Outcast Doughnuts’ downtown Mesa run ends after 3 years

🍩 Outcast Doughnuts is closing up shop after three years in downtown Mesa.

The doughnut and coffee spot, known for its layered doughnuts and Dopecones – doughnut-dough ice cream cones – opened next to sibling Level 1 Arcade Bar in June 2023.

A downtown Gilbert location followed in 2024 but shuttered, along with the original Level 1 in Gilbert, in January 2025.

A social media post thanks ‘‘Outcast Nation’’ for years of support. The closure comes the same week another sibling concept, Rebel Wine Lounge, announced it’s also closing in downtown Mesa.

But Outcast isn’t disappearing. A drive-thru-only location is opening soon at Hayden and Thomas in Scottsdale, a new Gilbert spot is planned at The Gilmore in 2027, and another location is in the works near Eastmark in southeast Mesa.

Other restaurant openings

🍗 Chicko Chicken: The Korean fried chicken concept has opened in Gilbert, taking over the former Midnight Taco space on the southwest corner of Val Vista and Warner. Expect crispy bone-in or boneless chicken, as well as wings, with a choice of 10 signature sauces. Open Tuesday through Sunday.

🍛 Dehli Palace: The longtime Indian restaurant – known for authentic, halal Northern Indian cuisine – has reopened in Tempe, now occupying the building formerly home to The Vine Tavern at Rural and Apache. The move comes after a 2024 fire destroyed its original Rural and University location since 1985.

New True Food CEO

🥗 True Food Kitchen has named Jeff Chandler as its new CEO, tapping the former Hopdoddy Burger Bar president to lead the Scottsdale-based health-focused chain. Chandler grew Hopdoddy from 32 locations in 2021 to roughly 50 today.

True Food Kitchen, known for its wellness-driven menu of salads, bowls, and sourdough pizzas, operates 46 restaurants nationwide, including two in the Valley and one in Tucson.