One of my Instagram followers doesn’t care for seafood and wants me to post more dessert pics. After thinking about it a bit, I realized that I hadn’t tried out Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken. I recently paid them a visit.
Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken is located in downtown LA near Pershing Square. Street parking is almost impossible, but there are a fair number of parking lots nearby. If you don’t want to hassle with parking, the Pershing Square Metro Station is only 2 blocks away.
The inside is bright, modern and clean. Seating is available both inside and along the sidewalk outside. Orders are placed and picked up at the counter. While I was there, two different Postmates delivery people picked up orders. One arrived and left by skateboard. I was impressed that he stopped to add napkins and utensils to the to-go bag.
I watched my chicken sandwich being made. They split the buns and applied a sriracha mayo with a spatula. They then grabbed a chicken from a warming oven (225 degrees temperature) and placed it on the bun and applied “spicy seasoning” powder to it. Shredded lettuce and pickles finished the insides.
Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich
The Spicy Chicken Sandwich and my tater tots both had good flavor. On a mild to hot scale for Nashville chicken, I would rate the spicy chicken sandwich as mild. What disappointed me was the fact that both the chicken sandwich and the tater tots were lukewarm. This is because the chicken and the tots were fried in advance of the order.
Other items on the menu include fried chicken, chicken fingers and wings, fried chicken cobb salad, coleslaw, and cheddar biscuits. Before 11 a.m., they serve 3 different fried chicken breakfast sandwiches and a regular egg sandwich.
Astro’s doughnuts are made fresh in small batches throughout the day, and their batter is never frozen. The Vanilla Glazed, Maple Bacon, PB & J and the Crème Brûlée are part of their regular menu. The seasonal specials were: Banana-Brown Butter, Cherry Cheesecake, Chocolate Peanut and the RumChata. Prices range from $2.75 – $4.00 per donut.
My take home box of doughnuts
- PB & J had peanut butter frosting and strawberry jelly inside
- Chocolate peanut was like chocolate cake with chopped peanuts on top
- Crème Brûlée is torched on the top so that it is crunchy and filled with pastry cream
- Maple Bacon – Maple glazed donut topped with bacon bits
Unless I could have the fried chicken served hot, I probably won’t order that again. I will, however, return for the donuts. After I posted the PB & J on Instagram, one of my followers replied to it and said “the RumChata is so gooood!!”
Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken, 516 W 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014; 213.622.7876
astrodoughnuts.com
P.S. In case you are wondering, my Instagram handle is: @discovering_LA