A donut/coffee/ice cream shop in the corner of a strip plaza in San Mateo. We had just finished a meal and were looking to follow up with something sweet so popped in here. They don't have a huge selection of donuts but you can get your classics here as well as some more unique options, such as mochi donuts, or donuts with unique flavors, like blood orange and raspberry. We decided to get a lemon mochi donut, a blood orange mochi donut, a classic chocolate, and a chocolate "cruellar" donut. All the donuts tasted freshly made, had a soft dense interior, and were very delicious. The chocolate ones in particular paired very well with a cup of coffee the next morning. They also have unique ice cream flavors here. We look forward to trying those on our next visit. read more

No line on a Saturday afternoon. Can and ordered the donuts with no problems. Inside is just take out and doesn't feel the cleanest but gets the job done. The strawberry shortcake donut was delicious. The strawberries were a little too tart but the glazed donut was delicious. Mochi donuts were ok but I probably wouldn't get again. Tried a chocolate donut log with egg custard. Do not recommend the custard filling. It isn't done lengthwise and wasn't tasty. Donut itself was soft and fluffy. Overall, I'll come back for a sweet treat. I think service at this one was better than the other cause just less customers. read more

Cruel Donuts - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

My first time here, my coworker had recommended this place. I came here when they opened and from the outside, I scanned the plaza and didn't see it right away. It low key looks sketch When I walked in it was immediately transformed to a bright, fragrant, donut shop, and more. They were busy making donuts and transferring some to go to the other location. Some of the donuts I wanted were not quite ready yet but I patiently waited for them to be freshly made. Hazel who helped me was super nice and showed me the freshly made donuts and what they were known for. Crème brûlée doughnuts aren't usually done around 8am but they were able to accommodate. Mochi donuts and a special ube croissant or something is made later in the morning as well. A lot of the specialty donuts are available during the weekend, I was lucky I went on a Friday. 1. Crème brûlée donut: Solid, legit Crème brulee nestled in a nice fluffy donut. It felt so bad to eat this first thing in the morning but OMG so worth it on a Friday morning. I was literally eating a Crème brûlée and thought after the long work week it's so worth it. 2. Liliko donut: Light sweet and tart donut 3. Ube cake donut: Nice glaze shell and when you bite the donut it is surprisingly moist and not dry and crumbly. 4. Cruel donuts: So light and not too sweet, a must try 5. Apple fritter: Big and perfectly crunchy all the way around with the nice cinnamony apple douginess inside. 6. Strawberry mochi donut: It tasted likea fresh smoothie glaze on top, you can see the chunks of strawberries. I loved that it's crunchy and not oily feeling 7. Lilikoi mochi donut: Lilikoi glaze is refreshing and tart, it literally hits you. I love it lol 8. Stuffed guava filled donut: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! It's the real deal flavor that doesn't taste artificial. Perfectly stuffed so when I cut it every corner had it. 9. Cookies and cream ice cream: Delicious, I'll definitely be back soon 10. Passion fruit sorbet: Tart and refreshing Honestly, everything I tried was amazing this is a hidden gem. As much as I'd love to gate keep it, I share this with you. This is the real deal.. read more

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When I feel like a mochi donut, lighter than traditional donut, I come here. There are only a few places that sell mochi donuts in the area. At Cruel Donuts, mochi donuts are available on weekends after 9AM. The donuts are all the same, but differ in frosting flavors. They have frosting flavors like matcha, yuzu, cookies and cream, fruity pebbles, and chocolate. I got a dozen for a kids' birthday party and they liked the colorful frostings and the sugary donuts (of course). read more

Just discovered Cruel Donuts in San Mateo and wow... let's get into it ‍ So delicious--light, airy, and definitely a level up from your average donut. I could've easily eaten my way through the entire day. Absolute danger (in the best way). read more

Cruel Donuts - Donuts - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Donuts are definitely on the pricier side but their flavor combos are delicious. They have everything from the classics, crullers, and speciality donuts like passion fruit, guava filled, and creme brûlée. Their breakfast sandwiches are also really good and they have an assortment of ice cream pints with unique flavors. If i was going straight home I would've gotten a pint of the POG. read more

