Review #947
2026-011…read more
Donuts Order:
12 Donuts (Bear Claw, Buttermilk, Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Frosted, Chocolate Coconut, Glazed, Glazed Twist, Old Fashioned, Strawberry Cake, Sugar, Vanilla Frosted with Sprinkles) + 9 Donut Holes; TooGoodToGo Surprise Bag: $4.38 ($3.99 + sales tax)
I was browsing the TooGoodToGo app & ordered a pick-up in Carson... I wanted to see what else is in the area with a similar pick-up window & found Circus Donuts. It didn't quite fit my intended schedule, but it was close enough to home with a slight detour of a mile, & cheap enough for the purchase. It had a decent, convenient pick-up window from 6:00 AM - 10:30 AM (some places only have a 15 - 30 min. window); I stopped by after dropping off my son at school.
Circus Donuts sit west of McDonald's with a red & white striped circus awning. The donut shop has 3 entrances: main (faces Denker St.), side (faces Carson St.; door is locked), & back (entering from the parking lot). Considering the size of the donut shop, there's lots of parking real estate. At 9:00 AM, the lot was dirty with litter & discarded lotto scratchers. O_o Walking in from the main entrance, there's a large display case holding 2-1/2 rows of donuts (10 trays) & not all trays are full. They've been open since 5:00 AM... maybe the morning crowd bought a lot of donuts? There's no bell that signaled my entrance but the door cracked when pushed, & I heard a voice from the back shouted "welcome, I'll be right with you." A petite Asian woman popped out while I was browsing their goods; I informed her that I have a TGTG app pick-up & showed her my phone as I showed their business page & swiped for my redemption. She went back & gave me a medium pink box (typical of most mom & pop donut shops) with some heft to it (~4-lbs. worth). I snapped 1 more pic (lotto scratcher vending machine & ATM) on my way out through the back door. There seems be regulars at this donut shop, particularly for their love of the lotto; a middle aged male & a couple were at the tables trying their luck.
I was pretty impressed with the variety of regular donuts... I got 12 different ones with a handful of donut holes. It included a Cinnamon Roll (my fav!) & Bear Claw that's bigger than my palm, & I have pretty large hands. The Cinnamon Roll tasted fresh enough, & it was still somewhat soft. The Bear Claw was the freshest of the bunch with a good dollop of cinnamony, sweet-tart apple filling in the yeast donut, along with Buttermilk, Glazed, Glazed Twist, Old Fashioned, Sugar. The frosted ones & donut holes were on the harder side, definitely day old (possibly more? particularly the donut holes). I paid $4.38 for this TGTG surprise bag valued at $12.00, & received 12 donuts with 9 donut holes that's worth $23.50, excluding the donut holes because the price (possibly 20¢ or 25¢) isn't on the menu. Even if it's based on their price of $17.50 for a regular dozen, you're getting 3x (337.50%) the cost; if you count it individually at $25.75 (donut holes at 25¢/ea.), it's an even better value at 5x (543.75%). Wow... definitely getting the bang for my buck here!
Though we infrequently visit the McDonald's next door, I rarely head east of Eastern Ave. so I'm not sure if I'll be returning. But for all you donut lovers out there &/or TGTG patrons, Circus Donuts has a good selection of tasty donuts at comparable prices, & a definite value to TGTG app users!
Recommended: Cinnamon Roll, Bear Claw, Buttermilk, Old Fashioned, Glazed, Glazed Twist, Strawberry Cake, Sugar, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Frosted, Chocolate Coconut, Vanilla Frosted with Sprinkles.