If aliens were to beam down to our city to pick up some Melbourne artefacts, no doubt they'd swing by the American Doughnut Kitchen van at Queen Victoria Market. These sugar-dusted hot jam doughnuts have been giving Melburnians their sweet-and-fried fix since 1950, and we've even crowned them as one of Melbourne's must-try eats.
But this week marks a new and exciting chapter for the beloved vintage van, which has just announced its opening date for a new bricks-and-mortar store at Prahran Market: Saturday 6 July. Yippee! For the first time, you'll be able to pair your doughnut with a delicious cup of coffee for the ultimate market breakfast.
And don't just expect another van. The new shop features a fit-out that pays homage to the truck, with the same open work station so you can watch all that glorious doughnut magic take place – from the cutting and cooking, to the royal jam and sugar treatment. It's an immersive in-store experience guaranteed to enthral old-timers, little ones and kids at heart alike.
As for the celebrity-status doughnuts, not much needs to be said if you've tried them. They've got the perfect Goldilocks level of oily crunch and they're piped with a sweet red dollop of classic raspberry plum jam (that's well worth getting your hands sticky for), then dusted in a generous snow of sugar. It's the taste of childhood in a single bite.
American Doughnut Kitchen managing director Belinda Donaghey has shared her excitement at finally bringing the iconic taste of her grandfather’s jam doughnuts to shoppers at Prahran Market.
“Our handmade doughnuts that we still make using the same original recipe have been a favourite among Melburnians for generations. The opening of our Prahran Market shop represents another exciting milestone in the American Doughnut Kitchen legacy. We look forward to serving our delicious doughnuts to new and existing Southside customers for years to come," she said.
The new American Doughnut Kitchen at Prahran Market officially opens its doors on Saturday, July 6. To celebrate the opening, the sweet purveyors are offering free doughnuts and free puppuccinos to the first 200 shoppers from 9am.
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