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A box of various doughnuts shown from above at an angle, in a white box.
The Donut Man
Wonho Frank Lee

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Take a Look at LA’s Historic Donut Man, Frying Up in Downtown Tomorrow

The 48-year-old shop expands into Grand Central Market tomorrow, and there are free doughnuts for those who show up to celebrate

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.

Downtown LA’s doughnut game is about to get a whole lot better. Starting tomorrow, fans of the historic 48-year-old Donut Man way out on Route 66 in Glendora can get the shop’s signature fruit-stuffed delicacies from a brand new stall inside Grand Central Market, the century-old open-air marketplace that spans half a city block between Hill and Broadway.

News of the Donut Man’s expansion into Grand Central Market first surfaced in November of last year, with an opening originally planned for February of this year. The pandemic, rolling lockdowns, and ongoing protests over police brutality slowed the iconic shop’s arrival, but now the first day of service is here. Starting tomorrow, fans can queue up (safely, of course) for boxes of fresh doughnuts and tiger tails.

Hours for the Jim and Miyoko Nakano-owned doughnut stand run 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. What’s more, for tomorrow’s grand opening the company is giving away a free sprinkle doughnut to the first 100 diners in line.

The Donut Man at Grand Central Market. 317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles.

A worker at a doughnut shop prepares dough by sifting flour from above.
A doughnut shop worker in a mask rolls out dough.
A doughnut shop worker spreads chocolate out on dough.
A doughnut worker twists tiger tails to fry.
A worker using sticks turns tiger tail doughnuts in fryer oil.
Tiger tails
A doughnut shop worker turns over freshly glazed doughnuts.
A doughnut shop worker fills up doughnuts with jelly from a machine.
A tray of doughnuts at the ready, including lots of fruit.
Strawberry doughnuts being made from the top.
Two hands drop a fresh strawberry doughnut from the top.
A new doughnut stall inside of an open air marketplace.
The fresh new stall, facing the Broadway side
The sign for the Donut Man, a golden logo with a person holding a coffee mug.
The Donut Man’s menu, held on a brick wall.
A white box of doughnuts shown from the top down from the Donut Man in Los Angeles, California.
A full box

Grand Central Market

317 South Broadway, , CA 90013 (213) 359-6007 Visit Website
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