Holey Grail took over one of my favorite spot on 2nd street. Used to be our favorite local…read morebreakfast/ brunch place when I was living in Naples back in the days. I first tried their donuts at the taste of the nation event for No Kid Hungry and I fell in love with their hot Taro donuts! Wished they kept the Strawberry on the menu! There's a small parking lot in the back. Park at your own risk.

You can no longer find the holy grail here on 2nd Street, Belmont Shore. This brand came from…read moreHawaii but looks like the other locations here in the Southland have been marked as closed. What made them different is they used taro flour and cooked them in coconut oil. Some of their flavors were tropical. Now I can write about how the oil smell emanating from the store made me nauseous whenever I passed by during business hours. It's weird because I didn't think bad of the donuts themselves and could stand to eat them. I will say after having them on two prior occasions, they made an impression on me when they participated in the yearly Belmont Shore chocolate festival. They offered a freshly chocolate glazed donut. It was so delicious having it fresh as opposed to letting it sit and have later. Thanks for the memories! I won't forget you, Holey Grail!

Such a cute spot to get your sweet treats and they have a drive through window that's so amazing…read more Loved the customer service friendly and supportive.

Always love a good 24/hr Drive Through Donut Shop! The people are friendly and the donuts are…read morealways fresh! They do prefer cash over card. Inside is a nice seating area to chat, drink coffee, and enjoy the smells! Highly recommend if you need something on the go. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of parking, which is totally fine, just want to give a heads up!

Wow!!! All I can say is top tier donuts!! A good friend of…read moremine always has customized Donuts at her kids birthdays and she gave me the reference when I asked for my granddaughters 5th bday this past weekend!! Michelle got right back to me and really worked with me on customizing my granddaughters themed donuts for her dessert table at her birthday party. "Donut hesitate to contact Michelle at Simone's Donuts for all your donut needs"! Absolutely loved them!

'm a local customer and have patronized this donut shop before, but after this experience, I won't…read morebe returning. I ordered several donuts and specifically asked the employee whether the specialty donuts counted toward a dozen. She told me that I would "just pay the difference," but never explained that ordering by the dozen would have actually been cheaper or that I was essentially paying for a dozen but only got 10 donuts. After I paid in cash and even tipped her, she casually told me, "Oh, you could've gotten two free donuts." I asked if I could still get the two donuts since I had already paid enough to qualify, and she responded, "maybe next time." That response was incredibly frustrating and honestly poor customer service. If I already paid enough to qualify for the dozen pricing, why wouldn't the employee explain it beforehand or simply honor it when I asked immediately afterward? Instead, I was told only after the transaction was complete, and then denied the items anyway. It felt misleading, unhelpful, and unnecessarily petty over two donuts. Small businesses survive on repeat local customers and goodwill, and this experience completely lost mine. There won't be a next time.

100/5 for the vibes. Very cute little place, and I love that they support local artists. The events…read moreand collabs are very fun. Everyone was really nice. Actual coffee and donuts are 3/5, though. Not bad but not great either. (The flavors are very, very mild.) Definitely overpriced for what you get (or maybe the mom and pop places are underpriced? Much to think about). Anyways, I don't trust donut shops that can't even nail their basics lol. My friend bit into his chocolate donut and immediately made the saddest face I've ever seen. Not in a ratatouille way, but like... the taste and texture disturbed him somehow. I still recommend this place because it's cute and whimsical and supports artists. Kids will love this place! And we need more whimsy in this world. Maybe that's all that matters. They definitely need a better menu system, though. 0/5 for the menu system because sharing single little laminated sheets with everyone in line is kinda ridiculous lol. (I have decision paralysis... And you don't even get access to the limited edition menu until you're at the front!) Am I dumb or do they not even have a menu on their website? It's also kinda crazy because everything else in the store is thoughtfully designed and placed but their menus are little laminated sheets resting flat on top of the donut display. Please fix that.

I'm more of an old school donut gal, but I had walked by this shop so many times and was craving a…read moresweet so I stopped in. I got lucky- It was about a half hour before closing and there were no other customers. Cute little place! I was helped by Ilyas, the manager. What a stellar individual! I told him it was my first time, and my preferences (not big on frosting, but like interesting flavor combos) and he walked me through the different types. I was happily surprised to see that they carried some traditional donuts as well as the frosted themed ones! I found that this shop was related to Simones donuts which is a great business! They even do cookie tins and caramels. A couple of the special edition donuts looked so decadent and flavorful but more like a dessert that I commented. He then brought out for me one that was a brand new item and it sounded perfect- a sugar donut topped with strawberry mascarpone encircling a pandan center and I had to get it. He even let me have my themed matcha donut without the fancy little emblem for $1 less! So nice. Those, with a biscoff donut and a logo pin completed my purchase. The pandan topping was sweet but the mascarpone was reminiscent of a strawberry yogurt and the flavors blended perfectly. The other donuts were huge, fluffy and perfectly textured. I would have liked a stronger biscoff and matcha strawberry flavor in those crumbles but at least they were not sweet! Just delicious. The prices are fairly high but I will definitely stop by occasionally to see what delicious creations they are whipping up and get myself a treat!

