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    donut savant

    4.5 (375 reviews)
    Open • 7:00 am - 1:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    donut savant Photos

    DONUT SAVANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - donut savant

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    Reviews With Photos

    Inside the store
    Yan X.

    Donuts haven't been my go-to since, I guess, college years! Which was more than 20 Years ago. Donut Savant made me fall in love with donuts again! We sampled a few. I particularly like the crème brûlée and the chocolate cronut. I like the fact that they don't taste being overpowered by grease and sugar. Cream fillings were very light. Line was long but it moved very quickly.

    Cool neighborhood spot
    Jim G.

    Solid cool Oakland spot! The donuts are yummy and creative. Some donuts are better than others. Big fan of the sugar and cinnamon cronut! The people are friendly and helpful. I was surprised there wasn't a crazy long line. This is a cool spot in The Town! Chill and clean indoors. They also sell some shirts and hats which is pretty cool. Highly recommend!

    Iced coffee brown sugar & cinnamon
    Ferrari C.

    No cap this is one of the best iced coffees I've had in awhile . It's the perfect balance of brown sugar & cinnamon. The service is great and a vibe . The inside is pretty modern and clean , I will definitely come back .

    Apple Fritter, Cinnamon Roll, Lemon Cronut, Maple Cronut, Dark Chocolate Cronut
    Dylan B.

    My partner told me that a coworker of hers mentioned donut savant as the best donuts they've had in the town and over the past weekend we wanted to try it out for ourselves. The store is tucked away on the corner of 38th Ave under a different name (The King's Coffee Shop - not sure if this had any historical significance to donut savant) so it was a bit confusing. The inside is quite minimalist with little decor with a few seats and merch surrounding the very nicely arranged trays of pastries. It was remarkably clean which was something that stood out immediately. The prices are very reasonable, with the store opting for smaller mini-sized donuts at $1/$2 a pop with full-sized versions of each offering around $3/$4 a piece. We went with a few items: the apple fritter, maple glazed cron't, lemon curd, cinnamon roll, and chocolate cron't. Unfortunately we went closer to closing and therefore basically all of the filled donuts were gone for the day. All the donuts were generously glazed and well balanced in their sweetness. It was my first time getting my hands on an apple fritter and it was really good - not as apple-heavy as I had always imagined it to be. Cinnamon roll and chocolate cron't were both good as well - would recommend the chocolate for folks who tend towards more dark chocolate, as it had some good bitter notes to it and works well with a croissant consistency. My favorite had to be the maple glazed cron't - super classic flavor and slightly fluffier than the chocolate cron't that blended that crispiness of the croissant and the fluffiness of a true donut. Overall a super affordable place during a time of insane inflation that doesn't compromise on quality and flavor. Definitely needed this sweet treat and will be coming back for more soon!

    Cron'ts, apple fritter, chocolate cake donut bites, jane dough

    This place was a quick 30-ish minute drive from my place in Martinez. I easily found parking in the neighborhood about a block away. I really loved all the donuts I tried from donut savant! The cron'ts were fluffy and not dense at all. I also really liked the size of them too; not too big. We also tried some cake & yeast donuts and enjoyed those. The "jane dough" was yummy and the pastry cream was perfect. I tried some of the plain dough itself and it was insanely good. I find some donuts to be so plain and dense, but not these! I would definitely come back here. :)

    BigDog E.

    Had to get out of the city and wanted to try this place for a long time. Smaller in size but def dbl in quality! Nice friendly staff. My only complaint.............. why didn't I buy more to try out!! #chefapproved #415Francisco

    Eric D.

    Great service; quick and with a friendly smile! Delectable donuts! Love the Boston Crème and Crème Brûlée. Chill atmosphere.

    Menu (July 2025)
    Anusha S.

    Looked up must try eats in Oakland and found donut savant! We came here on a Sunday around 11:30am and all the desserts were still in stock which was great. We decided to get the crème brûlée donut, Bernie, salted maple cronut, chocolate cronut, o.m.j., little lemon one, apple fritter, cinnamon roll, and w.t. fluff. My personal favorites were the Bernie, o.m.j, and the salted maple cronut! The chocolate cronut was pretty good as well. My friend liked the o.m.j., w.t. fluff, and the crème brûlée donut. We were not a fan of the apple fritter, cinnamon roll, and little lemon one. The apple fritter didn't have much apple flavor, the cinnamon roll could have more cinnamon in it and glaze was a little salty, and the little lemon one was a little too tart for our liking. Overall, donut savant is a solid spot with unique desserts. I would come back to get my favorites and to try more items!

    Amanda S.

