Solana Donuts - Solana Beach, CA

Overall Shop rating: 4 NadasMy name is David Matsumura. I love donuts, I love Jesus Christ, I love surfing, and I love music. Everyday, I try and fill my day with these four things. I want to inspire and help others do the same. Today, donutblog.com is venturing into a new area. We are proud to announce that we have sponsored our first musical artist, Tyson Mostenbocker. He is currently working on a new EP that should be released in November 2010. I’ve heard it, and it is sounding great. He mixes cool guitar parts with smooth vocals and great story telling… and he has a killer mustache! Check it out for yourself (the music, that is)! Solana Donuts is his local donut shop. Together we visited and talked music and surfing over delicious donuts.

Vibe of Shop: 4 ½ Nadas
I loved the classic feel of this shop. Great use of “donut pink” and plenty of space for seating, or a dance party. There was a disco ball hanging above the donut case making me wonder what goes on in this shop after hours… I also really loved the amazing painting of a tropical beach on the wall.

Outside Appearance: 2 ½ Nadas
It was kind of tucked away in a 2 story strip mall. The outside wasn’t very inviting but I did like that there was the Fish House right above. Fish and Donuts…. Mmmmm.

Hours: Mon – Thurs 5:00am to 9:00pm
Fri – Sat 5:00am to 10:00pm
Sun 6:00am to 12:00pm



Service: 4 ½ Nadas
I believe the lady who served us was named Thim. She was fantastic. She was the perfect asian donut shop owner who runs the front of the store while her husband bakes donuts in the back. I’ve seen this “set up” often and it seems to work well.Taste of Glaze Donut: 3 ½ Nadas
The donut was nice and fluffy and the glaze was great but overall it was a bit dry.

Blueberry Donut: No

Coffee: 3 Nadas
The coffee was just average. It did the job, but didn’t impress me.

Special: 2 things:
1. I love it when donut shops make giant donuts. I would never eat one, but I love looking at them. Here they had a giant raised sugar donut.2. On this day I ordered an apple pastry. It was amazing! The glaze was perfect and the apple filling blew my mind.













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Baker Tom's - Hilo, Hawaii

Overall Shop rating: 4 ½ Nadas Hilo, Hawaii is a town that blends perfectly the hometown country feel and island paradise. There are so many “mom and pop” shops owned by locals that you would never need to go corporate for any meal… or donut.
I spent 2 months hanging out in Hilo with my Grandma, Uncle and Aunty in the Spring of 2010. I searched but could not find a donut shop in this town. Instead I was blown away when I was introduced to the Hawaiian version: the Malasada (originally the Portuguese version of the donut).

Vibe of Shop: 5 Nadas
I loved the vibe. It’s so local and friendly, filled with Aloha.

Outside Appearance: 5 Nadas
This is one of the most unique bakery shops I’ve ever seen. It’s a few miles out of town on the country highway on the way to Waimea. The shop is a converted auto repair shop turned bakery. One garage bay has become the store front and the other has become the lounge.

Hours: 6am-6pm Weekdays, 7am-6pm Weekends

Service: 5 Nadas
I loved that Baker Tom’s mom was the one that served us. I love the personal family touch. Baker Tom’s dad hangs out in the garage turned lounge next door. Amazing.

Taste of Glaze Donut: 4 Nadas
Technically this wasn’t a glazed donut, and they didn’t even have glaze in the traditional sense, but I didn’t care. I loved the Blackberry, the PB&J, the Canadian Bacon & Cheese, the Lilikoi, and more. Wow!



Blueberry Donut? No, but who needs a blueberry donut when you have a plethora of filled malasadas. You could have breakfast, lunch, and dinner all here inside this wonderful dough… if you can handle all the grease…

Coffee: 3 Nadas
The coffee was good but nothing special. There is a great local shop down the road called Sharky’s that I suggest if you want quality coffee.

Special: I’ve already talked about all the special donuts/malasadas. Instead I want to point out the special advertisement posted on the board at the shop. It’s for the Neuter Scooter. It comes to Spay/Neuter your cats right at your own home.
















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Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - San Diego

Overall Shop Rating: 4 NadasJust as I prefer a local Taqueria over Taco Bell, I usually choose a small donut shop over a corporate chain, but when it’s late and other Taquerias are closed, I choose Taco Bell. This was that night.

Vibe of Shop: 4 Nadas
It kind of feels like you’re in a McDonald’s, but I do really like that you can watch the donuts being made right there on the other side of the window. I wish there were more “Donut Pink” included in the décor.


Outside Appearance: 4 Nadas
The best word to describe the appearance is: Spiffy. The only thing that I didn’t like is that it is so corporate. I guess that’s a personal preference, bit I like smaller “mom and pop” donut shops.



Hours: Honestly, I forgot to look but I know they close at 11pm.

Service: 5+ Nadas
I can’t remember both of their names but Brandon and the girl who helped us were soooo amazingly kind and fun. We had a big order of donuts and Brandon had a smile the whole time. These guys are so cool! Stop by and say hi to them.Taste of Glaze Donut: 2 Nadas
Like I’ve said before, The only way to eat a Krispy Kreme glaze doughnut is warm, right off the conveyor belt.

Blueberry Donut: Yes, kind of…
I didn’t get a regular cake blueberry donut but… I found something sooooo much tastier! Here they had Blueberry Fritters!!! Oh man, it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Mmmmmm.Coffee: N/A
I can’t rate the coffee because the girl who helped me offered to make a whole new pot 30 minutes before closing. I didn’t want her to waste it so I drank the old coffee. Truthfully it wasn’t that good, but I blame that on it being over an hour old. She gave it to me for free, though!

Special: I was blown away at the creativity in donuts that this shop offered. I highly suggest visiting this store, skipping the regular glaze donut and venturing out to try a few of the special donuts like: Blueberry Fritter, Apple Filled, Strawberry Shortcake, and many others.
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A dozen brings smiles

A few weeks ago I played at a summer camp near Sonora, CA. One morning my band member, Andrew, and I went into town early and got donuts for all the staff counselors. They were so happy. I love that donuts have the power to bring such happiness.