Every once in a while, a new restaurant opens that seems to attract more people than almost any other place. I happened to stop in at the new Kinkas Bakery & CafĂ© â located at 24020 S.R. 54, a little bit west of Oak Grove Blvd. in Lutzâ shortly after it opened a little more than a month ago and I honestly have yet to see the place be anything other than packed, no matter what time Iâve visited.
And, Iâve honestly already visited pretty often. The husband-and-wife team of Tomas de Jesus and Yenastrid Perera (although, he says, âSheâs the real boss here!â) is a couple from Puerto Rico who bring their own recipes to this truly delicious place that features almost 100% house-baked pies, cakes and other decadent desserts, perfect cafĂ© con lechĂ© and what I believe is the main reason itâs always so crowded â a different-each-day rotation of prepared hot foods.
To date, I have sampled the pernil (roast pork), boneless and bone-in ribs and my favorite so far, the beef stew. Please note that beef and cheese, chicken and a variety of other empanadas, as well as butter, chocolate, almond and other croissants are available every day.
As for the desserts, Iâve only sampled a couple, but the homemade Reeseâs peanut butter cheesecake is as good as any Iâve had anywhere, including New York.
Kinkas is busiest on the weekends â when the line can literally be out the front door â but I assure you that itâs worth the (usually short) wait.
Kinkas Bakery & CafĂ© is open every day except Monday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. For more info, call (813) 333-4032 or visit KinkasBakery.com â and please tell Yenastrid and Tomas I sent you.