Some of the Best Orange County Donuts We Could Find
Written By: Jessica Gomes and Elizabeth Morris
Glazed, Old Fashioned, Crullers, Twists, Jelly, cream-filled, Long Johns, Dutchies, Malasadas, Bomboloni …
A variety of donuts lie behind the glass counter begging to be eaten. There are sweet, savory, salted, frosted, fried and baked ones. Here at LOCALE we have a special bond with donuts. We put together a list of locations where we like to get our fingers sticky. You can eat them for breakfast, dessert, midnight snack or any time the mood strikes (which is basically weekly). Lucky for us, donut stores across the county are open for business at various hours-day and night. We know you can relate to the happiness that donuts bring. There are so many different types of donuts. Just to offer a few examples from opposite sides of the spectrum, think about the bacon donut and the fōnut (the say don’t call it a donut, but it’s pretty close).
There are plenty of donut shops to choose from in OC. Here we list the best spots in town to get your donut fix.
Donut Fact: Doughnut was shortened to Donut in the 1920s when a New York based doughnut machine corporation began looking at international markets. They wanted to create a shorter, phonetic sounding name, in hopes for a higher appeal abroad.
Halfsies Doughnuts
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYT7c-pHKtb/?taken-by=halfsiesdoughnuts
Halfsies follows three simple steps that allow visitors to create their own one-of-a-kind mouthwatering creation: choose a hot, fresh doughnut, add glazes and toppings and “take a break from the world” to enjoy. They have seemingly endless topping combinations, giving each visit with new creative potential. Halfsies is also famous for their gluten free and vegan options, which prevent any doughnut creator from being limited by dietary restrictions.
Native Knowledge: For those on the go, Halfsies also sells pre-made specialty doughnuts.
13812 Newport Ave Ste 107
Tustin, CA 92780
714.884.3545 | www.halfsiesdoughnuts.com
DK’s Donuts Of Orange
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAlPXWqimj-/?taken-at=5409649
This family owned donut shop has been around for 35 years, providing some of the best donuts to Southern Californians. Their donut flavors range from their Famous Glazed to Blueberry Cake and Honey Glazed Toasted Coconut. With it being open 24 hours a day, you can stop in to get your donut fix whenever the craving comes up! If you haven’t tried them yet, order the waffle donut hybrid, the first in Southern California, brought to you by DK!
Native Knowledge: They are famous for their unique concoctions such as their Ube Bacon Bits, So Samoa Girl Scout Cookie and their Red Velvet Oreo donuts.
3744 E Chapman Ave
Orange, CA 92869
714.633.5858 | www.dksdonuts.com
M&M Donuts
There’s a long wait for a reason to get into M&M Donuts. They make their batches of breakfast rings each day starting at 9 p.m. until six in the morning. They craft delicious flavors like their famous blueberry donut, which is so soft and gooey, it will have your taste buds jumping for joy! Best advice, turn off your car and sit in line, order more than one and eat immediately!
Native Knowledge: Their chocolate cake donut, with chocolate icing and colorful M&M candies is one of their most popular items.
1614 W Katella Ave
Anaheim, CA 92802
714.490.0718
The Donuttery
Live. Love. Donuts.
Popular and local are two words that best describe this donut shop. They offer a wide variety of classic and signature donuts baked fresh daily. The words they live by, “We are united with the simple purpose that a century-old tradition of donuts and coffee should be preserved and celebrated every day.” Enough said. You must try their Maple Bacon Bar and Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting!
Native Knowledge: They are open 24 hours and you must try their Maple Bacon Bar and Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting!
17420 Beach Blvd
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
714.847.7000 | www.thedonutteryhb.com
Sidecar Doughnuts
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhHRnFGFE3f/?taken-by=sidecardoughnuts
A classic Orange County favorite, Sidecar Doughnuts is not only known for their delicious fresh baked donuts, but also their mascot on wheels. You can spot their bright red, renovated 1959 International Harvester Metro Van parked in front of the donut shop, retired from its cruising through Southern California. Past The Truck, you will experience freshly made donuts, made daily from scratch using simple ingredients boasting big flavor. They use seasonal and the finest ingredients to create their delicious donuts, everything made in-house, of course. Try one of their seasonal flavors paired with delicious Stumptown Coffee and consider your morning made.
Native Knowledge: After you design your masterpiece, post a picture with the caption #milkybun or #aftersicecream.
270 E 17th St
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
949.887.2910 | www.aftersicecream.com
AFTERS Handcrafted Ice Cream
https://www.instagram.com/p/BgSpZhmFkGp/?taken-by=aftersicecream
AFTERS is producing a new kind of “donut”, letting you build and enjoy your own, “milky bun” (with their assistance) in four easy steps. First, choose your favorite flavor of ice cream. Second, choose your fillings from their assortment. Third, they will stuff and seal your bun. Fourth, EAT. “Heaven in your mouth.”
Native Knowledge: They have sold over 300, 000 milky buns and are rated as one of yelp’s Top 10 places to eat! They were also the highest reviewed dessert store in Orange County.
18030 Brookhurst St
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Zombee Donuts & Bake Shop
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg6fB-hFhOv/?taken-by=zombeedonuts
For spook-tacular treats all year long, Zombee Donuts & Bake Shop is at your service. The mother-daughter owned treat shop is known for its vegan and zombie themed speciality donuts. Their Zombee Mascot donut is a “zombee” shaped dough-licious figure with a jelly-filled head and sinfully delicious face of chocolate. The ladies at Zombee recommend you “bite his head off!” if you’re having a bad day. Other donut dreams are the Maple Bacon Bar, PB&J donut and Cereal Killers—cake donuts topped with your favorite sugary cereals! For those that are vegan or have restrictive diets, Zombee offers a “vegan donut of the week, ” quickly debunking the myth that vegan treats aren’t as sensational as their counterparts.
Native Knowledge: You will find spooky, zombie themed décor all around the shop—even coffin flower planters out front!
802 E Chapman
Fullerton, CA 92831
714.879.1078 | www.zombeedonuts.com
Downtown Donuts
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With the motto of “community, family, and faith, ” Downton Donuts embarked on a culinary adventure in 2015 and has been going strong ever since. Serving up hot mini donuts from their bright pink storefront, customers can enjoy dipping sauces like raspberry and nutella and pair their warm treats with a cup of coffee right on the spot! Mini maple donuts, powdered sugar delights and chocolate dipped dough covered with rainbow sprinkles are some of the major players at Downtown Donuts. These mini donuts are half the size of your standard, but pack just as much flavor. Since they’re so small, that means we can have a dozen…right?
Native Knowledge: Downtown Donuts made an appearance on KTLA 5!
307 W 3rd St
Santa Ana, CA 92701
714.450.0139 | www.downtowndonutsdtsa.com
Jessica Gomes is a twenty-something creative writer who was born and raised in Northern California. She attended college at Arizona State University, graduating with a degree in Communication, then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the creative industry. She currently resides in Laguna Beach, California where she continues writing for different publications, along with curating her own personal blog, The Naked Bohemian (www.thenakedbohemian.com).
