Best thing I ate: Minimalist donuts in downtown Brea

A new donut shop in Brea has embraced the old KISS principle — keep it simple stupid — and the donuts are fantastic.

The selection at Downtown Donuts & Coffee is limited to fewer than 10 options: plain glazed, chocolate glazed, maple glazed, raspberry or vanilla-cream filled, plus cinnamon rolls and apple fritters. The most exotic flavor in the shop is sprinkles — and there’s something incredibly zen about that. They are obviously not trying to uncover the next big flavor, and that’s just fine. Everything tastes like it was made only minutes ago.

Assorted glazed and filled donuts from Downtown Donuts & Coffee in Brea (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Minimalist cinnamon roll from Downtown Donuts & Coffee in Brea (Photo by Brad A. Johnson, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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This shoebox-sized shop opened in May on Birch Street in the heart of downtown. It’s intended primarily for takeout, I think, as there’s no seating inside nor any room for it. They offer just a couple of standing tables on the sidewalk, although for now there’s also a temporary patio in the street, which will probably go away soon.

The doors open at 5:30 a.m., and they don’t stop making donuts until well into the night. I was already fully caffeinated when I got the urge to rush out and buy a box of donuts, so I didn’t actually try the coffee and can’t comment on that. I strongly vouch for the donuts, though, especially the plain glazed and the very simple cinnamon rolls, which are some of the best donuts I’ve ever found in North County.