A favorite of locals and tourists alike, Bob’s Coffee & Doughnuts makes any trip to L.A.’s Original Farmers Market a little sweeter. Singled out as a top doughnut shop in the city by Saveur, USA Today, Zagat, and the L.A. Weekly, Bob’s offers only the highest quality treats made with the freshest ingredients every day.
Bob Tusquellas was a regular at the shop long before he owned it. As a kid working for his family’s meat market, the native Angeleno took his breaks at the doughnut place. He told himself that one day, when he grew up, he’d buy it. And he did just that in 1970, four years after opening his own fresh-fish market Tusquellas Seafood.
The two businesses shared a commitment to freshness and quality that is a Tusquellas family tradition (and is also the guiding philosophy of Tusquellas Fish & Oyster Bar, which Bob opened a decade later). Soon Bob’s Coffee & Doughnuts was serving more than 1,000 doughnuts a day and counting among its fans a wide range of local luminaries, from celebrities to elected officials to nearby studios.
Bob’s bakers start at 4:30 every morning, turning out at least 30 different varieties made from family-honed recipes. “Taste one of our doughnuts,” he says, “and you’ll know what a perfect doughnut tastes like.” The selection features something for everyone, from Bob’s signature plain cake to the popular chocolate raised, apple fritter, huge cinnamon roll, and whimsical dinosaur- and kitty-shaped doughnuts beloved by kids of all ages.
Along with brewing the finest regular coffee in an old-fashioned urn, Bob’s boasts a state-of-the-art Italian espresso machine and offers more than 10 gourmet drip brews daily. The shop also serves hot chocolate and more than 18 varieties of Harney & Sons gourmet tea, along with lemonade, iced tea, and delicious ice-blended coffees perfect for cooling off on warm days.
And after all these years, you’ll still find Bob behind the counter. “I love what I do, and what I do makes me happy,” he says. “How could you not keep wanting to do that?”