Yeah this place is incredible! If you love sweet things then you definitely need to put this place…read moreon your list!! The coffee shop is cute and has a number of cronuts and donuts to choose from. They also have croissants and savory croissants- like ham and cheese. The number of different beautiful baked goods to choose from makes you want to just spend all your money in this place to try them all. The service we had was also 10/10. The person we had was so kind and helpful. She was patient answering all of our questions and giving suggestions. She even found out it was my first time there and gave us a free sample. We got 3 cronuts, a ham & cheese croissant, a black sesame Vietnamese coffee, and a regular Vietnamese coffee. Everything was insanely good. I will say Vietnamese coffee is typically strong and sweet. It's nice here because you can control your sweet level, they have a whole sliding scale so as to make your coffee just right. I honestly cannot say enough good things about this place! Definitely when you have a chance check it out.

Picked up a few donuts for the fam. Didn't realize these were going to be fancy donuts until I got…read moreto the place. There's a good selection of decedent donuts. The owner was kind enough to add in an extra free donut. The donuts were all pretty good - I heard their coffee is good as well, but since I don't drink coffee - can't say much about it. Overall - not my type of donut (I like the old school boring donuts) but the execution and pricing fits. If someone is looking for a fancy donut, would rec this place!

My girlfriend and I were looking for a caffeine boost to get us through Sunday when we stumbled…read moreupon Recreational Coffee in Downtown Long Beach. A very welcoming vibe upon entry, we were greeted by a friendly couple who answered our questions about popular drink flavors. We decided to go with a Hot Cinnamon Dulce Latte and an Iced Blueberry Lavender Latte. While waiting, there were plenty of chairs, tables, a comfy couch and even a bar area to sit and relax. Tons of board games, books and wonderfully mellow music helps make the experience feel comforting and inviting. Our drinks were prepared quickly and shouted at the coffee bar for pickup. The presentation was great, but the flavors, out of this world! The Cinnamon Dulce Latte was OUTSTANDING. So good, in fact, that my girlfriend stole it from me! Not to worry, her Blueberry Lavender Latte was also top-notch, with a smooth, not-to-sweet flavor combination. Friendly staff (which comes with occasional karaoke renditions from the Bluetooth speakers), a chill vibe and outstanding drinks make this a top spot in the area for hardcore coffee lovers. Check them out!

Visited this place on a Saturday morning. I popped in and popped out with an okay drink. I…read morepreviewed the menu and the Sonora town Horchata latte called my name. Ordered and it didn't take long at all to get it. Did they even add espresso? Who knows because the latte was weak. It barely had any hint of coffee. I asked if the latte was sweet and they said it wasn't. After the first sip I could just taste all sweetness no espresso. Recreational coffee do you guys add espresso to the lattes? Maybe I should have ordered something else not sure.

Was going to Reinne's place next door and saw how cute this shop was! Had to support local…read morebusinesses Street parking only, I don't think I saw seating inside but there was a bench outside! The man who helped me was so nice and patient, even helped me pronounce the name of what I ordered because I couldn't Got a pandesul to go with my coffee, it was perfect. Not too sweet and went amazing with my coffee. Would love to come back to try more stuff!

Ube and pandan cinnibuns-please skip them. Portions are huge, but they lack actual ube and pandan…read moreflavors. I've purchased them three times (each) to make sure I didn't just get a weird batch so I can attest that they lack in flavor, they're just sweet. Sylvanas are decent-crunch is great, not a whole lot of flavor, overly sweet. I suppose I only enjoyed them because it reminds me of my sansrival birthday cakes when I lived in Manila. Nostagiaaaa from the actual texture! Calamansi loaf- fave because it tastes good overall , but lacked calamansi flavor or tartness from the calamansi juice I guess Ube pandesal- I used to get this 3 times a week- just tastes like regular pandesal with a small slice of Cheez. Again, zero ube flavor Regular pandesal- can't go wrong here. Bibingka- decent. Doesn't have the traditional chewiness of bibingka, but just okay in actual flavor. I doctored mine up with slices of Cheezewhiz and salted egg at home. I think the names of the pastries are deceiving because they lack the actual flavor that they're named after. Stopped coming because I felt like I was just paying $20 per visit for something sweet that didn't have depth in flavors. Also, after reading the clap backs from the owner on IG/Yelp reviews towards other patrons, it has turned me off and made me more hesitant to support her business. The guy though (sorry I don't know his name) is always at the counter and super nice!

