I was eating in Cafe Trieste when someone walked by eating on of Red's donuts. I usually don't eat donuts, but it looked great. I was glad to have stopped to get a donut after my breakfast. It was so good I went back the next day for 2. read more

Red's Donuts - Donuts Near Me - Monterey, California

Excellent old fashioned donuts. Wandered in here for coffee and was not disappointed!!! New find!!!! read more

Red's Donuts - Fresh donuts! - Donuts Near Me - Monterey, California

Red's Donuts on Alvarado - a true Monterey landmark that has managed to pass the test of time. When I was much younger, had all my hair, playing on my Engine 1285 in my Dennis the Menace Park, watching a movie at the State Theater & grabbing a donut at Red's - life just couldn't get any better. Well, no more climbing all over Engine 1285 & ringing her bell with a rock but fifty, yes you read right, 50 years later, Red's is the ONLY place on Alvarado that hasn't changed & am willing to wager, the only place in all of Monterey that has resisted to "change with the time" in order to stay competitive. Great management, out of this world donuts & coffee & same clown pictures on the walls. Every time I return to my Monterey for a visit, Red's is always on my "must do" list. Full circle - back in the 60's, there was always a small group of "those old guys", in the back, drinking their coffee, eating donuts, reading the Monterey Herald, flirting with the hired help & solving world problems. Move over guys, make room for one more. I cannot think of Red's without smiling. If you visit Monterey and don't grab a donut at Red's, you are truly missing what makes Monterey so special & unique. read more

Went here last weekend with my wife. Woke up early decided to take a walk to the wharf and stopped here. I strongly suggest their cinnamon rolls! Delicious donuts! read more

This is a Monterey institution that's been around for long time right in downtown Monterey on Alvarado Street. With so many new businesses on Alvarado lately, it is nice to have something around that has been there a while! It's like stepping back time walking in to pick up your cheat while on a low carb diet. There are gentlemen regulars sitting at the counter drinking coffee, having a donut and chatting with each other and the counter staff. My husband lusts after their apple fritters. He'll make a stop to ask if they're available at least once a week during our winter's spent in Monterey. He stays true to only ordering a fritter and will leave with nothing else if he's too late to pick one up. You need to get there early to get the tasty scrumptiously delectable apple filled fritter! They do sell out every day. Our daughter who is serving in the Peace Corps in Lesotho even asks during her infrequent calls, "Have you been to Red's yet?" You don't want to miss this jewel of a place! read more

i was looking for something that would make me happy on a fine day...and along came Red's... Maple Bar to die for.... and excellent coffee....all for really friggin cheap!! read more

Loved this place! You just do not find little shops like this anymore. My husband and I happened upon this place and decide to check it out. They have been in business 65 years. The doughnuts go fast, and at 10:00 am they were out of some of their most popular-maple bars stuffed with cream and coconut. I had the plan maple and my husband had the apple fritter. Both were delicious. The coffee was excellent and fresh. Best of all, the super nice lady behind the counter, giving us a history of the place, she has been there 21 years and knows a lot of the history. Wish this place was near us, I would be here all the time! Thanks Red! read more

Good Donuts from what the family told me. I do not eat donuts but I do enjoy the smell of them lol.

We strolled in close to noon on a tuesday and were glad to find they still had some donuts left! I know they sell out often. We took a sampling of what was left and I must say they were so so delicious!! The maple icing on my donut was perfection. The crumb cake donuts are superb! Only sad I don't live here!! read more

Simply the best donuts in all of Monterey!!!! This is the place to come if you want a good donut!!

God said mankind needs donuts. Substance with an infinite center. A place for fat and sugar and flour to be as ONE And it was good. On the seventh day HE rested. But every day sbout 5AM He made donuts and the donuts were Red's. This is IT. No better, anywhere. read more

I love this place especially in the morning. The owners are friendly. Every time I'm in Monterey I have to stop by. Coffee is always fresh and the donuts are very reasonably priced. Best deal in Monterey. read more

These guys dropped off a box of a free box of doughnuts at my work. It did not last long. They should definitely bring us another box.

