I really have to take a long trip in the Wayback Machine to remember the last time I went to Colonial Donuts on Lakeshore. I'd guess somewhere in my early twenties probably late at night holding a big pink box. This was way before artisan donuts became the rage on Instagram. Choices were basic...cake or raised, glazed or plain, jelly-filled or not. That was then. Jamie W. and I were walking around Lake Merritt when we recently grabbed a bite on Lakeshore. We were strolling by this spot when a wave of nostalgia must've pushed us in there. Yeah, that's what it was. Well, the selection looked at least five times bigger than I recalled from my youth. We weakened and got a trio of their $3 donuts. One was the ube cake. The other two were mochi donuts, one with pink icing and rainbow sprinkles, the other with fruity pebbles (photo: https://bit.ly/43B7FJe). None of these would've existed way back when, but they were definite treats. I was happy to read that a Cambodian refugee family ran the store and that the daughter left a job at Apple to manage the business. Good story and worth supporting. DONUTS - 4 stars...good, satisfying donuts and a wide range of selection now AMBIANCE - 3 stars...other than the display case, still pretty spartan SERVICE - 4.5 stars...very attentive TOTAL - 4 stars...an old memory came back in fine form RELATED - Exploring Oakland? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2ObVcpQ read more

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An abundance of options. Was a tough decision. Decided on the maple raised donut. Perfectly made with a good ratio of maple flavor and dough. There is a $5 minimum for card use so I also purchased 2 cookies. One peanut butter and the other chocolate chip. read more

Colonial Donuts - Maple raised - Donuts Near Me - Oakland, California

Very nice staff. I heard about this spot and was expecting more. Don't get me wrong, the donuts tasted great but I thought there would be more options to choose from. read more

Food-- Awesome donuts! They're always a hit. My favorites are the cinnamon cake and the blueberry cake. I have yet to try the ube, but one day I will! Their croissant breakfast sandwiches are a hidden GEM!!! They are soooo good and made fresh on the spot. Service-- sooo incredibly kind and sweet. I love supporting their small business! Spacious inside but mostly a take out spot :) read more

My go to stop for a donut pick me up! I normally get the small glazed twist and paired with coffee = best breakfast. Nice lady works there always helping us. read more

Places like Colonial Donuts exist so people in the community can support them! The donuts made here are truly classic, so much so that they have been a target recently which put Colonial Donuts in the news for all of the wrong reasons. This is why I want to continue patronizing them and lend them all of the support that I can give them, as they are a local institution. Located in the Lakeshore neighborhood near Lake Merritt along Lakeshore Boulevard in Oakland, Colonial Donuts has been around for generations providing sweetened deep-fried goodies for the community to get their cravings for donuts satiated twenty-four hours seven days a week. Credit to the owners of Colonial Donuts for not only staying open at all hours, or quite frankly staying open at all because we all know they have a legitimate reason to shut things down and literally regroup after all of the drama they have encountered this week alone. I for one am happy that they have decided to stay open, of which they have owned for over forty years, thanks to the support of the local community, if not necessarily the city in which they reside. Ever since they first made headlines, I have wanted to try the donuts at Colonial Donuts, especially since from the images that I have seen on Yelp that their donuts look so delectable and sold at reasonable prices considering where they are actually located and all of the competition around. There is no more seating inside Colonial Donuts as all the tables have been removed and it's a strict order, pay and leave style of operation now, as you can stand and eat, but why bother as you can always enjoy your treats at the nearby lake, and perhaps it's for the best. The menu at Colonial Donuts is separated into categories including Regular Donuts, Fancy Donuts, Extra Fancy Donuts, Pastries & Cookies, Sandwiches, Bagels & Croissants, Hot Beverages and Cold Beverages. Of course, I came for the donuts, and despite it being later in the evening on a weekend, they still had plenty in their glass cases. I give the owners credit for keeping up with the times and even selling such modern donut fare like Mochi Donuts, but I came for their traditional donuts and their Apple Bear Claw was calling my especially since it was sold at a very reasonable $3.25, I also order their French Chocolate Cruller Donut for $2.75, of which they had the option for an extra 50 cents could also feature apple filling, and their traditional Apple Turnover for $3.25. My total for the three donuts was $9.75 and I opted to pay with cash, even though they accept credit cards and this is the way we all should be paying with our purchases here in the future for obvious reasons. I decided to wait until I got home to enjoy my three donuts until I could properly look and enjoy them, and the first one I dug into was my Apple Bear Claw and it was one of the sumptuous donuts that I have ever enjoyed as it was filled with apple pie filling, of which I had never experienced before. The donut was so big and filling that I had to cut this donut into two and enjoy it over two meals! The French Chocolate Cruller was equally as delicious and the Turnover wasn't as filled with apple pie filling, but when all three donuts were toasted and reheated they were all exceptional. I cannot wait to return to Colonial Donuts to support a locally owned and operated business that is doing its best to stay open and operating during these challenging times. They have both a Morning Bun and a Strawberry filled donut that I have Here's to hoping that Colonial Donuts manages to make it through the setbacks and challenges they have faced recently and continue to thrive as the local establishment that community rallies behind each and every day and night! read more

