'Donut Friend' to Open Next Week

About two months after it was initially expected to open, the much-anticipated launch of Highland Park's most exotic donut shop to date is finally near: Donut Friend is scheduled to begin serving micro brew coffee and a selection of unconventional donuts in the first week of September.

The shop will feature a total of 23 donut varieties, with names such as Jets to Basil and The Spanish Bomb. It's no coincidence that the names sound like titles of music albums. After all, Donut Friend owner Mark Trombino has been a musician and record producer for the past 25 years. (Although he likes them all, The Starting Line, he says, is one of his favorites items on the upcoming donut menu.)

Trombino leased his store nearly a year ago in September and has been hard at work crafting its interiors and equipping the place with dough-churning machines. He became a donut convert after tasting a glazed delicacy filled with nothing but peaches—a moment so delightful and transformative that, he says on his website, it made him wonder "why nobody else was doing it."

Donut Friend is still undergoing some final interior-design touches and the storefront has a fresh, new sign. The store will open its doors next month at 5107 York Blvd., a couple of stores east of Avenue 51.

Correction: The initial version of this article incorrectly identified two names of donuts on Donut Friend's upcoming menu. The correct names are Jets to Basil (not Jets to Brazil) and The Spanish Bomb (not The Spanish Bones). Apologies for the error.