Donut Bar

This is quite possibly one of the best donut shops in the United States. You will wait in line. You will overpay for expensive mounds of dough and sugar. And it will all be worth it. Because donuts.
They have donuts with pop-​tarts in the middle, donuts flavored with bacon, and donuts that look *exactly* like those Homer Simpson eats on ‘The Simpsons.’ I mean, what more could you ask for? Really?

Long lines and high prices. The donuts are tasty and they offer new twists on old classics. It’s clever, but there’s only so much better you can make a fried ball of dough… call me a jerk.
Where they SHINE, is the fruit fill’d numbers. Whereas MOST places use junk jelly, I’m pretty certain these kats make their own… and it’s delicious. Not sure it’s worth 30 minutes of line-​waiting however.

Decent donuts but the wait is outrageous. I had 3 different Donuts including the carrot cake donut. All were more or less good though perhaps a little dense. But the wait is Unforgivable.
Props to the owner for his unparalleled ability to promote himself. And for his zeal in having unfavorable Unilocal reviews removed :)

Pretty insane wait when we came on Saturday morning. Despite the increase in space, the line still moves pretty slowly. That said, I’m pretty sure the workers behind the bar are probably happy it’s less crowded and claustrophobic back there. They added beer in the back bar, there’s still area to dine on the 2^nd floor, and if you check in through Unilocal,a dozen donuts gets you a free coffee. Donuts are still amazing… and I think that white Lamborghini is new.

Came here after running the Rocknroll marathon.
Oh my GOD.
Their strawberry cream donut is a PIE. Get this. Get everything here the double chocolate was amazing the blueberry filled was amazing. My girlfriend was amazing after I gave her the donut love from this place…
Everything is fresh. There will be a line out the door. Coffee was present. Not sure if it was good or not since I was busy trying to get diabetes by the sugary-​strawberry-​cream fistful.
These are quite simply the best donuts I have had anywhere in the world. I can’t eat them from anywhere else now.
3 donuts and a coffee ran me $ 10, and it was worth every penny.
They have beer taps in there. But i didn’t think to ask if you could get beer with your donuts.
Next time I come to San Diego, this place is a must-​stop for me.

One of the best donut places to go to!
It’s in downtown so parking is going to be a pain, might have to walk a few blocks especially on the weekends.
I’ve been here on fridays, and weekends early in the morning and the line is still really long! But the wait is worth it. They have a selection of different flavor for you to choose from, not to mention cute designs! Sometimes they give out free donuts to children as well. I love how interactive the employees and owner are with the crowd waiting, they keep us entertained. This one time the owner threw free shirts and giftcards to the crowd.
If you want good tasting donuts come here early in the morning and you will be satisfied.

Aside from the wait (which has been mentioned in other comments), the donuts were quite yummy and a solid variety. It is true that they do run out of a lot of the different types within a few hours, but there is still a solid amount to choose from, all of which are delicious.
Personally, the poptart was very rich in flavor and had a whole poptart inside of it, which was creative and added an unexpected crunch.
Would come back again and try it again.

I don’t get the hype.
The donuts were ok. They aren’t the best donuts I’ve ever had. They are extremely large, but other than that???
I got the Nutella, Homer Donut, Blueberry Lemon, Red Velvet and the Apple Fritter.
The Nutella donut was not a Nutella donut. Meaning, it did not taste like Nutella. At all. Maybe if I closed my eyes during a bite and concentrated really hard, I would get a tiny hint of Nutella. Maybe.
The Blueberry Lemon donut left something to be desired. I felt like the blueberry was okay by itself but the lemon icing was way too strong and tart, so the flavors did not mesh well together. The lemon needed to be more subtle.
The Apple Fritter was just okay. Too cakey for me. These were not displayed. Had no idea they had them until someone behind me in line asked for one.
The Red Velvet and the Homer were the best. Homer was slightly better.
I had a sample of the French toast donut in line and it was good, but I think you’d have to eat it hot out of the fryer for it to be good. Probably only good warm.
I got there on a Thursday morning right when they opened at 7am. The line wasn’t too bad, maybe like 10−15mins.
I probably will never go back because these aren’t my style donuts. Way too large and dry/​cakey. But if you like it that way, this is the place for you.

