Danny Trejo Brings a Killer Doughnut Game to Hollywood

Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

Actor Danny Trejo is an indelible part of the Los Angeles landscape. The East LA native has been portraying tough guys in cinema for decades, but more recently started lending his face and name to an ever-expanding collection of restaurant concepts — including Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts which quietly starts serving tomorrow.

Not that there’s anything particularly quiet about the location, right on the corner of Santa Monica and Highland. The shop itself is also hot pink, so expect tons of looks just from the color palette alone.

And of course, Trejo brings his own crowds wherever his name pops up. In fact, the push behind the celebrity backer has been so fierce, Trejo and his team are now envisioning a companywide valuation at somewhere in the area of $100 million, spurred partially by their decision to keep locations local (for now) and attempt to own every level of the process, from hot sauce manufacturing to coffee roasting.

Indeed, this new Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts will carry locally-fired beans that bear Trejo’s signature grimace, and you’ll even be able to purchase bags to take home with you. To drink, you can have espresso and drip coffee, plus caffe con leche.

And then there’s the food, with classics like cake doughnuts and sprinkles, apple fritters, and yeast doughnuts like chocolate crumb — to say nothing of the more inventive flavors like nacho, which comes topped with cheddar cheese, jalapeños, and hot sauce. There’s supposedly even a machete-shaped donut, for fans of Trejo’s most iconic role.

Pastry chef Dianne Crame, formerly at BOA Steakhouse, The Bazaar, and Patina, is behind the culinary operation here. There’s no seating inside the former Donut Time space, but a railing along the windows provides plenty of stand-and-chow room for folks on the go.

Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts hits the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland tomorrow morning, soft opening at 7 a.m. and running until they sell out.

Trejo’s Coffee & Donuts
6785 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA