Today, Nomad Donuts finally unveils its new sit-down eatery; at 3,200-square-feet, the University Avenue location is more than three times bigger than its original 30th Street shop which first debuted in 2014. In addition to more room to increase production on its lineup of creative doughnut flavors, the new outpost also allowed executive chef Kristianna Zabala to expand the menu to include Montreal-inspired wood-fired bagels, cooked fresh in a Woodstone oven that sits at the front of space behind floor-to-ceiling windows. The bagels, which are boiled in sweetened water before being baked, are available with an array of housemade cream cheese or as the base for sandwiches ranging from an eggy breakfast bagel to house-cured salmon with dill-caper cream cheese. Zabala, a former winner of the Cooking Channel’s Sugar Showdown, will also have a “Chef’s Counter” stocked with a rotating mix of globally-inspired savory and sweet treats; the chef says she’s planning for everything from malasadas to tamales and empanadas.
Now open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m to 6 p.m. on weekends, the eatery will eventually extend its hours; other future plans include a wrap-around sidewalk patio, plus beer and wine service. As for the original Nomad Donuts, owner Brad Keiller is temporarily shuttering the space for a remodel. When it reopens in a few months it will have more of a neighborhood coffee shop feel, highlighting a coffee program based on its Nomad Signature Drip Blend and Signature Espresso Blend from Global Coffee Trading, with doughnuts and bagels delivered from the newer North Park kitchen.
