My friend left our party a little early to end the night with dessert at King Pin. The fact that she mentioned "DONUT" had me craving for one the rest of the night. Thankfully, King Pin is open till 3am. Crazy! There were 10 of us that drove over here to check this spot out. Inexpensive, hot, and scrumptious!!! Just keep to the basics - glazed or chocolate! These fools sobered up on donuts and milk!! SO GOOD! I'm so glad I don't live close to this place I would be GORDO! Love these donuts! read more

Dropped by King Pin this morning to pick up some finals week destress breakfast. The old fashioned donut holes are great, I would totally recommend. The man working was friendly and asked me how my finals were going. Somehow he also managed to guess my major -- is it that obvious? As I walked down the street after I paid, I also noticed that he threw in 2 extra donut holes. Normal price is $2.50 for a 1/2 dozen. I think it's probably cheaper to buy a whole donut but donut holes are fun lol. +1.5 stars from last time for great donut holes and friendly service. -0.5 stars for the Costco muffins I saw in the display ;p They also sell the day old stuff at a discount to make sure the stuff on display is fresh! For the donut holes alone this place is probably a 4 star place but the other donuts just aren't that good. I'd come back for those, but probably not the other stuff! read more

I'm not sure if it's just the batch I got but these are the most oily donuts I've ever had in my life. Even the funnel cakes at the fair aren't this bad. The oil soaked through the paper holders around them, the napkins in the bag, and through the paper bag itself. I didn't realize until I got home because I had put it inside of my bag (which also got oil all in it) or I would have said something. I'm going to hope it's just this batch that I got because of all the other great reviews but I will probably not be getting these again. I'll go back and try something else to see if it's just these that I got and I'll update my review then. read more

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I was in Berkeley and promised my five year old some donuts. We ordered our usual half dozen thinking they would be decent. My son made no complaints. I on the other hand can't wait to get this awful taste out of my mouth. If you want to eat overpriced glazed lard, this spot is for you. read more

If you ever find yourself craving for an airy, delicate, majestic donut, do not come here. Don't be fooled by the sweet aroma of fresh donuts. Imagine eating a sponge and with every bite, you get a spoonful of oil with it. Honestly, I feel like those oils are still clogging my arteries as you are reading this. And I ate that donut three months ago. read more

Been here a few times for donuts - every time, filled with sweet oily gooeyness. The donuts are on the oily side - not as much dough-fluff as I'd want, but it does the job. The texture is probably so because you get the donuts bagged up warm. The smell of the shop is what gets me coming in - I'm a sucker for yummy smells! They aren't too pricey here... but if you frequent here every day - get larger pants! read more

Located in a familiar "Asian Ghetto", King Pin Donuts is probably the only donut shop in the area that serves fresh delicious donuts for an affordable price. I ordered a half dozen old fashioned donut "holes" and a chocolate donut. Upon my first bite of the Chocolate donut, I was like Holy Heavens this is so good! The donut itself is very crispy and the chocolate frosting was amazingly rich and flavorful. It was the best chocolate donut that entered my mouth! The old fashioned donut holes were good, although i much prefer the regular donut holes that I had. Overall, this place is great, and with donuts at less than 80 cents a piece, why wouldn't you want to stop by on your way to school? read more

King Pin Donuts - Freshly dippeddonuts - Donuts Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came here the other night to satisfy a sweet tooth and they definitely did not disappoint! Me and my boyfriend got donut their donut holes and their chocolate glaze and chocolate chip buttermilk donut. The donut holes were fresh and still warm! Such a comforting feeling to have donuts freshly made! read more

Hanging out in Berkley and are in need of a nice treat? Look no further, cause King Pin Donuts is freaking delicious!!! I've been here multiple times, mostly after nights out drinking. I thought the donuts were only good because I was hammered, so I made it a point to try the donuts sober and they were actually better than the times when I had been drinking! This place is legit! The donuts are inexpensive, nice and hot, and they're the perfect combination of deliciousness and delight. They're donuts are a little fluffier than most donut places I've been to, but these big fluffy donuts melt in your mouth!!! Besides the regular glazed donut, my favorite treat to get here is the apple fritter. It has a great hard/crunchy outside with a gooey, soft inside/middle that just melts in your mouth. I think it's great. If you ever wondered what it was like to take a bite out of heaven, the apple fritter is it. BOOM!!! read more

King Pin Donuts - Donuts!!! - Donuts Near Me - Berkeley, California

If it wasn't nearly across the street from campus and open late at night King Pin wouldn't be nearly as popular. Their doughnuts have always been mediocre at best, and mysteriously are never hot out of the oven at any time of day. You want a real doughnut served hot? Go to Rolling Pin in San Bruno around 10:45 p.m. or Donut Wheel in Cupertino (different varieties of hot doughnuts come out of the oven all night). read more

