Top 13 Best Donut Shops in Long Beach, CA

They say oil and water don’t mix, but Long Beach California is the exception that proves the rule. This beach city sits right on top of an oil field, with small deposits both on and offshore. It has a varied economy with interests in shipping, sports, tourism, education, industry, and culture. Where can you find the best donuts in Long Beach? Let’s fish and find out together!

Best Donuts in Long Beach

1. Simone’s Donuts

Simone’s Donuts

One of the most striking features in Long Beach is the RMS Queen Mary. (RMS means Royal Mail Service, as opposed to USS, which means United States Ship). She became a troop ship during the war but reverted to ferrying passengers until planes became more popular in the 1950s. When she retired in 1967, the City of Long Beach bought her as a tourist attraction.

Tourists tend to use social media contacts to identify spots they should visit. But if you were to check the Instagram page for Simone’s Donuts, you’d think they closed! The Yelp pages prove they’ve had happy customers as recently as July 2022, so they’re still worth checking out. And their playful donut designs will delight your eyes, tongue, tummy, and IG filter!

 

2. Sweet Retreat Donuts

Sweet Retreat Donuts

Another top tourist spot in this city is the (Long Beach) Aquarium of the Pacific. It’s opposite the spot where the Queen Mary is permanently docked – the ship plays host to a hotel, some restaurants, and a museum. The aquarium itself is a 5-acre venue on Rainbow Harbour and is staffed by close to 2,000 people that are mostly volunteers. Less than 400 are employees.

  • Name: Sweet Retreat Donuts
  • Address: 924 E Pacific Coast Hwy Long Beach, CA 90806
  • Website: https://sweetretreatpch.wixsite.com/donut
  • Phone: 562-612-0506
  • Hours: Tue to Friday – 7 am to 4 pm; Sat & Sun – 8 am to 2 pm

After working all day for no pay (at a beautiful aquarium), you might just need some Sweet Retreat. This donut shop serves boba tea, coffee, and pastries. They have regular recipes like old-fashioned donuts and twists, plus fancy donuts like bear claws and fritters. Level up with their three tiers of specialty donuts – everything from marshmallow to bacon banana cream!

 

3. Knead Donuts & Tea

Knead Donuts & Tea

The Aquarium of the Pacific runs as a non-profit operation and is accredited by the AZA (the Association of Zoos and Aquariums). More than 11,000 sea creatures live in the aquarium including sharks, parrots, and penguins. Some of the exhibits are interactive and let you get up close. You can crawl inside the penguin tank to get an underwater view of their habitat.

  • Name: Knead Donuts & Tea
  • Address: 3490 E 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90804, United States
  • Website: https://www.instagram.com/kneaddonuts/
  • Phone: +1 562-248-2858
  • Hours: Tue to Fri – 5 am to 3 pm; Sat & Sun – 6 am to 3 pm

Once you’re done playing with all the fish and fowl, take a trip to Knead Donuts for a tumbler of boba tea and dessert. If you prefer higher levels of caffeine, order your doughnut with a mug of Café Sua Da aka Vietnamese Coffee. Aside from the usual recipes, they offer donut sandwiches sliced in half, filled with fruit, or garnished with pretty swirls of rosy frosting.

 

4. Broadway Donuts

Broadway Donuts

Beach cities are havens for the topless, both human and automotive. So you’ll see lots of convertibles in the city, which also hosts the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. (The Acura was added in 2019 because of legal naming issues.) It’s an IndyCar race with large open wheels. The nickname Indy comes from the Indianapolis 500, the sport’s biggest event.

Speaking of big events, you’re going to love the portions at Broadway Donuts. The storefront looks unassuming, with its tan walls and red sash doors. But once you get inside, the massive donuts on display will have your tummy rumbling in the best possible way. You can also try their frosted cinnamon rolls and chocolate glazed donut bars. But it’s cash only, so heads up!

 

5. Circle Donuts

Circle Donuts

Every June, brands and commercial entities jump on the LGBTQ train with queer-oriented ads, products, and initiatives. But in Long Beach, Gay Pride is a year-long activity. They give to charity and launch campaigns through Long Beach Lesbian and Gay Pride Inc. (LBLGP). This organization hosts the second largest Pride Parade in the world (after São Paulo, Brazil).

Pride parades are festivals full of flash and color. So if you like a similar aesthetic in your donuts, check out Circle Donuts. They keep things exciting with their decadent donut décor. Think of a sweet treat glazed with vanilla frosting followed by layers of crumbled cookies, marshmallows, and a thick chocolate drizzle. Or try their pumpkin French toast donut. Yum!

 

6. Mr. K’s Donuts

Mr. K’s Donuts

Like most of the United States, Long Beach was initially inhabited by Native Americans. By the time Spanish conquistadors arrived, the main local tribe was the Tongva. They lived in  Povuu’nga and Ahwaanga at the coast and had another village called  Tevaaxa’anga which was further inland, near today’s Los Angeles River aka Porciúncula River (Río Porciúncula).

Lakewood borders Long Beach so most people consider it part of the city. Some even define it as north-east Long Beach. And Mr. K’s is one of its top donut spots. Incidentally, you can spell the word doughnut or donut. Both are accepted, though the shorter donut is more common in the US. Back to Mr. K’s, they offer par-bakes and frosting kits for DIY donuts!

 

7. Donut Island

Donut Island

The City of Long Beach didn’t get its name until the 1880s and was officially incorporated in 1897. Before then, the land was sold and resold multiple times, trading hands between high-ranking Spanish soldiers and western commercial interests. Owners ran sheep ranches for commercial wool. One of them, Jotham Bixby, came to be called the Father of Long Beach.

