SoDo Donuts

Today SoDo Donuts/EC Confections was doing a popup outside the Berkeley Kitchens, where they're based, between 10-2. I woke up on the early side (for me) so I could do my exercises, etc and get over there. I found parking on 8th and walked over. I had my heart set on the chocolate-lavender donut I had read about in past reviews, but was prepared that they might not have it and they didn't. Rachel, who was at the table, recommended the burnt caramel as being the least sweet so I took it, along w/ a 6 oz bag of the Aleppo Pepper Caramel Corn and a 4 piece box of brandy truffles. Those who know me know that those truffles will last me 4 days, at least. I asked Rachel if she was the owner and she said that Elle was in the back. Elle and I had exchanged emails and I was unsure how to pronounce her name correctly but Rachel modeled it for me. While I was checking out Elle came out, Rachel told her I had asked after her and we introduced ourselves and had a nice chat. She was charming. I asked her about the chocolate-lavender donut and she wondered where I had heard about that, suggesting that it had been a while since she'd made them. Checking the previous reviews, I see that Jason wrote about the chocolate-lavender June 7, so a little more than 3 months ago.I had the donut as dessert w/ my lunch along w/ a cup of tea when I got home and it was probably the best donut I've ever had, not too sweet and totally delicious, w/ a cream filling and a crispy bit of burnt caramel on top. I doubt I will have one often because I try to limit my sweets, but this is not my last one and when I get my next one I will see what flavors are available and be open to what I find. The small box from the donut disassembled easily and is in the recycling, protected from the tiny residual rice bran oil by a square of tissue which is in the compost bin. Very Earth friendly.

I wish Donut Day was every day when they are as good at SoDo Donuts! Donuts that are so unique that I implore anyone who comes across them to stand in line and wait, as they are well worth it! SoDo Donuts comes from the mind of Chef Elle Cowan who has turned her passion for creating pastries, dessert and chocolates with various careers around the world into her own mini donut empire. What makes the donuts at SoDo Donuts stand apart from so many of their competitors is that they are the first proprietor of all-sourdough donuts in the Bay Area. By using some of the best locally sourced ingredients, the team at SoDo Donuts is allowed to use unique preparation techniques, such as slow fermenting their dough to give their donuts a unique flavor and taste, which can take up to three days before they fry them up in high quality rice bran oil. I have wanted to try these donuts ever since they started generating buzz upon their introduction to the local community almost four years ago. Starting a business during the time frame of a couple of years ago is certainly a challenge, so the SoDo team is currently relying on pop-ups working with locally owned businesses to sell their products on any given day, mainly focusing on weekends.The reason why I managed to stumble upon SoDo Donuts stand, was on a random Sunday afternoon, I happened to be checking out the Flowerland Nursery website to see what popups they were hosting, as they have made it their mission to host various popups in front of their storefront on weekends. When I saw that SoDo Donuts was selling their signature donuts this afternoon, I thought to myself today was the day to drive out to Solano Avenue and get out to SoDo and try these mythical donuts once and for all. Finding parking along Solano Avenue can be a challenge as the entire neighborhood is bustling with activity. But after walking a few short blocks, I managed to get in line, which thankfully didn't take too long, but what was unfortunate was by the time I got there, they were running out of their signature flavors, which on this day included their Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, Chocolate Lavender Custard, Kaya Jam and Coffee Glaze, Toasted Sesame Custard, Savory Sour Cream and Onion, Rhubarb Fritter, and Vanilla Sugar.Sadly one of the donuts I was going to purchase their Toasted Sesame Custard had just sold out right before it was my turn to order. I still was able to order their Savory Sour Cream and Onion of which had an option of adding a slice of prosciutto for an additional dollar. I also ordered their Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, Chocolate Lavender Custard, Kaya Jam and Coffee Glaze donuts for a total bill of 25 dollars before gratuity was added in, which is on the pricier side, but the beauty of these little morsels were well worth it. Upon returning home, I had to try their Savory Sour Cream and Onion topped with a slice of prosciutto and it was a savory bun with the perfect combination of flavors imaginable. Although all four of my donuts tasted amazing, my other highlight was their Chocolate Lavender Custard donut which again had the perfect combination of sweetness with the right amount of flavors of chocolate, lavender, and custard. Although the donuts served at SoDo Donuts are considered small by donut standards, they are rich and complex with flavors and topping, and must be enjoyed as soon as you order them since they are made with such fresh ingredients that in order to maintain the quality in which they were made, they will not endure a long duration. Here's to hoping that SoDo Donuts just keeps getting bigger from here, with also selling additional confections with EC Confections at the same stand as SoDo Donuts, they sky's the limit for this burgeoning endeavor!

Enjoyed SoDo at the Gilman Fair. Tried the Kaya jam coffee, vanilla sugar and ube. All were delicious and easy to eat. I like the Kaya one the best. I could probably eat that everyday with coffee. Looking forward to trying more at the next pop up.

Had a coffee kaya donut at a Nosh event; decent texture, okay flavor. The coffee cream was nicely executed; I'm iffier on the homemade kaya and the amount of filling for the price ($6). The filling is both kaya and coffee; I don't think that's necessary, as the coffee flavor is strong enough as it is. Honestly, I think I'd prefer good old green kaya; the flavor is more distinctive there. As it stands, this is mostly coffee.

Came across these donuts at off the grid. They have so many interesting flavors and it was my first time trying sourdough donuts. We tried the savory red pepper chèvre, Mexican hot chocolate custard and burnt honey cream. All three were amazing and I loved that they weren't sugary.

Stumbled upon this pop up on an outing at Flowerland. The women were super friendly as we hovered as they worked. We got to see them fill the donuts on location and decorate them. The ingredients were super fresh. The flavors were unique & delicate. Not too sweet. Just right. The donuts were soft and fluffy. Absolutely delicious.

I wanted to drop a review here for chef Elle Cowan, who is one of the founders of SoDo donuts -- in addition to mindblowing donuts, Elle also creates custom desserts for special events, and she made our wedding cake, along with a variety of bite-sized desserts for our guests. Several guests commented that it was the best wedding cake they'd *ever had!* (olive oil cake, fresh lemoncurd, marionberry buttercream, seasonal fruit and flowers, basil...it was divine). Some of our other bites included mochi chocolate cupcakes and gorgeous stonefruit pie bars. Everything tasted like summer. It was beautiful.

The doughnuts are good, yet i was very underwhelmed by the size of them...very small and very expensive as well. Basically half the doughnut for twice the price. I spent about $40 on 5 doughnuts. Not one was under $6, Even the fritter was skinny, I'll stick to my local shops. No more pre order online doughnuts for me. Doughnuts are supposed to make you happy, I'm feeling like someone owes me $20. Anyway lesson learnt.