Los Angeles/ Food & Drinks
Published on December 18, 2017
Here Are America's 50 Favorite Donut Shops: How Does Los Angeles Compare?Photo: The Donuttery/Yelp

With plentiful donut options across America's cities and towns, it's not hard to find a quality treat near you. But when was the last time you had a truly mind-blowing donut?

Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top 50 donut shops around the country, using Yelp data and our own special sauce to produce a data-driven breakdown of where donuts reign supreme in the US—and how Los Angeles compares to the rest of the country.

More than 7,000 U.S. donut shops have a rating of 4 stars or higher on Yelp, as this map we made illustrates. We dug deep to find the 50 best.

As it turns out, the Greater Los Angeles Area is definitely pulling its weight, with 11 of the country's best donut emporiums. The highest-ranking spot, at #3, is The Donut Man, a Glendora staple for over 40 years, that has an impressive 4.5- star average with 3,168 reviews.

What makes The Donut Man special? Its long-running operation, traditional donut styles, and seasonal specialties like fresh strawberry all probably contribute to its popularity. But there appears to be another factor, based on our analysis: its 24-7 operation. Only 5 percent of the 17,000 donut shops on Yelp in the US are open all the time. But 28 percent of the top 50 are, including five of the top ten donut places nationally.

Next on the list at #5, you'll find The Donuttery, a Huntington Beach go-to known for its blueberry cake donuts. Also open 24-7, the Donuttery landed on our list with a 4.5- star average with 2,379 reviews.

Rounding out the Greater Los Angeles Area’s top donut locations, the new-school creations of the Costa Mesa’s Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee put it at #7 nationwide. It's not the only place in the country specializing in creative flavors, like its popular maple bacon donut, and earned a 4.5- star average with 2,098 reviews.

Want to know where to score the sweetest, fluffiest donuts the country has to offer? Here's the rundown of the 50 American donut shops to knock off your bucket list:

  1. Café Du Monde (New Orleans)
  2. Doughnut Plant (New York)
  3. The Donut Man (Glendora)
  4. Gourdough’s (Austin)
  5. The Donuttery (Huntington Beach)
  6. Bob’s Donut & Pastry Shop (San Francisco)
  7. Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee (Costa Mesa)
  8. Leonard’s Bakery (Honolulu)
  9. Dough (Brooklyn)
  10. SK Donuts & Croissant (Los Angeles)
  11. BJ Cinnamon (Folsom)
  12. Round Rock Donuts (Round Rock)
  13. Stan’s Donut Shop (Santa Clara)
  14. Seaside Bakery (Newport Beach)
  15. Pip’s Original Doughnuts (Portland)
  16. Cake Among Us ((Rancho Cucamonga))
  17. Peters’ Bakery (San Jose)
  18. Peterson’s Donut Corner (Escondido)
  19. District Donuts Sliders Brew (New Orleans)
  20. Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop (Brooklyn)
  21. Daddy’s Donuts (Kenmore)
  22. Country Donuts (Crystal Lake)
  23. Mojo Donuts (Pembroke Pines)
  24. Beiler’s Bakery (Philadelphia)
  25. Do-Rite Donuts (Chicago)
  26. Daily Dozen Doughnuts (Seattle)
  27. VG Donuts & Bakery (Cardiff)
  28. Sugar Shack Donuts & Coffee (Richmond)
  29. Blue Star Donuts (Portland)
  30. Donut King (Minneola)
  31. Donnie’s Donuts (Ormond Beach)
  32. Donut Bar (San Diego)
  33. Dahlia Bakery (Seattle)
  34. Karma Kolache (Houston)
  35. Trish’s Mini Donuts (San Francisco)
  36. Might-O Donuts (Seattle)
  37. Ronald’s Donuts (Las Vegas)
  38. Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken (Chicago)
  39. DK’s Donuts of Orange (Orange)
  40. California Donuts (Los Angeles)
  41. The Salty Donut (Miami)
  42. Kettle Glazed Doughnuts (Los Angeles)
  43. The Holy Donut (Portland)
  44. Rolling Pin Donuts (San Bruno)
  45. Dynamo Donut & Coffee (San Francisco)
  46. Rise Biscuits & Donuts (Durham)
  47. Rose Donuts (San Diego)
  48. DK’s Donuts & Bakery (Santa Monica)
  49. Hypnotic Donuts (Dallas)
  50. Randy’s Donuts (Inglewood)