Randy’s Donuts

Los Angeles, CA (The Joy of Food) — If you’ve ever flown into the City of Angels, you’ve been welcomed to town by a giant donut on top of a shack, a sight as venerable a part of the L.A. landscape as the Hollywood sign, the Griffith, or the Getty.

Almost everybody eats donuts once in a while, especially with today’s options that satisfy a myriad of tastes. Stretchy Japanese-style donuts from the likes of Mochinut and Mochidon might be all the rage now, alluringly sticky and deceivingly light with their airiness, and boutique donuts from places like Birdies and Primo’s are still the epitome of sophistication, and then there’s the weirdo stuff from Voodoo that pumps filling into nooks and crannies that shall not be mentioned. But classic never goes out of style.

It is a bit of a to-do to wait out the long line at Randy’s surrounded by the cacophony of Manchester Boulevard, the people from all walks of life for whom this is a pilgrimage, and the landing planes overhead. This is one of those places that is always busy, particularly after a sporting event or a concert at the nearby Forum. There will be cars and people everywhere. 

The baking powder (cake) donuts beat the yeast-raised donuts here most of the time, with the exception of the sugar-raised, the chosen one for me every visit, freshly fried, soft, and coated with a healthy dose of granulated sugar. The donuts here are slightly crisp on the outside and not too oily, not too much like bread, and not sweet enough to send you into hyperglycemic shock.

The filled stuff is also great, either bars or puffy balls sort of resembling Munchkins from that east coast chain that I won’t name, but done much better, stuffed full of fruity jellies and decadent creams that take me back to the days of my youth, when my biggest decision of the day was how many donuts to eat, and things like calories didn’t matter.

Certainly no other donut shop is as iconic or as integrated into pop culture. Mention Randy’s and, like Madonna or Cher, everybody knows what you’re talking about. And I’ll never forget the day I watched the Space Shuttle Endeavor being dragged through the streets, during the golden hour, to its new home at the California Science Center, at one point a large donut in the sky visible in the foreground and the setting sun and palm trees painted in the background. It doesn’t get any more L.A. than this.

You may or may not know that Randy’s was originally part of a conglomeration known as the Big Donut Drive-In, a small chain of now-defunct shops sporting giant donuts on their roofs. There were ten locations, of which five still exist (including Randy’s), each with different ownership, signage, and naming. 

In present times, Randy’s is once again expanding across L.A. and into other parts of the state and world, where the name may say ‘Randy’s’ but the giant 40-foot donut on the roof is no where to be found. Hopefully, if you’re lucky enough to have a newly risen Randy’s near you, the donuts live up to the original.

Written by Joy

Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.

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