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    PQ Donuts

    4.4 (143 reviews)
    InexpensiveDonuts
    Open 5:30 am - 2:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    Cinnamon roll: light, airy, and just enough sweetness. Not overly glazed!
    Edwin C.

    CASH ONLY Donut - 4.5 Service - 5.0 Back in my old neighborhood and had to check if PQ Donuts was still in business! This is an institution and still owed by the same family: mom & dad started, daughter and now son runs the business, close to 50 years (yup I just dated myself). Quality of donuts is no thrill no frills just a good donut: light and airy and not too sweet on the icing. Shop is small so line out the door is normal and everyone hopes when it's their turn "their" donuts are still available since you can't see the donut counter when standing in line LOL. Glad to see small businesses can still thrive!!!

    Nori watching has daddy leave to get his mommy donuts!
    Susie T.

    It wasnt busy at all and its in a nice plaza. I juat felt like an apple fritter so I made my husband get me one while we were on our adventure to starbucks. This place takes cash only. Booooo. The fritter was 2.95$. Is it me or donuts that expensive now? This place is tiny! The fritter was good but it was also freshly baked. I never carry cash so that's my problem here. Luckily my husband had 3 bucks lmao!

    The goods
    Arnel D.

    Still the best donuts in town. Reasonably priced and easy to get in and out of. Super clean. Even with inflation, they haven't skimped on the size of their product which is greatly appreciated. I live in 4S Ranch but still make the trek to PQ for the freshness and quality you can taste. Always excellent service. Be back soon!

    Menu
    Dawn M.

    NOTHING beats PQ Donuts!! Always fresh and delicious. It is the classic SoCal donut shop feel. Cash only, no cards or apple/android pay. I thought I would also post the updated hours and menu

    Donut!!
    Audra H.

    Great local donut shop! Stopped in on a Sunday morning to grab a couple of donuts and donut holes. I was surprised to see them open on an Easter Sunday. I got a chocolate covered donut with sprinkles and a white chocolate donut with sprinkles. I also got 12 donut holes ($2). The donut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles was delicious as were the glazed donut holes. Service was friendly and efficient! They accept cash only, FYI! I'll definitely be back!

    the entrance to the restaurant
    Kimmy C.

    Tasty donuts! Cash only! 4.5 round up for small business. Came by on a Friday at 9am and half the selection seemed gone. Ordered a half dozen mixed and it came to about $7.50 (included a giant apple fritter). The man working the counter was polite. The quality of the donuts was definitely there. There was no old oil taste that some donut shops have.. and everything definitely tasted fresh. I guess you have to come earlier (esp on a friday) to see what the selection is. About 1/3 of the three cases were empty.. Cake donuts were very fluffy and moist.. apple fritter was delicious.. buttermilk was to die for. Definitely a good shop that I can imagine returning to! One of the better ones in this area for sure! Give them a try! And fun thing is you can swing out and pull into the the mexican food shop next door via drive through for a hashbrown burrito. Yum. Check them out! Support small! :)

    Apple fritter  old fashioned and chocolate
    Sarah L.

    We came here on a Sunday morning at 9AM and drove around the parking lot like dummies for far too long before realizing this little shop is attached to / behind Cotija! Ordered an apple fritter, maple bar, an old fashioned and chocolate donut which came to about $5. Delicious delicious delicious and would definitely return. Note they are cash only.

    a variety of donuts in a display case

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    Photo of Erin H.
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    10 years ago

    The best donuts in San Diego! We've been coming here since I was 7 and they have always had delicious, quality donuts!

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    16 years ago

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    16 years ago

    This place makes great donuts, I like it better than krispy cremes. less sweet, very soft and fresh.

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    15 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    13 years ago

    Went in there late Sunday morning, they had what I wanted. She filled my donuts with custard, delicious! Just remember to have cash handy!

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    11 years ago

    Finally decided to stop by here and lets just say that was the best decision i made. The donuts are delicious and only .90 cents for one.

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    14 years ago

    No credit cards? Call me when you're ready to join the 20th century (and yes, I realize that we are already in the 21st century)

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    Page 4 of 4

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    Donut Bar & Bakery

    Donut Bar & Bakery

    4.3
    (5.5k reviews)
    16.8 mi
    $
    Vegan friendly
    Pet friendly

    Comic con for the win!!!!…read more This place goes all out every year with the Comic-Con donuts. Every year they bring their unique donuts into the heart of Comic-Con with their pop-ups. I usually never have luck grabbing one at their donuts at the pop-ups, but it's good to know that they offer their pop-up comic con donuts at their main shop by Little Italy. Drove down Sunday morning to grab my hand on this year's batch. With Stitch, Batman, and Pokémon, this year's donuts were amazing. The donuts are $8, and you're basically paying for the design. They are pretty, but they don't hold much flavor other than looks; it's just a basic donut that looks really good. But I remember them tasting different from all angles, but I guess this year was different. Regardless, the donuts were really good and well worth the trip. Paid it with chocolate milk or coffee and wow just wow. I Can't wait for next year.