Oh King Pin. Lots of stories around this place. My first roommate would always go and get a dozen donut holes. My boyfriend used to go here at 1am to get a fresh batch of donut holes. So today in our romp around Berkeley, what did we do? We got some donut holes, but of course not fresh as it was the middle of the day. It's less than $2 and well we got more than half a dozen which is a definite plus! Brings lots of memories and leaves my stomach quite happy even if the donut holes were a little stale. read more

I've only tried the donut holes. It was nothing special and it was cold! It may be better if it was fresh and warm but I've had better donut holes elsewhere for like $1 a dozen. read more

King Pin Donuts - Dozen donut holes... Nothing special. Make sure to buy it when it's fresh bc these weren't! - Donuts Near Me - Berkeley, California

These donuts are soo good! Most donut places have dry donuts but this place has a balance between sweet, fried, and a little moist on the inside. My favorites are the donut holes and the glazed old fashioned's, must try! I've been going here for about 5 years and plan on continuing. Support your local donut shop! read more

I feel like the quality of King Pin has fallen off over the past few years. When I first came here in 2011, the freshness and quality was a lot better. While it was always best at 11pm at night, day or night was really good. Tonight I grabbed a half dozen donuts on the way home from the Cal game. One of the donuts had a raw dough flavor and the others just average. I used to sing King Pin praises and highly recommend it. I might better qualify my recommendations to my friends in the future. What did I learn today? Cal's record at upsetting top 10 ranked teams prior to tonight's Washington state game 1-52-2. You can add one more win to that column. read more

Got a cinnamon buttermilk donut while waiting for my food to be ready at Gypsy's (which is across the way). The person who was helping us out gave us a donut hole to try for free as well so we could get a feel for their style of donuts! The cinnamon buttermilk donut was super yummy! It was pretty dense but I think it actually worked in the favor of the cinnamon flavoring read more

What a waste of time gas and money I could get better donuts from 711 ...smh expensive totally crappy product

I normally love this place but... there was a literal piece of plastic attached to some hard unknown material that won't rip apart.. and it was in my donut. Not cool. read more

King Pin Donuts - Foreign object in donut - Donuts Near Me - Berkeley, California

The donuts are merely OK. The only reason they're still in business is their location right across the street from campus-- it's the only donut shop within walking distance for most students. Their prices are ridiculously high. 3 dollars for one (1) single donut is exorbitant and about 4x more expensive than a comparable donut would be at your average donut shop. Quality does not match the pricing!! If there was another nearby donut shop you can bet I'd never patronize them again, just not worth it with the quality of their product. The donuts aren't awful, which is why I gave two stars, but overall, not a good value. read more

Amazing donuts. Had them because they were available at the Beau Sky hotel across the way. OH EM GEE. So fluffy so good. I can't believe how easy it is to get good donuts in Cali. I had the glazed, and the chocolate glazed. I never like chocolate glazed, but these were goooood. I also loved watching the Chinese Donut Master do his thing while I was eating at Gypsy's - he made like three batches of french cruellers and a couple batches of glazed yeast donuts in like 20 minutes. So amazing. Fresh donuts at 7 PM! read more

A varied assortment of fresh and convenient doughnuts When it comes to doughnuts I like to keep things simple. My favorite kind of doughnut is the standard glazed one. Nothing beats a fresh glazed doughnut that melts in your mouth like a cloud of deliciousness. The King Pin glazed doughnut delivered. It was fresh, fluffy, and satisfying. I also tried the maple covered doughnut. It was also pretty good, but I will always prefer the fluffy doughnuts over the denser, cakey types. Each doughnut costs the convenient price of $1. They sell bags with day-old doughnuts (3) for $1.50. I will definitely come back and try more doughnuts if I am on south Berkeley with a late-night sweet tooth. read more

The buttermilk donut here is the bomb! It is glazed the just the right amount and isn't too dry or wet. Perfect place to go for a late night snack. read more

YUM...when you have a good buzz going (or you're up studying late), this place is the place to be in the early morning! They make fresh donuts in the early morning (1am-2am), so you can drop by here and pop a hot, mouthwatering glazed donut into your mouth. They are DELLLLIICCCIOUSSS! I always go for the chocolate, glazed, or donut holes. read more

