Southern California

Voodoo Doughnut Opens at Universal CityWalk

The Portland pastry icon makes its first SoCal showing.

When word arrived in May 2016 that Voodoo Doughnut, one of the ultimate edible icons of the great city of Portland, Oregon, would make its Southern California debut, pastry-loving people around LA nodded, collectively and enthusiastically.

Because here's the thing: There's always room for more doughnut consumption 'round this region, a place that's basically worn a delicious crown made of doughnuts for decades, and has refused, politely, and with kindness, to ever give that doughnut crown up.

In short? Welcome, Voodoo Doughnut. You're now open on Universal CityWalk, as of Thursday, March 9, though let it be known it is a soft opening, which is restaurant parlance, or restaurantese, if you prefer, for "just getting going." 

A soft opening, though, fits well for a spot selling oh-so-soft, easy-to-bite delectables that are sometimes garishly decorated, and named, as is the famous way of Voodoo Doughnut.

Doughnut types have included the Grape Ape — mmm, grape dust and lavender sprinkles — and the Arnold Palmer doughnut, which boasts hint o' both lemonade and iced tea.

Have you seen this founded-in-2003 indie doughnut shop on a food show or in a magazine? Very likely. Have you queued up, in the rain, in Portland, for a maple bacon bar? Many have. 

Do you happen to know that LA isn't the first out-of-state outpost for the delightfully daffy doughnut-porium? It's not. There are shops in Denver, Austin, and beyond. (And "delightfully daffy," of course, is said in a complimentary manner, an ode to the company's panache.)

LA still will not relinquish its doughnut crown, nor should it: We like our fried, doughy, sometimes round, sometimes fritter-shaped, sometimes globular goodies, and that's that. It's tradition. It is, in fact, the way of things.

But trying treats from points beyond our own doughnut-devoted metro is part of what wearing a doughnut crown entails, too. One thing to note, if you can't wait: The soft opening has "limited hours" for the time being, so keep that in mind if you head up the hill for an Arnold Palmer.

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