Real Donuts North Las Vegas
Large Apple Fritter
Old Fashioned
Buttermilk Bar
Bear Claw
Crumb Cake
Located in North Las Vegas with the sort of dingy confines that makes one wonder exactly how the place has remained in business for so long it was late-morning when I stopped in to Real Donuts on East Lake Mead, and fortunate to find a new batch of fried treats immerging fresh from the kitchen as I arrived a $6 order was placed, the lone English speaking clerk providing excellent service and explaining a number of the Hispanic baked goods to me, as well, until a few more patrons arrived.
Eschewing boxes in favor of bags, and as such sort of haphazardly packing my quintet of donuts with a wad of napkins, it was at a small table in the narrow space that I sat to enjoy and with several families filtering in and out the doors throughout the fifteen-minutes that followed an answer to the earlier proposed question arose, almost every person that entered greeted as a regular with several on a first name basis grabbing a dozen or more colorful pan dulce to go.
Happy to find three of my five selections still-warm to the touch it was with the buttermilk bar that the tasting began and eating only halves to preserve room for a long day of eating I immediately knew restraint would be a challenge, the simple glaze not over applied and thus allowing the tangy interior to shine, a similar sort of experience offered by the sour cream old fashioned that followed – each bite melting on the tongue until the whole cog-wheel was gone.
Finding a great deal of disappointment in the Bear Claw, a doughy yeasted 12oz belly-bomb that was questionably fresh with sickeningly sweet apple pie filling inside, it was after only a small bite that the rest was discarded and somewhat returning to form with a soft cinnamon round topped in sugary crumbles it was with the the ‘jumbo’ apple fritter that the experience finished, the exterior not quite as crisp as the superlative versions at Ace or Friendly but the pillow-soft interior rife with cinnamon and large pockets of sugar-soaked fruit and not a hint of grease.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: Not exactly in the nicest part of town, nor to be mistaken for the doughnuttery of a similar name on West Charleston, Real Donuts of North Las Vegas is another mom ‘n pop spot worth checking out for those in the area, the donuts themselves nothing that cannot be found better elsewhere but the popular Mexican pastries perhaps worth a second look.
RECOMMENDED: Buttermilk Bar, Sour Cream Old Fashioned
AVOID: Bear Claw
TIP: Cash only with no restroom and minimal seating, those looking for a place to linger over coffee are advised to look elsewhere.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