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Absolutely delicious donuts! I am not a huge donut person since I'm not into how dense they are but if I'm ever in the mood, this is my go to place! I was pleasantly surprised by the ube cake and the black sesame mochi donuts. They were my favorites of the batch, not too sweet and the black sesame was so delightfully chewy! Even better than the mochi donuts places I've been to. We went back again to get the crullers (popular and limited on the weekends), so good. I will definitely be back! read more

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Cruel Donuts? Yes cruel if you try to avoid them and can't from time to time. Fun donut shop now innovating home made ice creams! sooo yummy. Owners on site and passionate about their food creations. We loved their Chinese Almond Cookie ice cream flavor! Their fruit ice creams use real fruit! Fan of their strawberry shortcake donut and creme brulee ... but the basic glaze is always fresh read more

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WoW! I can see what all the hype is about... 4.5 **** rounded up to 5 ***** for me. In this case it was all about the experience. The venue was not something to gloat about... the typical mom & pop small business run by a small staff feel. Parking wasn't an issue, there were a decent amount of spaces when we got there. However they were packed! Luckily when we got to the front, most of the crowd had dissipated. We had a chance to chat with the Ice Cream chef and try a few samples as well. They have several flavors, all made in house that aren't New Zealand Style Real Fruit Ice Cream. Ahhh...that Kiwi intuition! According to the Ice Cream chef Cruel Donuts was the first the Bay Area to import the Real Fruit Ice Cream machine from the Land of the Long White Cloud. He was a bit taken back with my knowledge of the New Zealand Style Real Fruit Ice Cream... I did call the Southern Hemisphere my home a lifetime ago... If you are not familiar; "New Zealand Style Real Fruit Ice Cream" is made by blending Ice Cream with fresh fruit in a special blender that churns out a soft, yet creamy and natural fresh treat... basically a fresh fruit soft serve. The original base was usually Vanilla Ice Cream, but I know in recent years people started using all sorts of other Ice Creams. #NotSoCruel: ~ New Zealand Style Real Fruit Ice Cream Pineapple - 4.5/5 Light, Fruity, refreshing and not to sweet. Tasted oh so natural... ~ New Zealand Style Real Fruit Ice Cream Mango - 4.5/5 While we did enjoy the flavor of the Mango better, the texture of the Pineapple Ice Cream was better; thicker and creamier. I think the mangoes were a bit too ripe. Perhaps the texture would have been a bit creamier or heavier if the Mangoes were not so ripe? ~ SPECIALTY DONUTS: STUFFED: Creme Brulee - 4.5/5 I thought a good amount of thought and effort was put in to creating something like this. "Addicting" commented the gent in front of me... Can't disagree with him. It's exactly what i thought it would be; if a Crème Brûlée was a donut! read more

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My coworker got a box of donuts from here for our meeting and it's safe to say they were a hit! Not too sweet and very fluffy. Even the box they came in made you want to keep opening it and eating more because it was so cute! Definitely a hit and would purchase if I was in the area looking for donuts! read more

Cruel Donuts - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

2/24/25- Finally tried the guava filled donut and it was delicious. Not too sweet and you could really taste the guava. I think my favorite is still the creme brûlée though. I haven't tried their glazed donut but my friend has had it a few times and loves it. Another friend has had their chocolate croissant a few times and also loves it. I'll have to try them sometime. New to their menu is their New Zealand ice cream! They make it themselves. I'll need to see what that's all about. They also make their own blend of coffee, which you can now purchase ground. 5/18/25 Now new to their menu is also their homemade ice cream, not to be confused with their New Zealand ice cream, which uses a different machine and has different flavors. Tried their New Zealand mango and pineapple. The mango had a thicker consistency than the pineapple and both both had that fresh fruit flavor. Sampled their homemade ice cream and in order of preference: Ube Macapuno Okinawan black sugar Vanilla jackfruit Vanilla passion fruit Lychee gewürztraminer All were super flavorful and maybe the jackfruit and passion fruit were equal in preference. The lychee was good too but just a little too sweet for me because of the gewürztraminer. If you're a fan of gewürztraminer, you may like this one. The okinawan black sugar is a new flavor that was not on the menu but it was really tasty and has a maple flavor but not overly sweet. I appreciate the small bench in the shade outside. Service is fast and friendly. Thank you! read more