The best cinnamon rolls, warm with butter and a cup of joe on a foggy coastal morn - one of my favorite comfort indulgences. Thanks Reds for being such a great component of our home town! read more

I don't eat donuts often nowadays, thanks to the miracles of aging and lower metabolic activity, buut with my wife having some work stuff to take care of early this morning, we decided to run out and grab some of these tasty breakfast treats before her call. It's a prototypically old-school donut shop that I remember from my small-town childhood growing up: everything home-baked, not a huge assortment, but anything you would actually want to try (without getting overly adventurous) would be available. We ended up scoring a small coconut-topped vanilla donut, a maple-frosted donut bar (my #1 go-to) and a standard glazed donut. All of them were really well-done; in particular, the maple donut was great, but I do wish it had dried out a little. To be honest, I like the frosting to be a bit crackly when I take a bite, but these were so fresh, it was partially melting while we were walking outside! That said, the flavor was still great, and the freshness of the doughnut dough itself made up for it. The glazed donut was also really good, although not particularly out of the ordinary. The coconut donut was solid, but I'm not a coconut guy when it comes to sweets except for rare circumstances - so it was my least favored. That said, I did appreciate that the coconut shavings were freshly done, instead of the dried-out stuff you might find elsewhere. All in all, I really like this place as a throwback to the good 'ole days, and it's been a long time since I've had a fresh-baked donut...nothing quite like it when you're sleep-deprived and jet-lagged! If you're in the area and hankering for a breakfast bite oriented toward the sweet side, Red's is a place you should stop by in Monterey. read more

This used to be my go to donut shop, but there was something wrong yesterday. The donuts didn't look the same. And they certainly didn't taste good. The fat they were cooked in wasn't right - rancid. Disappointed and not returning... read more

got a dozen to try and their yeast donuts are way better than their cake especially the glaze and sugar. we wanted to try it since it's the oldest donut shop in Monterey. read more

Red's Donuts - Donuts Near Me - Monterey, California

See all

Talk about a no frills donut shop, this is it! Came a little late in the morning (9ish) so there seemed to be a shortage on donut varities but still grabbed a massive cinnamon roll and a long john. Drewbert said it was the best long john he'd had in a long time (heh heh, that sounds dirty) and the cinnamon roll was delicious, soft and cinnamony and the glaze didn't break off and get everywhere when you bit into it. read more

awesome donuts, espcially because they're not heavily fried like most donuts in this area. The lady who works here is super sweet too!

I returned today for an apple fritter ($1.25) It had better spicing and more apple pieces and a crispy texture. Much better than my first one. A friend brought me a custard filled maple bar from the Fremont St. (Seaside) location. That one was also more flavorful with at least a tiny hint of maple in the glaze and more richness in the custard. So there may be some inconsistency issues on a day to day basis. read more

I walked in and they had about eight or nine types of donuts, most of which were garbage, I asked if they have any others and the old hag behind the counter snapped back at me saying what I see is what I get. I picked out a few of their garbage donuts and tried to pay with debit only to get snapped at again because apparently they don't do that either. So I ran to an ATM and came back with their cash and took home some donuts. Tried one, it was stale, gave the rest to my dog. Not sure what all the hype is about, their donuts are just leftovers and they're rude even by my standards. read more

Stopped by with a friend to pick up a half dozen & some coffee on a whim. (I rarely buy donuts, but I have good memories of Red's). Service was excellent/friendly. The apple fritter rocked; the chocolate-covered, custard filled were incredible. The old-fashioned & chocolate glazed were not as good as the others, IMHO. Coffee a bit on the weak side (or was there too much cream?). read more

Donut shop lives up to other reviews! The maple buttermilk was delicious and the simple retro bar atmosphere makes this a morning cheers episode. A plus from a visitor from Phoenix. .80 cents a donut very nice. read more

What a great treat! Doughnuts were amazing. Tried the coconut on devils food cake and cinnamon crumb.

Great donuts, great coffee. I love the fact they sell french donuts, something hard to find in many donut shops. You will love their donuts. read more

THE BEST doughnut place in Monterey, and amazing location. Affordable doughnuts and great quality, too. Definitely make a stop!

