By Kate Bradshaw
From malasadas to maple bars, here are the go-to places to enjoy your favorite breakfast any time of the day.
Tootsie’s bomboloni, located in the old Stanford barn, is moist and sweet. Those filled with Nutella and banana cream are often available early in the morning. (Photo by Kate Bradshaw)
While the peninsula is full of places to satisfy your sweet tooth, I wondered if it might be dotted with “doughnut deserts” – pockets of neighborhoods with no restaurants to grab a donut or a maple bar with a cup of coffee. For those looking for a more down-to-earth delicacy or better indulgence-to-dollar ratio, there’s nothing quite like the humble donut to satisfy that craving for carbs, oil, and instant gratification.
I went looking for places where people can get their fried desserts, mapping many donut spots on the peninsula and tasting some of the best donuts around.
The trip brought me to a small window on a frontage road parallel to the 101 in San Mateo, where I picked up a set of three churro donuts with chocolate dipped, 24 hour staples providing light raised donuts like the air, to new outposts branching out into mochi donuts with innovative flavors. I’ve also sampled the offerings of several restaurants that offer doughnut-shaped variations, such as the Italian bomboloni and the Portuguese malasada. Upon further analysis, it turns out that true donut deserts are rare on the peninsula.
Italian bombolonis: Tootsie’s, Palo Alto
These are rounder and more breaded than traditional donuts. In the morning, bomboloni filled with Nutella and banana cream are often on sale, but they usually sell out early. The barn where Tootsie’s usually operates is under construction, so the brunch favorite has moved to the nearby Vino Enoteca for the time being.
Tootsie’s, 700 Welch Road, Palo Alto. instagram: @ tootsiesbarn. Open 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Pink Chocolate Lemon Pistachio Donuts from Saltwater Bakery in Pacifica. (Photo by Kate Bradshaw)
Instagram-worthy, gluten-free, healthy: Saltwater Bakery, Pacifica
Saltwater Bakery, founded by Tawnya Marsh in 2018, offers unique gluten-free donuts, including flavors like Chocolate Rose and Pistachio Lemon. Marsh started the gluten-free bakery after looking for ways to help her daughter overcome her digestive issues and said in a previous interview with The Six Fifty that donuts took a year of trial and error to get right.
Salt water bakery, 1905 Palmetto Ave, Pacifica. Instagram: @salt water bakery. Open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Churro fritters from Birria and Tacos from Suavecito in San Mateo. (Photo by Sommer Cattani)
Churro Fritters: Birria and Tacos from Suavecito, San Mateo
Hidden along a road leading to Highway 101 in San Mateo, Suavecito’s Birria and Tacos can be hard to find, but it’s worth the trip to try their churro fritters, golden rings of fried ridges coated in cinnamon sugar. They are sold in a pack of three with chocolate sauce for dipping.
Birria and tacos from Suavecito, 1100 S Amphlett Blvd., San Mateo, located in Baker’s Floor and Surfaces. Instagram: @suavecitobirriaandtacos. Open from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.
Longtime local favorite: Stan’s Donuts, Santa Clara
Waiting for Peninsula donut lovers since 1959, Stan’s in Santa Clara has the retro interior to match its age, with old signs advertising “take-out service” for fresh, no-frills donuts. The family-run boutique has been a staple in the community since Stanford “Stan” Wittmayer and his wife Florence opened over 60 years ago. The couple’s nine children have each spent time working in the store, and several are continuing the business to continue the family legacy.
Stan’s donuts, 2628 Homestead Road, Santa Clara. Instagram: @standonutshop. Open daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Glazed donuts and crumbs from Rolling Pin Donuts in San Bruno. (Photo by Sommer Cattani)
Anytime: Rolling Pin Donuts, San Bruno
Rolling Pin Donuts earns points for being open 24/7 and has a wide selection of food staples. Their crumb donut was moist and rich, while the classic raised glazed donut is the most popular.
Rolling pin donuts, 429 San Bruno Avenue West, San Bruno; open 24/7.