    Smaller donuts, less flavor, lower quality, and a cheap storefront. What has become of donut bar?…read more Donut Bar was never my first choice for donuts but with their old location being across the street from the Marriott I usually stay at while visiting San Diego, it was never a bad choice. Last week while in town for San Diego Comic Con, we decided to stop by and boy were we disappointed. The "themed" donuts are just lazy. They used to have different fillings and flavors and now? You only get different color frosting for the designs. The workers confirmed they were all the same donut flavor without any special features aside from their appearances. We tried the maple bacon, creme brulee, and vanilla glaze. The bacon was chewy and gross on the maple bacon bar. The creme brulee sugar topping was soft and chewy. The filling was just way too sweet and liquidy. The vanilla glaze was basic. Across the board, all the donuts were dry. The design and layout are just so boring now. It used to be a cool and fun, cozy place to visit with so many more donut flavors and even savory options. Now it's just not worth it.

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    Ube Waffle!
    Ube Waffle!
    Forbes acclaims chef Santiago's Donut Bar as the "Gold Standard" of Donut Shops.
    Forbes acclaims chef Santiago's Donut Bar as the "Gold Standard" of Donut Shops.
    100% Health Inspection!

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    100% Health Inspection!
    Mochi Dough | Premium Japanese Donut

    Mochi Dough | Premium Japanese Donut

    3.7
    (88 reviews)
    12.1 mi
    $$

    What a cute boba spot. So happy they finally have one in San Diego and so close to my house…read more I love the ambiance of the place. It's super cute, pink and clean. There is no customer service as everything you order is through the kiosk, which is fine. The drinks come out quick which is a plus. I did pay extra for the cute surprise toy. I can't wait to come back and try other drinks and their mochi dough. Thanks Mochi Dough for a fun first time.

    FOR THE WIN!!! (4.75 stars)…read more I love donuts. And I tend to stick to basic classical donuts. And therefore I am late to the trend with the mochi donuts! This location is inside Bober Tea and Coffee. There is a glass casing with several flavors to choose from and they sell at $3 a piece. The one that stood out to me was the chocolate with sprinkles. Upon receiving it in a paper pocket bag, the icing was rubbing off on the bag. That immediately told me this is super fresh! I could already feel the softness of the donut. The little sectioned off ball looking segments of the donut are also a game changer when it comes to eating - easier to eat without making a mess! The texture was bouncy, soft, lightly chewy and a little stretchy... the texture was fun and I found myself wanting another afterwards. I do wish they had offer other flavors that don't sounds too sweet because the other flavors didn't really catch me. Until the next review...

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    So cute!
    So cute!
    Mochi Dough | Premium Japanese Donut
    Sign above the service counter

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    Sign above the service counter
    Parlor Doughnuts

    Parlor Doughnuts

    4.1
    (187 reviews)
    14.6 mi
    $$

    The coconut cream pie stuffed doughnut. Enough said. I tried this place for the first time after…read moreeyeing it for a while, I got the coconut cream pie, the strawberry shortcake for my husband, the bacon and maple, and then I got a raspberry jelly mini, cinnamon sugar mini and coconut cream pie mini. Our favorites we'd recommend is the coconut cream pie and the strawberry shortcake. The bacon maple still had an amazing texture and we loved how fluffy and satisfying the dough is made but I wasn't a fan of the bacon fat taste with the maple even though I usually like a sweet+savory combo. Over all we're gonna buy again on Mother's Day morning!

    Special Mother's Day treat! I was happy to see they still have a wide selection so late in the…read moremorning. I was great within seconds of walking in. She was helping someone else but quickly wrapped up to take my order. The space was clean with plenty of seating. It was so hard to decide so I grabbed a few to share: Maple Bacon, Coconut Cream, Lemon and Horchata. I thoroughly enjoyed all of them and appreciated that they were not overly nor greasy. The fluffiness reminded me more of a beignet and brioche. Will be back to try more flavors! 5/13- We returned for more. These were made to order and topping to dough ratio was too much. Maybe they were being generous, but they were overly sweet today. Bourbon Caramel, Strawberry Shortcake, Lemon, Blueberry Hill, Mango Margarita and Turtle Cheesecake. All great flavors, just too much of it.

    Photos
    Parlor Doughnuts
    Parlor Doughnuts
    Parlor Doughnuts

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    PQ Donuts - donuts - Updated August 2026

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