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    King Pin Donuts

    3.8 (713 reviews)
    InexpensiveDonuts, Desserts
    Open 7:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order King Pin Donuts Takeout or Delivery

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    Butter Milk
    Gerald R.

    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.

    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.

    David C.

    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.

    Spencer Q.

    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.

    Custard maple bar
    Emma N.

    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.

    Outside the shop with my half dozen of donuts
    Shannon C.

    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.

    Montage of images from King Pin Donuts
    Ed U.

    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

    David L.

    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.

    Chocolate donut and Glazed donut
    Megan T.

    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).

    Glazed, coconut, and old-fashioned style with maple syrup
    Mito I.

    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

    Isaiah G.

    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.

    What's left of a Chocolate old fashioned.

    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.

    Crumb Buttermilk Donut
    Audrey I.

    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.

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    11 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Eat these donuts!!! Microwave them for 15 seconds for extra doughiness. Open late. Woot!

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    10 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    6 years ago

    We love to go to this place late at night. Although this is a doughnut place we love their cookies.

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    5 years ago

    It is a very good doughnut we got an apple fritter and an old fashioned and it was very good and not really greasy I can't to go back here.

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    10 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Please don't go home until you try these donuts. Fresh and big. Open every day and open late. Try the apple fitter

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    9 years ago

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    Page 4 of 18

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    Ask the Community - King Pin Donuts

    Do they make Apple Fritters?

    Yes and they're pretty sizable donuts.

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    Rainbow Donuts

    Rainbow Donuts

    4.5(427 reviews)
    1.8 miWest Berkeley
    $$

    Donuts are quite the guilty pleasure for me so after trying these at a yelp event, I had to go grab…read moresome other flavors. All the donuts are very well made, soft, bright and fluffy. This is a go-to for bringing a dozen to parties and events!

    I pass Rainbow Donuts quite regularly, located on San Pablo Ave in Berkeley. It's a pretty pink…read morebuilding from the outside and for a recent order, I actually chose a food delivery service instead of making it over in-person for my kiddos recent birthday breakfast surprise . We ordered two decorated donuts (we left a note that it was a birthday, and to choose something fun), hash browns, an egg and cheese croissant, and coffee. They were having a special if you spent x amount, your coffee was complimentary or in all reality, I think it came to about .25 cents! They chose the cutest panda bear donuts as the decorated donuts, and it was such a fun breakfast vibe full of all the whimsy. They included a bag with napkins and coffee creamer which was a nice touch. And omg, the egg/cheese croissant...so good! There is truly something special about the discovery of breakfast croissants at spots that don't typically market them. (See pic) but the croissant was hearty and layered high with gooey cheese and warm egg. The croissant was warm, buttery, and it seemed like potentially put in a press. Chefs kiss, no notes. I noticed you could add meat and/or avocado, but it was perfect paired down. All in all, a food delivery gone right! Hard to come by these days, and my first time ever executing a delivery order before 7am haha. Thank you for adding to a truly special day, can't wait to visit soon!

    Photos
    Rainbow Donuts
    Rainbow Donuts - Ube

    Ube

    Rainbow Donuts

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    Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Strawberry lychee roasted matcha latte

    Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley

    4.3(1.2k reviews)
    2.0 miWest Berkeley
    $$

    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.

    Photos
    Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Strawberry Lychee Matcha Latte, matcha einspanner (06/2025)

    Strawberry Lychee Matcha Latte, matcha einspanner (06/2025)

    Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Pandan Mochi Donut

    Pandan Mochi Donut

    Third Culture Bakery - Berkeley - Mochi donuts

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    Mochi donuts

    SoDo Donuts

    SoDo Donuts

    4.4(16 reviews)
    2.5 miWest Berkeley

    I stopped by on my way to work for a peaches & cream donut and an iced latte. The donut was very…read moredelicious and the latte was solid :) I will be back for sure!

    We saw a review of SoDo Donuts on tv this morning and what better day to check out a donut shop…read morethan on a Sunday? We got dressed, put the dog into her harness and made the drive up to Berkeley. The square block that houses SoDo seems to be all wineries. It's a good thing we saw the episode because we rarely drink wine and never go wine tasting. SoDo occupies only sells donuts and coffee out of a small corner of a large building. There is a large variety of tables and seats outside of the building and a couple inside. Service was friendly. The display area isn't huge, but if you don't see what you were hoping for, it's a good idea to ask. They may have it behind the counter, out of sight. As usual, because I was outside with the dog and she was the one ordering, she kept it simple. "One of each please". That was one Apple Fritter, six Sour Dough Donuts, a "Slice of Summer" Focaccia, one hot and one iced latte, tip and tax. About $80! In general, what we got looked delicious, albeit a bit small in size. But they were large in flavor. You could definitely taste the sourdough flavor because it was not overwhelmed by the topping or filling. The dough was very springy. Unlike a regular donut that squishes down when you bite into and then stays somewhat flat, these donuts returned to their shape minus the bite. I enjoyed my Iced Latte although I'm guessing they only offer one size. I usually order the largest cup available. As I'm writing this, we've only tried the Apple Fritter and two other flavors so far. Below are some pictures of what we got. I'll name the donuts in the pictures later once I figure out what they are. Would I come here again? Yes!

    Photos
    SoDo Donuts - Donuts display

    Donuts display

    SoDo Donuts
    SoDo Donuts

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    Mochiholic Japanese Mochi Donut

    Mochiholic Japanese Mochi Donut

    4.1(41 reviews)
    0.1 miTelegraph Ave
    $$

    SERVICE: counter style, attentive AMBIANCE: fun and open,…read moreit's hard to keep white upholstery clean FLAVORS: Blue lychee (1/5) - no lychee flavor, just tastes sweet Lemon (4/5) - could be more lemony BUT the texture of the donuts was 5/5 Mango crema (4/5) PORTIONS: filling and appropriate PRICE: appropriate BONUS TIP: nice snack while waiting in long lines

    While having dinner nearby, I noticed on Yelp that a new boba spot opened up at the end of the…read moreblock where we were already dining at. I'm a huge fan of mochi donuts and also love mochi boba drinks, so I knew I had to come check Mochiholics out. Arriving around 7pm on a Sat evening, this spot was surprisingly empty. We were able to order at the self-service kiosk without a wait, and received our order pretty promptly afterwards. The prices are pretty reasonable, and I love their selection. Although we were pretty full so we did not partake of any mochi donuts that evening, we opted to share an Ube Coconut Milk Smoothie w/ Boba. My wife, who usually does not drink much boba (hence the sharing of a cup) wound up really loving the drink, and actually drank about half of it herself. The taro was fresh and very strong, and the boba quality was soft, chewy and delicious. We have easily found our new, favorite local boba spot with Mochiholics. And look forward to many more visits into the foreseeable future!

    Photos
    Mochiholic Japanese Mochi Donut
    Mochiholic Japanese Mochi Donut
    Mochiholic Japanese Mochi Donut

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    King Pin Donuts - donuts - Updated September 2026

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