JD Flannel Donuts and Coffee — Restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

Are these the best donuts in CA? No. Are these the best gluten free donuts in CA? Yes

JD Flannel has been on my list for trying their donuts for at least a year. I live in LA so it's a 2 hour drive and difficult to come here for fresh donuts in the morning. So when the opportunity came to stay in Laguna Beach for a night- I woke up 6 AM on a Sunday to get to JD Flannel when opening.

Service was fantastic and very friendly. They were very welcoming and great about recommending donuts. Store is clean and efficient. Here were my favorites:

1. Chocolate chipper- This is like a chocolate chip muffin but denser in the form of a donut. I loved the batter.
2. GF Cookies and Cream- Similar to the chocolate chipper in that there are mini chips inside which made it fantastic. Only difference is its chocolate batter instead of vanilla. Its not so chocolatey that it feels overwhelming and you would never know it's GF.
3. Brown butter sea salt. I am not a brown butter person at all when it comes to donuts but after this was recommended as their top seller, I tried it. It will win you over.

Donuts I was mixed on or did not like. Blueberry lemon- I am usually a lover of all things blueberry lemon especially cakes but this combo did not work. Chocolate raised- A bit disappointing in terms of chocolate flavor. Too bland. Apple Bear Claw- Huge fan of bear claws but this was ok. Too dense with the thick filling. GFV Apple Cinnamon Sugar- Usually a huge fan of all things Apple Cinnamon Sugar but my favorite in this category is Archie's Sunday Donuts in LA. JD Flannel's was a bit too fried.

Overall these are very solid donuts but my winner still for best donuts is Oliboli in Tustin. Theirs are less dense and more light and fluffy. Similar in that they aren't heavy that will make you feel sick after eating them. Oliboli used to do cake donuts and when they did- they were superior to JD Flannel. However since they no longer make cake donuts- yes JD Flannel has the best...

Wanted to see for myself if this truly was "the best donut in California" as had been declared by a foodie magazine. The donuts while pricey are certainly well worth the added costs for quality ingredients and deliciousness. The long lines attest to the popularity of this donut house. The service though was somewhat lacking and downright rude and argumentative. After standing in line to order, I was told there would be an approximate five minute wait for my fresh out of the fryer hand made donut before it would be ready, which was absolutely no problem whatsoever. So I simply decided to order a coffee to enjoy while I waited. Now the strange part occurred, as two or three other customers who were BEHIND ME IN LINE were rung up and sent on their merry way while I was left standing like an invisible ghost at the register. When I finally asked the worker behind the counter if I could order my coffee, she said, "I'm sorry but we only serve people in order and you'll have to go to the back of the line." When I told her, "I agree with you let's serve people in order because the last two or three people were BEHIND ME IN LINE and all I want is to be served next like you said." She then proceeded to try and wait on another person BEHIND ME when I had to step between them and the counter (which was easy because I was already in front of them and closer to the counter being NEXT in line) when she finally decided to get me my coffee. Serendipitously, while this commotion was all taking place my donut that I had been waiting for was done and I got to take it with my coffee. Dave, one of the co-owners came out to apologize for his staff's poor customer service and said he was going to use it as a "teaching moment," and incorporate better service techniques for his counter personnel. Hopefully the additional training takes place because the rudeness left a somewhat bitter taste...

JD Flannel Donuts and Coffee is my new favorite donut shop.

LOCATION This shop is nestled in the Plaza Del Obispo Shopping Center, just west of the 5 freeway in San Juan Capistrano.

PARKING There are multiple parking spots available in this plaza. It is shared among the different businesses around it.

ORDERING I spotted this donut shop on a Friday close to noon and it looked pretty busy. I looked it up on Yelp and decided to come back the following day. I figured there would be a long line given the popularity of this spot so I placed an online order for pickup. When I arrived, there was a line early Saturday morning so I was glad I had a short wait on the PICKUP side. Dave (the co-owner) was there that morning and he helped me with my order! What a friendly guy! I told him that it was my first time visiting his shop, and I was picking up a small box for myself and a separate box for my niece who has food allergies - this would be her first donut!

PACKAGING Anyway, he made sure that the donuts were carefully packaged. The Gluten-free donuts were in the same box with the Vegan donuts but separated in a bag - very thoughtful! The branding outside the box was as cute as its blue and white gingham interior. I love when businesses put these small details.

TASTE & TEXTURE The donuts were divine! It’s got a light overall crunch on the outside and a warm cake-like interior. And it wasn’t a heavy texture either nor was it super sweet — it was just right! The texture was almost spongy and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I loved every single flavor and can’t wait to try more on my next visit! My favorite was actually their Brown Butter Sea Salt - yum!

Overall, I highly recommend JD Flannel Donuts and Coffee. Simply good donuts consciously made with their customers in mind! Come support them and try the donuts...