Leonard's Bakery

Background and history

Leonard's Bakery got its start in 1952, opened by Margaret and Frank Leonard Rego Sr. It was Frank's mother who pushed him to sell malasadas—a Portuguese doughnut without a hole, known for a crispier shell and a chewier inside. These treats first arrived in Hawaii with Portuguese plantation workers who immigrated around the turn of the 20th century. The bakery is described as an old-fashioned, plain-Jane spot that helped make Portuguese sweets like sweet bread and pão doce meat wraps popular, sometimes adding a local twist with fillings like haupia, coconut, and guava.

As of 2011, the business was still family-run, owned by Leonard Rego Jr., whose own kids help out just as he did in his youth. Andrew McCarthy of National Geographic Traveler called the bakery an institution that anchored its neighborhood. In Hawaii, Leonard's is a household name, and visitors from other islands often take malasadas home as omiyage, or souvenir gifts. Though the fried doughnut-like item is unique to Hawaii, it's well known across the mainland U.S. and internationally. The Honolulu shop is even a stop on at least one island tour. In 2012, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser noted the bakery sold over 15,000 malasadas daily, totaling more than 160 million since it opened.

Rego Jr. expanded overseas in December 2008, opening a franchise in Japan's Yokohama World Quarter Shopping Center. That location started with only cinnamon and sugar malasadas, later adding filled versions. Japanese investors Forest Inc. first approached Rego Jr. about licensing the brand in March 2008, and he felt the timing during the Great Recession couldn't have been more perfect. The deal closed three months before the opening, and Rego Jr. flew in to train staff for a week and a half. He planned to open more franchised spots in Japan and on other Hawaiian islands. In 2009, the company employed 60 people across three stores—two on Oahu and one in Yokohama—plus two Oahu food trucks.

Reception

Leonard's Bakery is famous for its malasadas, which Foodspotting ranked as the top food find in Hawaii. USA Today noted these doughnuts have become a Hawaiian icon, and Sunset magazine credited Leonard's with turning the treat into a Hawaiian classic now served everywhere from local drive-ins to Chef Mavro, Honolulu's most upscale restaurant. Vinnee Tong of The New York Sun called the bakery a required stop for foodies and dessert addicts. Frommer's labels it a Honolulu landmark, while The Huffington Post includes its malasadas alongside poke, Spam musubi, and shave ice as must-try Hawaiian foods. The bakery also appears in Mimi Sheraton's book 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die and John T. Edge's Donuts: An American Passion.