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The donuts are light and not too sweet - the ultimate compliment :) Also, so many options to try and the passion fruit flavor really works for donuts. Another one of my goto here is the breakfast sandwich on the flaky croissant. It's unbeatable when you pair it with a cup of iced coffee for breakfast. Please give this place a try when you're around! read more

Nice donut shop with fun flavors here and there. They have some specialty donuts that are made on certain days (for example mochi donuts are available on the weekends. Cake donut and french crueller also have their special days). Of the ones I've tried so far, I think the jelly donut was pretty strong for me. The raspberry was sweet and the airy donut was perfect imo. Nice pillowy soft bite. Good consistency for the jelly. What a treat! The classic glazed donut was also quite nice. Nice fluffy texture and size. The mochi donuts were fun to eat and very chewy. I didn't feel like it was too greasy either (some other spots I feel this way). The cake donut was flavorful and thick, in a good way. Good bite to it. The french crueller was airy and eggy soft inside, it was great! I'll have to get it again to enjoy. Flavor-wise, passion fruit was pretty fun to eat. Strawberry and chocolate were good as well. I wasn't a huge fan of the custard in the boston cream pie; it was very thick with no flavor (or no pleasant flavor). The guava was also a bit too thick imo. Not fragrant enough for me. read more

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Quick service and unique options. Got guava filled, passionfruit glaze, Boston cream, ham and cheese croissant this time around. Saving the strawberry short cake for next trip out here. read more

Cruel Donuts - Menu - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Donuts here are good. It was a bit pricey for my taste. I got two cruel donuts, a dozen donut holes, two croissant sandwich, med coffee, sunny delight drink and a Vietnamese cold coffee. Our total came out to about $55. read more

Every time I come here, the gentleman at the counter is very kind and the donuts are elite. This is coming from someone who does not like donuts. I also like that they offer coffee and ice cream. I quite enjoyed the ice coffee. read more

So glad they are so far away but reachable! I wanted to ask what made them name the donut shop "Cruel"? GPS took me to make a left on 42nd Ave! Wrong. It goes to a dead end street and actually goes to Samaritan. Don't do it. I got 4 items but that was a gift. I got the creme brulee and passion fruit (liloki). The lady was nice to make me a creme brulee because the display case was out. Cool. 5 stars for that. It was delicious. Loved the cream, burnt sugar. The passion fruit donut was so fluffy and it was not oily. Even their donut holes were fluffy! I have to go back and try their homemade ice cream. Their t-shirts are cute. I magnified the picture and I saw "roasted pineapple spam ice cream!" What? Oh, I read they bought a New Zealand ice cream machine. What! Most definitely going back! read more

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Great family business! I always like to support a local family business. There donuts and pastries are freshly daily and are sought after. I call in to order big orders and can have custom orders. For my kiddos birthday for school, I was able to get custom heart donuts and they were able to do Pokémon ball designs with a short notice! The shop itself is small but it's made that way for you to choose some donuts and then leave. Not a place to sit down at all. Clean and nice people! read more

Updating my review- we really tried to love this place but it's never consistent. Every time we visit they never have the specialty donuts available besides the crème brûlée (some times) and it's not even as good as it used to be. I've also had two awkward experiences with the staff: One was with an older employee who forgot to put two strawberry shortcake donuts in my box. I literally opened the box in front of her a few inches from the register and told her that they were missing. She asked for my receipt even though she JUST assisted me. I didn't even walk out of the store yet AND I was carrying my child in the other hand/donut box in the other. (I don't usually get my receipt because I don't need it) she then said no, I put them in there let me see. I handed her the box and she said they're not here? I know I put them in there. I said it's fine I'm happy to pay for two more unless you didn't charge me for them yet? Someone else comes over, asks what happened, checks the system, sees I already purchased the missing donuts and happily handed them to me. The elder employee was still upset and under her breath said hm, I know I put them in there. Second instance was me asking for a Boston cream and also Nutella donut, person helping said I don't think we have them but we can make them it'll just be a few minutes, chef comes out, he asks chef if they can be made, chef puts his head down and tries to discreetly shake his head no. Employee turns to me and says sorry no we don't have that today. We only go here because it's close, tried their new location and ran into the same issues, nothing available besides regular donuts. Stopped by during opening to mid morning on different occasions and that issue still isn't fixed. read more

