My daughters and I absolutely love this shop. The different assortments of doughnuts, colors, shapes, and freshness, What more could you ask for! The service is always inviting and helpful. They have many other things to offer on their menu, we haven't tried yet, but we will. When you go inside it's always welcoming, clean, and inviting for you to just sit and enjoy a bite or beverage. We'll be back soon. read more

These donuts were SOO good! They have the traditional flavors (old fashioned glazed was TO DIE FOR), but also flavors like ube, etc. They were also so nice and even threw in an extra donut. No problem with parking as well! read more

Located near the Berkeley CrossFit on San Pablo. There are some metered street parking in front. A bit disappointed with my first visit here. I kept reading reviews about how you need to come early because that's when things are fresh and ready. So I woke up early and got here at 5:15am to get some specialty donuts. Unfortunately there were no unicorn donuts or other fancy/cute donuts. It was more of your traditional donuts that were on display. Therefore, I got six donuts which came up to $7.99. Pros: -open during shelter in place -they tried to place X marks on the ground for social distancing but unfortunately customers don't follow this and no one enforces it Cons: -no unicorn donuts at 5:15am, which is the reason why I came here -only one staff person was seen wearing a face mask -I literally saw one worker drop a donut box on the ground and continue to use it for a customers order. Makes me question what they do when customers are not around. read more

Rainbow Donuts is putting Berkeley on the map with incredible donuts. I stopped in around 1:30 pm, so I wasn't expecting the freshest donuts in the afternoon but I was pleasantly surprised! I ordered two blueberry fritters, one maple cruller, and a glazed twist. All the donuts were really fresh and the prices were fair for the Bay Area. The donuts were wonderful, and the standout winner was totally the blueberry fritter. The flavor was unreal! It had a perfectly crispy fried outer with a soft fruity inner. The maple cruller was my second favorite, very light and yummy. My only regret was eating four donuts in a 10 minute period lol. Naptime! Parking is a bit tough out front on San Pablo but there's plenty of parking around the corner on the side street. The inside is bright and playful. It doesn't feel like a busy, grab-and-go donut shop. The ambiance makes you want to stay and hang out for a while. There's ample space with tables to come study or work remotely while enjoying a treat. To top it all off, the staff was friendly and prompt. Bravo! Can't wait to come back. read more

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They have the best donuts in Berkeley. The vegan donuts are my favorite and I am not vegan. I highly recommend you try Rainbow

Updating my review because the prices have gone up from my last post (still, less than $20 for a dozen of anything in the Bay Area is a good deal). They are still so fresh and tasty. Another update--I went to a birthday party recently that had dozens of Mario themed donuts from here, so they will do custom fun donuts. Support an old school locally owned business in a partially gentrifying neighborhood--you won't regret it! read more

These donuts are always super delicious and fresh. So many unique and fun varieties. The people who work here are very nice. It's happened twice already where they've given me extra donuts beyond what I paid for. A huge thanks for that! The prices are so reasonable as well. Definitely recommend! read more

Modern neighborhood donut shop with a large variety of donuts to choose from. It wasn't busy around 1:30pm on a Sunday, and they still had a good selection of donuts available. However, they had a steady stream of customers, and were always busy during the time I was there. I ordered a few donuts, and tried: Original Glazed, Ube Cake, Blueberry Crueller, Rainbow Cake [ https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=MbeeDIig66fHd2EvvXD8mQ&userid=76vIFZcC7owykCBjMfGVXg]. The ube was the favorite, and I loved the ube crumbs on top of the donut. The original glazed was solid, as was the blueberry crueller. The rainbow cake was the least favorite, since it was a little too sweet, and I wish it had more rainbow cake flavor. They have so many donut varieties available, I will need to come back and try their other options. Parking will be the most difficult part about coming here since the street parking spots are limited. read more

Rainbow Donuts - Original Glazed- 3.5/5 stars, Ube Cake- 4/5 stars, Blueberry Crueller- 3.5/5 stars, Rainbow Cake- 3/5 stars - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great portion a little pricey but expected given the location. My daughter loves unicorns and this was the closest one that sold unicorn donuts. Solid choice for donuts if you're in the area. Closeby to coffee shops and other points of interests read more

