Donut Bar & Bakery — Restaurant in San Diego

Big Poppa Tart: I've been planning to visit San Diego's "Donut Bar" for almost two years now (I was planning to go back in March 2020, but we all know why that was canceled). The Big Poppa Tart is a yeast doughnut with an insane amount of filling (available in blueberry/strawberry/smores) stuffed in the center (along with an actual Pop-Tart), vanilla icing, colorful sprinkles, crushed Pop-Tart, and an additional drizzle of blueberry flavored gel. This doughnut was absolutely phenomenal! The dough was fresh, thick, chewy, sweet, and buttery. I didn't have a scale handy, so I couldn't weigh the doughnut, but trust me when I say that it was heavy (some sources say it weighs a pound). At first I did not get a whole lot of filling, but after two or three bites the super sweet blueberry jelly began to flow and never stopped. My followers know how much I love sugar, but I have to warn you this doughnut can be a bit much. In retrospect, even though I was on vacation I wish I would have eaten it over two sittings because the sugar was really hitting me (it honestly hurt a little taking the last couple bites). By the time I was finished I couldn't help but think I now knew how the little girl Violet from "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" felt like after turning into a giant blueberry. Easily one of the most unique doughnuts I've ever had, Doughboy approved! Next time I'm definitely going for their s'mores version and I have to mention that their Nutella Overload Doughnut is sensational. My only complaint is that they need more locations! I know my hometown of MKE is too small to be considered, but how about a Chicago shop? Donut Bar is listed as the #1 Donut Shop on lists from USA Today, Thrillist.com, MSN and many other nationally acclaimed news organizations and blogs. Donut Bar has also been awarded consecutive annual Best of San Diego awards for Best Critics' Choice and Readers' Choice from San Diego Magazine. Doughboy_Food_Reviews My Favorite Doughnuts: Hypno-Henry, The Cake Batter Monster (Krispy Kreme Halloween 2019) tied with a warm KK original glazed Oreo Cheesecake Doughnut (Hurts Donut Co.) Nutella Overload (Donut Bar) Nutella (Cranky Al's, MKE) Peanut Butter Filled (Cranky Al's, MKE) Birthday Cake...

I’m not sure where they hire these kids are but they are SO excited about the donuts and so friendly. If I could ship them to the East Coast to work for me, I would! Service is 10/10 hands down.

The vibe is great! I really thought the artwork was cool and then noticed that you can scan a QR code for AI on the artwork. I’ve never seen that before. Pretty neat.

Now, what everyone comes for are the donuts. The way the employees were so passionate about the donuts, the details, and the awards they have won, I expected to be blown away. The donuts were mid. I’ve definitely had better but the 1 star reviews are uncalled for (maybe not the omelette French toast one since she included a pic or I wouldn’t have believed it)… you can leave 2-4 stars and still complain. You shouldn’t be leaving 1 star unless something crazy happened. I ordered the French Toast donut and the Vanilla Bean. The French Toast donut was pretty good. Not gonna lie, when she told me they finish it with a blow torch, that’s what sold me. It would’ve been cool to see them do that but it was made in the back. The Vanilla Bean icing was great but the donut could’ve been more moist.

Oh and the pistachio iced latte was beautiful with crushed pistachios presented on top. I waited too long to take a picture of it and they started sinking in.

They are open until Sold Out. I saw it posted everywhere online before I came. They aren’t hiding that fact. Don’t leave a company a 1 star review because you drove hours to come, paid for parking, and didn’t prepare that they’d be sold out hours after they opened. That is a you problem not a them problem. I’d leave 4 stars but am going to leave 5 just to help balance out the idiots that left 1 star for their...

I came here for the first time last week after hearing several people rave about it and it being around the corner from my new job. I didn't know what to expect, but was happy to see smiling employees, a clean establishment complete with swagger and branded merchandise and artwork.

Forewarning though, the donuts here are MASSIVE and can be overwhelming so definitely get one to share with a family member or friend or cut it in half to save for an afternoon snack. Everything is made fresh and they have what they make in stock until they’re sold out. I got the blueberry Meyer lemon donut which is one of the smaller ones they have and the Chocolate Banana Creme. The blueberry one tasted like blueberry cake batter and wasn't too sweet and also moist on the inside, my favorite of the two I ordered. I liked the chocolate one too, but it was mostly topping heavy and definitely had a higher sugar content than the Blueberry Lemon.

You could also see the chef (James or Santiago is his name I believe) bringing out trays of newly made donuts and delegating his staff. He wasn't stressed like most chefs appear to be and it was nice to watch him interact with the employees. The cashier was also super friendly and personable. I will definitely be back to try some of their larger treats, drinks and maybe even purchase a pin!

It's more of a grab and go vibe, but there are several seats inside if you'd like to sit and eat....