Knead Donuts — Restaurant in Long Beach

Update 1/24/24

Came back to this place to try it again and it's still just as good. Great service, great coffee and donuts. Really hoping to see this shop to expand to other states. Definitely need something like it on the east coast!!!

Old review.

Finally, some good freaking donuts! Been traveling around Cali and missing my donut spot back at home. So I dragged my parents in, who are very hesitant about trying anything new. (Dunkin fans amirite?!)

We all ordered croissant sandwiches. I got the turkey one, Mom got 'the works' , Dad got egg, cheese, and onions. All were very delicious!!

Good quality meats and very fresh eggs. The sandwiches are made to order and the eggs are over easy. The croissant are soft and flakey but with that nice crunch to bite into.

Next are the donuts. Parents got Tiger Tails and I ordered the Guava Cream Cronut.

The Tiger Tails were are nice and soft, probably the closest to a basic donut anyone would be used to but Kneads twist is still above a normal glaze twist.

The Guava Cream Cronut has the cream layered ontop of the cronut but plenty of the cream you can lick off to go with each bite. Very tasty.

We also got a strawberry cheesecake one. Which is almost too pretty to eat. Fresh berries on top with a cube of strawberry cheesecake. Soft, sweet and very delicious. Would definitely eat it again.

Lasty, I did try the Vietnamese coffee. I got the regular since it was my first time here. Not too sweet but a nice strength. A bit too much ice for me but still overall a nice cup.

The presentation is top notch. You can tell the people or family who work here care about what they are serving to their customers. Even the branding on their boxes is very professional.

The storefront was clean. There was plenty of parking outside. Staff are very friendly and greets everyone who comes in.

Happy I came across this place. I'm not in Long Beach often but it was a nice morning treat and best of all I got to break my parents out of their comfort zone. Mom and dad are definitely...

Knead donuts are yummy because, well, they're donuts. They are fresh and have cool toppings But, for the price point ($4.50 each--the same price as artisan gourmet donuts in NYC such as Dough,), everything should be made from scratch. The cronut, itself, was well-made with beautiful flaky layers, and it looked very pretty with the cream and berries on top. But, the "whipped cream" was that nasty fake stuff that is used in supermarket bakeries such as Vons or Walmart. (I'm sure it contained no actual cream.) It has the yucky, "industrial" aftertaste of an artificial product. It ruined the rest of the donut. The creme brulee donut looked gorgeous, so I had to try one. They are filled with either custard or dulce de leche. I asked if the custard was homemade and was told, "Yes, we make it ourselves." I specifically asked if it was from a mix. I chose the custard only because I was told it was homemade. It wasn't. It tasted like Jell-O pudding mix. The donut flavors/toppings are ambitious, and the dough/batter is tasty. But, without being made from scratch with REAL ingredients, it's just a fancier version of Krispy Kreme. (In fact, to be totally honest, the KK fake cream tastes better than the one from Knead.) Really wish the best to this business as I am happy to support locals. But, $4.50 is a LOT for a donut and it should be top quality. Real whipped cream (and custard) is a given. Also, super-long fingernails in a bakery (or any food business) is just not sanitary. If they corrected these 2 things, I'd give...

Was excited to see their logo and quickly got into their parking lot. An interesting twist : they are directly opposite in the same plaza that used to have a Winchell's Donut - it's the familiar triangular logo, now an empty shell. Very bubbly lady behind the counter, reminded me of their specials for four or six donuts. Got six of course. I was surprised that no one else was in line when I arrived, granted it was close to 1pm. The other Cerritos location always seems busy and has well stocked varieties. Got the cronut versions of guava cheese and ube Oreo, and regular ube roll donut, plus two crème brûlée custard filled ones. The crème brûlée donut has a hard sugar glaze on it and the filling is added just at purchase so it stayed pretty solid, not soggy. Got the Vietnamese coffee, it was rung up as Zombie - less sweet version and equally delicious. Smaller shop, no tables or seats but you can always eat your donut in your car. Numerous signs stating no parking for nearby businesses, but there was ample parking. Best flavor combinations were the guava cheese and ube with crushed Oreo cookies. I think the other donuts available were whimsical and fun to look at : fruity pebbles cereal, tiramisu , something looking like unicorns and maple bacon. Also donut holes. They carry croissants and a hot dog roll called Fluffy. Pretty to look at and pricey , so it's a treat , not...