Happy Donuts - Albany, CA (North of Oakland)

Welcome to my donut blog! I'm glad you stopped by to read about a very overlooked institution that is a core part of our American society and culture: Your Local Donut Shop.

This is my critique of Happy Donuts in Albany.

I feel very, very blessed to live the life I live. I currently call Santa Cruz home, where I surf about 4-5 times a week, record/produce music for independent songwriters, drink a lot of snob quality coffee, and travel out to play shows all over the west coast. The traveling allows me to visit many new places and, in turn, many new Donut shops!


On Friday, January 9 my band, Kokua, played in Hercules, CA. The show was a ton of fun but it left me drained and hungry. I had a craving. The desire for a donut and a cup of coffee overwhelmed me so I looked up the nearest donut shop on my iPhone. Happy Donuts happened to be the lucky winner. Let me tell you.... The place totally lived up to its name.
I had the most amazing experience at this shop. Overall I would give this shop 5 Nadas (I judge in Nadas. 5 being the best, 1 the worst). Everything was great about this spot.

Hours: 5 Nadas
The sign says Open 24 Hours... and they are open 24 hours!!! ...Unlike some other shops that advertise hours falsely.

Vibe of the shop: 5 Nadas
The ordering counter had a lot of style. Right behind the signs in the back you could watch the guy making the donuts by hand. I loved being able to watch the process. Also, there were very interesting people patronizing the shop. This makes for a fun time while consuming the nugget of joy.

Donut Selection: 5 Nadas
This was the first donut shop outside of Santa Cruz that I have found blueberry donuts!!! Great job, Happy Donuts. I did not see any unique donut designs. Not a problem, though. They had all the classics.... and did I mention they had blueberry?
Coffee: 5 Nadas
It tasted great black. Not often can you pull that off. For regular drip coffee, this was some of the best.

Taste of Donut: 5 Nadas
Super fresh and tasty.

As for the miscellaneous things this shop had to offer... I give 5 Nadas.
You could buy lotto tickets, cigarettes, cakes, and a vast array of cold drinks.

Service: 5 Nadas

Service with a smile. The best part was the clerk at the register. His name was Alex and he had to be only about 15 years old. He told us he would be working until 5am. That is dedication. It was his dad in the back making the donuts. I love family run businesses.Thank you, Alex and Happy Donuts!