12 OCTOBER 30-NOVEMBER 5, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Going Nuts THIS SOUTH SUBURBAN STRIP IS DENVER’S DOUGHNUT DISTRICT. BY ANTONY BRUNO “Mmmm…. Donuts.” Few phrases capture the enduring hu- man attraction to glazed rounds of fried dough better than this simple, joyful, almost meditative sigh made famous by America’s favorite dad: Homer Simpson. Who can argue with it? Doughnuts are a near-universal source of satisfaction, craved for and appreciated by all walks of life. From the stereotypical laziness of a beat cop, to the gleeful excitement of a young child, to the instant popularity of the offi ce worker surprising their staff, few things in life have such broad appeal as a brightly colored box of sugary appreciation. According to data from Nielsen and the Retail Bakers of America, doughnut sales aver- age about $10 million annually in the U.S. And while the Krispy Cremes and Dunkin’ Donuts of the world (not to mention grocery store chains) certainly contribute a large portion of that, over 60 percent of this total comes from small, retail bakeries, including both small franchises and mom-and-pop operations. So perhaps it comes as no surprise that even in health-conscious Denver, there are more than enough options for getting your fried-dough-and-sugar fi x. But few areas of the metro area have as condensed a strip of doughnut options as along Arapahoe Road, traversing the southern suburbs of Centen- nial and Greenwood Village. In just a three-mile stretch along this busy corridor strad- dling I-25, there are fi ve dough- nut shops operating in some cases so close to one another that you could throw, well, a doughnut from one and hit the other. Expand the radius to just slightly north or south of Arapahoe, and you’ll add another three spots to the mix. That’s a lot of doughnuts, and a lot of people making, buying and eating dough- nuts in a suburban area that only recently started to shed its reputation as a haven for chain-restaurant mediocrity. Excluding the national chains, here are the South Denver doughnut shops along Arapahoe from west to east that are so close to one another, you could walk to them all and barely burn off the calories from a single doughnut. Donut Maker 9625 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village 303-799-1702 Donut Maker may just be the oldest dough- nut shop in the metro area. Despite its loca- tion just around the corner from a Dunkin’ Donuts, this weathered strip-mall shop has served the area consistently since 1988. Donut Maker has changed hands sev- eral times over the years. Today, it’s owned by Joshua Song, a former employee of the previous owners who bought the business seven years ago and continues the tradition of freshly-made doughnuts. While many of the other shops on this list have expanded to include more modern doughnut innovations, such as cronuts and elaborately decorated concoctions, Donut Maker keeps it old- school. Glazed. Chocolate. Sugar. Fried, old- fashioned or cake. Filled options like Long Johns and Bismarcks are about as exotic as it gets here, but it still cranks out some 2,000 doughnuts a day with a team of three. “We’ve defi nitely kept to the original clas- sics,” Song says. “We’ve tried everything else, but for our customer base, it’s the classics.” According to Song, some 75 percent of its business is wholesale deliveries to local businesses like car dealerships, gas stations and hospitals. Retail sales are just what you’d expect: office workers on weekdays, and families on the weekends. The shop opens at 5 a.m., and by 9 a.m., the pickings get pretty slim. Desert Donuts 8501 East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village desertdonuts.com Skipping past the bigger chains of Dunkin’ Donuts and Yonutz, Desert Donuts is just a mile east of Donut Maker in the Arapahoe Marketplace shopping area. It is the second Colorado location for the small franchise (its only other location at the moment is the original in Phoenix). But we may see many more of them soon, as the Colorado franchisee plans to open 25 locations across the state. A few things stand out at Desert Do- nuts. First, it offers all cake doughnuts, none fried. Second, they’re all made to order. That means once you place your order, the raw dough starts to cook, and you have a warm, decorated doughnut in just a matter of minutes (up to ten minutes for a full dozen). In addition to the sixty signature topping options, you can also create a custom top- ping of your choice from more than 20,000 potential combinations. There are also dough shakes (milkshakes with a doughnut hanging from the straw), doughnut cereal shakes (same, but with cereal toppings on the doughnuts), donought ice cream pies, and doughnut “meals” for a more sweet-and-savory take. Anna’s Donuts and Burritos 5999 South University Boulevard, Greenwood Village annasdonutsburritos.com Just north of Arapahoe on South University, across from the Trader Joe’s, is Anna’s Do- nuts and Burritos, bookending the shopping center housing the equally popular Na Favola Trattoria restaurant. Originally a We Knead Donuts location, owners Anna and Jesus Arcos changed the name a year and a half ago to go their own way with the business. On any given morning, and especially on weekends, you’ll see a line out at this diminutive and unassuming shop — even before it opens. Among the traditional doughnut options are its version of a cronut: layered crois- sant dough made with rice fl our, fried and glazed into a satisfyingly crunchy and sweet treat that nearly always sells out. Equally popular here are the massive breakfast bur- ritos. Weighing in at CAFE continued on page 13 FIND MORE FOOD & DRINK COVERAGE AT WESTWORD.COM/RESTAURANTS A typical Saturday morning line at Anna’s Donuts and Burritos. A giant apple fritter at The Donut. ANTONY BRUNO ANTONY BRUNO