Went for vegan donuts. Kinda hard to believe they are vegan they taste so good. I got the strawberry poppyseed and plain. The guy behind the counter was so nice. And it was clean. I came late and they stuffed extras in my bag. Thank you. read more

Rainbow Donuts - Vegan donuts - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

My professor brought several dozen donuts from Rainbow Donuts to class today and gave a shoutout to this spot. I had to look it up ASAP because of how much I loved it and thankfully it's super local! Conclusion? INCREDIBLE! I had a glazed donut that had colorful sprinkles fried inside and it was soo good. These donuts were not too oily, perfect size, and tasted incredibly fresh. I can't wait to check them out and support them myself. These donuts were not too oily, perfect size, and tasted incredibly fresh. It was such a perfect treat after a rough exam. read more

Rainbow Donuts - Yum yum - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

Great quality, selection and price along with friendly service. I have been very please all these 15 years.

These donuts are gorgeous but they are not really anything to rave about taste wise. I was really excited to try the crème brûlée but all it tasted like was the sugar glaze on crème brûlée over a Bavarian crème donut. The chocolate donut tasted like the ones from Safeway and the cocoa krispy one tasted just like the chocolate because the Rice Krispies on top was not crunchy. If you're doing it for the insta, definitely worth it for their cute designs but if you are going for the taste, you may be a little disappointed. read more

Rainbow Donuts - Crème brûlée, chocolate, cocoa krispy, s'mores, unicorn poop, and fruit pebbles - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

Best time best people best donuts Stopped in to get donut holes left with a laugh Wonderful sense of humor and generosity read more

Taste: 5 Value: 5 Service: good This spot looked like a staple for Berkeley locals, so I had to check it out. I tried my usual favorites including a maple bacon donut. Fresh and delicious is how I would describe each bite! I did go a little wild to try their "fancy" donut which I can only describe as gimmicky but perfect. I love the design and the extra detail - perfect for little kiddos thought the frosting is a bit sweet! read more

Rainbow Donuts - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

I stopped by in a hurry on a Sunday morning to pick up 2 dozen donuts to hand out to a team. I hadn't planned ahead and wasn't sure what to expect, but the gentleman who helped me was swift and got me in and out in 5 minutes! He asked if I had specific donuts in mind, but he probably sensed I was in a hurry when I declined and only asked to avoid jelly filled donuts. I was really happy with how nice the staff was. He also put sticker seals on both boxes. The space is airy and inviting, I like the modern exterior as well, different from your typical old school donut shop. The storefront is on a busy street so enter and exit your car carefully or park down a neighborhood block and walk in. read more

I've been meaning to check out this donut spot! To take my little since they have so many fun options! I will start by saying that I am not much of a donut lover but to see my girl smile is all I care about she was ecstatic about the unicorn donut! Donuts were yummy! I got the ham & cheese croissant huge croissant very well needed with a coffee (could be stronger, but maybe I'm just so immune to caffeine lol) Staff was very attentive! Had 3 gals ask if I needed help and they all helped make different things loved that! All the fun designs and flavors how awesome loved it and can see us incorporating some for future parties or gifts. The decor was super cute and like so relatable very chill trendy vibe ! read more

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Best breakfast sandwich on San Pablo!!! Order sausage egg and bacon DID NOT skimp on the protein. Also had a blueberry cake doughnut to balance the saltiness of my meal. service provided by Stephanie made it all worth it with her warm welcoming Definitely will be back. read more

I have NEVER been a cake donut fan. Came in for vegan donuts, saw they only had cake, was disappointed but thennnnn I tasted them (strawberry lemon poppyseed vanilla ). How soft! How perfect! I've been biting into stale, non rainbow ones my whole life I guess. Anyways the lovely woman serving was extremely apologetic that someone had cut in front of me, so she sneakily secretly doubled my donut order. Thanks for that! read more

Wow! Hella donuts to choose from and prices are so reasonable for more than just plain donuts. Everything I tried was so fresh and had a great variety like ube, red velvet, blueberry etc....customer service is friendly and helpful. This will have to be my go to spot when I'm in Berkeley. read more

Rainbow Donuts - $14.50 for dozen ($1.75 priced donut or less)! - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The good. The donuts and staff are usually good. The bad. The location is dirty and unsafe. The worst. My CC was hacked after I used it here. Not sure if it was their POS system or someone in the place, but within 30-60 minutes of using at RD I had about 5 random charges on my account. Luckily my bank took care of it, but after this experience I will stay away. read more

Nice selection of fresh donuts even at 4 pm! Service was great; even threw in an extra without even buying a dozen.