  • Name: Donut Island
  • Address: 4900, 3401 Cherry Ave A, Long Beach, CA 90807, United States
  • Website: https://www.donutisland.com
  • Phone: +1 562-427-1318
  • Hours: Monday to Saturday – 4 am to 4 pm

Founding fathers and land swaps aside, Donut Island is the place to be if you’re looking for something sweet and simple. Their menu is unfussy but satisfying, and you can enjoy your tasty treats with Thai tea or iced coffee. They also serve sandwiches and other snacks. Plus you can get ice cream, smoothies … and lotto tickets. Curiously, they sell tobacco products.

 

8. Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee

Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee

In the 1890s and early 1900s, Long Beach was primarily a leisure spot. Attractions included the Sky Wheel – a dual Ferris wheel – and the Cyclone Racer, a massive rollercoaster. Soon the oil industry attracted laborers from the Midwest. Long Beach came to be called Iowa by the Sea, and every year, formerly inland residents held picnics to honor their home states.

  • Name: Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee
  • Address: Rolling Hills Plaza, 2549-B Pacific Coast Hwy Torrance, CA 90505
  • Website: https://sidecardoughnuts.com/
  • Phone: 424.263.5091
  • Hours: Sun to Thur – 6.30 am to 7 pm; Fri & Sat – 6.30 am to 9 pm

Since Long Beach was initially a seaside resort, families would routinely take a long drive and make a day of it. So if you don’t mind taking a half-hour to forty-five-minute car ride, you could check out Sidecar Doughnuts. They have several outlets within thirty minutes of Long Beach, and yes, they spell theirs the European way. Their gourmet delights are so worth it!

 

9. Granny’s Donuts

Granny’s Donuts

Over time, the beach resort spread inwards with money from oil and agriculture. One of the Bixbys started the Alamitos Land Company and developed much of the city with streets, parks, and oceanfront real estate. Between 1920 and 1930, several oil deposit discoveries led to an oil boom built around the Wilmington, Long Beach, and Alamitos oil wells and fields.

Is your grandmother a source of sweet treats? Some nanas and meemaws are all about pot pies and donuts. Whether yours is or not, you can swing by Granny’s Donuts to get your fix of fried pampering. The shop has several outlets in Long Beach including stores on Atlantic Avenue, Redondo Avenue, and Cherry Avenue. Try their massive donut holes or mixed glaze.

 

10. Mochinut

Mochinut

In 1929, Ford built an automotive assembly factory on 700 Henry Ford Avenue, Long Beach. To accommodate the growing labor force, affordable housing came up in Carmelitos. Ford consistently produced cars until a fire destroyed the plant in the 1960s. It was rebuilt and continued to run until 1991 when they demolished part of the factory due to smog issues.

  • Name: Mochinut
  • Address: 1936 N Lakewood Blvd Long Beach, CA 90815
  • Website: https://mochinutlongbeach.com
  • Phone: (323) 382-1535
  • Hours: 11 am to 7.30 pm daily

Lots of Ford cars come with cup holders. And what goes next to that scalding coffee cup? Donuts of course! So if you have a hankering for mocha and mochi, you could check the Mochinut outlet in Long Beach. They serve the same strung-together rice-flour donut holes that you’d find in any of their global stores, so the quality and portions are standard. Enjoy!

 

11. Rose’s Donuts and Chinese Fast Food

Rose’s Donuts and Chinese Fast Food

You may have heard about Japanese-Americans being relocated from Hawaii after Pearl Harbour. But California had a large Japanese-American population too, mostly working in fisheries. Particularly in canning factories. And these citizens were forced into those inland internment camps as well. Sadly, very few of these folk returned to California after the war.

Life goes on though, and fortunately, many Asian families still thrive in the area, including Japanese, Chinese, Cambodian, Filipino, and Korean eatery owners. So if you want some fast food with your doughnuts, something beyond fries and shakes, check out Rose’s Donuts and Chinese Fast Food. Try their orange chicken or broccoli beef with a fancy donut for dessert.

 

12. Sunrise Donuts

Sunrise Donuts

During the war, the Douglas Aircraft Company manufactured military planes in Long Beach. From 1941, they made bombers and sky-trains. In 1967, they merged with the McDonnell Aircraft Company, which later merged with Boeing in 1997. These factories continuously built airplanes until 2015. Long Beach’s pre-pandemic population was around half a million.

Turns out Long Beach is a car capital as well as a plane platform, so it makes sense they’d have a good donut drive-through. Sunrise Donuts fits this bill, and it’s open 24/7 so that helps. If you time your visit right, you can get warm donuts fresh from the oven, and the staff is friendly too. They offer lots of variety including old-fashioned donuts, but nothing fancy.

 

13. Devi’s Donuts & Sweets

Devi’s Donuts & Sweets

Because of its industries, Long Beach has a serious pollution problem. Ships, cargo trucks, storage bunker fuel, automotive assembly lines, and oil refineries all heighten the city’s smog factor. The Los Angeles River drains into Long Beach carrying inland trash and chemicals. So the area sometimes experiences red tides (HAB) that make the water too toxic for swimming.

  • Name: Devi’s Donuts & Sweets
  • Address: 3600 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90804
  • Website: https://www.devisdonuts.com
  • Phone: +1 (562)-343-5802
  • Hours: Tue to Sat – 6 am to 7 pm; Sun – 6 am to 3 pm

In case you’re wondering, HAB means harmful algal bloom, and it refers to the excessive algae that kill fish and reduce oxygen levels in the water. So if it turns out you can’t spend your Long Beach date in the water, grab a hot drink and a donut instead. At Devi’s Donuts, you can even order vegan variants! Try their Oreo Crumb or Apple Cinnamon donut treats.

What’s your top spot for donuts in Long Beach? Give us recommendations and directions!

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