A Hollywood-famous doughnut shop debuts in Phoenix. How Randy's Donuts stacks up

Hollywood's famous doughnut shop Randy's Donuts opened its first Arizona location on Seventh Street, just north of Montebello Avenue at 5 a.m. on April 25. And the infamous giant doughnut will be installed in a few weeks.

The legendary doughnut shop first opened in Inglewood, California, in 1952, attracting visitors with its colossal rooftop doughnut. It has since appeared in numerous movies such as "Iron Man 2," “Get Shorty” and “Mars Attacks!" as well as TV shows like "Arrested Development" and "The Simpsons."

The old school shop offers 60 different types of doughnuts in raised, glazed, cake and filled and Randy's rounds — slightly larger doughnut holes. There's coffee drinks and boba tea to wash them down.

Franchisee Brian Padilla, who is a doughnut lover and decided to open Randy's in Phoenix to have his own favorite doughnuts nearby, said he plans to open two more locations in Chandler.

What to expect at Randy's Donuts in Phoenix

Inside the shop, the case is full of colorful sweets. There are just two round tables, each set up with four chairs, so it's clearly more of a take-away situation. There's also a drive-thru.

For doughnut lovers, Randy's is a bang for the buck. Some of the doughnuts are as big as a human face and cost just under two bucks.

Classics, which include glazed raised, maple iced cake and devil's food cake, which sell for $1.90. Deluxe doughnuts like plain buttermilk, maple long john, glazed old fashioned and chocolate twist are priced at $2.15. Fancy doughnuts such as apple fritter, butter crumb raised and glazed crondy (croissant doughnut) are $2.65. And premiums, including Oreos raised, bacon maple long john and Nutella raised, go for $3.65.

The drink menu features specialty coffee drinks, like Butter Crumb Latte, boba teas like taro milk tea, milkshakes and frozen drinks, like the Orange Creamsicle. And, of course, good old Randy's Roast drip coffee. Beverages range from $2.75 to $6.70.

Is Randy's Donuts worth the hype?

Ahead of opening day, I went to Randy's for a taste test. I tried to include the doughnuts people most commonly raved about, including apple fritters, glazed, butter crumb raised, recommended by the owner Mark Keligian, and blueberry cake. But I also tried others, such as lemon old fashioned and s'more.

The verdict? There are some must tries.

After the first bite of their raised glazed I understood why it's the most popular one. Pillowy soft and airy texture makes this treat easy to eat without feeling stuffed.

The size of the apple fritter prohibited me from finishing the whole thing, but I say yes to the taste. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the fritter bursts with apple and cinnamon flavors. It's finished with a glaze and I kept coming back for more even after I tried other flavors.

Another concoction, recommended by Keligian, was the ice cream-stuffed donut. Basically, it's a jelly doughnut minus the jelly, cut in half, stuffed with ice cream, sealed and seared like a panini for 15 seconds and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. One bite didn't do. I split it with a friend and finished mine in less than 15 seconds.

For those who are looking for a cake doughnut, try the blueberry iced cake for a rush of berry flavor.

So far, so good. Fancy? No. But good? Oh, yes. If you get nothing else, try the raised glazed, ice cream doughnut and an apple fritter.

How to visit Randy's Donuts in Phoenix

Randy's Donuts is giving away free raised glazed doughnuts to all customers between 5-11 a.m. for their soft opening on April 25.

The official grand opening with ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at the end of May after the 11-foot doughnut is installed in front of the store.

For those who plan to visit Randy's frequently, the shop offers a rewards program: one point per dollar spent. It's 20 points just to become a member. Forty points gets you a free doughnut, 200 earns you a free classic dozen and 450 for any dozen.

Hours: 5 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday-Thursday; 5 a.m.- 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday.

Details: 5709 N. Seventh St., Phoenix. 480-716-1999, randysdonuts.com.

21 best doughnut shops in metro Phoenix: whether you're craving mochi, jelly or glazed

Reach the reporter at [email protected]. Follow @banooshahr on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Randy's Donuts opens first Phoenix location. Here's what to expect