Stan's Donut Shop

If your in the Bay area or visiting, then you must try Stan's donuts in santa clara! These are by far the best donuts in the donut game! The best time to come here is before they open at 6am! I try to get here between 5-530am. The line gets pretty long! And the earlier the better! Trust me! Its a small donut shop tucked away in Santa Clara. They've been in the business since 1959! Still serving up crazy good donuts! The glazed donuts are amazing That's the one yall!!! So good!!! But all the donuts are really delicious!

Mmm... who can say no to hot, fresh, glazed donuts?!The donuts here can sell out quickly depending on day of week and what time you arrive. Definitely always better to try to come earlier in the day while they still have a good variety to choose from. I always enjoy getting the classic glazed yeast donuts. They're around $1.75 a pop (so $10.50ish for 6) and are oh so fluffy. These donuts are best eaten fresh and right away while they're still warm. Once cold, they're still good but there's a noticeable taste degradation. Make sure to bring enough cash! They do have an ATM machine, but it's easier if you just have your wallet prepared ahead of time :-)

Massive craving for some down-to-earth classic donuts today. Was in San Jose, I googled donuts near me and came across a Reddit post that states Stan's is a must eat. FOOD /- this is probably one of the very few classic donut places that I was given a box of donuts where the donuts were ALL WARM (classic donut shop = they display all their donuts, have donut holes, have typical black coffee, encompasses elders sitting inside with their coffee and donut having a relaxing breakfast, etc.)... thank you :)- the glaze is ultra sweet...strangely sweeter than other donut joints- the "meat" of the donut was not tender at all plus a bitter after taste. However, it seems as if gets more tender as the donut cools. - CASH ONLY- my opinion: the MAPLE BAR was the best with a nice outer crisp and the best balance with sweetness (I tried their must get OG glazed, blueberry cake, and lemon buttermilk)- strange how the blueberry cake is 1/3 the size of the lemon buttermilk when the interior tastes the same... WISE TIP: order the buttermilk and NOT the cake in your flavor of choice!SERVICE //- typical customer serviceAMBIENCE ///- replica of donut shops around the world...nostalgic and I appreciate how one can tell that a place sells donuts solely based on looksPARKING / LOCATION:- located in a plaza- went Saturday morning and it was very empty (very empty lot)- I appreciate the parking spots / spaces are nice and huge- located next to Sumiya (a must try!)Will I have a second attempt with Stan's? Nope. To me, it was not mind blowing at all and definitely will not be a memorable experience. I love how they have been in business since 1959 and still have crazy high reviews with folks that continue to rave about this donut shop. Additionally, I love watching elders elated walking out of this shop with two boxes of donuts. That joy and smiles makes my heart so warm--thank you Stan's for what you do!

Donut ChangeSince 1959, Stan's has been making *the best* donuts I've ever had and their secret is doing things the right, old-fashioned way by properly yeasting their donut batter. This creates an unbelievably soft and fluffy texture that all those other donut shops couldn't replicate if they tried. And the funny part is they've had all this success at the most random hole-in-the-wall spot in a nondescript strip mall. They say never judge a book by its cover and nothing about Stan's appearance says it's superlative, except for one thing: the line. Yes, the dreaded line. The line is both foe and friend to foodies, as it's the #1 way to know a place is the shit is if there's always a line. And when you come to Stan's--there's almost always a line to get in. Thirty minutes before opening? Line. 1:30 p.m. on a random Sunday? Line. And don't even think of coming here after church or on a Sat, unless you donut (haha) value your time. The good news is you *can* skip the line, if you want--but where's the fun in that? 0_o The secret is to preorder a day or more ahead of time, per the website: "All phone orders must be placed at least 24 hours in advance. For busier days (Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun), we require more advanced notice. We recommend placing your order as far in advance as possible. Please call 408-296-5982 between 6a-3p daily."So there ya go. One of life's few cheat codes is right at your feet. For me, however, I'm gonna do things the old-fashioned way like Stan's and just get in line and enjoy the wait. P.S. Don't forget they're CASH ONLY, so grab some green before you hit the scene, daddy-o. P.P.S. There's actually an ATM in the back so don't worry if you forget to grab cash ahead of time.

