Always Fresh. Come on in.
Three siblings carrying on a 40-year family tradition of hand-cut, made-fresh-daily donuts in the heart of San Mateo. Plus homemade ice cream with Pan-Asian flavors you won't find anywhere else.
It all started in 1983 in Yucca Valley, Southern California, when our parents opened "The Jelly Donut" β a small shop with big dreams. Four decades and several Bay Area locations later, that original shop is still there, still serving smiles.
"Now the three of us β siblings bound by flour, sugar, and early mornings β carry on the tradition of hand-cutting and preparing fresh donuts on site, every single day."
In 2022, we opened Cruel Donuts in San Mateo to share our family's legacy with a new community. We've added our own twist with Pan-Asian inspired flavors like ube, matcha, and yuzu β plus homemade ice cream made with a special machine from New Zealand.
The donuts are light and not too sweet β the ultimate compliment! The passion fruit flavor really works for donuts. The breakfast sandwich on the flaky croissant is unbeatable paired with iced coffee.
Cruel Donuts? Yes, cruel if you try to avoid them and can't! Fun donut shop now innovating homemade ice creams. Owners on site and passionate about their food creations. We loved the Chinese Almond Cookie ice cream!
I am not a huge donut person since I'm not into how dense they are, but this is my go-to place! The ube cake and black sesame mochi donuts were delightfully chewy β even better than dedicated mochi donut shops!
Light, fluffy, and flavorful β definitely a step up from typical chain donuts. The coffee had a full-bodied taste that's difficult to get without using a French press. Great quality all around.
The crΓ¨me brΓ»lΓ©e donut is my favorite! Baked custard inside with a torched sugar top β pure decadence. The cruller donuts are amazing too. Very nice family business!
My coworker got a box for our meeting and it's safe to say they were a hit! Not too sweet and very fluffy. Even the box made you want to keep opening it because it was so cute!