When I'm in LA, this is officially my must go donut shop…read more It's that good. If you love donuts, you have to come here. The apple fritter was worth every second of the wait. It came out hot, fresh, and literally melted in my mouth. Honestly, if she told me it was going to take 30 minutes, I still would've waited.

tl;dr quality is high and prices are low; go early for the best possible selection, and don't miss…read moreout on the excellent apple fritter Across Los Angeles' ever-changing donut landscape, the countless standalone shops have had to evolve to stand out from the crowd. At Long Beach's Sweet Retreat Donuts, that meant limited-edition experimental donut varieties (mostly with tropical flavor profiles), as well as a reliable vegan donut lineup. Clearly, Sweet Retreat has been doing something right, as it's been a Pacific Coast Highway favorite for a decade. Over the years, it has garnered recognition from plenty of local news outlets, from Eater LA to LAist. The cramped strip mall is more eye-catching for its reptile supply store rather than its donut shop. Inside the shop, the expansive, donut-themed cartoon mural to the right immediately makes a statement. Houseplants are plentiful across the otherwise undecorated, whitewashed walls. Donuts are organized on trays by price, with the charge doodled directly onto the glass with a white marker. Ambient noise from the television is drowned out by chattering customers and the buzzing coffee machine. During the summer months, the AC-less shop feels tropically balmy. My partner and I arrived at Sweet Retreat late one Sunday morning, and the shop still boasted a steady stream of customers. By the time of our visit, the remaining selection was regrettably slim -- beyond the standard fare, the most unique donuts sported either candy coating or tropical frosting. We opted for a hibiscus-frosted raised donut and an apple fritter. The former had an excellent donut base, and the hibiscus frosting was floral and tropical (albiet I would have enjoyed a more punchy flavor). Meanwhile, the apple fritter fell on the cinnamon-y side, heavily doused in glaze so that each bite (even the edges) melted in your mouth; Sweet Retreat's rendition was one of my favorites in Greater LA. Our Vietnamese iced coffee was strong and sugary, but nothing more memorable than peer coffeeshops. The service was efficient, and our two donuts cost a reasonable $5 (even frill-free mom-and-pop shops charge in this range nowadays). The selection was sorely lacking, but Sweet Retreat more than made up for that with its high quality and reasonable prices. This bakery may not warrant a dedicated trip out of the way, but it is sure to deliver a satisfying treat if you're already in the neighborhood.

Staff The staff here is genuinely friendly and welcoming…read moreevery single time I visit. They make the experience warm and enjoyable. Food The donuts and pastries taste incredibly fresh because they're made every morning. Each bite is delicious and feels homemade. Beverages The coffee is amazing--rich, smooth, and the perfect complement to their baked goods. This place has officially become my new go-to for a cozy treat and great coffee. Rating:

I register to get a coffee. It was starting to be a good spot to get a drink after my long walk to…read morethe gym. I noticed the owners were a little standoffish. However, as soon as the white man came in, they were super friendly. It's unfortunate. Did she treat all they're paying customers equal?

I left this place running for my car…read more The location is in a rough area of town, so while the donuts were edible, I felt compelled to issue a quick heads up warning for any unsuspecting newcomers. As I entered the parking lot I witnessed a lady hanging out of the window of a car missing a rear bumper, cursing at a minivan that looked like it had recently been involved in a series of hit-and-run crimes. I'm unclear what occurred before I got there, but kept my head down and quickly parked and scurried inside. The entrance had cardboard on the ground laid out like some sort of Oscar the Grouch red carpet. There were two people sitting at the middle two tables with portable shopping carts filled with assorted belongings. The interior matched the rest of neighborhood with random stuff laid out on counter tops, and a general dirty feeling that made me consider whether I wanted to buy food here, but I was already inside. There was a single woman working the counter. She was polite and matter of fact. I had promised my kids donuts, so I ordered my box to go. While she used appropriate tongs to put them in the box, she didn't bother to fully close or seal the box. Just looking to get out of there as quickly as possible, I headed immediately back to my car but was followed by an unknown man shouting at me asking if I could spare a dollar. I quickly fidgeted for my keys and pulled the door closed and locked it behind me. This was at 9am. I cannot imagine this place late at night. The donuts were basic and not overly sweet, more of a fried bread. My kids ate a few bites of each but it wasn't worth the stress of getting them.

It's good. I like it better than other places I've been to. The donuts aren't soggy or oily, they…read moretasted fresh! The blended ice coffee is really good! We also had a breakfast croissant and it was good too.