Order King Pin Donuts Takeout or Delivery
KING PIN DONUTS · YELP ASSISTANT
Ask Yelp Assistant
King Pin Donuts Photos
You might also consider
More like King Pin Donuts
Recommended Reviews - King Pin Donuts
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos
Own and operated by a family is super friendly and helpful and lots of pride in their food. Good quality very affordable must try the buttermilk's. They are delicious. 12 donut holes $6.75 each doughnut is about 275.
This person gave me a lot of disrespect as I tried to order my food at Kingpin doughnuts. I have been coming here for many years, always expecting to be served in a very positive and home like kind of way only to be rudely awaken by whatever person they decided to have operating their checkout system. He claimed to be "Jake" but I suspect he gave me a false name.
Food: 3/5 Service: 3/5 Ambiance: 2/5 Overall: Pretty standard fare for taste. Good thing is it's open late. The extended review... Donuts: Buttermilk Donut - 3/5 - It's a solid donut but standard fare. Service: 3/5 - Standard service. Ambiance: 2/5 - Definitely a grab and go.
I liked the maple custard bar, and the amount of custard was very generous. The size was really huge, and I felt extremely full after eating this (I ate a big burrito before). There were also 2 free donut holes included. The donuts were very sweet though, so I would've preferred them to be a bit less sweet.
I saw donuts and my brain turned off. I got a half dozen. They have all the donuts you'd expect but they also had cheesecake which was cool. The service was good and quick. The ambiance is as you'd expect, a cute little shop with only enough room to choose your donuts and pay. There is seating outside with a little food court vibe however, which is nice. The donuts were mediocre but they scratched my itch for sure. The appalling thing was when I looked at the receipt and saw how expensive it was.... $20!!! For a half dozen donuts!!!! Definitely not worth it.
Oh Lord, this place takes me back. When I was a baby-faced UC freshman feeling smug that I didn't have to take the remedial Subject A class for English, it only followed that my swelled head would make me invulnerable to the girth of unnecessary calories that came with the donuts served here. As far as I knew, I was the King Pin. Top of the world, Ma! But alas, the extra inches around my waist merely attest to the fact that I was just King Pinhead. All these years later, no one is gonna take that crown away from me. I happened to walk by with a nostalgic hankering and pointed to two lip-smacking $2.75 cake donuts with little redeeming value. It really didn't matter what they were as long as I keep the crown. DONUTS - 4 stars...still the same college-age calorific satisfaction with their chocolate coconut and glazed donuts (photo: https://yelp.to/o1vNgCyCkj) AMBIANCE - 3 stars...you expected white tablecloths? SERVICE - 4 stars...zippier than most donut servers TOTAL - 4 stars...I am the King of Pinheads RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2CbVh8u
On a recent visit to Berkeley, this place brought back some nostalgic memories of when I used to come as a college student. This place has a lot of varieties of donuts to choose from. The donuts are made fresh on site with a deep fryer visible at the storefront window. They also sell muffins and madeleines but it looks like they got those from Costco to resell. There are lots of different donut flavors but the ones I got tasted average. I was also surprised by how expensive they were. Glazed sprinkle ones I got were $2.75 each and the chocolate buttermilk was $3.75. The service was prompt and friendly. The guy working gave us a few free donuts holes.
Brief Summary: - Different doughnuts to choose from - Lightly sweet batter There are times in my life, when I gained a massive craving for doughnuts, and that was the time. In my memory, I recall walking past this doughnut shop and seeing display cases of different doughnut types. I chose this one because going to a doughnut specialized shop has lots to choose from than going to a coffee shop. We got the original glazed, the coconut, and the maple doughnut in the old-fashioned style. Generally, all the doughnuts were lightly sweet, the sweetest being the old-fashioned maple syrup doughnut. Regardless of flavors, the glazed is the best and then my next favorite was the coconut. I did like the maple syrup old-fashioned doughnut, but it is the heavier one and sweeter. In the next craving season, I'll try the regular old-fashioned styled doughnut to compare the differences
The shop was in a tiny plaza/alley way where a multitude of stores are located. I loved that all these stores are open late so there's a variety of places to choose from around. I think there was a miscommunication in what we wanted since I wanted a chocolate donut but my bf pointed at a half sprinkled one which seems to be a different variety of donut that has the texture of an old fashioned. My bfs glazed donut was perfect and was not crunchy so I assume my donut was not a regular puffed donut (I personally like old fashioned so I actually did not mind this).
