Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken, a casual yet refined take on two comfort food classics—fried chicken and doughnuts—is set to open its first West Coast location in early 2017 in Downtown Los Angeles on 6th Street between Olive and Grand. After three years of success in Washington, D.C., and Virginia, Astro will bring its seasonal and creative menu to a town that is notoriously in love with doughnuts. Angelenos can experience Astro favorites like the old bay fried chicken sandwich that have had loyal customers lining up around the block for years.
The new Los Angeles location will serve the signature Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken menu, featuring an evolving array of seasonal doughnuts, creative takes on fried chicken, unique side dishes and specialty doughnut sandwiches—as well as some exclusive, locally inspired flavors and menu items. Fried chicken lovers will have a choice of bone-in fried chicken, chicken fingers, fried chicken sandwiches and wings available by the half dozen or larger party packs. An array of coffee drinks will be available compliments of Philadelphia’s award-winning La Colombe Coffee Roasters, including their nitro Draft Latté. Sourcing only the finest ingredients, Astro’s menu will rotate based on the freshest fruit and produce available from local farmers and purveyors. Shortly after opening, online ordering and off-site catering will be available. Fans of Astro can look forward to seasonal classics like their cherry blossom doughnuts in spring and bourbon eggnog doughnuts for the holidays.
Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken’s co-founders, Elliot Spaisman and Jeff Halpern grew up playing hockey together, and doughnuts were the reward of choice after games. Halpern later went on to play professional hockey including a season with the Los Angeles Kings. Spaisman, with a long-standing career in antiques, was always a lover of food, having worked at a gourmet food market throughout his high school and college years. Inspired by a fond childhood memory, he and Halpern decided to offer a fun interpretation on two comfort food favorites.
“Los Angeles has been known as a doughnut town for a long time and we believe that Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken will add to that tradition,” says Elliot Spaisman, co-founder of Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken. “Downtown Los Angeles is the perfect neighborhood for us to make our West Coast debut thanks to a thriving culinary scene, as well as the unique mix of residents, offices and entertainment destinations.”
To expand Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken to the West Coast, Spaisman and Halpern have partnered with Art Levitt, a long-time Angeleno and veteran hospitality executive. Levitt was the founding President & CEO of Fandango, President of Hard Rock Café and President at Disney Regional Entertainment, where he developed, launched and built ESPN Zone.
The new, 400-square-foot dining room will have limited indoor and outdoor seating and feature reclaimed wood with industrial metal accents, quartz countertops, and a show kitchen where customers can watch the frying magic happen.