Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken

In DC, you will find all sorts eateries, some that specialize in just one thing, like Medium Rare or places that focus on two related things, like Captain Cookie and the Milkman. Then you have Astro Doughnuts. They specialize in doughnuts and fried chicken. Why they decided to focus on doughnuts and fried chicken in a single store, I don’t know, but I am so glad they did. Astro Doughnuts makes some of the best doughnuts and fried chicken around.

PB&J Doughnut

Their doughnuts come in a wide array of flavors, some that change monthly or for special events and some that are permanent. Their permanent doughnuts are PB&J, Crème Brule, Vanilla Glaze, and Maple Bacon.  Before Astro Doughnut, I thought the idea of having bacon on every dessert was nonsense, but after trying their maple bacon, I understand. It is sweet, it is salty, the doughnut is fresh with a perfect amount of chew and I can’t get enough of it. I also really like the PB&J. Unlike most jelly doughnuts that use a solid doughnut and just fill the center, Astro uses one with a hole in the center and fills the doughnut around the hole. I really like this. It allows the jelly to be evenly spread out throughout the doughnut and you do not get just mouthfuls of jelly and just mouthfuls of pastry. It is a smart idea. Crème Brule and Glaze are good too, but PB&J and Maple Bacon just outshine these plainer offerings. Their seasonal doughnuts is where they experiment more with flavors and you can find some doughnuts that will knock your socks off and some that may leave you disappointed, it just depends on what sort of flavors you like. My favorite of the seasonals and one of the harder doughnuts to get is Cherry Blossom available during the Cherry Blossom festival. The tart cherry filling with the sweet vanilla frosting and cute cherry blossom design on it was delicious and I was disappointed I only got one.

Maple Bacon

Their fried chicken is also delicious. The chicken is juicy, the breading is flavorful and you get a lot of options with the sauces. I like the Sriracha mayo and honey mustard. They offer the fried chicken both as chicken fingers and on sandwiches; two of those options being doughnut buns (one old bay and one just savory). I have not been able to swallow my pride enough to try a doughnut bun sandwich, but chicken fingers are good and so are the drumstick and thigh.

The biggest knock you could say about this place is the price and the fact they have been known to run out of food, particularly on nice days. The cherry blossom runs out regularly during the festival and other doughnuts have been known to sell out as well. At the same time, the doughnuts are always super fresh and, as far as I can tell, they don’t sell them next day. As for the price, while it is more expensive than what you would find at a Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts, it is also better quality than what you get there and I have noticed that they are generous with the portions, particularly at closing.

Astro Doughnuts is one of my favorite doughnut and fried chicken shops in DC and I highly recommend trying them out if you get the chance. 

4.5 Stars and Foodie Seal of Approval