Other than happy hours, my favorite small bites are donuts. Now Randy's in Inglewood is hard to beat, but king pin fries a great glazed donut. we were out late, and considering a bowl of ramen, a saag paneer, or a donut. I wanted a donut so bad, but they were just sitting there, sort of resting on their rack, not so appetizing, so I went over to the ramen place... ok, but cheap enough. But the umani isn't quite the satisfaction, when you have sweetness on your mind, so after the bowl, we checked into King Pin, and what was the baker doing? Pulling the glaze on a tray of raised just out of the oil. I reserved two (it was nearly midnight, but there was a line forming right behind me and I was afraid to lose my spot. they were great, still warm, but slightly crispy on the outside, like a pillow on the inside, almost doughy,b ut you know they're cooked just the weigh God intended them to be. What a finish to a great night of dining! read more

Amazing donuts, some of the best i have ever had. Love this place as a late night snack after class. Late nighr is the best time to go because they bake them fresh. I usually get glazed but the sugar, cinnamon bun, and custard filled are all good. Really want a fritter but always out. read more

$1.25 for giant, flavorful, heart attack-worthy donuts- YUM! It's probably a good thing that this place isn't near where I love since it is open till 3AM...I can only imagine how many times I would frequent King Pin if I lived in Berkeley. I went here close to 1AM on a Friday and was pleasantly surprised to see me and a few other people in line. I had to remind myself that I could not eat 20+ donuts...so I played it safe and got the 4 most appetizing ones. I chose the maple/chocolate chip, glazed cruller, coconut/white iced donut, and crumb/coffee cake. So far I have devoured the maple/chocolate chip- you can tell how fresh the donut is- best fried dough ever! My mom inhaled the crumb/coffee cake and now wants me to get more...haha If you need a donut fix, King Pin will satisfy it! I took off a star for the rude guy working the counter. He did not even let me finish ordering before he started going to another customer and showing his frustration that I was not fast enough. I hope next time I come he is not working. read more

I love this donut shop!! Ive spent many late nights watching the donut man gracefully make his awesome fried delights. ...I usually watch him do his magic while he effortlessly creates a variety of donut shop staples. Get one of whatever he just finished frying, you're in for a treat if he's making fresh glazed holes that are still hot and crunchy with the glaze still wet read more

This place is one of the best donut places I've been to. It's open late, plus they always have hot, fresh donuts for you! Well at least every time I've been there. Their donuts are a really good price&i always just get their regular glazed. These are so good. Crispy but super soft to the point it almost melts in your mouth. Sweet but not overly sweet. I really love these donuts. read more

I can't say enough of how fantastic this place is. When I was going to College this was a late night spot to grab a sweet treat. They are opened very late and have a great assortment of different doughnuts to choose from. The doughnuts are fresh and sometimes you can even get them right off of being made which means they are crispy and warm = absolutely crazy delicious! The staff is nice and the prices for the food is very reasonable. I stopped by here after the game last weekend and got a half dozen order of doughnut holes which were just tasty! Definitely, stop by and check this spot if you're looking for a great doughnut spot! read more

King Pin Donuts - Some great variations of doughnuts here! - Donuts Near Me - Berkeley, California

Its 2:30am 4/29/16 on a Friday. Its the last day of classes for UC Berkeley students. I find myself nearby and can smell this greasy goodness from half a block away. As I approach the typical panhandlers are missing. It seems as if students on the loose took over all the sidewalks. Berkeley is buzzing like I never saw it before. The trashcans in the food courtyard next to King Pin are overstuffed. Garbage is left over food containers are scattered around - not that it even bothers me in this kind of setting... this is just a place to have a good time. King pin is there for drunk college students - lets get the context right, just in case you are not familiar. Even before you walk in you see the deep fryer and donuts cooking through the window. As one goes in there is a hard working guy there who is in good spirits considering he deals with sooo many tipsy people. I get my favorite type of donut - a custard filled jelly donut with chocolate on top. The cost is $3.25 plus .50 extra for a credit card fee. $3.75 is sort of steep given its possible to get one for .50 at Safeway. So I get my donut. It comes in a clear plastic box - presentation here couldn't be better just for a donut. Custard is in the top center and a dot of raspberry jam on top of that. As I bite into the donut it has a different texture than average donuts. I'm sure there are people that really go for this particular donut but I dont have much enthusiasm for it. For one thing it isnt a jelly filled donut, it is a round circluar donut with a hole and the hole had custard placed on top. The donut seemed like it was at least 4 hours old and the oil in which it was cooked possibly weeks old. I feel a bit of heartburn now an hour later and it is just one of these decisions one regrets in life. I weighted "value" more heavily for my overall star rating but here is a breakdown: Customer service: 5 star especially given its open till 3am Value: 1 star... a .50 donut from 7-11/Safeway would hit the spot too. For $3.75 I could be wowed by something for less money at the bakery at whole foods - Ambiance 5 star: good vibes here, fun crowd, pleasant to wactch donuts being cooked. read more

