If you ever get a sudden hankering for croquetas and café con leche in the middle of the night (and really, who doesn't?), you're in luck.
Chances are you've visited Karla Bakery or served its pastelitos at one of your parties. Well, then, there's good news for you: The chain, which has three locations, has extended the hours of its two Flagler Street stores to serve you around the clock.
See also: See also Miami's Ten Best Bakeries
Karla Bakery was founded on the recipes and traditions of the Gonzalez family. You can say the the seeds were planted generations ago by brothers Benny, Alfredo, and Israel, who were all pastry chefs in Cuba.
Years after being separated due to the political unrest in their home country, the brothers were reunited in the States, but not before they had developed their own skills and recipes. Benny Gonzalez was even awarded honorary membership into the American Culinary Federation and was selected to create a birthday cake for President Ronald Reagan.
Realizing that his family's recipes were too tasty to bogart, Benny's son, Miguel, decided to share these pastries with Miami residents. In 1989, he opened the first bakery with his wife, Karla.
Now, the couple has made the products of these recipes available 24 hours a day at two stores, on 8353 and 6474 West Flagler Street.
Asked whether crowds visit the bakery late at night, Brenda, manager at the location off of 82 Avenue, says that, "Yes, plenty of people come in for café con leches and sandwiches."
"Oh yeah, a lot of people come in. They get pastelitos, croquetas, media noches, and cafe. We get quite a crowd," adds Yami, a bakery employee.
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