Over-​the-​top donuts in a trendy setting. The background music is good, the vibe casual, the service friendly.
Crème brûlée, a bacon apple fritter, lemon filled French crueller, coffee, tea. $ 24
… and worth it occasionally. Get some.

IMPORTANT: Open till they run out of donuts.
We got here 30 mins after they had opened and there was a good amount of people ahead of us, probably took about 1+ hour to get inside to order our donuts. they had already ran out of the crème brûlée donut, so that was a bummer, however we did get to try their homer donut (Simpsons donut), maple bacon donut, Samoa donut, French toast donut and their peanut butter jelly donut. Service here was great, one of the bakers were passing out samples of the French toast donut which tasted exactly like a French toast would but shaped like a donut. It even came out like a breakfast entrée when you ordered it with some jam.
The maple bacon was pretty good, some bacon pieces on top, the pb+j donut was probably the best one, Samoa was ok and the honer donut tasted like a pretty generic donut. All in all, nothing really special IMO, I didn’t think it was really worth the wait, but they do have plenty to choose from so check it out if you are close by and get here when they open.

If they could only do something about the looooonnnng line I would give it 5 stars. LOL
We had stayed in downtown San Diego on the Saturday before Mothers Day and were driving thru when we saw a large bunch of people standing on the sidewalk in an otherwise empty part of downtown. That piqued our curiosity, and were amazed that this long line, which stretched around the corner was for a donut shop.
We strolled around the waterfront for about an hour and were going to head toward LA, when we said, ‘Hey, let’s see if the line at the donut place was shorter’. By this time, it was about half of what it had been, so I dropped off my wife and found a parking spot two blocks away.
The line was very slow moving, but nobody seemed to mind. We asked a young man online behind us if the length of the line was out of the ordinary. He stated it was not, so we did what we had to do, and waited. And waited. I strolled up to the front of the line to see what donuts were in stock, and was very happy to see the variety.
After about 45 minutes we entered the shop and it was quite hectic. The Strawberry Split donut was calling my name, (the fresh whipped cream was great) and chose the salted caramel for backup duty. We both decided to get a hot cup of tea, and headed upstairs to the dining area. Most people were getting to go orders, but we were happy to have a place to sit and enjoy our treats.
The donuts did not let us down, and the staff was very professional and friendly.
I’ll go again if I’m ever in San Diego. But I’ll just have to wake up earlier!!!

I’ve been here a few times and love everything about it! The line may be long, even as early as 8am, but it moves pretty quickly! Once they sell out of donuts, they close for the day so it’s good to get here early! They have recently expanded the shop and it looks great! They have around 20 different donuts as well as their espresso bar. There is also an upstairs for eating which has a lot of seating.

A trip to the Donut Bar was near the top of my wish list on a recent trip to San Diego. Tried some of their goodies at a Unilocal event. 1 out of the 3 donuts that I had there was very good!
Do not know the exact name of the donut which I truly enjoyed. It was a raspberry filled donut. There was a container with midori. Squeeze the midori into the donut for some yummy goodness!
On the flip side, I was not a fan of their chocolate donut creation for the event. Also, did not like their maple bacon donut. Sorry.
To my utter disappointment, they were closed when I dropped by!!! They had a sign stating that they would be closed for 4 days.
Until I get another opportunity to visit the Donut Bar, this review will just have to be based on the 3 donuts I’ve tried so far. So 3 stars for now!