Honestly these donuts did not blow me away. While it was super fluffy which I loved, we picked up our donut on a Saturday at 7:30am and yet it was not hot. The donuts were cold when we got it. I think because it wasn't fresh when we got it, it was very underwhelming. I know people wait in line for these or even get up at 5/6am for them but I personally would not. Though I do want to give it another try when it's freshly hot. Parking is easy to park. When we went on a Saturday at 7:30am, there was no line.

I love the buttermilk donuts. It was banana on the Sunday I went. Bring cash, and come early! It was full on a Sunday 8 AM but the line moved fast!French Cruellers were also good. Decent price and very fresh donuts!

Glazed Donut, freshly made, CASH ONLY!Super soft donut it tasted nothing like the ones that you have bought in supermarket or other donut shops. Hole in the wall shop no frills but super tasty.Long lines on weekends and holidays but goes really fast.

It's taken me nearly four years of living here to get to Stan's, and boy, was it worth the wait!Stan's is legendary in the South Bay, and for good reason. They nail the basics (plain, glazed donuts), and then some. Made fresh every morning and served still warm, the glazed donuts in particular have near flawless execution. They are light and fluffy, while still maintaining the thinnest outer layer of crisp, so as to provide a "bite" when you first dive in. The glaze layer is thin, and not overly sugary or sweet. The dough is as fresh as they come. If you came here just to get a dozen plain, glazed donuts, you'll have had a trip well spent. I also tried their cinnamon roll (equally delectable, also light and not overly decadent), which had a similar texture. It's huge, and at $3, a steal! Their chocolate glazed is also popular, but for first-timers I'd recommend the plain glazed to start. I also tried their Bavarian cream w/ powdered sugar, maple old fashioned, and lemon buttermilk (special of the day). All delicious, but in a slightly lower tier than the former, which is what they are known for. All in all, six donuts + a cinnamon roll for $13.75 (cash only). Can't be beat!

5 stars for the taste and price, IF you can wake up before 8 am! Cash and check only. Phone orders must be called in at least 24 hours in advance.After hearing my bf rave about Stan's Donuts for years, I was finally able to try them. They tasted great! The only "con" was having to get there early before their most popular items sold out (usually by 10-11am). I was grumpy and struggling. The shop was packed on a Sunday at 8:15 am. The line forms from the back of the shop near the bar seating to the register, so don't block the door. You essentially need to know your order by the time it's your turn, so they can get you in and out. Check the website in advance for the menu. There were different flavors of donuts behind the refrigerated case, and additional racks of freshly baked flavors were behind the register.- Famous Glazed donut ($1.75). Delicious! A super soft and chewy raised donut. I saw the springy layers and tasted the subtle egginess of the dough. - Buttermilk donut ($2 - Banana flavor on Sundays). This was more oily than the glazed donut due to the crispy outside. The inside was melt-in-your-mouth fluffy and tender. I enjoyed the light banana accent to the buttermilk flavor.- Cinnamon Roll ($3). The dough tasted similar to the glazed donut, but it was fried to the crispiness of the buttermilk donut. Therefore, this was the oiliest and heaviest item we tried. It tasted good, but I couldn't have more than a couple of bites with the other donuts. I thought of it as a special cinnamon donut rather than a cinnamon roll.

Bring cash ! There is an ATM machine inside but save your self the 2.25 it will charge you . The food aka the infamous warm donuts are so good ! I had came in on a Friday and used the atm machine then queued up for line . By the time I got my cash out two more individuals joined the line . It is busy but not overly crowded on this particular day . I did notice that "counter service " does take priority over the line because they are sitting inside vs the take out .Tipping is allowed , my 1 box of dozen all glazed donuts came out to $17 . Definitely worth a try !