Organization
California Donuts
California Donuts is a family-run Cambodian American donut shop in Koreatown, Los Angeles, open 24 hours a day since 1982.[1][2] First- and second-generation Cambodian immigrants run it from a strip mall at 3rd Street and New Hampshire Avenue. It has introduced many donut flavors, among them donuts made with Snickers bars.[2][3]
History
The founders were Cambodian immigrants who had worked in factories under the Khmer Rouge before coming to the United States. In 1982 they pooled all the money they could to buy the corner shop, and they worked there full-time.[3][4] Their daughter Danette Kuoch grew up in the business and took it over with her sister in 2003. Her parents later came back from retirement to help, and family members still bake, sell and run the shop.[3]
Kuoch's sister created the shop's panda donut.[3] It has worked with Disney and Pixar on the home release of Turning Red, with LINE FRIENDS minini and Care Bears on donuts, merchandise and shop takeovers, with KimChi Chic Beauty on donut palettes, and with the Hollywood Bowl and the Los Angeles Philharmonic for their Disney concerts.[4] During the Los Angeles wildfires of January 2025 it ran a Donut Drive, using donations to send boxes of donuts to first responders, volunteers and families.[3] Some of its staff started working there as children and stayed on through college.[3]
Food
The counter holds classic donuts such as glazed, old-fashioned, buttermilk bars, Boston cream and pink-frosted with rainbow sprinkles, alongside flavors such as matcha green tea, horchata, taro and a rose-water Rosie.[5][6] Specialty donuts are topped with cereal, candy bars and Girl Scout cookies, and some are shaped or decorated as pandas and unicorns.[1] The shop also makes letter-shaped donuts that spell out words, oversized 8-by-8 donuts and custom designs, and it marks holidays and events with themed donuts, such as Star Wars donuts for May the 4th, donuts for Los Angeles Dodgers victories and Bad Bunny donuts for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.[5] Croissants, breakfast sandwiches, muffins, bagels, coffee drinks, Thai iced tea and matcha lattes fill out the menu.[5][6]
Press
The New York Times has written about the shop's bubbly letter-shaped donuts, and Time and Eater LA have covered it in stories on Southern California donut culture and the next generation of Los Angeles donut shop owners.[4] Food Network Magazine, KCAL News (National Donut Day, 2023) and ABC 7 have also featured it, and its custom donuts appeared on Keeping Up with the Kardashians.[4] Annenberg Media called it an L.A. icon in January 2025.[3] Tasting Table named it the best donut shop in California in January 2026 and again in May 2026.[2][5]
Visiting
The shop has a small parking lot, with street parking on New Hampshire Avenue when the lot is full. Orders can be placed up to one week ahead.[1][5] It is the only California Donuts location, although two other shops use the same name.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Time Out Los Angeles, California Donuts (July 2025)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Tasting Table, The best donut shop in each state (January 2026)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Annenberg Media, California Donuts, the L.A. staple founded by Cambodian immigrants, gives back to the community (January 2025)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 California Donuts, About us
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Tasting Table, This 44-year-old donut shop reigns supreme in California (May 2026)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 California Donuts, online ordering menu (Toast)