Small town Gustine gets two new places to eat treats, drink brews. See what’s on the menu

Two new businesses in downtown Gustine are giving its residents more reasons to eat, drink and be merry.

A new craft beer taproom and a new doughnut shop have opened less than two blocks from each other in the small, northern Merced County city. Both new businesses have Central Valley-based husband-and-wife owners — and in the case of the taproom, two couples working together. And both bring something the rural community did not have before they opened.

WhichCraft debuted in late December, bringing fresh craft beers from across California and the country to taps in Gustine for the first time. The business was born out of two couples’ friendship and mutual love of microbrews.

A little more than a decade ago, Newman residents Joe and Lizett Garcia and Sam and Jackie De La Cruz got to know each other through youth martial arts classes, where Hilmar Cheese employee Sam volunteered as instructor.

Joe, who works for PepsiCo, introduced the group to craft beer and the friends all soon fell in love with the smaller batch brews. But with the nearest taprooms at least half an hour away in Merced, they began taking road trips to breweries around the state.

Before the pandemic hit, they started thinking about opening their own taproom close by, so beer fans in the smaller nearby western Merced and Stanislaus county communities didn’t have to travel as far for quality brews.

“People ask, ‘Why Gustine?’ Why not? You don’t have to be a big city to have something nice,” said Jackie De La Cruz, who works in the medical field, as does Lizett Garcia.

Friends from Newman work together to open taproom

The pandemic slowed their plans. But about a year ago, the former Kemp’s BBQ space on Fifth Street in the middle of Gustine’s quiet downtown became available. The building has a lot of history as a former burger joint that still has the grease hood to show for it.

They also got some help from Modesto downtown restaurateurs and craft brew experts Patrick Chinn of Chinn’s International and Hank Olson of Food Fix, who connected them with breweries.

The friends — who staff the taproom themselves and all still work their day jobs — renovated the space together, keeping vintage touches like the original bar-top, bar stools and booths, and shining up the rest.

The space is also filled with table games and other touches, to encourage families to come and stay a while. While the taproom does not offer food (well, you can get a freshly popped bag of popcorn anytime), it brings food trucks on the weekend.

But the taproom’s main attraction is its 16 taps, which all pour fresh craft brews from up and down California, and beyond. The beers change when the kegs run out, so the menu will likely look new with each visit. Since opening, they’ve poured varieties from as close as Ceres’ Five Eye Brewing and as far away as Delaware’s Dewey Beer.

They’re focusing on beers from slightly farther afield than nearby cities like Modesto and Oakdale. Joe Garcia said they wanted places people couldn’t easily drive to themselves, to give them the widest selection.

They said one of the best things about having the taproom is introducing new people to craft brews in a town where most of the beer choices are between Budweiser and Coors Light. The craft brews are served in 5-, 10-, or 16-ounce glasses. You can get a flight of four tasters if you can’t decide.

“When you see different groups of people in all ages ranges and they are getting to know each other and enjoying beer with each other, it’s a good feeling,” said Joe Garcia.

WhichCraft, at 374 Fifth St. in Gustine, is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit www.instagram.com/whichcraft_taproom22_gustin or call 209-640-0725.

New pastry, sandwich, drinks shop already has fans

Nearby — like just a little over a block away — another new locally owned business is finding fans. Sovanna’s Donuts brings the beloved sweet staple back to Gustine. And the city could hardly want for more experienced hosts.

The owner and namesake Sovanna Lam and her husband, Boor Heng, have owned south Merced County’s Dos Palos Donuts for 20 years, first opening in 2003. The couple emigrated from Cambodia in 1988, landing in Long Beach before moving to Los Banos in 2001.

Their daughter, Emily Heng, said the couple kept getting asked to come to Gustine, which had been without a doughnut shop for several years. When they decided to open a new shop, they wanted to honor their mother, so the family named the business after her.

The cafe, at the corner of Third Avenue and State Route 33, opened in early March. The family remodeled the space, giving it a more modern feel with a pink theme.

Their restaurant also offers a lot more than just doughnuts — though doughnut lovers have some 20 varieties all made fresh daily to choose from.

The menu features close to 100 items, from burgers and breakfast sandwiches to bagels, lunch sandwiches and egg rolls. Those offerings include more than two dozen smoothies (from taro to green tea and mango), hot and iced coffee, and boba and milk teas.

The shop has proven popular with students, who drop by when classes are over from nearby Gustine High School. Lam runs the shop with the help of four local employees, as well as family members who pitch in. Boor Heng, who had a stroke in 2019 and uses a wheelchair now, still helps with both businesses as well.

“The people of Gustine have been really friendly and welcoming,” said Emily Heng. “We’ve only been open a couple months, but it feels like we’ve been there a long while already.”

Family members said they hope their business becomes a Gustine fixture, like their Dos Palos shop.

And the secret to their two decades of Valley doughnut success?

“My parents are hard-working and never give up. Also, I think it’s our customer service. We’re very personable and friendly folks, especially my mom,” Emily Heng said. “She always has a smile on her face.”

Sovanna’s Donuts, at 403 Third Ave. in Gustine, is open 4:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information visit www.instagram.com/sovannasdonuts or call 209-733-8088.