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Waaaaaaaaay over priced! Small. Crowded. They make donuts without gloves on. Unsanitary. How do they get away with charging what they do for their donuts? Wasn't even good! read more

Get coffee here? Um, no. Expect always-on service? Um, no. Donuts? YES. Seriously strong donuts. I can manage one of the larger buttermilk donuts and one more typical glazed. I typically used to buy three and regretfully let one go partly to waste. I swore I wouldn't do it again. But I did. Oops. The chocolate coated donuts don't have too much chocolate, just a nice glaze. The old-fashioned have a nice crunch in parts. The buttermilk cinnamon lumps? Whoa. Kingpin donuts are the heavy style. There is a place out near Pacheco I used to like more for everyday donuts, but Kingpin won for hard-core splurge donuts. Still does, even compared to the places I know in Atlanta. No funky flavors here, just solid, well-made donuts. I sent a photo of the sign to a friend who served at Berkeley around the same time. His response: "Jealous." Indeed. read more

King Pin Donuts - Donuts Near Me - Berkeley, California

We are donut people! We LOVE donuts! First of all I was disappointed at how expensive this place was. He charged me $25 for 6 donuts and two drinks. At other donut shops I can get a full dozen and two drinks for the same price if not cheaper. Second, the donuts were not very good. They taste like they are a few days old. I have never in my life not finished a donut I had bought but this was the first. Me and both of my donut loving children only took a few bites of each donut and just couldn't continue eating them. I was so bummed after being out here for a week and craving donuts. I was disappointed to say the least. read more

King Pin Donuts - Donuts Near Me - Berkeley, California

I have not been here in awhile! That smell of fresh donuts in this area always gets me. I had to go in and get a box! I got a buttermilk, buttermilk cinnamon, and buttermilk maple for myself. Man they were so creamy...The texture and crispness of the first bite had me reminiscing of all the times I ate here after drinking on frat row all those years ago! The prices have gone up a tad bit for the fancy donuts as well as the day old donuts. You can get a day old box of 4 donuts for 3.25 (used to be 1.50 I think for a bag of 4), and fancy donuts were 2.75 each, and a dozen regular donuts were 15$, while donut holes (which are also good as I recall) were a bit cheaper (usually dont get donut holes though). read more

King Pin Donuts - Donuts Near Me - Berkeley, California

Now, the only things that we've gotten here has been doughnut holes -- and its the old-fashioned ones too to be specific. When you buy them after dinner or late at night, and if you're lucky like we were last night, fresh off the fryer, the doughnut holes taste just perfection...nice and cakey. It's something that I look forward to getting when visiting from LA...those doughnut holes coupled with a garlic frankfurter from Top Dog + the Russian Mustard. read more

Does not satisfy the traditional donut taste and I also got a strong kick of baking soda so I will never go back. Only reason I'll give them 2 stars is because I have no idea on customer service since it was delivered trying to be fair. But I did throw the donuts away and get a refund after one bite. read more

Delicious Bear claw & buttermilk log/donut! Highly Recommend Hours open are great open late for late evening snack.

So bad, it's good. I hate donuts with a passion, but in my student years I occassionally have stumbled here from studio for some fat-fried goodness. I can eat about half a donut [more makes me violently sick], but that half literally revives me after nine or ten straight hours of work! read more

King Pin Donuts - from http://flickr.com/photos/xianrex/ - Donuts Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The worst possible thing one person could do dietarily is go to Kingpin Donuts. I "accidentally" bought a dozen to share and then I ate them. Just about all of them. I wish I could say my self control was stronger, and I was exaggerating, but these are the best doughnuts I have ever had. One thing that was truly awful while living in Europe was the sad excuse of a doughnut they sold in stores. They do a million other pastry things amazingly, but no doughnut pride. Perhaps I've gone a little crazy since returning to the land of plenty, but I'm going to be cool with that for a little while longer. They are open until 3 AM, and there are only a couple of reasons anyone is up at 3 am. If you are going to make bad choices before 3 am, it should be here. read more

These donuts are best when they are fresh and still warm. They are so soft and doughy.

I had the munches like nooo other the other night!:D Pretty good donuts, I got a twisted sugar dount, I wasn't mad at it! I went the other day as well bought a chocolate old fashioned and buttermilk donut, it had an interesting texture and taste. They are made in house right in front of you, nice staff, they offer vegan donuts as well!:D read more