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    Sam's Donuts

    4.8 (86 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 am - 2:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Recommended Reviews - Sam's Donuts

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    This place makes the best sandwiches I've ever had!
    Nicky P.

    This place makes the best sandwiches I've ever had! Every bite is packed with fresh ingredients and amazing flavor. You can tell they really care about quality -- the bread is always perfectly soft or toasty (depending on what you order), and the fillings are super generous.

    My favorite breakfast stop in Orange County. Always a must have when in the area

    Always a must have when in Orange County, always stop when I'm in the area & need a quick breakfast bite. Great service.

    Large iced coffee
    Randy B.

    Iced coffee is really good! At an affordable price. It gets pretty busy in the morning. People from all over come here. I got the iced coffee and jalapeño ham and cheese and that thing had a lot of jalapeños! Came out to $6.50 my 2nd time here and will return.

    #13 bacon, egg, & cheese.
    Jonathan H.

    For a GREAT hidden gem . This is your new go to spot! Always friendly and cheerful staff. This one time I taught the old lady and gentleman behind the counter to use the apple pay and samsung pay feature lol. I come here for the flakey crispy, croissants. They are next level. This place was stumbled upon while looking for donuts. Miraculously being as I am, experimental. I wanted a ham and cheese. However, it was dawn. So, I opted for the choice with egg. Now when I mean mind blown... I SERIOUSLY MEAN MIND BLOWN!.... I used to have another spot for breakfast croissants as I'm sure you do. That can all be dismissed now having a hand full of delicious fluffy eggs, that complements the store bought ham, and gooey cheese and mayo. I recommend asking for "easy" or "light" mayo. If your a first timer. Then bumb it up a notch. Your taste buds will thank me. If all else fails, there's a huge variety of donuts, breakfast sandwiches, croissants, bagels, and specialty drinks if your not interested in the breakfast .

    They cut the sandwich in half! How nice!
    Michael M.

    Walked by this cute little shop after dropping my car off at local shop for some maintenance. One of the owners (the wife) was there and she was so sweet. A real joy to talk with. Sam's has a variety of items available. I got 2 donuts and the turkey, ham, & egg croissant with cheese and jalapeños. All of it was less than $8, for great sized portions. The sandwich was delicious, and the egg looked fairly thick, and the cheese was deliciously melted and gooey! The donuts were fairly above your average. The vibe, atmosphere, and food definitely worth 5-stars!! I still have leftovers too!

    Ice coffee premade
    Suleen L.

    This is very much your typical mom and pop doughnut shop. It's located on the corner of Grand and Fairhaven next to a 7-11. Its a very small corner lot with limited parking. The plaza itself is a little beat up. The shop is small with limited seating. There may be 3-2 seater tables at most with even just ordering and waiting around to be a little tight in space. The shop is incredibly warm due to the small proximity mixed with the doughnuts and pastries being made in the back. You will smell like doughnuts if you're in there for even 5 minutes. They have your typical doughnuts which I was not too much of a fan. They tasted like they were made in oil that was a little old. It had that burnt, bitter after taste to it. It's very mild, though, so I'm sure for some people, it tastes like an average doughnut. The ice coffee is premade and chalked full of sugar and cream. I don't recommend. They do offer a wide assortment of sandwiches which I thought was nice. From croissants to bagels to just your average sliced bread, they offer all sorts of meats including a breakfast assortment to choose from. They're pretty tasty hot. Keep in mind, they offer jalapenos and they're sandwiches come with mayo.

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    7 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Small little shop with friendly workers. The doughnuts were fresh, and the coffee was good. They also have sandwiches and bagels too.

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    1 year ago

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    7 months ago

    Highly recommend this donut shop. Staff is very friendly and sandwiches are the best in town.

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    1 year ago

    I placed larger orders recently, and the service was top notch. The donuts were tasty and I would definitely go back again!

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

    Very nice woman working there; the donuts were fresh and yummy! I didn't try the coffee, but I plan on it next time!

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Walk here every morning for a chocolate old fashioned. Everyone is lovely and efficient. I will continue to go almost every morning.

