Donut Place Guide to the Valley

Discussion in 'City Guides' started by purr1n, Apr 13, 2017.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I love donuts. This is my guide to a few donut places I've been to on multiple occasions in the San Pornando Valley (add Pasadena).
    1. This list doesn't not include places I've only been to once or twice. The sample size is too small.
    2. This list in not anywhere near comprehensive
    3. The donuts sampled were purchased in the morning, not in the afternoon.
    4. The scope of the assessment is strictly limited to the quality of donuts. Cinnamon buns or breakfast bagel sandwiches are not donuts. I don't give a crap about people not being able to speak English well or expired milk.
    What I do consider a good donut? Well, let's say that Dunkin' Donuts is the worst: hard and tasteless. Next worst is Krispy Kreme - just too much the other way with layers and layers of shortening. Yuck.

    Perfect Donuts 6411 Sepulveda Blvd # 1, Van Nuys, CA 91411
    Might be one of my favorite donut places. The donuts are big. They remind me of the Pączki's I've had when I lived near Detroit. The donuts are fluffy, retain their shape, aren't too doughy or hard, and come to think of it, don't have too much grease. Fillings are generous, with complexity to flavor. Sweeter fillings such as lemon and strawberry aren't over-sweetened and have a touch of bitter.

    Donut Star 8360 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91304
    Next to Grandma Kim's Family Diner (a decent Korean place with menu and serving style more suitable for white people). Very similar to Perfect Donuts above. The size of the donuts might be a few percent smaller. The fillings are fairly standard. A bit sweeter and less complex than Perfect Donuts.

    Gladstone Donut 1332 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104
    Belongs in the top tier along with the above. I know, not in the valley, but I grabbed some donuts at this place before heading to @brencho's one day. They were the bomb, especially with @brencho's special coffees. Cash only.

    Tiffany's Donuts (Dulcet Gourmet) 22776 Ventura Blvd # E, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
    This hole in the wall place belongs in the first tier along with the above two. Very similar to Donut Star above, except maybe donuts don't hold their shape as well. But the differences are so small.

    Blinkie's Donut Emporium 4884 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
    Nice place in Woodland Hills on Topanga south of Ventura. As I said, nice place. This place gets all the buzz, but true donut aficionados know this place is overrated. The main problem is that their donuts are don't hold their shape and go limp-dick. Hard eating a jelly donut that goes limp dick spilling the jelly everywhere. The puff of the dough is good, but the limp-dick doesn't work for me. Still, this is a good donut place.

    Yum Yum 5833 N. Kanan Rd., Agoura, CA 91301
    Very inconsistent, but will do in a pinch if I really have to. A huge step down from any of the above. At times, they make stuff that makes you think the donuts came from one of the above places. Other times, the oil will smell weird, as if they reused the bacon or sausage grease from the griddle. Most of the time, it's mediocre. Lacks the fluff of any of the above places. Slightly hard, but not anywhere as bad as Dunkin' Donuts

    Dunkin' Donuts Thousand Oaks Blvd, Westlake Village, CA 91362
    Opened to great fanfare with long lines up to a 30 minute wait. This place sucks. Avoid. We bought two donuts from this place. The kids and I took a bite, and they stayed in the middle island of our kitchen for the next eight days.
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2018
  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Other good places not in the Valley:

    Donut Star Northpark Plaza, 3907 Irvine Blvd, Irvine, CA 92602
    Maple Leaf Donuts, 6469 Almaden Expy, San Jose, CA 95120
    Happy Donuts, 1062 S De Anza Blvd C101, San Jose, CA 95129
     
  3. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    My kids and I are donut luvers. Thanks for this!
     
  4. No_One411

    No_One411 Fired by Jude

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    Happy Donuts is nice cause they're open 24/7, perfect for those 3 AM cravings.
     
  5. brencho

    brencho Friend

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    damn i need to find some places on the east side or pasadena. and by need i mean don't need but want.
     
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    POLITICALLY INCORRECT ALERT!

    The key to good donut places: run by Southeast Asian. Preferably Cambodian. White people don't know how to make fried foods, unless it's Kernel Sanders.

    I've gotten to know a lot of the owners. Really sad horrible stories about Pol Pot, e.g., at age 7, seeing uncles getting executed with a shot to the head. We have it good here.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2017
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Yeah. Look for Asian faces and avoid well known franchises. Ask "where are you from?" Cambodia or Vietnam are good answers. Don't worry, they won't be insulted. They ask the same of me of all the time.
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Hahahahahahaha! You know about that place!
     
  9. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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  10. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    It's hard to go wrong in Irvine as long as its not a KK, YY, or DD franchise.
     
  11. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    There should definitely be donuts at the next meet.
     
  12. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Voodoo Doughnuts sucks. It's what happens when frustrated performance artists open a doughnut shop in a city that has low standards and few competing options.
     
  13. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    LOL! I didn't think it was that bad. They do have a line though.

    Which ones you like?
     
  14. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    I grew up in the South on Krispy Kreme donuts. I'll fully cop to having mainstream taste. :) I'm sure there are worse doughnuts than Voodoo, it's just the full on hipster vibe that turns me off. The main reason they often have a line, at least some years back at the downtown location, is because their service is slow and they have a tiny waiting area with a bad layout.
     
  15. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Different strokes for different folks.

    I know KK donuts. They definitively have their flavor and texture. I like them. But they are not my favorite. My wife is a more traditional and old fashioned donut person, so she likes KK more than me. But she is not necessarily crazy about them either. I'm more of a yeast donut person. I like them fluffy, large and soft. We both like filled donuts, but she prefer jelly while I prefer custard or crème (specially Boston crème). We both like beignets and cronuts.

    My kids seem to prefer yeast donuts as well. My son is a chocolate/chip fan. My daughter is more of a colored chips fan (particularly pink). I gravitate towards chocolate.

    We like churros (Mexican donuts) above all. There is a place in downtown Mexico City where churros are king. That's all they used to sell (and coffee + traditional Mexican chocolate). It's called El Moro, and it's a must stop if you ever go to Mexico City (as in the Federal District):

    http://www.elmoro.mx/

    (if you look at the menu don't be afraid of the prices. It's likely in pesos)

    Anyhow. I will not say no to KK, but it's not my personal favorite.

    I also don't care for the hipster vibe, but it doesn't put me off. Their service is indeed a bit slow, but I like their spin and many of the choices.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2017
  16. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Yeast fluffy donuts vs. shortening heavy donuts. Like OS vs NOS DACs.
     
  17. drfindley

    drfindley Secretly lives in the Analog Room - Friend

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    I'll add one essential place to the list:

    Bob's Donuts
    1621 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109

    They do a lot of old fashioned, powdered, apple crullers and the like. They start making them fresh around 10:30pm and make them all night. I love going there after concerts. My favorite donut in the bay area and at I'm pretty sure run by asians, though I never asked where.
     
  18. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    We're new to OC. Any favorites besides Mag's? We're in Anaheim.

    We took the kids one night to get M&M blueberry donuts when they're hot at 9pm. We were a little suprised to wait an hour in line to get them. They were ok... but were so greasy. I had low confidence in Yelp before this...
     
  19. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Is it walking distance from the big square in D.F.? If so, I think I've been there, and I hope I get to go there again before I die. It was phenomenal.
     
  20. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Closer to Anaheim you should try "Porto's" (Cuban bakery). I think they carry donuts, but they carry a lot other awesome stuff. It's now open in Buena Park. The lines are a bit long though.
     

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