Trish’s Mini Donuts

It was wrong. It was a hundred kinds of wrong. You knew it. I knew it. And yet here we were, Jamie W. and me, at that bastion of tacky commercialism gone over the edge, Pier 39, where a typical visit includes getting bum rushed by a pack of camera-​toting foreign tourists and getting gauged out of any shekels you may have for something you should have never bought in the first place like a giant stuffed sea lion. It’s like the Memory Dump in «Inside Out» where Joy needed to escape in order to get to Imagination Land. And speaking of imagination and the lack thereof, welcome to Trish’s Mini Donuts.
In September, it was cited as one of the seven tastiest doughnut shops in the city by SF Eater. Obviously the reporter was smoking something illegal because I don’t quite understand the appeal next to Dynamo or even Bob’s. They’re tiny and come plain or doused in cinnamon sugar. A dozen costs $ 7 (photo:
). Get two dozen and they charge you just $ 11, and if you want the humiliation of buying 36 of them, you might as well get the souvenir bucket for all to gawk at in jealousy. And how are they? They’re doughnut hole wannabes, two bites each and you’re on to the next one in the bag. It’s no wonder people walk around the pier with those empty buckets.
DONUTS — 3 stars… middling but if you need to pop something in your mouth, be my guest
AMBIANCE — 2 stars… it’s Pier 39… you’re in hell
SERVICE — 2.5 stars… the doughnut scooping is done with finesse
TOTAL — 3 stars… get a bag, get a bucket… who cares?

I was walking on the pier when my nose smelled something sweet & cakey. As I got closer, I had no choice but to try them… fantastic is the only word to describe the taste. Just wish it was a little bit more sweet but no complaints.

Holy crap… these things are addicting. Only got 6 pc. Should have gotten more… oh the regrets in life… :’(totally see why they have such high ratings. Simple. Delicious. Memorable.

OMG, melt in your mouth galore!
Living in the Bay a little over 2 years, it was my first time trying this SF staple.
My cousins were surprised that I’ve never tried it.
It’s all made to order so they were still piping hot, AMAZING!
Freshly made donuts, gahhhh. Talk about HEAVEN!
They are sooooo bomb!
If you are in the area, I totally recommend trying these donuts out.
They are seriously out of this world!

This place is so cute! I love the idea of mini donuts because often times, a whole donut can be much too sweet.
These donuts are super fluffy, light, and just the perfect amount of sweetness! I felt like they really were a pillow of dough melting in your mouth. Absolutely amazing!
The line wasn’t even that long, and it went by fast. They have a lot of options to choose from too such as 6 donuts (the smallest option) to a whole bucket full.
Unfortunately, they don’t have other donut flavor options, which I was bummed about at first, but honestly you don’t need any other flavors once you take a bite of their fluffy warm old fashioned donut!
Plus it’s located on Fisherman’s Wharf so it’s a really nice location. I’m already dreaming about going back!

Oh snap these doughnuts are awesome… it goes perfect w/​a hot chocolate or coffee. On a cold winter day at the Bay this is the perfect desert after a good seafood meal at the pier. We get buckets after buckets and it doesn’t even phase us. $ 13 a bucket might seem crazy but it’s worth it. Those bad mother suckas just melt in your mouth leaving you wanting more lol

So small, so light, so airy, so fluffy, perfect amount of sugar.
I love you, Trish’s Mini Donuts.
The bucket is definitely worth getting if you’re sharing! Or even if you’re not sharing, shit, I’d eat it all!!!

Great Donuts!
It was just a little uncomfortable to watch the cashier (an older Chinese woman, maybe the owner?) yell at her employee (I’m guessing it was her daughter?).
A little pricey for how small the donuts are but its expected in that touristy area.

This place is a straight up trap. They fool you with the cute little sign to get you in. The next thing you know you’re standing in front looking in the window at the donut machine. Then that smell of deliciousness cooking ugh I’m so trying to resist. The best part yet the smiling cashier asking for your order. So you see the six Donut’s for about 4 bucks but wait a bucket for 6 $ well I’m getting that. Yup they got me one bite and I was hooked! Now they got me coming here every time I’m at the wharf. They prices are good but the bucket is the best deal plus it’s easy to carry. The service is great and the donuts are made to order so its all fresh. I’m trying to tell ya its addicting! You have been warned !! One bite and its over these people know what they are doing!

We were on our way out of Pier 39 and last minute, I had gone back to get these delicious mini donuts, they were freshly made and the lady just plopped them in the bucket and topped with cinnamon sugar, ready within a minute. They were shared and gone in a flash! Go broke and get the bucket, or you might regret it.

These little donuts are delicious!
Gotta get the bucket of donuts or you’ll be left wanting more. well me at least lol

I have been coming to Trish’s since I was a little girl. I distinctly remember getting a little bag and never wanting to share with anyone because I wanted it all to myself! If you’ve never been to Pier 39 this is where it’s located. Just stay on the lower level of the pier, walk straight (passed Chowders) and it should be on your left hand side across from the fresh fruit stand. It isn’t a sit down restaurant but a little teeny tiny shop, so look out for that.
The donuts are seriously SO good. They are mini so don’t expect a big portion but that’s part of it’s appeal. 95% of the times that I have been there the donuts are fresh and moist, made right there by the little machine that they have. Don’t let «little» fool you because the machine makes them quick. You can either get the donuts plain or with cinnamon sugar on top. Get it with the cinnamon sugar! You will not be disappointed. Also, do yourself a favor and just get the bucket because once you have one you will definitely want more. Trust me!