Our son loves everything Marvel so we got him custom Marvel Themed donuts!! Not only did they look good, they tasted great!! We simply emailed Alan some ideas but they really put their own spin to it! We were all really happy with how they turned out. We will definitely be back for more!! read more

This spot is the perfect community donut shop. Truly a gem. Staff are always nice and friendly and sometimes will throw in a bonus donut. Even when I've gotten a donut later in the day at 3 PM the donuts are still light and fluffy and not stale, which is impressive. Everything is pretty affordable, around $2 a donut minus specialty ones. Plenty of seating inside, and a good selection of cold beverages and hot coffee drinks. read more

Solid donut shop with nothing too out there, just what you expect (we get the classic cake donuts, chocolate glazed, donut holes, etc.). Very responsive and easy to work with if you'd like some custom donuts. We loved our fun and cute "frog" donuts! read more

Rainbow Donuts - Great custom frog donuts - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

Good healthy eating (NOT). My sis and I walked to ACME BAKERY while everyone was sleeping much to our chagrin they were closed. I mean didn't they know we were coming from Chicago? Duhhh I mean like what the heck? To kill time we wandered down the street to RAINBOW DONUTS. We stopped in and got a cup of coffee and a donut I got an enormous apple fritter, nice healthy deep fried and covered w/sugar SUPER HEALTHY (NOT). They have an enormous selection of donuts, but knowing we were going back to ACME BAKERY we only got one apiece. read more

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A little late on my review. I went in last week and ordered a half dozen and grabbed a few drinks. My tab came up Kinda high for donuts but the quality was great. It took awhile for me to get served even though there was only two guys in the shop getting donuts together. I'll go back and try more flavors. The location is sketchy but most of San Pablo ave is. Cute & clean donut shop. Hopefully next time I go I get great customer service also. Update: sent my bf back today . Got two breakfast sandwiches, one donut & two drinks. Little over $30 bucks. High. The sandwich isn't great but it's not super bad. read more

I'm not proud to be a doughnut connoisseur but here I sit offering yet another opinion on another doughnut. Clearly I am a doughnut renaissance man. It's on my LinkedIn profile. OK, it's not but it could be, and I could back it up with my pompous pontifications about who makes the best ones (hands down, the Doughnut Plant in NYC: http://bit.ly/2Iw32ux). It's not here, but they do like to add a lot of colorful pizazz on their confections here. Thus the name. I succumbed and ordered a $1.50 Chocolate Raised with Rainbow Sprinkles (photo: http://bit.ly/2vb8SsK). Jamie W. was my partner in calorific crime but stayed calm rainbow-wise by going for a same-priced Maple Old-Fashioned (photo: http://bit.ly/2Pn6vMt). Neither impressed, neither disappointed. We were just happy we stopped at one a piece. Not to speak out of school but there were customers in there devouring doughnut holes by the bagful. DOUGHNUTS - 3 stars...not bad but not standouts either AMBIANCE - 3 stars...seems to attract a carb-indifferent crowd SERVICE - 3.5 stars...pretty patient if you ask me TOTAL - 3 stars...if you need one, here it is RELATED - In the mood for a doughnut? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2uuXEPg read more

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These donuts were AMAZING! This was my first time at Rainbow Donuts. I picked up a dozen for my family. The cashier was friendly and courteous. I am very surprised how they kept fresh and soft the next day. My favorite was the cronut and cake donut glazed with caramel sprinkled with nuts! The donut shop was cute and pink. A must go! read more

Rainbow Donuts - Fun and festive donuts - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Wow! I haven't been to Rainbow Donuts since my high school days, but one thing's for certain: I love Rainbow Donuts. I am a little bit of a donut fanatic and because of that, I always go for the sprinkled donuts cause they are my go-to. I also remember getting a blended caramel frappuccino and it was tasty. Hopefully when I come Berkeley again, I'll for sure stop by here to relive my high school days. read more

