Doughnut Days: Arcadia Crullers

As you may recall, in the spring, I eat doughnuts, lots of doughnuts. Well, actually I eat many fewer the older I get, but I still do a doughnut tour every spring. I always hit a few favorites but also try to find something new each spring.

I've been to all of the touted Doughnutteries, and every year it becomes harder to find something new and promising. This year, I consulted the good folks at Chowhound where poster JeetJet turned me on to two Arcadia doughnut shops within a couple of miles of each other: A.M. Donuts and Peacock Donuts.

We started at A.M., which is located in a strip mall under a sign that simply reads "Donuts." I tried a raised glazed (my standard), a buttermilk bar and an old fashioned. The raised glazed was light and pillowy, as promised, but it was a bit bland. It lacked the yeasty flavors that I love from Stan's in Westwood, and it was a too sweet. The other doughnuts were competent, but not particularly exciting.

Then it was on to Peacock, where we tried the glazed French cruller. Now, while my doughnut days usually focus on raised glazed, I love a French cruller; I've always been a fan of the cruller's light, airy consistency. The crullers at Peacock were out of this world. The dough had a wonderfully soft, moist, egginess to it, almost like a custard. I quickly ordered more. These were definitely the best French crullers I've had in town, though I should note that I've never had the crullers at Donut Man in Glendora, which are much loved (they were out of them the time I went). If you love crullers, Peacock Doughnuts is definitely worth a trip.

Both these places open early but close when the doughnuts run out, which is usually around 2:00 p.m.


Peacock Donuts
34 E. Duarte Rd.
Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 445-6564

A.M. Donuts
34 W. Las Tunas Dr.
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 574-0160