Randy’s Donuts – Phoenix, Arizona

There’s a scene in Iron Man 2 where billionaire playboy Tony Stark decided to treat a hangover with coffee and a box of donuts from Randy’s Donuts in Inglewood, California.  Instead of enjoying his bounty inside the restaurant like most of us earth-bound “hundredaires,”  he flew up onto the gigantic 32’6″ donut atop the building and ate his donuts there.  My first visage of Randy’s Donuts came from a more altitudinous vantage point than Stark’s.  I first espied the iconic donut on approach to the Los Angeles International Airport.  Had a parachute been available, I might have been tempted to drop down for a donut or ten.

My first actual taste of donuts from Randy’s was courtesy of the generosity of my dear friend Bruce “Sr Plata” Silver who grew up not far from the fabled donut shop.  On one of his visits home, he brought back a half dozen donuts for me.  In my 39 years of devouring dozens of donuts, I’ve never had donuts that good.  Randy’s has been making believers of superheroes and ordinary Joes like me since 1953.  That’s seventy plus years of people and palate pleasing.  Iron Man 2 is far from being the only movie in which Randy’s has made a cameo.  Other noteable appearances were the films Earth Girls Are Easy, Mars Attacks!, The Golden Child, Into the Night, Coming to America, Stripped to Kill, Problem Child 2, Breathless, Californication, California Girls, 2012, Volcano, “Crocodile Dundee in L.A., and Love Letters.

Randy’s Donuts has long been a California staple, but in recent years it’s begun expanding to donut-deprived destinations like New Mexico (coming in 2025) and Georgia.  2024 saw the launch of Randy’s in Phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert and Scottsdale.  We knew our annual Christmas season visit to the Valley of The Sun would include at least one perigrination to Randy’s Donuts.  It would hardly be a good trip without one.  We first attempted to visit the Scottsdale location, but were rebuffed when we got there just minutes after Randy’s closed.  Our third attempt was just after enjoying a fabulous meat of Isan-style Thai at Glai Baan.

Randy’s menu is replete with virtually every conceivable donut choice you could possibly crave.  The menu is categorized into several varieties:  “Classic Selections” offers thirteen different choices, such favorites as glazed raised, devil’s food and plain cake; “Deluxe Selections,” also a thirteen item menu, lists such caloric overachiever’s dreams as chocolate long johns, glazed twists and blueberry iced cake; “Fancy Selections” lists only eleven items, but who can possibly pass up cinnamon rolls, apple fritters, bear claws and even glazed crondies: “Premium Selections” also lists eleven items–such delightful creations as red velvet with ganache, matcha tea raised and bacon maple long john.  That’s 48 types of donuts.

The Takeout, an online presence “about making your life better through food” calls the long john “the king of pastries.”  It’s my very favorite of all donuts though The Takeout debated whether or not it should actually be classified as a donut.  The Takeout’s verdict: “According to Serious Eats, a doughnut is defined as “a sweet deep-fried piece of ring-shape dough or batter.” But this same glossary goes on to define a Long John as “a long, almost rectangular, filled doughnut, often iced.” So, for the sake of ease (and because minutiae of this sort can be exhausting), I’m sticking with the colloquial genus. A Long John is a doughnut.  Not only is a long john a donut, it’s the most delicious donut in the universe, especially Randy’s version.

It could also be debated whether those spiral fondant-glazed pastries are a cinnamon roll.  Though they resemble a honey bun, the question as to whether or not they’re cinnamon rolls depends on how much cinnamon you’ll find within those layers of spiraled dough.  At Randy’s, they are donuts–replete with cinnamon and deliciousness.  There’s absolutely no question the cinnamon crumb donut is bursting with cinnamon.  It’s a bit messy, but what’s a few crumbs when a donut abounds in glorious sweet flavors.

When the inevitable crush of donut aficionados hits Albuquerque upon the launch of the Duke City’s Randy’s Donuts, we’ll be happy and proud to say “been there and done that.”  I have a feeling we’ll be building on our list of favorites for a long time.

Randy’s Donuts
5709 N 7th Street
Phoenix, Arizona
(480) 716-1999
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LATEST VISIT: 26 December 2024
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: Chocolate Long John, Cinnamon Roll, Cinnamon Crumb, Vanilla Donut
REVIEW #1441