Those in Santa Monica looking for the incredibly specific sweet and savory combination of donuts and fried chicken won’t have to wait much longer.
Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken will open it’s second Los Angeles location this month, bringing the restaurant to Main Street. The donut restaurant famed for its unique donut offers will replace the former home of Books and Cookies.
“We have had our eyes set on Santa Monica since opening our first West Coast location in Downtown Los Angeles in 2017,” Elliot Spaisman, cofounder of Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken said via email. “Santa Monica’s casual and care-free vibe makes it the perfect place for Astro’s playful brand.”
Casual and carefree will be the vibe of the restaurant, with an outdoor patio, beer and wine, and a CBD donut (available only on Sundays). And yes, it’s mostly locally sourced.
“Many of the ingredients are sourced locally; some come straight from the Santa Monica Farmers Market,” Spaisman said. “Whenever possible, we buy local.”
Spaisman says he and Astro aren’t deterred from the large overturn of restaurants and businesses on Main Street, saying Astro is a now-three location proven concept.
He says Astro will attempt to entrench itself in the community in several ways to avoid the fate of many other restaurants, flavor being the first and foremost. Alongside the CBD donut, Astro will offer “Santa Monica-inspired menu items”, varieties of fried chicken and a monthly rotation of seasonal flavors will win over locals.
For the healthy and/or vegan crowd, Astro will offer vegan and vegetarian items such as vegan doughnuts, salad sides and wraps.
Aside from flavor, Spaisman feels the location and what Astro does with their space will bring plenty of foot traffic to the donut and chicken spot.
“We have tried our best to truly tap into the Santa Monica neighborhood when designing the Main Street location,” he said.
The location will feature a 1,300 square-foot space designed by Wayne Sun of Zen Space and have an outdoor patio for 30. Additionally, the location will sport a 113-foot mural of the Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken Astronaut.
“The mural and interior art pay tribute to the skate and art culture of Santa Monica. With our first locally-sourced beer and wine list and an open-air patio space, the Main Street location will be a destination for locals and visitors alike to sit back and enjoy all day long.”
An Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken spokesperson says the restaurant will open sometime in the third week of March. For more information, visit http://astrodoughnuts.com/
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