Yum Yum Donuts - Madera, CA

Overall Shop rating: 1 1/2 Nadas

“With a Donut in each hand, anything is possible.”

Live. Love. Donuts. Upon researching this shop I found some amazing facts about chain donut shops in relation to Yum Yum Donuts! Here are some trivia questions:
1. What donut shop chain did Yum Yum Donuts purchase in October 2004?
2. The President of Yum Yum donuts used to work with the President of another large donut chain before he started Yum Yum Donuts. What Donut chain was it?

I love donuts (A). I love experiencing weird unique places (B). I don’t necessarily like Madera, CA (C). This donut shop was in Madera (D). A x B does not equal C, But C equals A x D. And if C is negative, it ruins it all.

Vibe of Shop: 3 Nadas
The inside was normal, but kind of cramped. The tables were super close to each other and the whole time I was there, there was a little girl yelling and crying. Not a very peaceful way to critique a donut. At least they are family friendly.

Outside Appearance: 3 1/2 Nadas
I really appreciated the familiar 1970’s donut shop appearance as I approached the shop. The Yum Yum sign is fantastic.
Hours: 24 Hours

Service: 1 Nadas
Truthfully, I felt like the guy working there had better things to do. It was all business and he was bored.

Taste of Glaze Donut: 3 Nadas
It was just ok. Nothing especially good or bad about it. Middle of the road.


Blueberry Donut? No. But they had super cute princess donuts! That’s great for little girls. Now I want to see some manly He-Man or GI Joe donuts!!!

Coffee: 2 Nadas
Tasted like dirty water.

Special: They had the most inspiring poster I have ever seen… Anywhere… ever… Period. It has become the quote of my life.

Trivia answers:
1. Winchell’s Donuts
2. Krispy Kreme Donuts

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts – Mountain View, CA

Overall Rating: 3 Nadas On the eve of July 4, 2009 I ventured to the Shoreline Amphitheater to watch my good friend, Jimmie Adams iii, play drums in the 4th of July celebration put on by Bethel Church of San Jose. It was a very impressive production with hundreds of people involved in singing, dancing and playing instruments in front of a crowd of about 7,000. My favourite part, of course, was the 10 minute drum solo Jimmie compiled. That guy is a maniac. Please go see him live if you have a chance. Anyway, this blog is about donuts, not Jimmie Adams so let’s get to it.

After the show, as I was driving back home to Santa Cruz with my girlfriend a familiar glowing sign caught my eye. I remember a few years ago, pre-Atkins diet craze, there was a donut craze where Krispy Kreme’s were popping up like Starbucks Shops. Atkin’s hit, and the Krispy Kreme’s began to go out of business. I didn’t realize that there were any still around so I had to stop and re-live the experience I had about 10 years ago when I first tasted a Krispy Kreme Donut.
*Side note: Krispy Kreme has been around since 1937. Sounds pretty stable.

Vibe of Shop: 4 ½ Nadas
The shop was very clean and sterile, with corporate written all over it. The redeeming factor is that you can watch the donuts assembly line, the whole process of “the life of a donut” from dough to mouth.

Outside Appearance: 3 Nadas
Just average and slightly corporate.
Service: 5 Nadas
The people were very friendly and helpful. When I was taking pictures they would wait to walk in front of the shot. I was pleasantly surprised with their consideration. They weren’t Asian, I expected this of corporate donuts, though.

Taste of Glaze Donut: 1 ½ Nada
I’ve had a 5 plus Nadas glaze here before, but that is when the donut is warm and fresh off the assembly line. This glaze donut was old and cold. It wasn’t very moist or soft. I was disappointed. Their sour crème glaze donut off the line was fresh, warm, and delicious on this night. I think the quality of taste will change depending on what is fresh. In other donut shops, I believe that the quality of the glaze donut will last longer than a few minutes…

Blueberry Donut?
Sort of... They had regular donuts with blueberry frosting and blueberries in it, and it was delicious!

Coffee: ½ Nada
Jenn Allen put it best after tasting it. The coffee tasted like “burnt dish water.”
Special: On this festive night they had patriotic donuts with Red, White, and Blue sprinkles. Also, they had a delicious cinnamon apple filled donut that sent me over the edge. I ate too many. Ha.

Happy 4th of July Everyone. Go eat a Donut.
This is America!

Allbright's Donuts - Santa Cruz, CA

On a lazy day in Santa Cruz, CA, my friends and I were on a search to purchase some beach cruiser bicycles. We were directed to a shop called Cruiser King where the bikes were too expensive for our taste, but as we parked and walked we were drawn to this donut shop, Allbright’s Donuts. I asked the lady working how old the shop was and she said somewhere around 30 years. I’m telling you guys… Donut Shops are a strong and stable business, especially if you are of Asian decent. ;-)

Vibe of Shop: 4 Nadas
It had that classic 70’s diner vibe, which I like. I really like the seating arrangement.

Outside Appreance: 4 Nadas
I loved the corner location and the color choices. Very inviting.

Service: 2 Nadas
The lady wasn’t that friendly. I assumed it was because she had been there all night making donuts, as it was 2pm in the afternoon when we visited. She helped us, but didn’t go beyond the donuts. It was all business.
Taste of Glaze Donut: 4 ½ Nadas
I was very impressed with the donuts. They tasted fresh and even now, just thinking of them makes my mouth water.

Coffee: 2 ½ Nadas
The coffee tasted in between quality coffee and dirty water. Ha. But it was still drinkable. I’ve had worse.

Special: The size of the donuts were grand. If you’re on a diet, don’t come here…. Well… if you’re on a diet, don’t eat donuts.

