We spent the early hours of the night watching donuts being made.
So of course we wanted to see how night ends at Mike’s Donuts — in those dark hours before dawn after the Bay Ridge shop opens its doors.
On the stretch of Fifth Avenue where Mike’s is located, which is near Bay Ridge Avenue, it’s pretty quiet after Mike’s 4 a.m. opening.
Aside from customers arriving for very early breakfast pick-ups, the only other sign of life is a truck making a delivery to the fruit and vegetable market next door.
Many of the early-bird arrivals at Mike’s are bus drivers, cab drivers and sanitation workers. Around 6 a.m., numerous people who say morning prayers at a nearby mosque come by. A bit later, the tables fill with day laborers.
Early-morning regulars include folks headed for bus trips to Atlantic City and long-time fans like Alex Deno, 35, who works near Mike’s.
“This is the best coffee in Brooklyn,” said Deno, an engineer with the Department of Education who checks on two school buildings before making a beeline to Mike’s. “My day couldn’t start without coming here.”
His family is from the Dominican Republic, and he has been drinking coffee since he was 10. He’s very particular about his cup of Joe.
“They provide free coffee service at my job — I would rather walk here to pay for coffee,” the Dyker Heights resident said.
Wholesale customers stop by the shop at 6822 Fifth Ave. to pick up orders. Mike’s did a lot of wholesale donut-making in its early years but stopped doing deliveries many years ago.
Also, over the past year and a half to two years, new customers have started coming to Mike’s, too, shop co-owner Gus Neamonitis said — young couples who are moving to Bay Ridge.
