The Breakfast Grubs
As an ex line cook, I like to believe I know a thing or two about food. At first glance, Glendora can seem like a wasteland of fast food. Eventually, I became restless with these surface breakfast options. I began to scour the streets for something worth sinking my teeth into early in the morning. I was successful in finding some local breakfast spots in Glendora that are now my new obsession.
STOP #1: Class One Donuts
Class One Donuts is a small business on 1804 E. Rte 66 founded together by Jason Luu and his wife Crystal Quach. Quach’s parents have been in the donut industry for over 30 years and now have their own individual shops. Luu’s family also held a similar donut dynasty. Luu described how he and his wife quit their corporate jobs to follow in their parents footsteps but through their own lens. “I guess we were more into kinda continuing the tradition and obviously to bring an updated version of it,” Luu said.
He emphasized the importance of having close relationships with patrons in such a small town hidden deep in the hills of Los Angeles. “We’re here for a lot of the locals in the community and it’s been a blessing just because we know everybody’s names that come through here,” Luu said, “We don’t just serve donuts and coffee here, it’s kind of deeper than that.”
What makes Class One Donuts stand out? After all, in California donuts could be considered the state’s official dessert. There’s a donut shop practically on every street in LA. “We definitely try not to make it a typical donut shop, you know kind of a little bit of zest in there.” Luu said, “We try to keep it a small mom and pop shop that brings exciting new things, especially to this area.”
Luu talked about how difficult it is to produce delicious food at mass scale. He emphasized the importance of keeping staff happy and paid well so they can do their best work coming into the shop. “Everything you see here is made in house,” said Luu, “Every morning [the workers] are ready by 5 a.m. so our bakers work overnight.”
The Strawberry Croi-nut
Flakey layers of croissant dough in the shape of a donut create a textural sensation unlike any other donut I’ve come across. It’s coated in a powdered sugar glaze that gives a waxy finish and flakes with every bite. The secret is in the middle; a sweet custard glaze hidden in layers of fresh strawberry slices.
The Works Sandwich.
Two huge handmade croissants contain layers of juicy ham, bacon, hash browns, sausage patties, gooey cheese, and a french omelet style egg. “The Works” has all the best breakfast components in a single bite. It’s more than enough to share with a friend, but taking a first bite you may find it all gone before you get to school.
Shop Hours:
Monday to Friday 5 a.m-2 p.m.
Saturday 6 a.m.-2 p.m.
Sunday 6 a.m.-12 p.m.
The shop hours are Monday to Friday 5 a.m-2 p.m. Saturday 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday 6 a.m.-12 p.m.
Follow their Instagram @class1donuts
STOP #2: Azucanela
Azulcanela is best known as a churro spot on 401 E Foothill Blvd and the closest to the Citrus campus. You can almost always find students studying together, couples eating and playing board games, or families talking while their children play. Azucanela has become a staple in Glendora’s community for its churros, breakfast, coffee, and unity.
The Mazapan Latte
Mazapán is a traditional Mexican confection made of peanuts and powdered sugar. Azucanela reinvented it into a delicious frappé that is reminiscent of a peanut butter shake. It has that delicious almost gritty texture of the iconic mazápan de la rosa candy. On top of the frappe is a chocolate drizzle with sprinkles coating a cloud of whip cream.
Azucanela has an assortment of coffee options including cafe de olla, cajeta (caramel) cappucino, horchata latte, and a pistachio latte just to name a few.
The Ranchero Toast
Azucanzela offers three versions of their take on avocado toast, the Ranchero being the most deluxe. I like to describe this toast as its biting you back after every bite you take, aka perfectly toasted. Crispy and golden brown without being soggy. The avocado is vibrant and perfectly ripe, sliced and layered beautifully underneath an egg that can be cooked to your liking. I chose sunny side up since I’m a sucker for a runny yolk and crispy bread combo. The pico de gallo is fresh and adds a much needed acidity and crumbled queso fresco on top brings a saltiness unique only to this special Mexican cheese. When the yolk pops from my first bite it oozes down the side of the toast and brings a smile to my face, even on the gloomiest of days. Don’t forget to come back to get some churros for dessert.
