Happy Donuts — Restaurant in Oakland

Now that I have these donuts in-hand, they're definitely 5/5 on the taste and value. The owner or worker was a younger Asian guy and super friendly - we chatted briefly about what was just on the news. He let me take my time to decide between a dozen and a half dozen donuts, and helped me with a lotto ticket too.

The price for 6 donuts, one special, and one very kindly added baker's dozen, came out to $9.00 which is an amazing deal for the area. Noticed coffee is cheap here too; however, I did not get the chance to try it -- about $2.75 for a large iced coffee. Sodas and various drinks appeared to be a dollar per can.

He offered the option for an extra bag in-case the donuts got squished, though I declined and opted for just the box for the 7 wonderful carb rings.

Upon arriving home, I tried the chocolate buttermilk, classic sugar puffy one, and the blueberry donut. They were brilliantly crispy and light. Zero excess notes on the palate -- just nice, lightly sweet, crispy exterior, fluffy interior. The blueberry donut probably highlighted this the best; though, the chocolate glazed buttermilk had a fine balance between dense (as it should be) and fluffy and crumbly yet moist.

Poorly labeled business hours aside, this will be my new go-to for donuts provided I can reach them before noon. Next time, I'll grab an ice coffee or even bagels (!!) and update with those goodies.

tl;dr - go before the afternoon since they close early, but fantastic donuts and...

From top left: French cruller (glazed), cinnamon roll, glazed donut, maple glazed, blueberry, apple fritter. Total cost: $11.55

This was my first time at Happy Donuts and I’ll definitely be coming back! Service was friendly, helpful, and very quick. The man behind the counter tells me that he also makes a great espresso, so I’ll have to go back if only to try.

The yeast donuts (glazed and maple glazed) were incredibly soft and pillowy. The glaze on both were perfect; not too thick and not overly sweet. A great complement to the actual donuts.

The cruller was great, as were the blueberry and the danish, but the standout for me was the apple fritter. The edges were crisp, while the interior was very soft and moist, with this veins of cinnamon and almost custard-like apple throughout!...

Happy Donuts in downtown Oakland is way more than just donuts—it’s a whole vibe. Don’t sleep on their Iced Chai Latte. Honestly, it might be one of the best in the city and a total sleeper hit on the menu. You wouldn’t expect it to go so hard, but make no mistake: their drinks are every bit as good as their donuts.

Anything they’ve ever brewed for me has been spot on—perfectly sweet, balanced, and full of flavor. For me and my friend, Happy Donuts has turned into a sweet, memorable tradition—whether we’re celebrating something good or just gearing up to take on the day.

If you’re an Iced Chai fan, I can’t recommend enough trying it with oat milk (or any plant-based milk). It makes it so smooth, and the chai spices really shine without the heaviness or...