We were in the area and stop by. It's open late I loved that. They were fully stocked and we went at 10pm on a Saturday. Prices were reasonable and the doughnuts are really good. There's two small tables inside we sat there. We had a pretty good experience.
Like an old friend, King Pin Donuts is always consistent, familiar, and dependable. From lifting my post-exam moods to celebrating the end of a semester, King Pin's donuts are perfect for any occasion. My go-to's are often cake donuts, and King Pin does them decently. The buttermilk cake donuts are pretty moist, perfectly dense, and super sweet (oftentimes, a bit excessively so). Their donuts aren't the best donuts I've had; I'll leave that achievement to Bob's in SF. But, they still get the job done. For what it's worth, what they lack in quality they make up for in quantity as each donut is colossal and comparable to the size of a softball. Each donut is a bit pricy -roughly $4- but most donuts can easily be split between two or even three. Operating since the 1930's, King Pin is no stranger to the Berkeley community. With friendly staff, late operating hours, and of course, good donuts, King Pin will remain an institution for the decades to come.
Literally the best donut I've ever had. In my life. It changed my life. Not joking, please give this place your money. The donut man crafts each individual donut by hand, start to finish. If you are lucky enough to get one of these gems hot and fresh, you will not be disappointed. I can not recommend enough. I would have taken a better pic, but I was too busy inhaling this magical pastry.
King Pin Donuts is a neighborhood staple! Located on Durant Avenue, it is close to the UC Berkeley campus and is a popular spot for students. This well-established donut shop is small but has lots of options. There is also some outdoor seating right outside the store. The service is quick, and the person behind the counter is always willing to answer questions. My friend and I both tried an apple fritter, and my partner got a chocolate milk. The apple fritter was crispy with a nice glaze on top and delicious chunks of caramelized apple inside. This donut was extremely sweet, but honestly it's exactly what we needed! I normally go for apple cider donuts, so this was a great alternative. It's a good place to go when friends are visiting! read more
Honestly, not worth it. My maple glazed doughnut was extremely mediocre. I will say that I liked the texture, but the aftertaste was a bit gross. I feel like I could taste cleaning agents and other products that were not a part of the ingredients for the doughnut itself. The cinnamon donut I got was old and a waste of money. Both of the donuts weren't cheap. They arranged from 3 to 5 dollars and are not fresh. The customer service that was provided was okay. The ambience is what you would typically expect from a donut shop. In conclusion, I wouldn't recommend this donut shop to others. They could improve their business by decreasing the amount of donuts they make so that they don't have tons of identifiable old tasting donuts. read more
A GLAZED BACK TO WINCHELL'S Growing up as a kid in the 1980s my family and me would go to Winchell's on Sundays after Mass. The only donut I really like at Winchell's was the glazed as it had the lightly coated frosting yet the donut was not dense inside. Eventually Winchell's in the 1990s were later phased out by Krispy Kreme. I like Krispy Kreme because of the glazed also, but the sugar frosting can be too much. There are a lot of mom-and-pop donut shops that sell glazed raised donuts. However the glazed raised donuts at those shops tend to be dense inside. I like my glazed raised donuts with the balance between the ones I ate at Winchell's and Krispy Kreme. When I was a student at California I liked going to Kin Pin Donuts because of the butter milk bar. I came here to King Pin Donuts today as tomorrow is National Glazed Donut Day. The glazed I ordered had a lightly coated sugar frosting, yet the donut wasn't dense inside. If a glazed donut is dense I cannot order another one. I would equate this to a pizza if the crust is dense I can only eat one slice. At Kin Pin Donuts since I didn't feel bloated after eating the glazed raised donut I ordered another raised donut but this time with a chocolate frosting. What I really liked about the raised donuts at King Pin Donuts are the crispy outside. At King Pin Donuts for the raised donuts there are three textures: sweet frosting, fluffy inside, and crispy outside. How do you know if donuts at a donut shop are good? Just order a glazed or chocolate raised donuts to taste to find out if they're not dense. If a donut shop cannot bake a basic donut like raised donut, then most likely the rest of the donuts are not that good. If you are unsure what donuts to order at Kin Pin Donuts just order a raised donut. read more
