Marshmallow, bacon, blueberries: Where to eat Silicon Valley’s most exotic doughnuts.
No more flying to Portland to get your pink box of Voodoo Doughnuts topped with Cocoa Puffs and bacon. Right here on the Peninsula, we found some doughnut shops that are getting just as wild with their fried creations.
Time to get weird. Starting with the most exotic, here’s our top 5 list:
1. The Cereal Killer from Psycho Donuts
Psycho Donuts is the epicenter of doughnut craziness on the Peninsula and the Cereal Killer was by far the weirdest one we found there. The Cereal Killer ($3) is a square shaped doughnut with vanilla and marshmallow icing, topped with a layer of Cap’n Crunch cereal. It. Is. Beautiful. No joke, it is one glorious-looking doughnut.
Verdict: Doughnuts are Instagram worthy and although we love Cap’n Crunch, its combination with marshmallow icing was a bit too chewy for us.
// Psycho Donuts // 2000 El Camino Real #11, Santa Clara, CA 95050 // M-F 6a.m.-9p.m. Sat-Sun 7a.m.-9p.m. //
2. Bacon Maple Bar from Chuck’s Donuts
If you’re going to have a maple bar, you might as well put bacon on it, right?
We knew Chuck’s Donuts was the right place to satisfy our sweet and savory cravings when we walked in at 5:45am and saw patrons already chowing down.
We were not disappointed with ours, as the bacon and maple complemented each other flawlessly. The doughnut itself was light and we particularly enjoyed that slight crunch of bacon in our mouths.
Verdict: Well worth getting up at 5am to get these puppies while they’re hot!
// Chuck’s Donuts // 801 Woodside Road, Redwood City, CA 94061 // Open 24–7 //
3. Sea Salt Cinnamon Bar from Apple Fritter Eatery
If the Cereal Killer was Cinderella, the Sea Salt Cinnamon Bar from the Apple Fritter Eatery is one ugly stepsister. It’s not all about looks, though. This cinnamon bar is reasonably priced at around $1 and is huge!
Verdict: A little too heavy on the sea-salt, but if you already put too much salt on everything, this is the cinnamon bar for you! And if you’re craving something with a little more sustenance, you’ve come to the right place. Apple Fritter Eatery serves a wide array of breakfast scrambles, pancakes, burgers and sandwiches in addition to doughnuts.
// Apple Fritter // 1901 South Norfolk, San Mateo, CA 94403 // M-Th 6:30a.m.-3p.m., F 6:30a.m.-8:30p.m., Sat-Sun 7:30a.m.-3p.m. //
4. Coconut Maple Donut from Rolling Pin Donuts
How many doughnut shops are open 24/7 on the Peninsula? Not many. Located off of San Bruno Avenue West, Rolling Pin Donuts is one of the few that does and is a local favorite with an awesome selection of coffee to complement their doughnut choices. Their doughnuts are small but very reasonably priced at just $1. As far as taste goes, their coconut maple doughnut was a beautiful harmony in our mouths and somehow it all came together!
Verdict: Great flavors, heavy doughnut. Packed in the morning but worth getting there early if you’re in the area.
// Rolling Pin Donuts // 429 San Bruno Avenue West, San Bruno, CA 94066 // Open 24–7 //
5) Blueberry Old Fashioned by Stan’s Donut Shop
Stan’s Donut Shop was the only place we went to that had the actual feel of an old-fashioned doughnut shop, with bakers rolling out fresh dough for everyone to see. We took our seats, ordered and were soon presented with the Blueberry Old Fashioned.
Although we put this last in terms of weirdness, in terms of taste, it comes in first. The blueberry flavor satisfied our taste buds and the doughnut itself was so light and fluffy, it nearly melted in our mouths.
Verdict: Stan’s Donut Shop is our favorite Silicon Valley doughnut purveyor and well priced: our Blueberry Old Fashioned cost just $1.03. They may not have the craziest donuts, but they make some damn good ones.
// Stan’s Donut Shop // 2628 Homestead Road, Santa Clara, CA 95051 // M-Sun 6a.m.-3p.m. //
