Randy’s Donuts Shibuya Daikanyama branch — Restaurant in Tokyo

My husband and I had been to the original Randy's Donuts in Inglewood only a couple of years ago for the first time. We went mostly for the Instagram photo of the iconic rooftop donut, but we thought the donuts were pretty good, too. When we heard a brand new store was opening in Tokyo while we were on vacation there, we thought it might be fun to stop by.

From Ebisu Station, we walked through a modern residential area and found it in a trendy commercial enclave called Log Road. The giant donut was in full view although much smaller than the original and positioned exclusively for photo posing. We simply walked in through the terrace door and looked at their mammoth display case. When we were ready, we walked to an empty screen and pressed in our order. Simple, right?

Well, we had no idea there was a long line outside waiting in the opposite direction to place their orders. We felt bad, but it also struck us as odd how easy it was to bypass the line. To be truthful, we weren't belaboring any guilt over it because we were going to be one-and-done customers anyway. My husband went for the ¥480 Pink Raised with Sprinkles, while I had the ¥480 Coconut Raised, the same donut I ordered in Inglewood.

Consistent with our "luck", we found a table for two available for our quick nosh since we bought a couple of middling ¥650 Ice Lattes to wash them down. However, our luck ran out when we ate the donuts...or was it fate? Unlike the fresh softness I remembered from Inglewood, the donuts were oddly chewy and somewhat oversweetened. We thought it a bit strange since we had the opposite experience at Higuma Doughnuts in Gakugei-Daigaku. Oh well.

DONUTS - 3 stars...strangely chewy despite the heft and sweetness AMBIANCE - 4 stars...going for an "American" classic here SERVICE - 3.5 stars...unobtrusive TOTAL - 3 stars...the hype can't mask a...

Only been open a few days so I won’t get into how terrible the service is but… only serving 15 people in an hour? Its donuts. They’re already sitting there made. It’s not that difficult.

Layout of the store is pretty horrendous as well. Donuts should be on display on the other side where people aren’t waiting for their order and blocking the view.

Glazed Old Fashioned: Dang what a crunch bomb of sugar! Usually sweets are toned down a bit when they come to Japan but this feels like they tripled it. Gross.

Matcha: It tastes like toned-down matcha for Americans. They really dropped the ball on this one. Could have a much better matcha flavor being in Japan and all. Also it wasn’t mixed properly and the dough tasted like flour chunks.

Maple Long John w Cream: They messed up and gave us a regular one and we had to go back to replace it. The icing on this is so brittle that it falls off the whole top of the donut as you bite into it leaving you with a plain long john. The cream was like Jello instant pudding so maybe that’s on point.

Apple Fritter: couldn’t wait for this one and… ewww. I don’t know where these apples are from but nothing about it was good. Size was actually too big even for American standards. Couldn’t finish it.

I lived in LA and have been to Randy’s and was excited for this but I gotta ask… what’s the game plan here? If it’s long term, it ain’t gonna last. I feel like they somehow managed to make their product more unappealing for both American and Japanese tastes. With the t-shirts and keychains it essentially just another overpriced goods store...

July 2025 update review: I arrived on Friday morning at 9:30AM. There were two groups ahead of me. Numbered tickets were handed out at 10AM. I was #6 and was assured I would be the sixth person served, which I was.

I ordered my doughnuts and got a seat. The coffee was good, but the new white chocolate old fashioned lemon doughnut didn’t meet expectations. Other doughnuts are still great, and the jelly filled ones seemed to get a much needed increase of filling.

There was a line outside that cleared within 30 minutes of opening. All indoor seats were filled (there are power outlets, which might entice people to stay longer).

I still enjoy this place, though it is quite far from me, so I will continue to visit on special occasions.

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Day of opening review: I went on the first day at 9AM (opens at 11AM). I finally got my doughnuts at 3PM. I mean, there were points where we were moving one step per half hour. Ridiculous. No, they were not worth waiting 6 hours, but considering you’re able to buy these within a more reasonable time, I’d recommend it.

There is a large assortment of flavors and types of doughnuts. I didn’t realize just how big some of the premium doughnuts were. All of the doughnuts (6 types) we tried were good, though the jelly filled could have used some more filling.

I’d like to go back when it calms down, try some more, and enjoy a...