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    4 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Dry and I came in the morning yuck never again and left a weird after taste .... Try another place

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    5 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Them croissants gas I stop by weekly just to get some, all love in the kitchen fs./o

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Sam's Donuts

    Review Highlights - Sam's Donuts

    I got the iced coffee and jalapeño ham and cheese and that thing had a lot of jalapeños!

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Lovely atmosphere and bites. Service was pleasant. Food was unique and tasty. Have been back…read moreseveral times.

    Cute, ambiguous corner, with greenery and peaceful vibes. Very much enjoyed the nature aspect of…read morethe interior design and it made a great photo opportunity for me and my friend. Service went well, checked in here and there, made sure we got our order. We tried three dishes and two drinks LAVENDER HAZE (Mocktail Version) - 3/5, very pretty, but tastes a bit watered down. Someone try the alcoholic version and let me know what it's like haha. BENCHMARK BLOODY MARY: 5/5 my friend liked it and it was spicy! ENCHILIDA SUIZAS, lobster + shrimp filling, corn, poblano cream sauce, pickled red onion, cilantro, queso fresco, I give 5/5, I enjoyed the combination of the sauce and enchiladas, it wasn't overcooked and had a great refreshing savory flavor. Plated very nicely, visually appealing. BULGOGI KIMCHI FRIED RICE, fried eggs, gochujang, green onion furikake, pickled radish, cilantro, I give 4/5, overall I enjoyed this plate, but I do feel the beef could have been slightly stronger in terms of flavor? The rice was holding all the spices and taste. DULCE DE LECHE FRENCH TOAST, crème fraîche chantilly, brûléed banana, chocolate sauce, maldon salt, I would give 5/5, presentation was beautiful, taste wise I really enjoyed it, had a very good balance of sweetness and not too strong. I know my ratings are less than a 5 in general, but I really felt the whole experience was pleasant, enjoyable, good food and good vibes, therefore 5 out of 5

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    Artists Village Cafe - Orchata French Toast

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    This is our go-to weekend brunch spot, and we're there at least once per month and often more. They…read morehave a great menu with many items that can be made vegan. The atmosphere is very chill. It's never crowded. Parking is easy to find. The service is always excellent. The food is good. The portions are generous. The music is always great. My fave is the Breakfast Burrito made vegan with tofu and soyrizo. I also get it in a bowl so it's gluten free, too. I always get the potatoes as the side and the portion is always very big so we have some to take home. My husband's usual is the Morning Mix made vegan with tofu scramble. We just love the relaxing atmosphere of this place. We also went to an open mic night once, and I can highly recommend that - the musicians that showed the night we were there were very talented.

    Food was delicious as always, staff was polite and friendly despite the busy crowd…read more Only reason I knocked off a couple stars was due to the wait time. Took over an hour to receive the food, it was a busy morning so I understand it if it was a one off time. But I had a similar experience in 2024 where there was a hair in my food, no problem to me at all as they offered to bring me a fresh plate. It took so long, that my friend had finished her meal and we both just wanted to head out. Seems like it's a common experience unfortunately. I still recommend it, but hope this can be managed a bit better.

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    Native Son OC - French Toast Brunch Special!

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    I've been coming here for years, but after my most recent experience, I will not be returning. I…read morewas treated with clear disrespect and unfair service by one of the staff members. I came in with friends and ordered a pitcher along with several shots. The server, a young white male, brought the shots and only one cup of beer. I immediately told him I had ordered a pitcher, but he insisted I never said that -- even though I had already been charged. To avoid arguing, I told him to just bring a pitcher and charge me again respectfully. He refused and told me I would have to go back and wait in line if I wanted one. When I asked to speak with a manager, he said the manager was unavailable. We later noticed him walking around the patio taking pitcher requests from other customers and bringing them directly to their tables without sending them back in line. We politely asked again, and he said "okay," but repeatedly ignored us, walking past our table multiple times. When my friend followed up, he suddenly claimed he couldn't serve us and again told us to get back in line. There was no clear reason for the difference in treatment. Watching others get served while we were repeatedly refused, despite being respectful customers, made the situation feel discriminatory. As Latino customers in a predominantly Latino community, the behavior came across as biased and unacceptable. It's extremely disappointing because I've supported this place for nearly a decade and had never experienced anything like this before. Unfortunately, this interaction completely changed my view of this establishment. I would not recommend coming here if respectful and fair service matters to you.