Wow!!! Safeway Donut Special

Check this out! I couldn't believe the price... though the taste was a bit lacking, in a budget crisis these donuts will pull you through!

Leonard's Bakery - Honolulu, Hawaii

Aloha! In February 2009 I had the great pleasure of visiting my relatives. I surfed, ate sushi, enjoyed family chill time... The only thing that was missing was a donut… So my cousin took me to a Honolulu specialty: Leonard’s Bakery. Now, Malasadas are not donuts and I know that this is a donut blog, but I believe that they are close cousins and equal in taste so here is my experience eating a Malasada.

Vibe of Shop: 2 Nadas
I was disappointed that there were no seats inside. There were a few seats outside, which, I guess makes sense since the weather in Hawaii is amazing. Also, things looked a little rundown inside but… it is over 55 years old!

Outside Appearance: 5+ Nadas
The décor of the outside was like a Las Vegas Casino, but when you go inside, instead of gambling your money, you win every time! The signs were amazing and old and had more style and flair than a flamboyant hair dresser.

Hours: 3 Nadas
It is not open 24 hours. ☹ I believe they close at 11pm.

Service: 3 Nadas
The service was a bit slow but I understand why. They take your order, walk back and fry the malasada, and then bring it to you. So fresh! Also, they have a uniform: cute 50’s style dresses. I like the vibe and professionalism they are portraying.

Taste of Glaze Donut (Malasada): 5 Nadas
Oh boy! Where do I start? They fry the malasadas right when you order them! This insures super freshness. The outside was warm and crispy and the inside was moist and delicious. I also order a chocolate-filled and a coconut-filled and they were all amazing! Doughy goodness! Mmmmmm….

Coffee: N/A
I was so distracted by my cousins, girlfriend, and the excitement that I had discovered “a new brand of donut,” that I forget to order a cup of coffee. Sorry.




Special: They sold everything you would need on a birthday cake. They had so many options of candles. I especially like that they sell balloons!

So my official verdict is: Go eat a Malasada!!! They are sooooo scrumptious... And thank you, Leonard, for starting this fine establishment.

Gladstone Donuts - Long Beach, CA

It was the week before Easter and I was on my way to Mexico with my band, Kokua, my sister, and my girlfriend. We were going with The King’s Academy to build houses in Tecate for people less fortunate than us. The thought of 6 days without a donut was scary so we decided to grab one before we headed south and crossed the border into the land of tacos, burritos, and great guacamole.
As we were driving we came across a humble donut shop called Gladstone Donuts. Here is my critque.

Vibe of Shop: 3 ½ Nadas
The more I visit other donut shops through out California, the more I’m realizing that they all have a similar feel, some better and some worse. I think they must pass around interior design plans that say: 1. Use an ugly old fake tile floor. 2. Use yellow booth-like benches with table connected. 3. Paint your walls white, but a white that looks like it was painted 30 years ago. 4. Tape your walls with random posters and advertisements that create visual noise to distract from the ugly floor.


Hours: 5 Nadas
24 hours, always a plus.








Outside Appearance: 3 Nadas
Nothing special but they do have florescent light signs, which I think is another requirement upon opening a donut shop.

Service: 4 1/2 Nadas
I forget the guy’s name who served me but he was super friendly and helpful. I told him about my blog and he still didn’t offer me a free donut so I can only award him 4 ½ Nadas… I liked him though. Make sure to say hi and thank him for serving great donuts.

Taste of Glaze Donut: 4 1/4 Nadas
I thought the donut was fresh and tasty. Not the best ever, but really moist inside with a light crunch on the outside.

Coffee: 1 Nadas
I do not recommend the coffee. It tasted old, burned and watered down. After purchasing a donut here, go down the street to Starbucks or something.

Special: The selection of donut holes was AMAZING! They had: glaze, chocolate, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, and even blue berry! I’ve never before seen so many choices of donut holes. I was very impressed… and they tasted good.In closing, I would recommend a visit to Gladstone Donuts if you are in the Long Beach area. Viva la Gladstone!!!

Donut Nation - Los Banos, CA

"Keeping Donut Nation Alive" - Travis Oberg

I first noticed this wonderful establishment while traveling from Santa Cruz, CA to Hume Lake. I was driving with Travis Oberg and as we were driving through the heart of Los Banos he pointed and said, "Pull over. We need to keep donut nation alive." I thought to that was a great idea. Now, after driving through and stopping there over 10 times I'm not so sure that they are staying in business because of the donuts Travis and I buy. I think they have much support from the local Los Banians and that, along with a great name (Donut Nation) is what keeps this place producing wonderful nuggets of greasy joy.

Here is my critque in the rating scale of Nadas (see blog on rating scale):

Service: 4 1/2 Nadas
The people are very friendly. Their English is not the best but after frequenting many donut shops I have learned: heavy Asian accents equal delicious glaze donuts. ;)

Taste of Glaze Donut: 4 Nadas
I really enjoyed the donut. It was very fluffy, tasty and fresh. I don't know what else to say.

Coffee: 2 1/2 Nadas
When going to donut shops do not expect an Italian cappuccino coffee experience. The coffee here was not great. I would put it just below average.


Vibe of the shop: 5 Nadas
This donut shop was comfortable. It reminded me of my favorite donut shop back in Santa Cruz, Ferrell's Donuts. It kind of felt like home.

Donut Selection: 4 1/2 Nadas
When we stopped by it was around 9pm or so and they had a full selection. Great job keeping up the donut production.

Specialty: They served bubble teas here. How fun.

Overall I love the location. Los Banos is never the destination. It is always a town to pass through so having a quality donut as a rest stop to break up the drive is a treat. Thank you, Donut Nation, for keeping keeping me sane on the road and easing road rage.