2 months ago
Cheesecake slices are small and more on the expensive side for the quality. The one that i got; the bread was stale and the flavor was not good, While i would not recommend this cheesecake, the donuts are delicious and have better prices. read more
Own and operated by a family is super friendly and helpful and lots of pride in their food. Good quality very affordable must try the buttermilk's. They are delicious. 12 donut holes $6.75 each doughnut is about 275. read more
2 months ago
This person gave me a lot of disrespect as I tried to order my food at Kingpin doughnuts. I have been coming here for many years, always expecting to be served in a very positive and home like kind of way only to be rudely awaken by whatever person they decided to have operating their checkout system. He claimed to be "Jake" but I suspect he gave me a false name. read more
2 years ago
Food: 3/5 Service: 3/5 Ambiance: 2/5 Overall: Pretty standard fare for taste. Good thing is it's open late. The extended review... Donuts: Buttermilk Donut - 3/5 - It's a solid donut but standard fare. Service: 3/5 - Standard service. Ambiance: 2/5 - Definitely a grab and go. read more
8 months ago
I liked the maple custard bar, and the amount of custard was very generous. The size was really huge, and I felt extremely full after eating this (I ate a big burrito before). There were also 2 free donut holes included. The donuts were very sweet though, so I would've preferred them to be a bit less sweet. read more
3 months ago
3 years ago
I saw donuts and my brain turned off. I got a half dozen. They have all the donuts you'd expect but they also had cheesecake which was cool. The service was good and quick. The ambiance is as you'd expect, a cute little shop with only enough room to choose your donuts and pay. There is seating outside with a little food court vibe however, which is nice. The donuts were mediocre but they scratched my itch for sure. The appalling thing was when I looked at the receipt and saw how expensive it was.... $20!!! For a half dozen donuts!!!! Definitely not worth it. read more
Oh Lord, this place takes me back. When I was a baby-faced UC freshman feeling smug that I didn't have to take the remedial Subject A class for English, it only followed that my swelled head would make me invulnerable to the girth of unnecessary calories that came with the donuts served here. As far as I knew, I was the King Pin. Top of the world, Ma! But alas, the extra inches around my waist merely attest to the fact that I was just King Pinhead. All these years later, no one is gonna take that crown away from me. I happened to walk by with a nostalgic hankering and pointed to two lip-smacking $2.75 cake donuts with little redeeming value. It really didn't matter what they were as long as I keep the crown. DONUTS - 4 stars...still the same college-age calorific satisfaction with their chocolate coconut and glazed donuts (photo: https://yelp.to/o1vNgCyCkj) AMBIANCE - 3 stars...you expected white tablecloths? SERVICE - 4 stars...zippier than most donut servers TOTAL - 4 stars...I am the King of Pinheads RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2CbVh8u read more
On a recent visit to Berkeley, this place brought back some nostalgic memories of when I used to come as a college student. This place has a lot of varieties of donuts to choose from. The donuts are made fresh on site with a deep fryer visible at the storefront window. They also sell muffins and madeleines but it looks like they got those from Costco to resell. There are lots of different donut flavors but the ones I got tasted average. I was also surprised by how expensive they were. Glazed sprinkle ones I got were $2.75 each and the chocolate buttermilk was $3.75. The service was prompt and friendly. The guy working gave us a few free donuts holes. read more
Brief Summary: - Different doughnuts to choose from - Lightly sweet batter There are times in my life, when I gained a massive craving for doughnuts, and that was the time. In my memory, I recall walking past this doughnut shop and seeing display cases of different doughnut types. I chose this one because going to a doughnut specialized shop has lots to choose from than going to a coffee shop. We got the original glazed, the coconut, and the maple doughnut in the old-fashioned style. Generally, all the doughnuts were lightly sweet, the sweetest being the old-fashioned maple syrup doughnut. Regardless of flavors, the glazed is the best and then my next favorite was the coconut. I did like the maple syrup old-fashioned doughnut, but it is the heavier one and sweeter. In the next craving season, I'll try the regular old-fashioned styled doughnut to compare the differences read more