I am an absolute sucker for a diner, and this is a DONUT diner. Can you get better than that? Delicious donuts with counter service! The menu is incredibly limited - I don't even think they serve anything besides donuts, coffee and, well, water - but it's a donut diner! What else would you want to order??? Very much a locals' hangout. read more

Best donuts in monterey. They are open donut shop hours and good down home people work there. The regulars are there every day and the people are always friendly. Plus they price isn't outrageous. one donut for 59 cents. I love sundays when they have the cake blueberry donuts. MMMM good! read more

I went to Red's for three dozen donuts. I heard they have a $5/dozen special. I never figured out what the special pertains to because my dozens were I think $8. For that price I would have rather gone to Monterey Donuts! They tasted OK. I have had much better. Overall I was disappointed. This Red's location is very small and cramped. read more

Mmmmm! These donuts are amazing! Light and fluffy, not too sugary/sweet, made fresh... And the coffee is good too! I don't like coffee that tastes like warmed milk and sugar, and I don't like it tasting burned. (Starbucks - yes, sometimes your coffee tastes burned, and the specialty drinks aren't always made the same way. Fix it! ...I still love you.) So this coffee was just right - not too hot or cold either. And I LOVED the old school feel! Very friendly staff, too! Make sure you bring cash. I think it was about $3 for 2 donuts and a cup of coffee big enough for me and my man to share. You can't beat that price! read more

Red's Donuts is the BEST. I grew up on them and refuse to eat donuts anywhere else! Chocolate Raised, Jelly Donut, Maple Bars, YUM. I love this place, it's close to my heart and if you haven't been, you need to go. read more

Stale tasting like the other location... Also not great customer service. Kinda like they don't care if you're there or not. You can get better other places. Even Safeway. read more

I guess since it's pretty much the only donut shop around it should get higher... The donuts are really not very flavorful and they are smaller than all the other donut shops I have been to. read more

Consistently wonderful. Try the apple fritters, maple bars, classic glazed or chocolate glazed. Or anything really, I don't think they make anything bad. Employees have been nice every time I've been in. read more

I often go here and eat a half dozen donuts. They are cheap and they are amazing! This is certainly the best donut shop in town, really, the only donut shop in town, I'm not even counting Safeway and Save Mart donuts, ech. Red's has been around forever, there is a local crew that's always eating donuts in there, the donuts go fast, I have to get here early or I'm gonna end up having to eat old fashioned and other nasty flavors. read more

I have frequented this place for years, yes dare I say decades. Until recently I would have given this a 5 star rating, and I had recommended this place to many others as well as purchasing dozens for office treats. However, in the past year or so, they have changed their processes for making some of their donuts. The two items that really disappoint me: 1. Their choice of cooking technique has changed. I do not know if they changed the type of oil the use or if they are using the incorrect temperature, etc. The donuts now have an unpleasant odor and after taste. 2. I really liked their "chocolate raised" donuts, but now they have changed from a medium brown and flavorful frosting to a very dark brown frosting that lacks flavor. I have shopped around for another place and found a small donut shop in Salinas, CA at the Alvin Square Shopping Center. Now this place makes far fewer donut varieties, but their donuts remind me of what Red's Donuts used to taste like: fantastic. read more

I saw that Red's was one of the top donut places in Monterey. I enjoy a good donut, so I figured I would give it a shot. While I thought it was ok, I didn't think it lived up to the higher rating it had. The choices were kind of bland, nothing new and exciting, and the donuts were somewhat smaller than what I get back in Charleston, SC. I'm all about supporting local businesses and all, but I don't think I'll be going back here, just didn't do much for me. I'm sure they'll be fine though, they've gone this long w/o me. read more

We got donuts, and that was definitely the way to go. The Maple and Chocolate frosting are way better than you would expect it could be. The Cinnamon is exceptional. We made the mistake of ordering some eclairs, which were above average, but not the standout item. The service is great. The only downside as others have said is that the coffee is only good, not great. read more

Best. Jelly. Donut. Ever. And I come from LA, the land of donuts, so I speak with authority.

This is a great, neat old doughnut shop in the heart of downtown. They make the doughnuts at another location that they own, so they are not fresh out of the fryer, but they do serve them fresh, anyway, and they are good home-made doughnuts, great quality, good variety. Service is great, long-time workers who know how to run it, provide a homey experience, etc.. The place is old and the inside wears its age well, in a charming manner, basically a long, narrow room with a counter for doughnuts and coffee. read more