Golden Donut

Coming from a somewhat snooty, self-​described donut aficionado, I’d say the donuts are good. Decent. Very greasy, but chocolate glazed is a favorite. Not like the fancy places around south Philly getting all the attention these days like Federal, Frangelli’s, Beiler’s… Golden is more like a Dunkin’ Donuts donut: good in a pinch, but not the one you crave. But they are cheap and the staff is sweet.

This place opens early and the ladies that work there are sweet. But the donuts are nothing special, DD quality at best.

I can only speak for the apple fritter sold by Golden Donut, I’ve not tried their other options. ‘Golden Donut’ are two divey little storefronts run by Asian ladies, (one at each end of the Italian Market); that hands down, have one of the best apple fritters I’ve had in my life.
I’m not proud to say that my husband and I have made it kind of our mission to search out the best apple fritter, (don’t judge.. . I know.. We need to set higher goals for ourselves); but these are some of the tastiest we’ve tried.
When one takes judging a fritter seriously; you take things into account like ‘crunchy-​to-​doughy’ ratio, size, and price. These fritters are huge, flat, (i.e. low dough, lots of crunch), and less than $ 1.
We also love Beiler’s Bakery in Reading Terminal Market. Those fritters also come in blueberry, are a bit smaller, (but still a great value at less that $ 1), and have a great cinnamon schmear distributed inside them, (I told you, we’re not amateurs here). But Golden Donut’s fritters are larger and crunchier.. .And just all-​around bad ass. You really can’t do any better than a fritter from here.
(also, to respond to an earlier review.…I’m a moderate enough fan of Dunkin Donuts.. .Not the best baked goods in the world, but the coffee is OK. But anyone who suggests that Golden Donut gets their fritters from Dunkin Donuts is just a god damned liar).

First of all, huge props to any business that stays consistent with the theme in South Philly. Golden Donut looks like they’ve been on the corner of 9^th and Christian for decades, and I can’t imagine they’ve gone through a ton of changes, especially their prices. It’s essentially a Dunkin Donuts with a smaller selection, a homier feel, and incredibly friendly service. Each time you go in, a true neighborhood feeling exists. You actually feel welcome, and they’re happy for you business.
Again, they don’t have a huge selection, but you can more than likely find whatever you’re looking for somewhere nearby. Golden Donut fits in perfect with much of the Italian Market’s «what you see is what you get» aspect.

Get a fritter and enjoy some playful banter with the ladies behind the counter! That’s my update.

This is your no-​frills donut shop.
I found the selection to be a bit on the small side, but then again, I did arrive rather late (10:00) in the morning. They had the usual — glazed, frosted and boston crème as well as apple fritters. But aside from the standard donut fare, don’t expect much else.
Staff was very friendly and attentive and 75 cents later, I was out the door munching on some deliciousness.
Sure, there are other donut options in the city, but Golden will do just fine in a pinch.

You know these chick’s be crazy. Great donuts, good coffee, highly entertaining. I go in just to be ridiculed. And I tip!!! Very inexpensive and fresh. They make the donuts at 9^th Washington street location.

Was walking by and decided to come in and check it out. Dingy interior that looks suspiciously like a Dunkin Donuts. Bought a glazed donut for 75 cents. It was slightly stale but okay. Visited around 2:30 on a Friday.

I decided to check out the Italian Market this past Saturday, and being a donut lover, thought I would pick up a snack at Golden Donut.
As soon as I walked in and saw their sad selection of donuts, I knew I wasn’t going to be making a purchase.
Though this place is basically Dunkin’ Donuts quality (or maybe even slightly worse), what’s especially silly about this place is that it’s color scheme inside is exactly the same as a Dunkin’ Donuts.
Golden Donut? This place wouldn’t even earn bronze.
I’m surprised this place has received so many good reviews.

Taking a break from the more well-​known and popular donut spot (s) in Philly, I decided to stop by the Golden Donut, a corner shop in the Italian market. It was already mid-​morning so the remaining selections were limited. That didn’t stop me from trying three different varieties: glazed, sprinkled and chocolate.
The lady working behind the counter wrapped each one in tissue paper (nice) and placed them in one of the prearranged paper bags. I realize I don’t have the best hearing in the world, but when she said, «$ 2.25» I thought for sure my ears were still asleep. But no, they were actually 75 cents apiece! What? As good as they were, it was a complete steal.

Anyone who says they are against DD but likes these donuts, is only against DD for the sake of being against a chain. These ARE Dunkin Donuts. They are operating under an owner of a DD that owns this place as well. They stock it with DD’s and DD coffee and operate under «Golden Donut» so they don’t have to pay franchise/​license fee for this location. It also allows them to sell other food/​items not allowed under the DD franchise license.