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    Chapter One: the modern local - Bread pudding

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    This was a great visit for OC Restaurant Week! Chapter One is located in downtown Santa Ana. The…read moreparking lot next door only lets you pay for 8 hours at a time - $7.20. There's also some metered street parking if you can find a spot. We made a reservation but it wasn't necessary on a Tuesday night. Our server, Ayda, was great! She explained all the menu options and gave great recommendations. To drink, we had a Paloma ($13) and a Banana Bread Old Fashioned ($16). For dinner, we went with the $35 3-course Restaurant Week special. Appetizer, we did beef empanada and lumpia. Both came with a homemade sauce (chimichurri for the empanada and a sweet chili for the lumpia) that were divine. Main course, my partner did the Royale With Cheese (great name!). It came with a TON of fries and was a large burger too. Really big portion. I did the bacon wrapped meatloaf. I was hesitant, but I really liked it! It was not dry like I remember other meatloafs I've had in the past being. It was also a fairly large portion, came with Brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. Finally, dessert was served! Vanilla bread pudding. It was delicious! Our server offered us coffee with our dessert and ended up not charging us for if when the wait ended up being a bit longer than expected. She didn't have to do that, but we did appreciate her thoughtfulness with that! We saw they have live jazz on Wednesday nights, so we definitely want to return for that!

    I've been here multiple times and it's so good! The food is super flavorful and well-seasoned. Some…read moreof my favorites are the chilaquiles, the burrito, the fries, and the Brussels sprouts. I also come here for brunch often, and I've been wanting to try their dinner menu next. The vibe is a cool bar setting, and they're always showing the games. As a soccer/football fan, that's a huge plus and makes for fun game days. Their beers on tap are great; I usually gravitate toward those and their brunch drinks like the Espresso Martini and Irish Coffee. The staff is chill and friendly, and even though it's usually pretty busy, they stay on top of everything.

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    Santa Ana Brunch Club - Hot N' Crispy Chicken Sando.

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    4.5(482 reviews)
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    I'm so glad my foodie bestie found this gem! We wanted to refuel after our 4 mile hike and stumbled…read moreupon this place on Yelp. The pictures and reviews of the French omelette with caviar and sourdough pancakes sold us! When we arrived, the parking situation was seamless and easy to find a spot. The place isn't big but the aesthetic is clean and simple. You go up to the register to get seated. There was a wait list since this is a cozy spot but they had chairs available outside of the entrance. The time waiting was little longer than promised but not too bad. Once we were called to our table, we had iced water cups on the table with the menus and table settings. We already knew what we wanted - a horchata iced latte and a steak breakfast burrito for me and a black strap molasses iced latte and crispy chicken sando for my bestie. We also got sourdough pancakes and the cinnamon roll to share. The coffee came first then food was pretty quickly after and presentation was beautiful. The breakfast burrito was so delicious. The scrambled eggs in the burrito were cooked perfectly and they had a perfect amount of steak pieces. They brought a strawberry haberno hot sauce for the table and it made it even tastier. I preferred that sauce over the side of green sauce. I then tried a bite of the chicken sando and wow the flavor you get in the bite was also so, so good. We also enjoyed the sourdough pancakes with the crispy edges and the cinnamon roll had the perfect amount of cinnamon! This cinnamon roll had pistachio pieces on top and it wasn't too overwhelming. As for the iced lattes, I preferred my bestie's latte more than the horchata one. The horchata one had a burnt aftertaste. Other than that, food and service was TOP NOTCH! We were greeted and treated with the best hospitality from Alex. Thank you so much! We really can't wait to come back to try other tasty menu options and will more than likely be frequently patronizing Santa Ana Brunch Club!

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    Sam's Donuts - donuts - Updated May 2026

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