Story and photos by Keri Gabriele, Photographer

Nestled in a little shopping strip a couple blocks south of the Northridge Campus, Central Donut bakery provides a friendly, reasonably priced place to get a quick bite on the way to class.

Central’s old-fashioned glazed donuts are crispy on the outside and cake-like on the inside. They apply just the right amount of glaze, so it’s not a sugar bomb in your mouth. The result is a donut that’s both delicious and filling.

While donuts and coffee are the perfect pair, two refrigerated cases provide a variety of beverage options.

If you’re looking for savory items, Central Donut also has an assortment of breakfast sandwiches, muffins and breakfast tacos. But don’t get too excited about the breakfast tacos. The bakery makes them ahead of time, so you can’t combine ingredients, and they’ll need to be heated up.

The tacos are generously stuffed with fillings like potato, egg and cheese, which spill out of the tortilla. The final product was satisfying but void of favor.

The sausage and cheese kolache consisted of a warm, buttery, sweet and fluffy roll. But the cheese-filled sausage inside seemed generic. Kolaches come

in a choice of small or lunch-sized, but there are no vegetarian options or fruit on the menu.

The service is quick. It only takes about two minutes to get through a five- person line. A warning though, after 8:30 a.m. on a Friday, the selection may start to get low.

Central Donut is definitely a to-go oriented bakery. There are only three booths, one table for two and hardly any decor. But everything is pretty cheap.

An old-fashioned donut, sausage and cheese kolache, breakfast taco and coffee can all be purchased (together) for less than $5. The bakery accepts credit cards, but be prepared to pay an extra 50 cents on purchases less than $4.

The bakery is located on the corner of Braker Lane and Metric Boulevard andisopenfrom5a.m.to1p.m.on weekdays and from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekends. If you’re around the Northridge Campus, it’s worth a visit.