Azucanela is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m.-8 p.m and on Saturday & Sunday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Follow their Instagram @azucanelachurros
STOP #3: BRY’S BAGELS
Bry’s Bagels is a bagel shop inside the Glendora Public Market on East Arrow Highway. Their approach to bagels would probably make a New York native faint, but for Californians, it’s right up our alley. The Glendora Public Market is like a mall for local businesses offering food and drinks of any kind for everyone who comes through. There’s something for everyone. Even on a rainy day the mall stays warm and busy while cheery music plays songs such as “Come On Eileen” by Dexy and the Midnight Runners giving a nostalgic feel. People wander in and out, most in a hurry to get to work or school on time. As I walk to the counter of the bagel shop the owner compliments my gray fluffy trimmed hat while taking my order. This hat must make me seem more approachable, it never fails to get people’s attention. Her cheery disposition makes every customer that she greets smile wide.
The owner of Bry’s Bagels is a former pharm-tech, life-long aspiring entrepreneur, mother, wife, line cook, and cashier: Susan Sum. Bry’s Bagels used to be Cassidy’s Corner Cafe, but Sum took ownership in July of this year. Sum always wanted a business of her own and when a friend of her husband asked if they would be interested in owning this location Sum jumped at the chance.
“I don’t know maybe I should have done my research.” said Sum, “But I also didn’t know what to research on, but in a heartbeat, I was like ‘Yes!’”
She dove head first onto the line (of fire) both physically and mentally. Sum described the sacrifices she had to make in order to survive in this intense industry.
“What we do is we reach in through that toaster to get that hot bagel just to serve it on time; we burn ourselves, we cut ourselves, we do everything,” said Sum, “We shed tears. Grabbing onto that hot bagel is like sometimes we’re scared to reach in but you know what,” she sighs, “we just do it.”
With both hot and cold bagel sandwiches Bry’s Bagels offers specialties such as the “Sum Special”, “The Lox”, and the “BS Club”. They also offer a “build your own bagel” system where customers can mix and match any ingredients to create the bagel sandwich of their wildest dreams. Meat such as pork or turkey bacon, sausage, and ham can be accompanied by melted cheeses like cheddar, provolone, and swiss. Their egg options are scrambled, whole, or egg whites and extra toppings such as avocado, lettuce, tomato, and red onion can be added to finish off a custom sandwich.
Ba’s special on an everything bagel.
On this bagel is a fluffy egg seasoned with lemon-pepper topped with a thick slice of sharp cheddar cheese. Crispy bacon juices soak into the slightly spicy but chilled jalapeno cream cheese spread on each slice of the bagel. The everything bagel has toasted sesame and poppy seeds that crunch and compliment every bite in harmony while the Beach Boys song “Good Vibrations” plays softly in the background. Eating this bagel almost makes me forget it is raining outside. It’s hitting every sensation in between salty and rich and soft and crunchy. I can’t recall eating a bagel that compares to this in its uniqueness. This bagel has hypnotized me.
The G.G. on a parmesan bagel.
The “GG sandwich” is one of Bry’s vegan specialties. It comes with a hummus spread, thinly sliced cucumbers, red onions, sliced tomato, bean sprouts, avocado, and romaine lettuce. This sandwich is refreshing and light. The hummus and avocado adds a flavor complexity with the crispy vegetables like the red onion adding an assertive twang and the parmesan-crusted bagels tops it off perfectly.
Bry’s Bagels is open everyday from 7 a.m to 2 p.m.
Follow their Instagram @brysbagels_glendora
Glendora may be a small town, but there is no shortage of good eats. Varying cultures in our community introduce an assortment of options for every taste bud. On a deeper level, it isn’t just about the diverse food around every corner in Glendora, it’s about the people who work in the business and why the customers keep coming back. Community is the heart of every restaurant; it’s a place to sustain our stomachs and sustain our minds with great conversation. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so why not start it with something delicious?
