The Grand Street doughnut shop has reached the Upper East Side. Doughnut Plant is now open at 1285 First Avenue, between East 69th and East 70th streets, and it keeps early hours: 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

It is the company's first shop on the Upper East Side. Doughnut Plant's other New York locations are on the Lower East Side, in Grand Central Terminal, in Long Island City, in Williamsburg and elsewhere in Brooklyn.

What is on the counter

The First Avenue shop serves the full menu, according to Doughnut Plant: its yeast and cake doughnuts, naturally leavened sourdough doughnuts, gluten-free cake doughnuts and rotating seasonal specials, with vegan options. Every doughnut is vegetarian, egg-free and certified kosher.

The fall specials lean on local apples, bananas, cinnamon, vanilla bean cream, chocolate and warm spices, across cake doughnuts, sourdough doughnuts and the shop's Doughseeds, with chilled apple cider alongside. For Diwali there is a Ras Malai cake doughnut, made with saffron, filled with saffron-cardamom cream, glazed with saffron, cardamom and rose, and finished with house-made paneer, pistachio and rose.

For a first visit, the shop sells an Originals box of six: the Brooklyn Blackout, Tres Leches, Wild Blueberry, Tiramisu, Coconut Cream and the original Crème Brûlée doughnut.

There is coffee too: small-batch, fresh-roasted beans, espresso drinks, teas, chai and seasonal drinks.

Where it started

Doughnut Plant's first storefront is still on Grand Street near Essex Street on the Lower East Side, where the company says the Crème Brûlée doughnut and the rest of its core menu took shape. That shop opens at 7 a.m.; the new Upper East Side one opens two hours earlier, which puts it ahead of the morning commute.

Getting there

The shop is on the east side of First Avenue in Lenox Hill. The Q train's 72nd Street station on Second Avenue is about three blocks away, and the 6 train stops at 68th Street-Hunter College on Lexington Avenue. Doughnut Plant also takes orders ahead for pickup or delivery through its site.

The details

  • What: Doughnut Plant Upper East Side, doughnuts and coffee
  • Where: 1285 First Avenue, between East 69th and East 70th streets
  • Hours: 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., daily
  • Phone: (347) 305-2563
  • Good to know: vegetarian, egg-free and certified kosher, with vegan and gluten-free options

Sources