Friendly Doughnuts — Restaurant in Orange

Eye-Catching But Underwhelming

And at the end of the day you’re paying money to be unhealthy. Friendly Donuts in Orange definitely knows how to catch your attention with their Instagram-worthy creations. Their display case is a colorful wonderland of elaborate donuts topped with everything from breakfast cereals to candy bars that immediately makes you want to try one (or several) of everything.

We've made multiple visits to sample their extensive menu, trying numerous varieties over time. The visual appeal is undeniable - these are some of the most creative and photogenic donuts in Orange County. The staff lives up to the "friendly" name, always greeting customers with a smile and patiently explaining their more unusual creations.

Unfortunately, the experience of eating these donuts rarely lives up to the excitement of ordering them. While they look amazing and the first few bites are often tasty, the overwhelming sweetness and heaviness quickly becomes too much. Without fail, we end up feeling slightly sick afterward from the sugar overload and greasiness that seems to be a hallmark of their style.

What's particularly disappointing is that despite trying so many different varieties - from their cereal-topped specialties to their filled options and seasonal creations - nothing has stood out as truly exceptional or worth returning for. Each visit feels like a case of style over substance, with the focus on appearance rather than balanced flavors or quality ingredients.

The price point is also on the higher side for what you're getting, especially considering the post-donut regret that seems inevitable. While I appreciate their creativity and friendly service, I can't help but wish they'd focus a bit more on making donuts that taste as good as they look and don't leave you feeling like you've made a poor dietary choice.

For the novelty factor and Instagram potential, Friendly Donuts deserves some credit. But for an actually satisfying donut experience that you'll want to repeat, you might want to look...

My co-worker introduced me to Friendly Doughnuts on Wednesday, so last night I decided to order some myself because I had seen they had Creme Brûlée donuts, which I've been wanting to try for a while. I got one for me and each of my family members, and we liked them. The crunchy sugar had great flavor and added a unique twist to your classic custard filled donut. It definitely made it a unique experience.

I do have to say the dough on the Creme Brûlée donut was a bit dry and did not taste as freshly made as the donut my co-worker gave me, so that was a little disappointing. I also wish it had a little more custard because I only got a little bit, and it wasn't until I was almost done with the donut that I finally got some, but overall, it was good. Would I get it again? Probably not, because it wasn't everything I hoped it would be. Had it been fresher, it definitely would have been better because the dough would have been more moist and soft. But overall, it was good. It just wasn't everything I had hoped after trying my first donut from them.

Along with 5 Creme Brûlée donuts, I also ordered a dozen classic donuts, which is what I had from Friendly doughnuts when my co-worker introduced me to them, and these were just as good as the donut he gave me. They smelled delicious and tasted fresh. You can't go wrong with their classic donuts for sure.

Next time, I'm hoping to try one of their dossants and mochi donuts because there will definitely be a next time....

For my first time going I liked how much of a selection was there. They had vegan doughnuts and regular doughnuts.

Though the customer service was good, my partner and I were constantly interrupted by an employee literally every minute asking if we needed help even though I said it was our first time amd that we wanted to take a few minutes to look.

I normally don't mind someone asking me if I need help, but my partner and I's conversation was first interrupted while we were taking a moment to look and finish our conversation. Then an employee that was nearby asked again not even a minute later when we were just looking, and we were confused because that person was standing right next to the person who had just asked us if we needed help. We were asked again as couple minutes later, we had not approached/gotten close the counter or cases at any point because we didn't want to block the case in case anyone came in. So this still confused us because we had made no indication thay we were ready yet. A fourth employee asked us if we needed help a few minutes later and we still hadn't decided.

Again, I commend the place to being attentive to it's customers, but I wish they just let me have more time to just look for a while. Them asking us so much felt like they were trying to rush us out...