As long as I can remember, donuts have been my ultimate favorite dessert, my Kryptonite!! And as a Chef, I always strive to find the best of the best in anything culinary related.
If you’re a donut lover like me, then you know, not all donuts are created equal. So I’ve cut out the work for you and here is my list of the top of the top!! The top echelon of donuts in LA. YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED!
These “Top 5” are in NO particular order.
#1 BLUE STAR DONUTS @bluestardonuts
Located in Venice, Manhattan Beach, & Silver Lake
If you’re looking for gourmet donuts, this is the spot! With brioche dough and flavors like Passion Fruit Cake, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Meyer Lemon with Key lime Curd and more, how could you not go there and try each flavor?!
I love to go to the Venice location because it’s located right on Abbot Kinney Blvd, so you can go grab a donut and walk around to look at the gorgeous clothing shops or even head to the beach! Their business model is so good with locally sourced ingredients and coffee designed to pair perfectly with their donuts, that they’ve boomed and now have locations all over the country. Go check them out if you haven’t at bluestardonuts.com
#2 CALIFORNIA DONUTS @californiadonuts
Located in Wilshire Center
If there were to be a donut shop inside a fairytale, this would be that donut shop. These donuts are super magical and whimsical with unicorn, mermaid, and panda decorated donuts, as well as donuts topped with yummy cereals like lucky charms, fruit loops, and cinnamon toast crunch! YUM!!
They also have really great holiday/occasion donuts and letter donuts, so if you want to do something for someone’s birthday, baby shower, etc. you can get custom, one-of-a-kind donuts!!! Just make sure to order ahead of time for the custom donuts! Go order yours now! cadonuts.com
#3 MR. HOLMES BAKEHOUSE @mrholmesbakehouse
Located in Larchmont & Highland Park
UGH!! I freaking love this place. The ambiance is so delightful and cheery. It makes me want to skip around the room…and that’s before I’ve eaten the donuts!! I love that they will do a “donut of the day” and have a different flavor for every day of the week. But they’re not just known for their donuts. They have an assortment of super fun and delicious pastries! And they’re dog friendly!
Plus, it’s located in a really fun area of L.A. with great shops of all kinds; clothing, furniture, knick-knacks, etc!
Go check them out here, mrholmesbakehouse.com
#4 DONUT FRIEND @donutfriend
Located in Highland Park & Downtown, LA
I had these donuts many times before when a friend pointed out to me that they were actually a Vegan donut shop. I had to look on their website because I couldn’t believe it. But it was true! I absolutely could not tell the difference! They really should be called Donut Fiend because they are so delicious.
They have some of the best flavor combination donuts such as Jets To Basil, which is vegan cream cheese, jam, and basil. Or cookie butter with a chocolate glaze and sea salt. My mouth is watering!!
You can even order specialties like a giant donut, mini donuts, a cake donut, letter donuts and you can even make your own flavor combinations right there in the store. Go take a peak at donutfriend.com
#5 SIDECAR DOUGHNUTS @Sidecardoughnuts
Located in Santa Monica
This is a great place to go because it’s just a few blocks away from the beach! Grab a coffee and a donut and go take a stroll along the water. It definitely has a more parisian vibe inside with cute little tables in front and back.
They have great coffee and unique flavors of donuts that you won’t find anywhere else. If you like either the fluffy or cake donuts, they cater to both palettes. I prefer a fluffy donut any day of the week, but there are some people who just love them some cakey thick donuts!
I hope you enjoyed this post and I made your mouth water just enough to go try one of these lovely places!!
If you are a donut lover and know of a place that we all need to know about, leave a comment below.
If you hadn’t heard of one of these places, leave a comment below.
If you have heard of at least one of these places and totally agree, leave a comment below.
So basically, just leave a comment below and say hi!!
2 Comments
Aris Gregorian
May 30, 2019 at 2:51 AM
I’ve been to both SideCar doughnut shops and LOVE IT ! Freshly Baked & Served !
AG
cassandreursu
May 30, 2019 at 6:15 PM
That’s so great! I’ve only been to the Santa Monica location!