I have picked up donuts from here for work a couple of times - always a variety - and each time, they have been a huge hit. The y are so fluffy and fresh. They also have some very innovative flavors. The special flavors are a tad expensive but very good! The staff here are always so friendly. It's a nice treat for a work event or if you just want to swing by and have a donut (or two?!?) sometime! read more

This is a tiny unobtrusive blik and you'll miss it kinda place. Ducked in here to check it out, not expecting much ... and boy oh boy were we ever wrong. I. Mean. Alphonso mango sorbet?The purest most decadent essence of an alphonso. No joke. And having issues with dairy, it'd been forever since I'd eaten any ive-cream, but they have a huge selection of non-dairy ice creams, e.g. vanilla passionfruit swirl and pandan vanilla. I got a little sample of each and was blown away. Incredible flavors and the texture? I could not tell if it had not been real dairy, super creamy on the tongue, the mouth feel luxurious. We met the owner, Ray, who was super kind and sweet, getting genuinely ex cited when my husband and I named the alphonso! He told us that the non dairy concoctions have a base of either coconut or pea protein--sign me up! It's an adorable little place with croissant sandwiches and all kinds of donuts, along with iced and hot drinks. Next time, I have my eye on their matcha. They do something super thoughtful for the kids that troop in here: they have a television screen playing kids' shows, cartoons and the like, to keep the tantrums at bay :-) The prices are very very fair, way beyond what you might pay in SF, the quality here of each thing is off the charts, e.g my husband also got their Vietnamese coffee ice-crea,--the real deal, not sugared up, with a faint bitter edge but creamy. Parking (street) is free and easy. read more

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This was a great donut! Light, fluffy and flavorful. Definitely a step up from your typical Krispy Kreme donut. The coffee was pretty good as well with a full bodied taste that is difficult to get without using a french press. read more

Cruel Donuts - Drinks menu - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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A cute spot for delicious donuts with fun flavors. The interior is small, but it's very bright with modern decorations. There's no seating available and only a few people can fit inside at a time. My favorite donut was the passion fruit glaze. It had really good flavor and was not too sweet. All of the donuts that we tried were a little thicker with a more dense consistency. They also sell ice cream which I'd want to go back and try. read more

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A little gem I have been meaning to stop by and finally did Amazing and friendly quick service The donuts are delicious including the one that I got for the Los Angeles fire relief fund Lots of parking Can't wait for my next stop! read more

Cruel Donuts - A little sweet for Los Angeles fire relief fund! - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Supreme donuts. Soft and flavorful. 10/10. Tons of options around the peninsula but make sure to give Cruel a shot. read more

Cruel Donuts - Apple fritter. Look at it - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Cute neighborhood donut shop with a wide variety of traditional, contemporary and mochi donuts. Loved that they had Asian flavors and got both a passion fruit glazed and guava jelly. All donuts except for jelly filled ($4.00) were $3.50 each. Donuts were light and just the right amount of sweetness. Will definitely be back! read more

Cruel Donuts - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

We tried this place when it first opened but wasn't too impressed. Fast forward to now where we had their raised donuts at my son's friend's birthday party, and it was so good that I decided to give it another shot! Well, after a few visits I can confidently say we like this place for their raised donuts! The chocolate frosted with sprinkles are the best ones. The guava filled one would come in second place. Their logo and packaging is very cute too, and the service has been friendly every time we visited. I would skip the breakfast sandwiches as the egg part tasted kinda funky and the consistency is like that of a frozen TV dinner. But I would totally come back for their just their donuts! read more

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Hands down the best donuts in the area! Crème brûlée donut is out of the world. Loved their ube donut as well!!