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high...there's a donut shop in Berkeley that where dreams really do come true-ooh-ooh. Sorry for the bad play on lyrics but there is no denying my love for the fresh donuts being served at Rainbow Donuts. Located near the corner of San Pablo and University Avenues right off of the Interstate 80 off-on ramp, Rainbow Donuts has been living up to their festive name serving up locals and college students and faculty for over thirty-five years. I have strolled through this rather unique business corridor patronizing other local businesses but had never gotten the chance to get to Rainbow Donuts before they closed for the evening. When I had a hankering for some sweet deep-fried treats and didn't want to go too far in order to get them, what happened to be a top choice via my trusty Yelp but the Instagram-worthy donuts sold at Rainbow Donuts. I had a little trepidation over driving over to their location on a Saturday afternoon with traffic and parking being the situation it tends to be in that area of Berkeley. It turns out that I had nothing to worry about as traffic on the freeway only started to pile up once I got to the University Avenue off ramp and parking was equally easy to find as I parked on one of the many side streets where residences are plentiful and no doubt to the consternation of homeowners, I found a space and started to walk to Rainbow. When I entered, I was not only surprised to find them busy at that moment, although that would change the longer I stayed that afternoon, but I was pleasantly surprised to see myself as their only customer. This fact allowed me to take advantage of this fact so I could walk around all look through their many glass cases to see what donut intrigued me the most. All of the classics were right there in front of my eyes, including buttermilk donuts, French Crullers, and various traditional donuts with various topping and icings. What makes Rainbow Donuts stand our from many of their local competitors, is that they feature a wide variety of donuts with unique toppings like crushed Oreos, Fruity Pebbles and Rice Crispies. The minute that I saw that they have Maple Bacon Donuts made with fresh bacon and one sold for only two dollars, I was sold. I also sold and had in stock the trendy cronut, and two versions no less with glazed and topped with sugar I knew I had to get them. I also have to admit I am a huge fan for any fritter and if it is in their case I will be sure to order one and the fact that they have both apple and blueberry flavors, my box of donuts just kept getting bigger. And the piece de resistance is when I asked what jelly and custard filled donuts they still had and my gracious server said they could fill a donut bar for me right then and there as they had their own custard filler on site! Needless to say that I was in donut heaven will all of my loot, and to boot she added in a handful of donut holes and a complimentary ube donut (all of which I tore right into) into by adorable striped box and all for a grand total of less than $12.75! A return visit to Rainbow Donuts is not only a must but regular visits are now required for me. I got so much food for only a smidge under thirteen dollars, and I had enough donuts to keep me happy for the entire, which was my entire goal with this trip, and all of the donuts were fresh even after a few days which is always a good thing. My only regret is that I didn't get a drink to accompany my box of goodies. As they serve not only coffees both warm and iced, but to my delight they serve blended coffee drinks, which I am always a sucker for. Just another reason to make another trip out to Rainbow, that an the breakfast sandwiches that are calling my name. Where else can you get a donut topped with a unicorn in icing and take a picture of it with the phrase "Please Donut Kill My Vibe" on the wall? Not many that I can think of and for me Rainbow might be where you can find best, most unique and affordable donuts all in one place! read more

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I am not a big donut person but I was stumble across this hidden gem on a post office run. I went in took pictures and ordered a sausage egg and cheese sandwich. I brought a lottery ticket and I was determined to come back and try the donuts. I was today years old when I try Cereal donuts and I must say these are A1 I will come back for some more. If you are looking for a hidden gem for your sweet tooth please stop by this place and they open till 7pm which very rare. read more

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Best doughnuts in the East Bay! Staff was friendly and full of sunshine. Yelp, don't make me talk about ambiance. It was a pick up order and I was late to work. read more