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I was in oakland looking for a late night snack and found this place open 24 hours. Yes, 24 hours That is very rare in Oakland, haha No pictures of the donuts. They are everyday donuts, nothing fancy They were good. Beggers can't be choosers. Now I have a place to go in the middle of the night for the sweet tooth craving, at least. read more

I saw this place on the way to picking up lunch, after asking my friend if we should get some for a little sweet treat we came back here after picking up our takeout. The donuts are nicely displayed, all our donuts were fresh. We got the ube, 2 regulars and a mochi donut. Gotta say the ube one stood out, nice and moist as a cake donut. I got a Thai iced tea, also tasty. read more

Colonial Donuts - Ube, regular with chocolate glaze/sprinkles, mochi with taro glaze/coconut, regular sugar - Donuts Near Me - Oakland, California

Hate to post such a low rating, but sadly, this is what it gets. Let me preface things by saying I grew up a half a block away and lived off of these donuts. Not literally... Anyway, simply want this place to keep their doors open and prosper. Let's start with this, there are flies inside the donut cubby and this is simply unacceptable. They need to have a screen!!! The interior could use an update, but I guess the patrons are not exactly sticking around, mostly to-go business. As for the donuts, the best! They have also added some coffee drinks that ate also appealing. read more

Solid donuts but I wouldn't say they were best I have had. 24 hours a day is pretty wild. Loved the ladies in there. Very sweet and helpful. Reasonably priced. I preferred the cake donuts and generally prefer risen donuts. Red Velvet Cake donut with chocolate chips was so good. We will head back through for sure. read more

Prices may have increased since last year but it's still worth every penny. I love the donuts here and they have more than just donuts: Cookies Bagels Danishes Muffins Mochi donuts All sorts of beverages! PARKING: I still park around the corner where it's free in the neighborhoods. It's a short walk. I'll always get the UBE and BLUEBERRY cake donuts. SO good!!!! read more

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Night crew cashier is rude. I bought custard donuts from here & they were stale. Cashier immediately was offended and tried arguing that donuts weren't stale. He didn't want to hear what was being told to him. Never coming back read more

Excellent donuts. They stay open late and it is a casual ambiance. Go get u some. There is usually a line so be ready.

Nothing starts off a good morning like a freshly brewed sour patch of grassy coffee. Yup, my large, hot cup of coffee was sour and grassy. At least it was hot. My Keurig could do black coffee better. I appreciated the crispy crumb toppings on the Ube and the Red Velvet cake donuts. Aside from that, the cake donut itself wasn't moist, buttery or flavorful. I had a disappointing experience. Tip: Mochi Donuts sell on the weekends (To add to my disappointment). read more

Colonial Donuts - Wanna help me finish this? Lol - Donuts Near Me - Oakland, California

I work graveyard so I stop here all the time at 5am for some awesome doughnuts or if I ain't feeling sweets I get a breakfast croissant good food good service not hard on the wallet read more

Oh my gosh where do I start!!?? We found out his spit by accident and I'm so thankful to the donut gods!! You can go morning noon or night and I mean late night because they are a 24 hour donut shop! But no matter what time you go, the donuts are fresh! And I mean F-R-E-S-H!!! *insider tip-go on the weekend and try their bacon and maple donut it does NOT disappoint! The place is clean and there is room to hang out and eat your donut there if you'd like. They have ice cold milk to wash it down along with all the other donut shop goodies and drinks! And the staff is amazing, they're kind and outgoing. Great for the late night sweet tooth run! Yummoooo read more

