There is a donut shop in Los Angeles that charges twelve dollars for a single donut and has a line that extends down the block on weekends. I went because Charlotte asked me to and because I was curious about what twelve dollars buys in donut form. The answer is: a lot, actually. That visit kicked off a period of paying closer attention to what the artisan donut scene in Los Angeles is doing, which has been more interesting than I expected. This is a guide to the premium donut, the two shops I trust most, and how to tell when the upgrade is actually worth it.
What the Premium Donut Actually Is
The thing that distinguishes a serious donut from the pink box at a gas station is the same thing that distinguishes any good pastry: quality of ingredients and care in execution. Brioche-enriched dough made with good butter and eggs, fried in clean oil at the right temperature, topped with flavors that are made from real ingredients rather than commercial flavoring compounds. The difference between a donut topped with fresh lemon curd and one topped with artificial lemon filling is not subtle. Freshness is the other half of the equation. A donut is at its best within an hour or two of frying, which is why the shops that fry in small batches throughout the day taste so much better than a tray that has been sitting since dawn.
Sidecar Doughnuts: Small-Batch and Made All Day
Sidecar Doughnuts, which opened in Costa Mesa in 2012 and has since expanded to Santa Monica and Del Mar, is the most consistent premium donut experience we have found in Southern California. The whole operation is built around freshness: the donuts are made by hand in small batches throughout the day rather than fried once in the morning, so what you get is genuinely fresh rather than several hours old. The flavors rotate, with a monthly menu of specials alongside the year-round classics. The signature Huckleberry, a huckleberry-glazed donut, is the one to try first, and the Butter & Salt is the deceptively simple one that shows off the quality of the dough. Both girls have been enthusiastic advocates of Sidecar since their first visit.
- Santa Monica: 631 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401, (310) 587-0022 (a few blocks from the pier and beach)
- Costa Mesa: 270 E. 17th St #18, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, (949) 873-5424
- Hours: Generally from 6:30am into the early evening; the freshest selection is in the morning.
- Order this: The Huckleberry, the Butter & Salt, and whatever the monthly special is.
- Good to know: Pair a donut with one of their signature-blend coffees; the open kitchen lets you watch the donuts being made.
Bob’s Coffee & Doughnuts: The Old-School Counter-Argument
Bob’s Coffee & Doughnuts in the Original Farmers Market on Fairfax is the counter-argument to the premium-donut philosophy: a Los Angeles institution that has been frying cake and yeast doughnuts fresh every morning since 1947, with no pretension and excellent results. The glazed donut is made with straightforward skill, and the crullers and old-fashioneds are the kind of classics that do not need reinventing. Brad is a committed cruller person and this is where he goes for it. It is proof that a great donut does not have to be a twelve-dollar event; sometimes it is a couple of dollars and a coffee at a counter that has been doing the same thing well for decades.
- Address: Original Farmers Market, 6333 W 3rd St (corner of 3rd & Fairfax), Los Angeles, CA 90036, (323) 933-8929
- Hours: Roughly Monday–Friday 9am–9pm, with slightly different weekend hours; morning is best for the freshest selection.
- Order this: The glazed donut, a cruller, and a simple coffee.
- Good to know: Lines get long, so go early. The Farmers Market offers a few hours of free parking, which makes it an easy stop.
Premium vs. Classic: How to Decide
These two shops represent the two ends of the donut spectrum, and both are worth your time depending on what you want. Go to Sidecar when you want the modern, small-batch experience: rotating flavors, brioche-style dough, and a donut that tastes like it was made an hour ago, because it was. Go to Bob’s when you want the classic, unfussy version done by a place that has had decades to perfect it. The premium experience is not automatically better; it is better when the extra cost buys real ingredients and real freshness, and merely more expensive when it does not.
How to Spot a Donut Worth Paying Up For
- Check the freshness model. Shops that fry in small batches throughout the day beat shops that fry once at dawn.
- Read the toppings. Real fruit curds, fresh glazes, and recognizable ingredients justify a higher price; artificial flavoring compounds do not.
- Feel the dough. A good brioche-enriched donut is light and tender, not dense or greasy.
- Trust your palate over the price tag. If a twelve-dollar donut tastes like real ingredients, it earns it; if it tastes like a four-dollar donut with a markup, it does not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sidecar’s most famous donut? The Huckleberry, a huckleberry-glazed donut, is the signature, alongside a rotating monthly menu of specials.
When should I go to avoid the lines? Early morning on a weekday at both shops. Weekend mornings draw the longest lines, especially at Bob’s in the Farmers Market.
Is the premium donut trend worth it? Sometimes. It is worth it when the price buys genuinely better ingredients and same-day freshness, which both Sidecar and Bob’s deliver in their own ways.
The Bottom Line
The luxury donut trend is real, and some of it is genuinely excellent. The artisan pricing is sometimes justified and sometimes not, and the way to tell is whether the flavors taste like they were made with real ingredients or with artificial versions of real ingredients. Your palate will know the difference even if your brain is trying to justify the price. For my money, Sidecar is the best of the modern shops and Bob’s is the best of the classics, and you do not have to choose between them.
