Overview
Many Melburnians have childhood memories of lining up at Queen Vic Market's American Doughnut Kitchen van to get a bag of freshly made hot jam doughnuts. It's been kicking around since 1950, and still has masses of locals and tourists lining up every weekend to score a serve of the goods.
The team has always managed the small space well, cramming a heap of staff into the van and pumping out hundreds of doughnuts each day. But, ahead of its diamond anniversary next year and no signs of slowing down, an upgrade was calling. The result: American Doughnut Kitchen officially opened its first-ever bricks-and-mortar store at Prahran Market on Saturday, July 6.
The new shop has been cleverly designed to give off the same look and feel as the famous van. You'll find the signature white-and-blue colour scheme, plus a similar open workstation where customers can watch the doughnuts be cut, cooked and filled with that famous raspberry plum jam before being tossed in sugar.
Like the van, these are the only doughnuts that will be available. The family running the shop see no need to experiment with new flavours and offer different varieties — truly, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. However, one change is coming, with American Doughnut Kitchen's southside spot also selling coffee. That means you can get your sweet treat and caffeine fix all in one spot.
"Our handmade doughnuts that we still make using the same original recipe have been a favourite among Melburnians for generations," said American Doughnut Kitchen Managing Director Belinda Donaghey. "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."
You'll find American Doughnut Kitchen at Prahran Market, 163 Commercial Road, open every day of the week except for Mondays and Wednesdays. For more information, head to the venue's website.