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Would be 5 stars if i didn't see like 4 flies flying around the case but guess who still ordered a filled maple bar LOL Yummy, open late, and yeah you really can't go wrong. Plenty of options- they have mochi donuts on specific days.. idk what days but there you go A hugeee variety and they also offer sandwiches, croissant sandwiches, ube donuts.. My boyfriend got three of their strawberry cones and I think they were filled with cream cheese? I don't remember but they were bomb. I definitely want to try out more but I gotta get a few workouts in too hehe read more

Colonial Donuts - Donuts Near Me - Oakland, California

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Colonial Donuts makes great donuts. I've had many opportunities to try out their donuts and each time I've been very satisfied with the wide availability of donut flavors. I'm a simply guy, so I really enjoy their basic glazed donut. This must be one of their most popular items because each time I've had it, its been incredibly fresh, which I attribute to them having to re-stock this particular item multiple times throughout the day. If you're like me and can't wait to get home to enjoy your donut, there's plenty of standing counters available where you can dine. Coffee is available here as well if you need something to pair with your tasty donut. Support your local donut shop and give Colonial Donuts a try. The staff here are super nice, and can help you out with a recommendation if you don't know what to get. read more

Popped in while I was waiting for a friend for dinner. Grabbed a couple donuts for dessert. A ton of options, The donuts were fine. Nothing exciting, nothing special. But there open late if you're looking for donuts passed 2pm when most close. Lakeshore is pretty busy, so you have street noises, but nothing too crazy, it's still fairly quiet inside. read more

We are always looking for an excuse to get donuts, so on National Donut Day, we decided to make a trip here! Since this place is open 24 hours, it makes it perfect for late night cravings and runs. My boyfriend and I both love cake donuts, and the ones here did not disappoint. My favorites were the chocolate cake donut and the blueberry cake donut because they both had a crispy outside and super soft, cakey inside (even when cooked)! I was impressed by the ube crunch cake donut because it had one of the better ube flavors I've tasted. The coffee crunch cake donut and ube crunch cake donut didn't have the ideal texture with the crispier outside, but it was still super soft. Colonial Donuts will definitely be my go to spot for donut fixes in the future! read more

Colonial Donuts - Chocolate cake donut and blueberry cake donut - Donuts Near Me - Oakland, California

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I love that there is a donut shop that is open 24/7! Been here a couple of times and the service is always fast and polite. Walked in at 10:30am on Thursday and no line. The donuts are really decent, have a variety of flavors, and priced fair! My photo of my donut haul today includes (kinda going top left corner and clockwise): French crullers, raised glazed donuts, maple/regular glazed old fashion, Oreo, chocolate/chocolate sprinkles raised donut, and buried underneath everything is a huge apple fritter! (you'll only count 10 total since I couldn't wait to eat one - oops) ~ 11 donuts for $23.50 I've also had and liked their ube and blueberry cake donuts, just was feeling more puffy/yeasty donuts today. They also serve some other items (e.g. donut holes, cookies, breakfast sandwiches). This is a perfect spot to grab a quick donut with coffee or bring a box (or two) into your office! read more

Colonial Donuts - Window display of all their donuts - Donuts Near Me - Oakland, California

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I was across the street at a coffee house when I noticed the donut shop. I thought it would go great with my coffee so I headed over to check them out. There was a decent amount of people inside. Not too many people but enough to assume they sell good donuts. I got the bacon maple donut. I was on the fence about paying over $3 for a donut, but it was covered with bacon, so ultimately I had to try it. I'm glad I did. It was incredible. The saltines of the bacon along with the sweetness of the maple glaze equaled perfection. The donut dough was soft, moist and fluffy. Delicious!! read more

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A coworker from Oakland brought this to work so I can speak of the donuts. She said it's one of her go to's. Donuts are overall nice and soft. They have interesting flavors such as the Ube donut which was the right amount of sweet and ube flavors Apple fritters are my favorite and this one was a good amount of dough and creamy apple filling inside. Good to bring to the office read more

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First time here and I can say for a 24hr donut shop out in Oakland this hands down the best one ! I came in today at midnight and the donuts were so soft and warm! The Thai tea was good as well! Definitely do recommend. read more