    OMG I love this place! Shout out to my friend for taking me because this is a hidden gem. I like donuts but they are often too much for me because they are large and overly sweet. This place is perfect for me because they basically do gourmet donut holes and are unique and taste fresh (not artificial) their cronuts are also divine! I came in the afternoon so they running low but still lots of options and still lots of people coming in. It's a grab and go type spot. Simple, clean, delicious!

    Sabrina Z.

    Cronuts were light and fluffy! I would rate the cronuts in this order: 1. Maple 2. Cinnamon sugar 3. Little lemon one (perfectly bite size!) 4. Chocolate cron't 5. Vanilla We also got: - crème brulee - filling inside wasn't too sweet or thick and the sugar coating was crunchy, but not too thick - the Bernie- same vanilla pastry filling with the maple frosting (my favorite!)

    Sarah L.

    This has been in my bookmark for years. more than 5 years and I finally had a chance to check them out. I would come back and try other flavors. I came here before noon and there are only a few pieces left. I wanted to get all the lemon flavor but there was another customer was behind me so I didn't get everything. He later thanked me for not taking all the donuts. I must say, I was disappointed of the size (see picture for reference, I put my hand next to them so you can see how tiny these are). The pictures were deceiving, I thought they were huge like regular sized donuts. Anyway I still left happy because they were good! The price , I wish was a few cents less, because a few more cents, you can already get an actual donut. Or add a dollar and you can get a gourmet donut. Casual. Servers were polite. Street parking, good luck!

    7/16/25 FYI. Todays donuts!

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    15 days ago

    Best doughnuts in the Bay, hand down! The maple bar is supreme but they are all excellent.

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    14 days ago

    Delicious donuts. A little small in size but overall taste was delicious. Went on a Saturday morning. Line was long but it went pretty fast.

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    Page 1 of 10

    donut savant Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - donut savant

    How much for a dozen?

    The donuts are price-per-piece, so the price of a dozen donuts depends on the donuts you choose to put in the dozen. The donuts range in price from $0.75 to $3.75, to give a range of price.

    Are they able to make a to-go traveler's sized coffee for a group?

    yes!!

    What is the fry oil? Canola?

    hi jonathan, we use organic palm shortening.

    What is parking like in that area?

    you should be able to find a spot less than a block away

    What's the best time to get fresh still-warm donuts?

    Early..

    What time do they open?

    At the moment: Wed-Sun 7am-1pm

    View All 13 Questions

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    Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley

    4.3(1.2k reviews)
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    Cute store. Very clean. I like that they display each donut and muffin in the case with its name…read moreand price (vs just a list of flavors on a menu) so you can see exactly what you're getting. The lady at the counter was super nice and personable. She was easy to talk to and friendly. She asked if we wanted our treats warmed up but since I was taking mine home, she recommended to heat it up for 45 seconds at home. Thank you!! I ordered: * black sesame mochi muffin - nice chew, great sesame flavor, and not too sweet * churro mochi muffin - covered in cinnamon sugar, so good. Great texture as well. * banana bread pudding - looks so ooey and gooey! I took an edge piece because I like the chewy crispy texture. Love to return when I'm back in the area.

    Maybe back in the day, Third Culture's matcha was considered novel, innovative, and really good…read more But compared to all the new matcha spots popping up, I honestly don't think their drinks hold up anymore. Especially at the price point, you expect a more premium drink. The matcha was gritty and tasted mostly like milk, with just an essence of whatever flavor it was paired with. For the price, I was expecting something much more flavorful and refined. The donuts were fine, but nothing particularly special or memorable. Overall, I just don't think the drinks or donuts justify the price compared to what's available now.

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    Mariposa Baking Company - Cupcakes

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    4.3(758 reviews)
    4.8 mi•North Oakland, Rockridge
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    Let me begin by saying that I think this place has the best key lime pie I've ever tasted, and I…read morecan eat gluten. I also like that this location has longer business hours than most GF bakeries and serves breakfast all day as well as lunch items. Another big plus is the allergens are clearly labeled online and in the shop. However, I've had negative experiences here on 3 consecutive visits. I go here for my gluten free partner. On one of the visits, I ordered a stuffed bagel and waited for 15 minutes before going back up to the counter to say that I still hadn't received my order. It was busy, but by this time, the person standing at the counter had nothing to do. They apologized and made my order then, but the experience left a bad impression on me since it was my first time eating inside the bakery. On my next visit, I ordered several items inside the bakery to take home with my pickup order and received a pain de chocolate instead of a cinnamon donut, which I didn't notice until I got home. The pain de chocolate costs more and my partner wasn't able to share it with me due to a soy allergy. I suppose I could've been paying more attention, but these items don't have similar names at all, so I was not expecting this error. That said, I made a mental note to pay more attention when ordering inside the bake shop for future orders. On my next visit, I ordered a mocha cupcake and berry muffin, but the cashier rang me up for a hand pie instead of a muffin. Again, the hand pie was more expensive. This time I caught it and asked for it to be corrected. I work in customer service and I act with kindness when mistakes are made because we're only human. However, I believe 3 negative experiences in a row shows a pattern and warrants some attention. I will continue to patronize this business due to the reasons I mentioned at the beginning of this review, but I will now have to be vigilant in ensuring that I receive the correct items and am charged the correct amount. This of course is not ideal. I hope service improves.

