Victoria #25 – American Doughnut Kitchen, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne

From where I stand, the absolute most famous doughnut institution in Melbourne is the American Doughnut Kitchen at the Queen Victorian Market.

When I told my friend that I was heading to Melbourne, he said a visit there was a must. Be prepared for queues, he said, but it’s well worth it. I’m pleased I took his advice.

The markets themselves are an institution. I’m not a regular visitor to Melbourne, but I remember going to the Queen Victoria Market in the early 1990s. I also remember the weather was lousy, but hey, we are talking about Melbourne, and it never changes.

Sure enough, there was a permanent queue lined up for doughnuts at the van.

I thought I’d go away for a while and come back later when the queue had died down a little. No such luck. The queue was indeed permanent. Not that they weren’t moving people quickly, because they were. They have an efficient production line happening. It’s simply that so many people want doughnuts from the American Doughnut Kitchen and that equals permanent queue.

You can see them in the van making the doughnuts, frantically kneading, throwing, hole-punching, cooking, jam filling doughnut after doughnut. I’d love to know how many they go through a day. I estimate it to be squillions.

And like I said, it was worth it. They were delicious. Hot, soft, sweet, delicious. Covered in sugar and loaded with jam.