Best Donut Shop in the area. And probably my favorite donut shop ever. Because I'm such an awful baker, I decided to go to Rainbow Donuts to rally up a box to make a tower of donuts at home for my boyfriend's birthday. Found them on Yelp and figured I'd give them a try. I called a few days ahead of time to ask for 2 custom donuts. When I got there on Saturday morning, I would just complete the dozen with what they had in the case. The girl who picked up the phone when I placed my order was very nice and helpful. I went in at 6am on Saturday morning to pick up my order, and the case was full. My custom order was missing the M&M's that I requested be put on, but no big deal. For one of them, I also asked for it to say "29", but they wrote "#29". Again, no big deal, but next time for a bigger occasion, I might ask them to double check the order and make sure it's what I asked for. Other than that, they were great. Very courteous and nice. I also love that they sell scratchers! Now the donuts... They were FANTASTIC. So worth getting up at 5:30am to get the variety I wanted. I haven't had a good donut like this in a while. I definitely plan to come back in April to get a dozen for a co-worker's birthday. The UBE donut was my favorite! And the red velvet! Although I'm very partial to the cakey donuts. They were all delicious, and all gone by the end of the weekend, and there were only 3 of us at home eating them. Ha I'm hoping the next time I visit, they have the Matcha ones. I wanted to try those, but they didn't make it that day. read more

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Chocolate ring donuts taste absolutely great but all the cake donuts we had were so oily and soft they fell apart in your hand so mushy you could barely hold them to eat them and then i was running to the bathroom several times at night so just too greasy for me so we threw out 1/2 a dozen donuts read more

I know, I know... another DONUT review. The fat ass strikes again! But, what you'll be happy to know is that these donuts are worth EVERY calorie that you'll consume. Yessir! They're fresh and delicious. This may just be another edition of the Triple D's! No, no, not THOSE triple D's. I'm talking about these DELICIOUS DAMN DONUTS!!! So um... you want some back story, or naw? Well, too bad if you don't because you're gettin' it anyways! I was actually on my way to fill up on a different type of carb (pasta) when I walked past this place. I literally didn't even look inside as I passed by. It was the SMELL that made me turn around. I literally did a 360 y'all. Once that wonderful smell hit my nose, my tummy instantly started yearning. And, there I was... sitting in front of the glass with every beautiful looking donut that you could possibly ever think of! I knew it would ruin my dinner but at that point, I really didn't care. It was the glazed that got me. They were just glistening in goodness. I didn't wanna go cray and end up eating a dozen donuts for dinner instead of the pasta, so I just got two. One glazed and one maple. Shout out to the crew that was working that night! I told the man at the front counter that it was my first time coming in and he threw in another glazed donut for me. HALLELUJAH! Exactly what I "didn't" need but I scarfed it down in record time before I could even think about it. These donuts were a DREAM! Nice and fluffy and perfectly glazed. I still can't get over how good it smelled in there. And, the interior was sparkling clean. I don't know how these people do it, but I could never work at a donut shop. They would never make a profit because I would end up eating them all. But alas, I was in a donut dream. Maybe I should rethink this Triple D saying. Maybe I'll upgrade it to Quadruple D's... "Delicious damn donut DREAM". Yeah, that sounds kinda nice. MIGHT just consider it. In the meantime, you can find me here...chowing down of them donuts. I mean *ahem* those DELICIOUS DAMN DONUTS! Getchu sooome! You know you wanna. read more

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Only been here once and I love this place!! Service/Safety: Service was so quick and easy with so many donut selections, it was hard to choose. Everyone was wearing a mask and was friendly so it felt very safe and welcoming. Food: I ordered a Vegan lemon poppy seed donut, raspberry filled donut, and glazed cruller. Everything was so yummy and wasn't too sweet. I absolutely loved the vegan lemon poppy seed, I need to go back and get more!!! Location: It's located on a fairly busy main road so it might be hard to find street parking at times but thankfully I was able to find parking right away. read more

Rainbow Donuts - vegan lemon poppy seed donut - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

The donuts are spectacular! The breakfast sandwiches are top tier. They're hefty in size and fairly priced! The staff is super sweet. Definitely will be seeing me regularly. read more

Rainbow Donuts - Sausage, Egg Croissant - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

An east bay staple. Fun and delicious donuts! The Ube donut is a favorite in my house, and we buy them by the dozen. The bakers also take special requests and can do incredible designs on the donuts for kids like mine, who don't like birthday cake. Whenever we're in west Berkeley, we have to stop by. read more

Rainbow Donuts - Bacon Maple, unicorn poop, ube donuts, lavender, and S'mores donuts - Bakeries Near Me - Berkeley, California

I usually stop by Rainbow Donuts whenever I do laundry but my review today is specifically for their custom orders service. They were great communicators, reasonably priced, and impressed the class of 5th graders I was buying them for! Thanks for the delicious Mario themed donuts, they were much appreciated. read more