DK's Donuts & Bakery — Restaurant in Santa Monica

I came here with Dena O. and Crystal W. after checking out the Uniqlo pop-up at Santa Monica Place. DK's Donuts has a very unassuming storefront in a small plaza off of Santa Monica and 16th Street. Parking is somewhat limited but we were able to snag a spot right in front of the store! Once you walk in, you know you are somewhere special with their display cases full of donuts, cronuts, wownuts, and other delicious-looking pastries! They also offer burritos, sandwiches, smoothies, juices, etc... their menu is quite extensive! Of course right now the big fad is wownuts, which are a waffle-donut hybrid. DK's offers four waffle types (original butter, ube, red velvet, and chocolate) and you can either choose your own coating and toppings or pick an established combo from their set menu. And of course there are also DK's famous cronuts, which they just call O-Nuts. It seems (from their website) that they have about 25 different flavours. Yum!

There were so many choices that it took quite a while for the three of us to decide what we each wanted to order. But I finally ordered the following: MINI DK'S ORIGINAL WOW-NUT with cream cheese frosting and Oreo crumbles -- Mmm texture of a waffle but somehow made even better! This came out piping warm and it was quite good (but also a bit plain). MINI RED VELVET LUST WOWNUT with cream cheese frosting and Oreo crumbles -- OMG this was THE. ABSOLUTE. BEST. I don't even know what to say about this. If you love red velvet and waffles and doughnuts, then this is for you. Absolutely! MAPLE BACON BLISS O-NUT: Taking our signature "Maple Bacon Bliss Bar" and turning it O-Nuts style; a crispy croissant dough with sweet maple topped with baked bacon to turn your taste buds both sweet and savory. -- So... I might be completely over the maple bacon combination when it comes to doughnuts/cronuts. This was just okay; I liked the cronut base but I'm no longer infatuated with this flavour combination. COOKIE MONSTER CRUNCH O-NUT: One of our newest additions to the #ONUT family. Cookie spread with a piece of chocolate chip cookie in the center. -- Now this one I am a fan of! I love cookie spread and cookies so adding those to a wonderfully flaky cronut made perfect sense. The red velvet wownut is still my favourite from DK's, but this was a pretty good cronut too.

I'm so glad DK's offers mini versions of their wownuts. It was the perfect size for me and I didn't feel overwhelmed by the richness. We were hungry so we immediately devoured the mini wownuts on the bench outside of DK's (they offer a few tables inside but they were all taken) and then saved the cronuts to eat at home. I wish this place was closer to me so I could go back and get some more mini wownuts! That red velvet one was so good :D

I also cannot complete my review without mentioning the service here. There were a few people behind the counter dealing with customers when I was there, and of course they were all professional and helpful but also not too friendly because they were swamped with customers and orders and whatnot. But the owner's daughter, Mayly, was there and she was extremely friendly and helpful! She was so patient with us as we figured out what we wanted to order, and then later when I asked why they no longer offer the Yelp check-in offer for complimentary doughnut holes, she kindly explained how all these rude customers were taking advantage of the offer (just coming in for the doughnut holes without buying anything, and then leaving negative reviews). It saddens me whenever I hear of Yelpers abusing the system, but thankfully she had not lost faith in all Yelpers and gave us a bag of doughnuts holes (which were delicious of course) on the house. Thank you Mayly for being such a kind sweet person! Your service has elevated my time here to a five-star...

This whimsical, well-branded DK Donuts flagship location is one of the most important and regarded treats for us when we are in the Santa Monica area. It is always our well-anticipated go-to even though we aren't exactly nearby but especially since its fame precedes it (of PBS' "Donut King" documentary fame). Having recently discovered it the past year or so, our first time was a terrific experience! We had been planning a visit for weeks... and it did not disappoint! It was busy yet we didn't have to wait too long for assistance. Everyone there was so courteous and full of friendly and considerate people, not only the attentive employees but the fellow patrons, too. That evening, it attracted polite, equally-enthusiastic customers who we were happy to have some small talk with. We chose to order a dozen fancy donuts (the upgraded dozen tier) which we thoroughly enjoyed when we got home. In a cool branded pink decorated box, each fancy donut is a whimsical confection, creatively conceived and undeniably delicious, too! We returned months later and for some cool reason, the establishment yet again attracted a few friendly patrons (always a good sign that it's a good place to be). But this time though, we did opt for the general lower-tier dozen donuts (no fancies)...and we, to be honest, were not very impressed with the regulars, this time around. Unfortunately, their regular donuts are just run-of-the-mill donuts and even seemed smaller and less dense than in other donut shops...and definitely not as good as their fancies! We also were not presented with the fancier box, which should be part of the fun experience when getting donuts there. We got sort of the generic experience. Therefore, an IMPORTANT TIP: if you buy DK Donuts, be sure to go for it and definitely spring for more money and opt for the fancy donuts! It's also what they're famous for, so DON'T do what we did last time...be sure to get their good stuff... and it will surely be worth the calories! We still love this place and will happily be back (for ONLY the fancies, though!). Overall, this is still a great place to get your (fancy)...

4 assorted donuts / 1 glazed, 1 reese peanut butter, 1 cinnamon sugar o-nut (cronut), 1 nutella strawberry o-nut - 5 ⭐!

DK's Donut & Bakery in Santa Monica is an excellent, family-owned 24-hour donut shop and cafe that has been in business for over forty years. They have a mouth-watering selection of fresh donuts, including an impressive assortment of cronut inspired donuts.

Their little shop is in a small strip mall in Santa Monica. I had no trouble finding parking right outfront. The shop has a colorful, pink-focused theme. They had an outstanding selection of donuts on display in their glass cases as well as a nice, large menu board offering up all kinds of snacks, drinks, and sandwiches.

The four donuts I sampled on my visit to DK's were fantastic. It was honestly a very hard decision. I had to limit myself to four because when I buy donuts, I have very little self control and know I am going to eat them all the same day. Besides, donuts are always best when they are fresh.

The strawberry nutella cronut style donut was amazing. Lots of rich, hazelnut spread flavor mixed with strawberry. The plain glazed donut was top notch. I always try to get a plain glaze and use it as a baseline. A great plain glaze donut is always a treat for me. The cinnamon sugar cronut and the peanut butter cup donut were also great.

I know there are other "DK" donut places out there. This one is a real treat and I think it is the OG one. If you are in Santa Monica or are passing by, make sure you stop by and support a great...