Be warned! We ordered 2 dozen donuts and the angry, rude lady at the cash register charged us $ 14 instead of $ 11! We asked for the rest of our change and she said «No, you asked for 2 dozen!» In an angry voice! Lady, 2 dozen IS the same as 24 pieces!!! Don’t let her bamboozle you, make sure to ask for 24 pieces and not 2 dozen. Horrible customer service! Never going back!
COUNT YOUR CHANGE!

This stand is the absolute best and always a must when I come to fishermans wharf! They sell these miniature plain donuts that are then slightly covered with cinnamon and sugar. They’re very simple donuts, but seriously delicious. They’re also always made fresh. They have the donut maker/​fryer right in the front near the cash register so when they serve you they take it fresh from the fryer. These are so soft, that they just melt in your mouth. They’re not too sweet either. I usually like to pair off these donuts with hot cocoa. It’s typical nestle hot cocoa but it’s still really good and keeps me warm b/​c it’s usually cold there. Their prices here are really good too. $ 4 for 6 mini donuts which is a perfect serving. They have other options and bucket options but that’s too much for me. This is usually my dessert spot after grabbing dinner at the pier.

My husband and I were strolling through the Pier and he was craving for some donuts. Flipped out my phone and turned to Unilocal to find this location in the area we were in!
These donuts are amaze-​balls! Fresh fried mini donuts with added cinnamon and sugar really makes me wanting to come back for more. It somewhat reminded me of a bite-​sized churro; same sweet taste and texture. When you walk up to order, there is a cute mini conveyor-​fryer right in front of the cashier. Would probably recommend ordering a dozen not only because the price is cheaper by the quantity, but they are so darn good that anything less than a dozen just won’t do justice! :)

True story: I only checked in twice, but actually came 4 times during my 5 day stay in the city. That’s 4 out of 5 days of pure happiness and potential diabetes.
There was a small vendor in Arizona that used to make these same donuts at the fair when I was a kid, and they were my favorite. things. ever. I was seriously so excited to discover Trish’s, and at the same time sorely disappointed that I didn’t know about it on all my prior trips to SF. What makes these donuts so special? The same thing that makes anything deep-​fried special: HOT, FRIED SUGARY GOODNESS. They are heavenly little pillows of melt-​in-​your-​mouth deliciousness topped with cinnamon sugar. If you don’t like cinnamon sugar, then you’re a weirdo, but the donuts will still rock your world if they’re plain.
Since they’re in the warf, you’ll have to kick and elbow your way through the mob of tourists who are eating garbage like Hardrock Café or Dryer’s ice cream (keeping the American cliché alive and well) to get to these babies. If there is a line, do not fret! The staff here, although likely perceived as unfriendly, are on task and focused on getting you your fresh, piping hot donuts in a flash.
Do yourself a favor and grab a bag (or a bucket, I won’t judge), grab a drink to wash them down, go watch the sea lions while you devour them and know the meaning of happiness.

My friends and I decided to give it a shot since the lineup seemed to be an indicator that this place is probably delicious.
Maybe because I come from Montréal or had other donuts in Los Angeles, but i personally thought the donuts had too much baking powder/​baking soda and were masks with sugar in the batter.
If you really want to try, then i’d recommend the cinnamon donut.

Fresh made with a machine that pumps out baby sized donuts right before your eyes… then dusted with cinnamon sugar (or not, if you like them plain). Like fluffy little bites of heaven! What’s not to like?! Okay, so they taste more like funnel cake — but I love funnel cake all the same!
Stop. Smell. Do a double take. Then leave those resolutions behind and get in line. Of all the kitchy things you can buy at the Pier, you should definitely make it a delicious little snack!

These are addicting. I have seen several people post pictures of their buckets and I told my boyfriend I needed to try this place out.
We can’t eat 36 donuts, which is what comes with the souvenir bucket ($ 12). But we definitely can eat 6 ($ 4).
Standing in line is probably the hardest part about this experience. There are a lot of people. Not necessarily a lot of people in line, but rather a lot of people around the line. Many of these people are tourists and they are so fascinated with everything around them that they don’t pay attention to where they are walking. We had a lot of families walk through our line.
But finally! We made it to the front. And oh my… the smell is amazing. The machine that drops the donuts into the hot oil leads those delectable little things to the cashier. You tell him or her how many donuts and there is a person that will fill your order in a bag or bucket and squeeze a bottle filled with sugar over the hot donuts.
These are fresh. Very, very fresh. So make sure you let them cool before you pop one into your mouth. Not like I made that mistake and all… but yeah! Keep that in mind.
And most importantly — enjoy!

Got 36 mini donuts for $ 12 in a souvenir bucket. You can get plain or cinnamon sugar. (They just squirt sugar on top of it.)
They don’t taste like donuts but more like fried dough bits or funnel cake bites.