A strawberry shortcake donut, filled chocolate bar and creme brulee donut are some of the specialties offered by Cruel Donuts, a new donut shop in San Mateo. (Photo by Kate Bradshaw)
Upstart Challenger: Cruel Donuts, San Mateo
This brand new donut shop offers a wide variety of classic donuts. On weekends, the selection expands to specialty donut flavors like creme brulee and strawberry shortcake. The name is derived from the owners’ favorite donut, the French cruller. I particularly liked their custard filled chocolate bar donut, both fresh and indulgent.
Cruel Donuts, 35 Laurie Meadows Drive, San Mateo. Open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day except Friday until 6 p.m.
Hot and cold combo: Cudos, Palo Alto
Cudos, a portmanteau of custard and donuts, is just that — a dessert shop in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village offering frozen custard topped with small cake donuts.
Cudos, 855 El Camino Real #160, Palo Alto. Instagram: @cudosforyou. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
A classic chocolate donut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles from Chuck’s Donuts in Redwood City. (Photo by Kate Bradshaw)
Old-school classic: Chuck’s Donuts, Redwood City
A Peninsula favourite, the Chuck’s Redwood City outpost is cash-only and has stacks of pink pastry boxes lining the walls and display cases offering something for everyone – classics galore, vegan donutscrullers, limited-edition Pride rainbow donuts, and even a jalapeño popper flavor.
Chuck’s Donuts, 801 Woodside Road, Redwood City. Open 24/7. Alternate locations: 641 Ralston Ave., Belmont and 495 Old County Road, San Carlos (check times).
Taste innovation: Mochinut, San Mateo
Mochinut offers visitors the opportunity to creatively pair soft ice cream and mochi donut flavors. Soft serve flavors include honey butter, melon, and strawberry lemon, while donut flavors include dark sugar, banana milk, taro, and yuzu depending on location. Other locations are in Hayward and San Jose.
Mochinut, 250 SB St., San Mateo. Instagram: @mochinut_sanmateo. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 
Malasadas from Noelani’s Island Grill in San Carlos. (Photo by Sommer Cattani)
Malasadas: Noelani’s Island Grill, San Carlos
These Portuguese and Hawaiian desserts were served piping hot at the take-out counter at Noelani’s Island Grill on a recent Sunday. More breaded than traditional doughnuts and rolled in sugar, the desserts were historically prepared on Mardi Gras before Lent in an effort to help participating Catholic households empty their pantries of sugar and fat.
Noelani Island Grill, 1037 Laurel St., San Carlos. Instagram: @noelanisislandgrill. Open 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Closed on Mondays.
Cronuts: Happy Donuts, Palo Alto
It’s a mystery why the cronut fad has faded, but you can still find some at Happy Donuts in Palo Alto. They also offer a wide range of classic donuts, from glazed twists to donut holes.
happy donuts, 3916 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. Open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Clockwise from top: Matcha crumb, glazed ube, strawberry rose crumb and apple cider glazed donuts from Apple Fritter in San Mateo. (Photo by Kate Bradshaw)
Sweet and savory: apple fritter, San Mateo
The over the top donut sandwiches offered at Apple Fritter combine the sweetness of a donut with the savory filling of a sandwich. Try the YOLO sandwich with turkey, bacon, cheese and a fried egg using a toasted glazed donut as sandwich bread. They also offer a wide range of cake donuts, including strawberry rose, matcha, ube, and apple cider.
Apple Doughnuts, 1901 S Norfolk St., San Mateo; applefrittereatery.com. Instagram: @apple fries restaurant. Open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
A pandan mochi donut from Modo Hawaii in Santa Clara. (Photo by Kate Bradshaw)
Mochi donuts: Modo Hawaii, Santa Clara
Modo Hawaii mochi donuts have a chewy texture different from more traditional donuts, but very appealing. The flavor of pandan is subtle, with elements of vanilla and coconut. Other flavors include black sesame, cookies and cream, passion fruit and churro.
Hawaii Fashion, 2000 El Camino Real, Santa Clara; modohawaii.com. Instagram: @modohawaii. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Dive into food news. Follow the Peninsula Foodist on Instagram and Sign up to the newsletter for insight into the latest openings and closings, find out what the Foodist is excited to eat, read exclusive interviews and follow trends affecting local restaurants.