1 year ago
The shop was in a tiny plaza/alley way where a multitude of stores are located. I loved that all these stores are open late so there's a variety of places to choose from around. I think there was a miscommunication in what we wanted since I wanted a chocolate donut but my bf pointed at a half sprinkled one which seems to be a different variety of donut that has the texture of an old fashioned. My bfs glazed donut was perfect and was not crunchy so I assume my donut was not a regular puffed donut (I personally like old fashioned so I actually did not mind this). read more
1 year ago
We were in the area and stop by. It's open late I loved that. They were fully stocked and we went at 10pm on a Saturday. Prices were reasonable and the doughnuts are really good. There's two small tables inside we sat there. We had a pretty good experience. read more
1 year ago
Like an old friend, King Pin Donuts is always consistent, familiar, and dependable. From lifting my post-exam moods to celebrating the end of a semester, King Pin's donuts are perfect for any occasion. My go-to's are often cake donuts, and King Pin does them decently. The buttermilk cake donuts are pretty moist, perfectly dense, and super sweet (oftentimes, a bit excessively so). Their donuts aren't the best donuts I've had; I'll leave that achievement to Bob's in SF. But, they still get the job done. For what it's worth, what they lack in quality they make up for in quantity as each donut is colossal and comparable to the size of a softball. Each donut is a bit pricy -roughly $4- but most donuts can easily be split between two or even three. Operating since the 1930's, King Pin is no stranger to the Berkeley community. With friendly staff, late operating hours, and of course, good donuts, King Pin will remain an institution for the decades to come. read more
2 years ago
Literally the best donut I've ever had. In my life. It changed my life. Not joking, please give this place your money. The donut man crafts each individual donut by hand, start to finish. If you are lucky enough to get one of these gems hot and fresh, you will not be disappointed. I can not recommend enough. I would have taken a better pic, but I was too busy inhaling this magical pastry. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
Trying these donuts for the first time, and I have to say I was a little disappointed with the packaging. I ordered six donuts, but they came in a to-go bag instead of a box. I heard about this spot on TikTok and have been on a hunt for the best donuts. Overall, they weren't bad, just a bit dry. Maybe I'll give them another shot and try them fresh in person. read more
My friends and I had sweet tooth cravings one night and were looking for the closest donut shop still open. We were having dinner in Concord and saw that the nearest place to us was King Pin in Berkeley haha! The best kind of friends are the ones who will make foodie trips in the middle of the night! King Pin is located super close to the UC Berkeley campus so there's a lot of students who come here. I got a couple of donuts and a hot chocolate and it definitely hit the spot. My friends ended up getting boxes to bring to work the next day. Thank God for Donut shops that are open late at night haha If Yelp is accurate it says they're open until 3am! Go get your donut fix now! read more
A bit pricey for donuts, but it's the closest donut shop within walking proximity of campus. After being in the Berkeley area for almost 8 years, this place mostly serves as undergrad nostalgia for me. I got a dozen donut holes: half buttermilk and half raised. They might be the sweetest donuts I have ever consumed, but hey- it's donuts. I think I've hit my sugar limit for the day after eating just two. They also sell day-old donuts for a discount: 4 donuts per box for $5.50. read more
This review is strictly for the glazed raised donuts that are hot out of the hopper. I had to wait to about 1:30 am for them to be ready but it's always a pleasure. If you haven't had the hot you don't know what you're missing. I've been coming here for years but since it's so early in the morning not too often at all. It's surprising how busy the area is here as to the close proximity to Cal. I prepaid for this and the clerk delivered this to me when they were ready. It's a small donut shop but you can see donuts being made. Good times. read more
3 years ago
I got the chocolate old fashioned donut and the chocolate cake donut with chocolate chips. Both were delicious & satisfied that donut craving. Service wise, King Pin is great! I ordered pickup and they threw in a couple free glazed donut holes in with my order. Will return! read more