When you have a «Donut shop» with 1500+ reviews, one must take matters serious for his/​her own personal benefits. That being said, this Donut Bar fulfilled my go-​to donut shop setup, as its all positive 4 star, well liked, and famous donut shop. Sadly, right when I pulled up to the place which was a saturday round 12pm, they were getting ready to close down, as you know its just a donut shop, and their hours are limited 8 – 12, but if u ask me, donut shops should be like your local ⁷⁄₁₁ 24hr round the clock, but thats just my fat a** speaking. Needless to say, this place rocks, and got a chance to really get a mix box of everything. My favorite ones are totally the bacon topped donuts, so damn good, it really makes you forget where you are for few seconds.
If you want to get their signature, really awesome, and most popular donuts; (which they have a lot of) you need to be up early and before it even opens just to assure yourself the confidences you’ll get your donut. I will be dropping by many more times in the coming future, to get a chance trying all their types of donuts.
Parking is bad, no surprise its downtown and its right in the heart of it, so if you know your way round downtown, no need to explain, but for those who are visiting, just part at any parking lots round few blocks round, and walk back to the place.

They say good things come to those who wait. Well he prepared to wait here because the word it out –Donut Bar is the newest hippest baked goods shop to take the area by storm.
Granted it was Mother’s Day, but we waited about a hour and half to make it into the store. We made the mistake of showing up around the time that it was opening, so of course there was a line around the door. Because it was a holiday, the owner came outside trying to keep the crowd entertained by offering the children free donuts.
One inside we settled on several including my two favorites of Crème brûlée and Nutella flavored. Incredible and humongous. For the whole experience, I guess it’s worth the wait.

I’m not here here very often, but when I do, I come here super early right before they open on a weekday. Two reasons: easy free street parking plus no crazy long lines.
Last Monday, I arrived at 6:55am, and there were already 10+ people in front of me. I successfully got my free street parking YASS. Basically the street parking is free from 6−8am on weekdays. I was craving for the Crème brûlée donut as usual. :D
The chef was very professional and polite. He chatted with everyone in line while people ordering their donuts. The whole shop got ready at exactly 7am, and the staff were all very friendly and energetic.
Some of my favorite donuts here:
French Toast (They usually serve these on weekends, but there are exceptions sometimes)
Apple Fritter
Triple Chocolate Threat
Espresso
Crème brûlée: The inside was very delicious. The outside had crispy «brûlée» which was a little too sweet to me.

«What’s all of the hype about?» Some had asked, as I walked by with my box of donuts in hand.
A few coworkers brought in a box or two to work months ago and I was delightfully surprised about the unique variety of the boxed dozen. I could only imagine what they would taste like freshly baked.
No better time than this morning to try it out, since I had decided to stay in town this weekend. I had arrived earlier than opening time and paid a pretty penny to park, yet there was already a line wrapping around the corner.
I chatted with a couple visiting from New York, during our wait in line, sharing a little history about Donut Bar and offering suggestions on where to visit while in San Diego. Chef Santiago made his usual appearance in front of the line of eager customers to welcome us all. So sweet of him to personally hand out free donuts and balloons to the kids. What’s the age cutoff for a free donut anyway? The New Yorker behind me jokingly said he should have shaved because he could have passed for a kid.
Donut Bar had been closed for 4 days for remodeling and just reopened today, but their reopening was not the reason behind the long line. Lines are always long here. Outside the store was a sleek looking rally car, promoting the business. Inside, a cool mural of confetti-​dotted lips.
I would have liked to have redeemed my Unilocal check-​in offer of a free coffee or espresso with the purchase of a dozen, however, the donuts’ sizes are just too generous. I only ordered Coconut Dream, S’mores on Fire, and Oh My Birthday Cake Oreo. My favorite of the three was Coconut Dream, but I’m partial to all things Coconut. Some other unique flavors were being offered, such as Big Poppa Tart
(Sampled by celebrities, Steve Harvey and Ryan Seacrest) French Toast, Lemon Pistachio, Nutella, Butter Beer, Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll, and Maple Bourbon (made with real Jim Bean Bourbon).
As I walked back to my car, I came across Rosie, a sweet lady who was selling fresh flower bouquets and leis at the corner. She had been the last of the 3 people that had stopped to ask me what the hype was all about. It was then that I paused, opened up my box of half-​eaten donuts, and shared with Rosie the other half of my Coconut Dream. Now,…she knows.

