunch. Though not our favorite item, we would definitely revisit it on our next trip back.
Of course, we could not go to the Bella Flan without getting their award-winning Cubano sandwich. The bread is an authentic Cuban bread that is thin but still has a soft inside and crunchy outside. The sandwich is filled with Cuban mojo pork, savory ham, Swiss cheese, crisp pickles and spicy mustard and is served with crispy plantain chips. This sandwich was Jill’s favorite item, and we would happily get it again.
For dessert, Bella Flan lives up to its name and has a lot of beautiful flans to choose from. This time, we tried the coconut and traditional Cuban flan. The flan was very creamy, smooth and velvet-like. The coconut had a well-balanced tropical coconut taste that was strong, not overpowering, and just right. The caramel topping was thick enough to coat the flan nicely but still did not throw the whole dessert off balance. We would get this every time and recommend it to anyone who tries Bella Flan.
Bella Flan Bakery & Cafe is a hidden gem restaurant in Richardson. It’s located at W. Arapaho Road, about a 15-minute drive from campus.
Bella Flan’s dishes definitely stand out, but it is their customer service that makes them shine. The website is incredibly welcoming with a full menu and messages for their guests. In person, the owner is often present and is always very friendly and efficient with customers.
Overall, we would visit again and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for some delicious traditional Cuban food.
Jillian’s rating: A+
Taylor’s Rating: B+
