By Charly SHELTON

A few weeks ago, back in early March, a confectionery icon held a soft opening to little pomp or circumstance at Universal CityWalk. Though a huge trend in Portland, Denver and Austin, this is the first location to hit the Golden State. The wait times were long, the doughnuts were sweet and word of mouth soon carried the name along the LA foodie pathways of the Internet via hashtags and blog posts. Now, three months later, it’s time to welcome the official opening of Voodoo Doughnut to CityWalk.

“We are beyond thrilled to open Voodoo Doughnut at Universal CityWalk and share our menu of fabulous doughnuts with the world at the top entertainment destination in Los Angeles,” said Voodoo Doughnut founder Kenneth “Cat Daddy” Pogson in a release to mark the opening.

CV Weekly was invited to a menu tasting at the official opening and it was almost more than one could handle. With 60 different doughnuts, there’s something to fit everyone’s taste, and each one is more delicious than the last. Voodoo Doughnut aims to satisfy whether it’s a craving for the kick of heat from the sugar and cayenne dusted Mexican Hot Chocolate doughnut or the ooey-gooey filling doughnuts like the Mango Tango (mango jelly filled) or the Hollywood Cream, made exclusively for CityWalk, or something more unique, like the Captain Crunch and Crunch Berries-covered breakfast doughnut aptly named Captain, My Captain. And paired with another Portland staple, Stumptown Coffee, this is the best version of a coffee and doughnuts breakfast you can find.

Personally, my favorite was their signature doughnut, the Voodoo Doll. Shaped like a little legless poppet, each one is filled with raspberry jam and frosted in the thickest, most amazing chocolate frosting I’ve ever had, with a shape drawn on the chest and a face added to the head. The shapes and faces are each unique, so repeat visitors will have a different design each time. It’s finished off with a pretzel rod stuck in the chest, as the common conception of voodoo dolls is generally associated with phantom pin torture. It all comes together to make a unique doughnut that is worth the wait.

That’s a big aspect of coming to Voodoo Doughnut. The wait. Last Sunday night, the wait was over 90 minutes. And of the many times I have tried to stop by the shop over the last three months, I have never encountered a wait shorter than 45 minutes. With a wait time like that, you know it has to be good but when bound on other journeys, as one generally is when at CityWalk or Universal Studios Hollywood, the wait can be prohibitively long. This is not a quick “drop by” for breakfast or an after-meal morsel. This is a destination, something to plan for. It’s worth waiting if you’re in the mood for a good doughnut, but plan for it.

Voodoo Doughnut is open now at Universal CityWalk. For more information, visit VoodooDoughnut.com.

  Charly Shelton