    10am on a Saturday before it opened and a line was probably over 10 people. Parking in front is…read morelimited, but if you go past the lot there are more in the back. Plenty of things to look at while in line and even sample! I've only ever got pastries there but they have food made to order! Looks cute and cozy. Cinnamon roll was AMAZING! And honestly everything is around $6 which is pretty avg for gluten free. Limited indoor seating but it seemed a bit busy!

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    TOMO Tea House - Catering Boba Bar

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    After miles of cycling, TOMO Tea House was the perfect place to cool down. This hidden gem in…read moreAlameda offers much more than just boba--they also serve authentic Vietnamese phin-drip coffee and specialty coffee creations. The Mango Sago was absolutely amazing (soooo good!), and the Taro Shake with jellies was delicious. Service was excellent, and the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. I loved the relaxing ambiance, family-friendly atmosphere, indoor and outdoor seating, and the play area for kids. Plenty of parking too, conveniently located next to Lucky Supermarket. Highly recommend whether you're craving boba, dessert, or a great Vietnamese coffee after a long ride. Cheers!

    An absolutely adorable place for families with children or anyone seeking a sugar rush…read more A M B I A N C E They have a play pen area in pink and white to match the decor theme of the establishment which is super cute! Not many places are welcoming to children so I love that this place offers that. S E R V I C E There are a couple ordering screen stations near the entrance so you can take your time browsing the menu to order. The drinks and snacks were served quickly too. The staff do not greet you when you enter though. I made eye contact with them and smiled while they were all laughing about something on the floor behind the counter and they didn't smile back which killed the vibe. D R I N K S I got a pistacho jasmine milk tea. The pistachio foam was soooo good but the jasmine milk tea tasted way too artificial. Thankfully mixing in the pistachio foam low key saved the drink but I just couldn't finish it. My coworker comes here often so he likes it, maybe he has low expectations or maybe I'm too picky. I like real jasmine milk tea, not the powdered flavoring. For the pricing of $7 I would expect the real thing... S N A C K S My coworker ordered the malasadas, one of each flavor available (sesame seed, Ube, and I don't remember the 3rd flavor). I tried the mystery 3rd flavor and was unimpressed. It was too chewy and way too sweet custard center. I ended up giving it away to another coworker unbeknownst to the coworker I went with so as not to offend.

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    Bake Sum - Inside of Chocolate Chunk with Maldon Salt Cookie ($3.50) - very good!

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    Gluten challenge stop #7. All I can say is WOW! We got the yuzu bun and a pandan bun…read more The yuzu meringue bun was amazing. It's like a morning bun, and the texture of the morning bun is light, fluffy. Lots of sugar on it, it shedded everywhere while eating. The filling is the star. It is a curd and has a strong a prominent yuzu flavor. They filled it VERY generously. You get curd with every bite. We both agreed the meringue on top, while good, was not needed. The yuzu curd is not too sweet, they really lean into the sour so it balances out the sweet bun nicely. The pandan bun is like nothing I've EVER had. It's the strongest pandan flavored anything I've ever had. You can smell the pandan before you even bite into it. It's a lot like a brioche bun (not dissimilar to challah in texture) with a pandan-flavored concha top. It has a cream-style pandan filling which is a SUPER strong pandan flavor. Generously filled, very generously. Will definitely return if I can. Their flavors are on a rotating basis. The woman at the counter was enthusiastic and polite, eagerly answered questions.

    I was ecstatic to try their Yuzu Meringue Bun, but I was quite disappointed with the packaging. I…read moreunderstand it's challenging to find a box that closes securely without ruining the beautiful, photo-worthy presentation, but please consider leaving it open and allowing the customer to close it at their own leisure. Yuzu Meringue Bun -- Spot on with the cruffin and meringue combination. The yuzu flavor was generous, although it leaned a little too tart for my personal preference. I wished there was more meringue -- perhaps having a layer of meringue in the center would have made it absolutely superb! Brown Butter Mochi Bites -- These were alright, but nothing particularly special. They were missing the signature mochi chewy texture, so they didn't quite feel "mochi" enough to truly be called mochi bites. Sesame Cookie -- Unfortunately, it was too hard and crisp for my liking. Crossubi -- A very unique concept and not bad overall. I just wish the interior wasn't quite as hollow; a little more filling would have elevated it.

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    donut savant - donuts - Updated October 2026

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