These very nice people will sell you decent donuts and breakfast sandwiches and things like that for not very much money. So that is pretty good.

The Golden Donut has a special place in my heart. My BF and I had just started dating when he was living a block away from this place, and he used to always bring me my fav –a glazed donut and a little bottle of V8 splash. The woman who used to work there, Sandra, always knew what I wanted and what my BF wanted — but unfortunately, she doesn’t work there anymore. Bummer!
Neither of us live a block away anymore but when we are near the italian market, we’ll still stop in this place for the cheapest coffee and breakfast sandwich around. They are quick, efficient, and friendly. This is a no frills coffee shop — no fancy pastries or anything — just your neighborhood cheap joint to get an in and out breakfast.

The best thing about this place is when you walk by at night, there is a little mouse hanging out in the flower pot in the corner window. Great place to be if you are a mouse.

I love this place. Good coffee, good donuts, cheap, fast, never any wait, supporting what appears to be a family-​owned business. The lady behind the counter always smiles and says, «You suuuuure that all you waaaant?» …I wear my heart on my sleeve, I guess it’s plain to see that I always want another donut.
P. S. If you’re looking for ambiance or fancy coffee and treats, this is not your place. Strictly grab and go.

Every time I walk by Golden Donut I get nostalgic for another Golden Donut (far away) which sadly closed before Unilocal was even conceived. Since I can’t review that Golden Donut (GD), I’ll review this one.
(That GD would have gotten 5 stars, this one gets 4.)
Both GDs are remarkably similar in concept. I guess if you choose a name like Golden Donut for your business, you’re going for a certain aesthetic. The aesthetic of AWESOME. A timeless, almost beyond reviewable awesome. A classic, nearly forgotten awesome. A dying breed of awesome. Either you’re awesome or you’re not. AWESOME.
The menus are very similar, even down to the vintage menu boards. Offering the basic fare of the American morning ritual: Coffee, donuts, breakfast sandwiches and the like. Other GD’s menu being an expanded version of the one found here. How many variations on this no frills breakfasty theme can there possibly be? It’s not the healthiest of cuisines, but it’s American. Hey, we’re Americans.
There are some differences in the GDs in question. Philly GD = take out.
Other GD = dine in. Philly GD = small. Other GD = large. Philly GD = little chrome. Other GD = abundance of chrome. I could continue this list ad nauseam, but I’ll stop here. They both have some nice formica however.
O-​o-​h Child.
Donut?
75 cent?
What a bargain.
What a bargain for me. I think I’ll buy some. And you should too.

Golden Donut hasn’t got:
–BS
–Lines
–Tables
–Receipts
–Much atmosphere
Golden Donut has got:
–Donuts
–Apple FRITTERS! (Oh my god, the apple fritters are only a dollar and they are amaaaAAaazing!!)
–All the right moves in all the right places

Golden Donut’s convenience to my apartment may tip my rating to its favor, but in fairness, so do the glazed donuts.
I’ve recently sung the praises of Jack’s Donuts in NJ. While Golden doesn’t quite reach that level, they are my preferred donut stop in this area. It’s not uncommon to grab a bag of delicious mini donuts, a boston kreme, and a coffee while waiting in line for Sabrina’s. Unlike Dunkin and the like, the donuts here taste light and fresh, and are cheap to boot.

The anti-​Dunkin D. Plain shop. Regular donuts like you get at the chain, but the difference is the Asian guy behind the counter doing his humble best to defy the big DD. Go in and grab a donut, and you’ll be one more David standing up to Goliath.

Like any real New Englander, I have a weak spot for Dunkin’ Donuts even though, at the same time, I hate their purple-​and-​orange monopoly over much of the East Coast.
Golden Donuts is therefore a perfect compromise for the inner demon that craves cheap sugary coffee and savory breakfast sandwiches. They sell Dunkin’-grade coffee and donuts, but they’re a small locally-​owned business. But, more importantly, Golden Donuts’s breakfast sandwiches are actually miles better than Dunkie’s: they’re made fresh with real eggs and bacon and dusted with salt and pepper.
This place is for take-​out; if you want to eat it there, there are couple standing counters but no chairs. If you want to sit down, you can find higher quality coffee and bagel sandwiches down the block at Gleaner’s. Also, because it’s usually just one guy working, the service takes a smidge longer than Dunkie’s. However, the prices are wicked cheap so it all evens out.