Austin B.
Yelp
tl;dr the crummy cronuts and premium prices at this neighborhood favorite overshadow the otherwise solid fritter
Donut shops are never more than a stone's throw away across Los Angeles, and every Angeleno has their neighborhood favorite. A popular local spot is Moon Donut in Torrance. This family-run bakery is best known for its custard-filled donut varieties, but the dizzying selection makes picking just one donut a challenge.
Moon Donuts shares a lime-green strip mall with a smoke shop and a chicken shop. But on a weekend morning, all of the bustle is donut-focused; expect a steady stream of customers. The interior is brightly lit, industrial, and a little run-down. Shelves upon shelves of donuts are neatly organized in the displays to the right, while a short refrigerator section to the left is filled with grab-and-go beverages. The hot menu is displayed on flat screens behind the counter, and coffee fixings are stacked on a stainless-steel shelf in the corner.
My partner and I arrived mid-morning on a Sunday, and the staff were quick to take our order. We decided on an Apple Fritter and a Cookie Cronut. Moon's fritter was unlike any I've ever had. Uniquely, it was filled with walnuts, but the apple flavor was minimal; perhaps the donut would be more aptly described as a "cinnamon-walnut fritter". The dough was dense, crispy, and syrupy (all pros to me), but the absence of apple held this fritter back from being one of my favorites across LA. Meanwhile, the cronut was an ambitious and delicious-sounding option that fell flat in practice. The cookie was overcooked and mostly tasteless, while the donut was essentially just a ring-shaped croissant; both components were inferior to something I could buy at Costco. Rarely do I leave a donut on the table (especially a premium and expensive one like this), but I simply couldn't choke this one down.
Service was efficient, and our total clocked in above $9 (taking into account Moon's credit card surcharge). While the fritter had its positives, the cronut was simply unpalatable. As such, I will probably steer clear of Moon in the future, even if I'm already in the neighborhood.