I got the Raised Glazed Donut, Cake Donuts Maple, Cinnamon Roll Donut, Cake Donuts Chocolate & Sprinkle. My favorites were the Glazed and Cinnamon Donut. The Glazed Donut was fresh out the fryer and it was a nice gooey soft pillowy texture. Heaven. The Cinnamon Donut reminds me of when I finish apple picking and reward myself with a farm's homemade apple cider donuts. They serve drinks like coffee and hot chocolate as well. The shop itself has a cute aesthetic as well. A great midnight snack after a long day of studying. The owner is also extremely friendly and funny. I really recommend checking King Pin Donuts out! read more
5 years ago
The person who I'm assuming is the owner is extremely nice! He's patient when you're just browsing and willing to answer any questions you have. I ordered a few dozen donut holes and didn't know that there were two options. I can't remember what he called it, but mentioned that he'll pack me the non traditional kind. I asked what the difference was and he said that it's crispier. I've never heard of these before, but I went with his suggestion and got those. Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of these. I love traditional donut holes because they're soft and easy to snack on, but these were extremely dense (though they were crispier as promised). It reminds me of the dense old fashion donuts. If you like those then these would be a great option for you! I'll have to come back next time for the regular donut holes, but am happy with my experience just because the man was so nice. read more
1 year ago
5 years ago
I've come here several late nights for a sweet snack and it never disappoints! There's always a line, but it goes by quick. Once you're being served it's pretty much in and out. Donuts are amazing. I've gotten the old fashioned, sprinkles, donut holes, and chocolate donuts - all of them are perfect so I don't think you can go wrong here! read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
They have a deal where you can get a whole box filled with an assortment of day-old donuts for $5. And for just being a day old they were still good and it was a tad more dry but that's the texture we loveee. read more
2 years ago
Decent donut shop in Berkeley! My sister and I were craving donuts today for we made a stop here. We got the cinnamon twist, Apple fritter, half a dozen donut holes, and old fashion glazed donut all for $13.42. The donuts were huge and not overly sweet like other donut shops. Only issue is that the donut hole was a bit dry so it didn't taste fresh. To be fair, I did buy donuts really late in the day around 4pm PT. Apple Fritter: this one was the fluffiest one out of the donuts I bought today. I couldn't taste taste the apple and didn't see a lot of apple bits on the donut. A little disappointed, but my sister likes the fact that it was not as sweet and really fluffy! Cinnamon twist: this one was my favorite! It has the perfect balance of cinnamon and glazing. It ripped apart easily into bite size pieces. Donut holes: a bit dry but I'm a fan of glazed donut holes. Would've been perfect if it was fresh! Old fashion glazed: didn't try this one yet but it must be good since I got the last one. Parking: I was lucky to find a spot up from the donut shop, but not always this lucky! Usually there's limited parking, but I see a lot of people double parking right outside so that's what I suggest if you're in the area. read more
1 year ago
Tasty donuts made with care and joy! They make a jelly custard donut! Both...in one donut. It is so good and rich! This place has the classics from donut holes to old fashioned donuts, and there is nothing quite like the classic glazed raised donut. So buttery and the right balance of savory and sweet. They e got a wide variety and their custard donuts are so Devine. Loved the variety and quality of their donuts. You've got to try them out! My favorite was the maple raised because of the perfect balance of airy donut and perfect maple glaze. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
I found a dead roach after biting into my donut hole just threw me all the way off, waste of $6! read more
Page 1 of 18
More info about King Pin Donuts
King Pin Donuts Reviews in Other Languages
Ask the Community - King Pin Donuts
You might also consider
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
47 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
11 years ago
9 years ago
17 years ago
8 years ago
19 years ago
9 years ago
13 years ago
15 years ago
18 years ago
5 years ago
18 years ago
1 year ago
5 years ago
16 years ago
12 years ago
17 years ago
10 years ago
14 years ago
10 years ago
