Story & Photos by Roxanne Diana
What do University Medical Center (UMC), a 7-foot gumball machine, and defunct Mahoney’s Drum Shop have to do with each other?
Dear Reader, I won’t keep you in suspense. The answer is doughnuts, darling.
Tasked with bringing brekkie one morning, I found Pinkbox Donuts nestled in the right-hand corner of Siegel’s Bagelmania, just past the 7-foot gumball machine. Siegel’s is a whole ‘nother food situation I can’t get into right now, but hold that thought.
My introduction to Pinkbox, the delectably delicious home of 99 reasons to throw your Weight Watchers points to the wind, was a tantalizing morsel resembling one of my many spirit animals, the unicorn.
What madness was this? I couldn’t eat it, but I was transfixed – I had to! So. Glad. I. Did.
Once I had tasted the sweet, sweet goodness found at Pinkbox, I wanted more – of course, they were happy to oblige. I left with a pink box filled with doughy delights bearing names like Tutti Frutti, Raiders Football, Blackjack, Sup Shorty, and the donut of the month, The Great Grape. Don’t ask – you had to be there.
Downtown Vegas is my stomping ground, so my aim that morning was to stay east of the Strip.
Depending on mood and destination, I’m just as likely to pick up my sugar nuggets at family-owned and operated Poppy’s Donuts
Reliably open at 5am every day, Poppy’s (formerly Real Donuts) has been around since the early aughts. As an apple fritter aficionado and connoisseur, I whole-heartedly vouch for Poppy’s fabulous fritter fare. Their Strawberry Whipped doughnut is filled with house-made whipped cream, and Abuelita’s Baked Cinnamon Roll is not to be missed.
Located across the street from UMC at 1811 W. Charleston, #1, the shop is my go-to for an early Saturday morning Downtown donut jump-start before yard-sale-ing, and sweet pick-me-ups for friends and family stuck in the hospital, along with its food.
If you are a no-nonsense doughnut enthusiast, and enjoy adventurous parking, check out Mazzoa (pronounced Ma-jo-ah) Donut Factory.
Teri, the upbeat shop clerk, cheerfully greeted me as I entered 608 S. Maryland Parkway, Suite 120, at the corner of Maryland and Charleston.
The Factory location cooks on-site, supplying all four Mazzoa Donut shops scattered across the Valley. They specialize in tried-and-true favorites like Sugar Twists, Old Fashioned, Chocolate Bavarian and Red Velvet doughnuts.
Fun fact, the address is also home to some random, yet groovy Vegas history –
It used to be a musician’s hub, Mahoney’s Drum Shop, back in the before-times.
Everyone in town bought their music equipment there. Store owner, Mo Mahoney was a talented jazz drummer, who once played with jazz legend, Louis Armstrong, as well as a beloved music community benefactor. Over the years, Mahoney’s customers included Elvis, Liberace and Stevie Wonder.
Before I leave you, Dear Reader, I want to share some breaking doughnut news:
The Downtown Vegas doughnut shop community is about to welcome a new kid on the block, The Donut Hole.
Some may be familiar with the shop’s space, perched next to Downtown dining scene cornerstone, Carson Kitchen. The Donut Hole, operated by donut wholesaler, Carl’s Donuts, is expected to open soon.
Fun Fact #2:
The Donut Hole’s new location is used to serving up dough joy, formerly housing unsung donut hero O Face Doughnuts, where I once indulged in horchata, and milk-and-cereal donuts, just to name a few.
But wait, there’s more! 124 S. 6th Street was also the address of the recently-closed Donut Bar, a confectionary wonderland satisfying doughnut cravings from 2014 until May of this year. Thanks for the memories, Friends!
Finally, you may or may not have noticed that I have spelled the word doughnut, as donut interchangeably in this Downtown Vegas donut shops discussion.
To what end?
Technically, dictionaries and style guides like the AP stylebook (aka the writers’ Bible) list “doughnut” as the preferred spelling, but popular vernacular in the United States shows that “donut” is just as acceptable.
Why limit yourself to doughnuts, when you can have donuts too?!?