I've been coming to this location for over 20 years. After the multiple break ins, and near closure, I've made it a point to support this business, often buying a dozen donuts knowing I would throw the majority of them away. But did it for support. Today, my support ends. I frequently get chocolate raised donuts and by the time I get home, the chocolate has either stuck to another donut or melted off because of how it's packed. I started asking them to lay them flat in a box to prevent this. Today, I went to purchase half a dozen, because.. waste.. and asked them to lay them in a box and was told they would charge me $1. I explained the reason was because of the icing sticking to other donuts, which is common sense, but they didn't budge. I decided to leave without purchasing. I'm sure my patronage won't mean much to their bottom line, but this is an example of how you alienate your loyal customers. You just lost one over an erroneous charge for $1. read more

Back again! We are off to Colonial Donuts on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland. This one was a recommendation from Instagram and we headed in the adorable neighborhood store this morning. Immediately greeted. Great variety with all the usual suspects. Although I will give a shout out to the cherry filled one. Also my son enjoyed the Ube one a lot. Parking was easy and we discovered this gem has been open over 40 years. read more

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Colonial Donuts on Lakeshore is the best! Open 24 hours, with a huge selection of donuts, and friendly service to boot. They also have lottery tickets, croissant sandwiches and muffins too. They also have more unusual donut flavors such as red velvet. We like the jelly donut, apple donut, and donut holes. read more

Colonial Donuts - Saturday morning donuts! - Donuts Near Me - Oakland, California

I went to buy donuts in a pinch and love that they are open 24 hours. However, I called at around 11:30pm and no one answered the phone so it was difficult to know for sure if they were still open 24 hours. Anyway, I bought 12 gluten free donuts. They only had 3 flavors which was a bummer but the donuts were delicious so that makes up for it. Definitely more of a treat yourself moment since I paid around $4/donut. I would recommend if you don't mind the price. read more

Love this Oakland Staple!!!!! I'm so in my feelings about someone robbing this community favorite. Oakland loves you Colonial Doughnuts!!! Open 24 hours a day....everything good! Come fill your belly! read more

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If you're looking for your late night fix, this place is the place to go! Open 24 hours, donuts, breakkie sandwiches, what more can you ask for?! This was personally my first time coming here, but my cousin told me that this place is pretty well known because its one of the only places that are open 24 hours. She was right! We came at around 11pm on Wednesday night, and there was already a line reaching the door. The workers seemed nice as this is a little mom&pop shop, and you know me, I am ALWAYS here to support a small business! You know those trademark PINK boxes for donuts? Colonial donuts uses their signature white box with their logo on it, very classic look. We got a dozen donuts assorted. I got my usual glazed, maple donuts, but I wanted to try some of their fancy donuts such as the Oreo Donut, Ube Cake Donut, and Strawberry Cream Donut. These are the donuts that I personally tried: UBE CAKE DONUT - it was really sweet, but the texture is really good! I only had a couple bites of it but my family really enjoyed it and they all finished theirs. I recommend getting it especially if you want to satisfy your ube cravings!! I can see me craving this for like a late night sweet tooth. OREO DONUT - My guilty pleasure is cookies and cream ANYTHING. When I saw the Oreo donut, I KNEW i had to get it! Did I finish the whole donut for myself? OF COURSE. It was so goood. Not too sweet. I love the glaze/cream that they put on top of the donut, and of course the cookie crumble of the oreos on the top sealed the deal! MAPLE DONUT - I am a maple gal. I really love glaze but when it comes to these kinds of donuts, maple will always be my fav. I am not ashamed to say I finished another maple donut to myself because theyre just really so good! OVERALL - the service here was really great, the choices of donuts for the time we went was really great as well. When we were picking our donuts, the man helping us made sure we got the fresher ones! I really appreciated that. We also grabbed some donut holes because they were fresh off the press, so why not! Those were also good too! I'm glad that theres a place like this thats open 24 hours. Next time, I want to try their coffees and breakfast sandwiches. read more

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I've been here dozens of times. Donuts are the same as before. They charge $1 for a box now. They always squeeze and stack into the boxes (unlike other places), it also means I'm ordering a lot. I have never like this because the glaze always melt on to the other donuts and do not stay on the ones they are meant to. No other donut place has been this stingy with the box space. It's as if they are punishing you for buying more. Otherwise it's a blue collar, hardworking business that needs a new box supplier. read more

