California Donuts
Blueberry Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Matcha Green Tea Croissant Donut
Oreo Panda
The Snickers Bar
Apple Fritter
Buttermilk Bar
Located on 3rd, and open 24/7 with a steady trickle of traffic throughout the day for freshly fried treats, California Donuts has been doing what it does for over 32 years; the evolution of ‘artisan’pastry, ‘foodie’ culture, and instagram suddenly seeing the tiny window with even smaller seating space elevated to cult status for a few audacious options along with a rather comprehensive collection of the classics. Undoubtedly a place one could mistake as just ‘another’ curbside stop in a city with no lack of such things, my 8:30am arrival found a team of at least five working diligently and after a brief wait to scope out what was most fresh I stepped up to the window – the smell of yeast and sugar instead of oil a welcome surprise. At first a bit flummoxed by language barriers, but able to eventually able to procure a half-dozen to the sum of $12.90, I quickly carried my box to a lot next door and surveying the goods my tasting began with the classics; a still-warm fritter unfortunately too oily despite ample apples while the buttermilk bar fared far better with good glaze playing off light sours. Moving next to more ‘visual’ options, neither the Oreo-embedded panda nor the yeasted Blueberry Cinnamon Toast Crunch are going to win any awards for subtlety given the substantial sugar shellacking, yet with each tasting quite good I’d not hesitate to recommend either, that reluctance instead saved for a ‘croissant donut’ that was oily and insipid, though earthen green glaze was an interesting change of pace. Saving the best, or at least most famous, for last as I shared halves (and conversation) with a homeless gentleman who’d approached me as I was taking pictures, suffice it to say that in a world where you often can ‘have too much of a good thing’ this was not one of those cases – the classic candy bar providing a molten core to fluffy dough with glaze and toppings replicating Snickers timeless flavor profile nearly spot-on.
RECOMMENDED: Buttermilk bar, Snickers.
AVOID: Apple Fritter, ‘Croissant Donuts’
TIP: Apparently the site of a grizzly parking-lot murder years back, and still the temporary home base for several unfortunate individuals today, I’d probably not venture into the area alone at night…though I certainly can see appeal of 24/7 Snickers-and-dough after a long night out while the man I encountered was entirely pleasant and thankful for both the conversation and food (he too thought the ‘cronut’ was “nasty,” by the way.)
