The Gourmet California Donut Chain Known For Its Extravagant Eggs Benedict Creation

From a warehouse-turned-test-kitchen in Costa Mesa, California, came one of the artsiest modern donut shops imaginable, one where jelly fillings are pretty low on the laudable list of fan-faves. The place is Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee, now with eight locations in Southern California and one in Utah — all doling out fresh little lovelies made daily from scratch, with much of the prep handled in-house, from fruit purees to creams and custards. But one of its most unique creations is a curious cross of savory, sweet, herbaceous, and extravagantly upscale — at least by standard donut criteria. 

It's called a Basil Eggs Benedict donut, and it comes with all the usual benny trappings — and then some. It's not a one-off or gimmicky special-edition, but a daily offering listed alongside menu-mates such as Old Fashion, Vanilla Bean Glazed, Butter & Salt, Huckleberry, and Choc-A-Lot doughnuts. But the Basil Benedict stands out for the extra care and coddling, being prepared Malasada-style, raised and filled with a hot poached egg, freshly sliced Benton's Country Ham, and house-made basil hollandaise sauce created from fresh basil, scallions, and lemon juice — inching it more toward a savory, brunch-y vibe.

If malasada donuts hadn't yet landed yet on your radar, they have now. They're inspired by a well-loved Hawaiian fried treat of Portuguese origin, now prominent across the chain of islands. As Hawaii's answer to donuts, malasadas are yeast-raised and made with eggs, butter, and cream or milk, then fried and sugar-coated without a center hole. They tend to be softer, richer, and rounder than a standard ring donut, often filled with custard, cream, fruit, or other sweet or savory fillings. In California, Sidecar Doughnuts follows the basic tradition but with the intriguing basil and benny twist. 

In theory, a basil benny donut may raise eyebrows, but since it comes from Sidecar, you'd do well to keep an open mind. In a general taste test of seven chain glazed donuts, conducted by a Tasting Table writer, Sidecar's vanilla bean glazed ranked #1, easily rising above the likes of Dunkin', Voodoo, and Yum Yum. We've also deemed it the hands-down best chain glazed donut, beating even the ever-popular Krispy Kreme, mostly because of its real vanilla beans and European-style butter. 

The Basil Eggs Benedict at Sidecar is part of a select few varieties not often, if ever, seen in chain donut stores. A daily-menu counterpart in uniqueness is the Saigon Cinnamon Crumb, a spicy cake doughnut made with Saigon ground cassia cinnamon, milled wheat flour, almond flour, brown sugar, and organic vanilla bean. There's also a raised Maple Bacon treat topped with real chunks of all-natural bacon and a Vermont Maple Syrup glaze. In a recent "Coming Soon" Instagram post on March 31, the company shockingly announced it was entering its savory era on the following day, going exclusively full savory, because "sometimes dessert ... should taste like dinner." Unfortunately for those of us who thought it was a fine-and-dandy idea, that anticipated big change happened to fall on April Fool's Day. 

The innovation and cheekiness of Sidecar Doughnut & Coffee is really no surprise given its origin story of weekly taste-test gatherings with friends and family, and a renovated 1959 Helm's Bakery Truck that helped the team share doughnut-love around town. They still fry in small batches throughout each day, giving credence to its self-proclamation of the World's Freshest Doughnuts.