I didn't realize I needed 24/7 access to donuts until I moved to Oakland, and Colonial Donuts is the only way to satisfy that need! Unless you happen to be unlucky with the time you come in, they always have a pretty large selection of donut types and flavors. Pro tip: they have mochi donuts on the weekend! The people working at the counter are efficient and friendly no matter what time of day (or night) it is. I've seen some pretty hefty lines but they cycle people through pretty quickly. The shop itself is pretty unassuming and you'll probably see someone hanging at the standing tables scratching the scratchers you can buy from the machines. I've never tried my luck, but maybe that's the real pairing you need with donuts! read more

Wow, the kids and I were very impressed by their mochi donuts. Came around 8am this morning w/ them and a tray was all ready. Perfectly glazed with a nice variety of flavors, the kids were immediately captivated by all the bright colors. We're from SF and have had our fair share of mochi donuts both from the city and Hawaii but Colonial's is totally on par w/ the ones from the island. Crispy on the outside with a nice chewy mochi texture on the inside, it was perfectly made and had a crunch to every bite. The passion fruit was our favorite, which totally reminded us of HI and for $2.50 each, we'll definitely be back for more the next time we're in the area. The gentlemen behind the counter was nice too, I think he's the baker and actually came out to help since the lady was swamped with customers. The lady was not as nice, she was quick and brief...did not care to make conversation but she was patient as the kids were deciding on which sprinkle donuts they wanted. 1/2 dozen for $7.75 for those are not bad either. The kids had a fun morning and kept asking to go back for more mochi donuts. Love that they're open 24/7 and even on holidays like today + yesterday for the 4th. Credit cards are accepted too w/ a $5 minimum! read more

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Open 24 hours is the highlight - comes at a price though. More expensive than donuts from Whole Foods and the least expensive way to by them here is by the dozen for a steep $20. I really appreciate any business that is open 24 hours. I love a late night donut and don't expect freshness at that time of day - but I found for the price the donut itself wasn't that outstanding. Fresh oil seemed to be used as a plus - no odd flavor in the dough. I would avoid all the donuts and go for the morning bun. Those are beautiful and usually sold out. Not overly sweet or greasy. The store itself was ok and the service was ok too. Nothing particularly outstanding - and I think if your going to charge at the higher end - everything needs to be outstanding. This place is best if your out drinking and if your a little tipsy you probably won't worry about something that costs a dollar more than it should. read more

I'm usually a big donut gal, but I don't think I would recommend this place. Overall, their actual yeast donut taste isn't great. They tend to steer to the greasy side. Their blueberry cake donuts are the only ones I think are really distinctive and yummy. Those really pack a punch. Other than that, I would recommend sticking to their breakfast sandwiches. They have a pretty solid and hearty breakfast sandwich. Their croissant breakfast sandwich is one of the best things they have. You could probably pass on everything else. They do have a minimum of $5 for credit card transactions. I always forget to bring cash so I usually have to order a bunch of things I don't want in order to get over the $5 mark. Despite these misgivings, they are open 24/7 and are generally pretty quick! I've never seen them have a wait. read more

The one donut, five star review. The Ube Cake Donut is delicious. I haven't actually been to this donut shop because I'm a bougie donut shop girl. I admit it, but this donut showed up at a recent gathering and now I'm convinced this shop is bougie in a traditional shell. Now I want another delicious Ube Cake Donut! read more

Best donut shop in the town. Staff always super attentive and donuts smack. Ambiance is nothing to write home about but convenient location next to Lake Merritt and parking garage if no street parking. read more

Truly a miracle of Oakland to find a restaurant open as early as I sometimes get up. If often wake-up around 4am I tend to find myself here for a decent cup of coffee. However, the real star are the donuts, as they are fluffy and never stale or oily. Personal favorite is their donut holes though also have decent reheated croissant breakfast sandwiches when I want something a little hardier. Personally, I wish I could walk inside the store instead of ordering through a tiny service window, but it's Lake Merritt and I willing to bet it is necessary inconvenience. read more

I love this donut shop not only are they open all night but the donuts are delicious! Your not able to go in after a certain hour but you can see all of the donuts and see the guy in the back making more read more

Amazing selection of doughnuts, even if you don't get there first thing in the morning (case was fully stocked on a Sunday afternoon). I got the maple bacon and matcha mochi - opposite ends of the sweets spectrum but both were fantastic! They will take cards but for under $5 you need to use cash. read more