DINING OUT:Bakery is a Burbank original

Martino’s Bakery has been serving up baked goods to Burbank residents for generations. The business started in a garage where the owners made pies some 80 years ago and has had its share of ups and downs. Today, Martino’s is a full-service bakery with a new location on Victory Boulevard.

The new location includes café tables inside and out, coffee, espresso and fountain drinks as well as a cold-drink case. What better way to enjoy their pastries, muffins, or — what the heck — an entire pie? On a recent visit, I treated myself to a nut roll, which is basically a cinnamon roll topped with lots of slivered almonds and a sugar glaze. It’s especially good heated, but watch out — I learned the hard way that the glaze comes out of the microwave hotter than the surface of the sun.

Martino’s also makes wonderful muffins and a variety of flaky, yummy Danish pastries, including pineapple and my wife’s favorite, cheese. By the way, what we call a Danish pastry, the Danes call Viennese bread. As the story goes, bakers from Vienna first introduced the pastry to the Danish. Who knew?

And then there are the teacakes. A feature at the bakery since their creation in 1945, these square buttermilk cupcakes, iced with a sugar glaze, are a local favorite. They are very simple, but rich, moist and delicious. The same can be said for the cakes I’ve enjoyed over the years. Martino’s offers a full range of cakes for every occasion, whether special or not, including of course, weddings.

Martino’s also offers cookies, cakes, pies and breads. I also appreciate the small individual-sized pies and cakes. Their pumpkin pie tastes just like Mom used to make, and their pecan pie is terrific. Sweet and nutty, it’s as good as any pecan pie I’ve had.

I thought the blueberry pie was a bit underwhelming, however. A higher ratio of fresh fruit to filler would have been nice, and I found the crust to be too dense. Martino’s selection of breads, baked daily, is fresh and wholesome. I stopped in the other day for potato rolls, which my family and friends enjoyed at dinner. And, to top it all off, Martino’s features creamy hand-scooped Italian ice cream — gelato — that you can eat in or take home.

So, if you haven’t been to Martino’s new location, you owe it to yourself to check out this sweet Burbank original.