Dough Donuts Set To Sweeten UES This Fall, Owner Confirms

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY – Dough Donuts, the popular New York City purveyor of the light and fluffy brioche donut, will open its fifth brick-and-mortar location on the Upper East Side later this fall, owner Steven Klein told Patch.

“It’s a big move,” Klein said. “We’ve had so many requests, between the Upper East and Upper West Side, they’ve always asked about us, to come uptown.”

On Wednesday, Klein confirmed that Dough is indeed making those sweet dreams come true, with the opening of a new location at 1119 Lexington Avenue planned for November.

The Story

Dough opened its first location about 13 years ago, in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

“We invented the brioche donut,” Klein explained. "The chefs came up with it."

But what is a brioche donut?

"Almost nobody in the country makes a brioche donut. It’s light and fluffy. It’s big. All the flavors are handmade," he explained. "It's a different looking donut, and different tasting, too."

Dough's unusual flavors include options like hibiscus, passion fruit, and dulce de leche, which were the product of a multicultural kitchen, Klein said, composed primarily of Latin and French-African chefs.

And Klein?

“I come from Canarsie,” he said. “What gave me the idea of donuts, my background is in business, and I wanted to start something different. I went to school with Howard Schultz” – CEO of coffee chain Starbucks – “and I saw what he did with coffee, and it gave me the incentive to say, ‘let’s reinvent the donut.’ We make everything by hand, and today, we’re the largest producer of artisanal donuts in the country."

Location, Location, Location

The new store will be located at 1119 Lexington Avenue, near East 78th Street.

“We’re very particular about locations, and this store is in a super location, a perfect location, on the most active and dynamic street, right by the subway and Lenox Hill Hospital,” Klein glowed.

“I’ve been looking for two years on the Upper East and Upper West Side, and the landlords are crazy. The rents are astronomical. We found a good landlord who is more interested in their tenant base than they are in the rent.”

He's hoping for a November opening, in time for Thanksgiving.

Hours will be similar to Dough’s other locations, Klein said, roughly 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

UPDATE: At this time, Dough Donuts are no longer available at Whole Foods, Klein clarified, after initially informing Patch that the donuts were available in Whole Foods locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.