Sam’s Donuts

i love finding new hole in the wall places! and sam’s is the best donut shop ever… ok, so malasadas from leonard’s in honolulu is mo’ betta but hey, this is santa rosa i’m talkin bout! nevermind safeway or big commercial shops… come to sam’s! he’s a friendly dude and frickin’ works long hours to bring fresh delights for your palate!
so i’m not an afficionado of the finer points of donuts but i know good taste and sam’s taste really good… don’t ask me to name the kinds he has cuz i just order mixed boxes of dozens…
its cool cuz i work for the health dept and we really don’t espouse the eating of donuts… but funny thing is, every time i bring donuts to the office, every tree hugger eats them! so let’s support a large pink box from sam’s…boo-yah!

Don’t pass the place up simply because it’s not as upscale as other shops! I stopped by here for donuts the other day and was extremely pleased with the quality of the food and the friendly service!
While they don’t have a huge selection, they have the basics down as well as having fresh frosted brownies and pound cake.
They’ve also got a couple tables in-​store so you can eat there.

I LOVE breakfast sandwiches.
I’ve lived in this town for nearly a year before I found this hole-​in-​the-​wall donut shop and I’ve clearly been missing out. The croissant ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches are so simple, yet so darn good, and so affordable! Two of these and a couple donuts only cost a measly 8 bucks. The donuts are good too!
What really makes this gem, is the humble owner. Within a couple visits, you are family and receive a warm greeting. He remembers your usual order and without effort, brightens your morning. This shop has been in business over 20 years!

Best Hole in the wall donut shop around. It’s a half mini mart, half donut shop. They are always fresh and delicious and the people who work there are super friendly. While I don’t eat donuts often, this is the only place I would go to get them!

I was at the aforementioned Twin Peaks party and the donuts were top notch! Not only were they very tasty (I, Andy Brennan, couldn’t help but consume 3 that night), but they made for a great aesthetic to the Twin Peaks theme. My favorite was also the blueberry, but the glazed and custard filled were just as stellar. They all had a soft freshness to them and a good balance of dough and coating. I will officially have to make a donut stop-​in on my trips to Cash and Carry now

This place, in yester years was a Winchels donuts. I just moved back to SR after 20 years and decided that I’d give it try. I chose a cross section of doughnut styles so I could get a read on style, consistency and above all, flavor.
The Glazed Old Fashion: Firm give to crust, not overly sweet and appropriately fatty (this style lends itself to be very greasy or too dry at times though Sam’s is a solid B)
The Crueller.: Lite, airy and lightly sweet. Good ratio of eggy and creamy. Quite enjoyable and a definite retry A–
Cake Glazed Rainbow Sprinkle: sweet powder sugar icing, a bit too much since it overwhelms the well-​done cake doughnut underneath. Great for the kid or the one saccharin child stuck inside us all. It definitely needs coffee to interrupt the pungency. C+
Buttermilk Bar-​Glazed: very airy texture for a BUttermilk Bar, though the blueberry note is peculiar and I think not intentional. C/​C+.
Overall, decent first experience. I did take out, so if you plan on eating there: the place is dated and aged. It’s a combo of doughnuts, mini mart and a few tables left from the old Winchels days. It’s in the industrial part of Santa Rosa, next to Cash n Carry and our local dive bar, The Zoo. If you’re a person who can’t bare a slightly dated, not overly sparkly clean or the panhandlers bumming change, cigarettes or what have you, go elsewhere. Want Salt of the Earth, stop by Sam’s.