Just tried their Aloha ice cream...fantastic! Chocolate with macadamia nuts , mocha and mochi. Their Caramel Bliss coffee is another delicious choice - hot or cold. The ambiance is perfect for an ice cream shop, the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. A definite destination for us! read more

Amazing donuts, especially the mochi donuts on the weekends. My favorite is the passion fruit mochi donut. Over the past year, I have probably tried all the flavors. They recently added ice cream to the menu which is probably the best ice cream on the peninsula. All made in house by Ray (hope he's there when you go - wonderfully knowledgeable and friendly). I liked every flavor I tried: Chinese almond, vanilla and passion fruit, matcha strawberry. Will have to come back to try some more. Their quality is terrific and the service matches it. Definitely worth a visit! read more

I love this donut shop ! My husband and I continue to go almost every other weekend to grab a coffee and a donut. I love the variety of flavors and their breakfast sandwiches are the best. I recently placed an order for St. Patrick's day donuts for my teachers and they loved it. read more

Cruel Donuts - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Popped in here on a whim after kids' basketball game. Amazing. Stop reading this and go there now. But save me an apple fritter. Or three. Head's up - parking is usually terrible. But we'll definitely be back! read more

The donuts are amazing here! We've tried several flavors/types and each one has been delicious. My favorite is the passion fruit cruller. Nothing is too sweet or greasy. It tastes freshly made. I also like their sausage breakfast sandwich. We've had samples of the ice cream and will definitely need to get some there next time. The workers are very friendly as well! It's a nice local, mom and pop shop and we are so happy we found our new favorite donut spot! read more

I came to this place once again with my niece who wanted a donut. It was no different to me, from my first visit. The donuts are good and made with execution. But they're over price and not something you savor like Krispy Kreme. Simply stating what one pays for 4 donuts at Cruel. You can get a dozen of assorted donuts at Krispy Kreme for the same price. Also Krispy Kreme, gives you a donut to salivate over with a desired taste. I came here cause of my niece and it's local. I rather travel the extra 15 minutes for something I like vs convenience. read more

The donuts here are excellent. This sentence is included to meet the 85 characters review limit. read more

Awesome little shop in Belmont, right off El Camino. We stopped by around 1:45pm on a Sunday and they were sold out of their specialty donuts and flavors. We got a lilikoi donut and a sprinkle donut - both were great, super airy, and yummy. Ran us about $6 for both. Service was kind and helpful. We'll be back earlier next time to try their special weekend items! read more

Cruel Donuts - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

I love this donut place. I randomly found this spot on google and wanted to try it out since I was in the area. The location is a little tucked away but was not hard to find. It did not disappoint at all!!! I really love the Apple fritter and the old fashioned glazed was amazing. The ube donut was more on the cakey side which I enjoyed but I wish it had more ube flavor. Overall definitely would come back and would recommend this donut spot! read more

Cruel Donuts - Apple Fritter, Ube Donut, Old Fashioned, Crème Brûlée, donut holes - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

Really cute donut shop with some unique flavors. They also have mochi donuts. I really enjoyed the yeast raised donuts, the dough is super fluffy and pillowy. I would probably skip the cake donuts next time though, the ube one I had was pretty saturated with oil and didn't have the best texture. Passionfruit glazed is delicious, great tangy flavor. Guava filled is also legit - the jam is super tasty read more

Cruel Donuts - Donuts! - Donuts Near Me - San Mateo, California

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I went in for Obe ice cream and while I waited for my quart to be hand-packed, I got to speak to the ice cream chef and also sample several other flavors. They were all spectacular and both the chef and the other staff member were very friendly. I heartily endorse their unusual and interesting international flavors! read more

I was sooo impressed with donuts... delightfully fresh and delicious Then my wife surprised me with their Hawaiian flavored ice cream scrumptious !! I'm supposed to lose weight for surgery ... I'm going to have to abstain read more