The ultimate power couple that can potentially take over the world is the coffee and donut duo, particularly the donut. The fact that a calendar day in June is dedicated to celebrate its greatness shows that the donut is much more than just fried dough, but a worthy addition of calories.
The Daily 49er channels into donut shops, preaching about their favorite spots throughout the Long Beach area.
Broadway Donuts
Ariana Sawyer, News Editor
1200 E Broadway St.
I’m no doughnut judge, but these fried cakes are really the best. And it isn’t just sugary treats Broadway Donuts offers. Located on Broadway and Orange, they have about 20 different coffee brews with everything from Colombian to flavored hazelnut. I’m pretty sure they have every possible cream flavor, too. On top of all that, the everything bagels are the best in town. What really won me over, though, are the sometimes smiling, usually grumpy old married couple who take turns working the cash register and doing the cooking.
Simone’s Donuts
Madison D’Ornellas, managing editor
6400 E Stearns St.
Simone’s Donuts is a space to create memories. Stupid, heartfelt vignettes.
And to stuff your face with Cronuts.
I have met close friends at Simone’s. I have left relationships at Simone’s. And I have gone to Simone’s at four in the morning for peace, quiet and the best selection of doughnuts at any doughnut shop in Long Beach. Nestled on the corner of Stearns and Palo Verde, this 24-hour pastry paradise is the perfect place to meet up with an old roommate, digest a hearty Italian meal from the delicious and closeby Marri’s Pizza and Pasta or to simply kill time in between classes.
And the Cronuts.
Day & Night Donuts
Miranda Andrade-Ceja, Arts & Life Editor
4004 E 7th St
24-hour doughnut stops seem to be the closest we can come to an all day, all night accessibility to coffee (and, consequently: caffeine)—but when the doughnuts are good, it’s totally worth it. That’s the case at Day & Night Donuts, a cozy doughnut shop located on Termino avenue and 7th street. My first experience at Day & Night Donuts was with a girl I was relatively infatuated with, and I thank her for leading me to this shop’s light, fluffy doughnuts. It’s not the fanciest doughnut you could ask for, but when you’re asking for a piece of fried bread, who needs fancy?
It didn’t work out with the girl, but at least I can say that she gave me the greatest gift of all: a delicious late-night snack place.
Colonial Bakery
Kevin Flores, special issues editor
355 Pacific Ave
Looking for a health-conscious, vegan-friendly doughnut-eries? Well tough titty. Colonial Bakery is an old-school no-frills neighborhood hole in the wall with holes in their dough. It’s the kind of place where old men hang out, swap stories and drink bitter coffee out of Styrofoam cups.
On the fringe of downtown, the establishment has been open for over three decades and is run by a husband and wife duo. Apart from doughnuts, the menu includes various made-to-order sandwiches. The highlight is the egg and bacon croissant, which is fatty and flakey and warm in all the best ways; heaven on a hung-over Saturday morning.
Aesthetically the bakery isn’t much to see: some beat up seating, linoleum tiles and tall glass windowpanes. But it’s that unaffectedness that gives Colonial Bakery its charm. Even after being featured in the television show “Dexter,” this is a no-pretension zone, so go ahead and shamble in with mussed hair, sleep lines and pajamas—just don’t forget the dough, it’s a cash-only joint.
Winchell’s Donut House
Josh Barajas, Sports Editor
1695 W Pacific Coast Hwy
Yes, I know Winchell’s is the Jack in the Box of doughnut shops. I know there are dozens of them scattered throughout Los Angeles and none of them feel like your grandmother’s house. But if you’re like me and you want your doughnuts fast and cheap (all while avoiding any human connection) then the Winchell’s Donut House on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Fe is your place.
The doughnuts are so fat and spectacular, they don’t overdo it with the chocolate and frosting toppings, and the sugar and glazed doughnuts are coated just enough to where you don’t hate yourself (as much) after you eat one, two, or five of them. Do yourself a favor and grab a chocolate doughnut and throw some sprinkles on it for good measure.
Krispy Kreme
Greg Diaz, Editor-in-chief
4760 E Los Coyotes Diagonal
I get it. Saying Krispy Kreme is my favorite doughnut place is like saying I root for the Yankees or the Patriots. But no list of doughnut-eries wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the light and fluffy sugar-glazed goodness of the classic Krispy Kreme. Sure, it’s like injecting 50cc’s of diabetes straight into my health insurance, but oh so good.
Let’s not forget the magic of the little green light, signaling that even the workers want every unpurchased doughnut to find a home.
Part of the love for the doughnut comes from being able to see them produced. Whose eyes haven’t tracked the path of a singular doughnut as it makes its way down the conveyer belt? Who hasn’t said to themselves, that is going to be my doughnut well before it hits the counter? Who hasn’t warded off potential interlopers with a high-pitched scream of “mine”? No, just me.