5 Reasons Why The Donut Bar is the Right Kind of Wrong:
1. Donuts are brain food. In the form of glucose, donuts are a premium brain fuel source that will keep your mental engine running smoothly. Without glucose you would become weak, confused, and disoriented.
2. Your guilty feelings about overindulgence will add stress to your life. Experts agree that it’s always a good idea to reduce stress in your life wherever possible.
3. Even though you will quickly burn through the 300 calories of empty goodness and soon feel hungry again, if you get one with dark chocolate you can actually improve blood flow and cholesterol!
4. Refined flour has been consumed for time immemorial, so don’t believe all of this sudden hippie hype of whole wheat instead of refined. Whole wheat can cause hyperacidity and constipation. So don’t be constipated — eat a donut.
5. Eating donuts makes you a cultured and worldly person. Whether you call it a Donut (US), a Doughnut (UK), a Beignet (France /​New Orleans), a Berliner or Bismarck (Germany), a Zeppole (Italy), a Pozsonyi (Hungary), a Vada (India) — or any other name in any other country, donuts make you feel fancy, sophisticated, and global.
In summary, come to Donut Bar early AND often. Keep your brain sharp, stress level low, HDL high, constipation gone, and BE the uptown cosmopolitan boss that you know you are!

I FINALLY GOT TO GO TO DONUT BAR!!! WOOOHOOOO!
I’ve been BEGGING all my friends To go here with me for the longest time but no one has been down to get up super early to wait in a long line ha ha SHOUT OUT TO MY HOMEGIRL SHENA FOR GETTING UP AT THE BUTTCRACK OF DAWN TO GET DONUTS WITH ME! LOVE YOU!
Donut Bar opens 8am on Saturdays, we got here about 8:10ish. We got lucky and found street parking a block away.
The long line is not a lie! We waited an hour to get donuts…
TIP: Do not go here alone, you will be so bored in line if you don’t have someone to talk to. Thank God I was with my gf, I just caught up with her and vented my life away! HECK I NEEDED IT! ha ha it made the hour go by FAST!
Bring tents, chairs, gatorade, power bars etc. as you will need it while waiting in line. Black Friday status…
When we came on Saturday they had a fundraiser for leukemia and they were handing out free spongebob donuts to the kids!! Awesome to see a donut place get active for a good cause!
What I ordered:
Spongebob Donut: Honestly my favorite LOL it tasted the best in my opinion
S’mores: It was alright. chocolate donut with marshmallow on top
Harry Potter Butterbeer: It didn’t taste anything like butterbeer…
The ambiance of the place felt like a fun party! Everyone was energetic and it made it fun to be awake super early on a Saturday!
They have a few tables to eat on upstairs, not a lot of people dine in so I’m sure you’ll get a table.
It’s not a place to come every single Saturday since the line can be too much, but I’m definitely bringing my bae here in the summer.

Was so darn happy & excited to finally check this highly marketed Donut shop out. Always long lines of excited customers at Donut Bar, so make sure to stand in line very early if you wanna try.
Music blaring while your waiting, and lots of colorful tempting Donuts to tease you before you finally make your pick. Customer Service is outstanding very friendly & patient. We picked out 4 Donuts that cost $ 10.00, which I don’t have a problem paying but let’s hope the price was worth it.
Bottom line= Donut Bar has spectacular marketing with stellar service… but to me the Donut was A-​Okay. Could of had more flavor in every bite. I will return back to check out other selections of Donuts and give it another try in the future.

Mucha variedad de donas de todos sabores y gran tamaño…muy ricas con una atmósfera muy padre.
*muy recomendable!