Hawaii-based doughnut shop Holy Donuts (Irene’s Holy Donuts on social media) announced plans to open a Tucson location on Fourth Avenue in early March.
The space at 340 N. Fourth Ave. previously housed Cans Venue & Lounge, which closed after a seven-month run.
In May 2015, wife-and-husband team Irene and Stephen Heiman opened the original Holy Donuts in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
While the doughnut shop offers sweet flavors ranging from traditional glazes to seasonal Hawaiian lilikoi (passionfruit), savory flavors such as pepperoni pizza aren’t out of the question.
“Irene views the doughnut as a blank palette,” Stephen said.
Once the business was successful enough to operate on its own and their children were off in college, the couple moved to Tucson.
With a drastic reduction in housing expenses upon their move to Tucson, they decided to open a second Holy Donuts location.
“We’re excited to be here and be part of this community,” Stephen said. “Everyone has been so nice.”
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At first, the business will focus on the scratch-made doughnuts and malasadas they are already known for.
“We received at least 30 DMs [in the past day] about the malasadas,” said Lena Quach, doughnut creator and social media coordinator at Holy Donuts.
New doughnut sandwich creations will also join the fray. As they settle in and learn the neighborhood’s tastes, Holy Donuts will take advantage of the full kitchen to expand offerings with a Hawaiian restaurant menu. Diners can look forward to traditional Hawaiian dishes such as loco moco and Spam musubi.
Furthermore, the existing bar and venue space will be utilized down the line, Stephen said. Doughnut-themed murals now line the walls of both the front room and the venue space.
“Doughnuts are a happy thing,” Stephen said. “No matter who you are or where you’re from, who doesn’t love doughnuts.”
Tentative operating hours will be 6 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday – Thursday and 6 a.m. – midnight or 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday, based on demand.
Holy Donuts is located at 340 N. Fourth Ave. Keep up with Irene’s Holy Donuts Tucson on Facebook.
Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
