Fresh Golden Donuts, Tierrasanta

I like donut shops with creative or personal names, since they give the place a unique mark to set it apart from all the others. This weekend, my buddy JB and I hooked up at Fresh Golden Donuts in Tierrasanta. Not exactly the most distinctive name for a donut shop, eh? Nor does it have any sense of distinctiveness—no special donut art on the walls, no funky donut varieties that they can call their own, and no flashy sign out front to proclaim “Donuts!”

The sign says "Donuts" but not "Donuts!"

However, Fresh Golden Donuts is a great place to hang out and relax on a weekend morning (or whenever the urge strikes you), as there are several comfortable and clean tables inside, all next to the front windows, giving the place a nice atmosphere. It has the added benefit of being sandwiched between a Starbucks and a Baskin-Robbins, so if you want a little extra caffeine or a dollop of Quarterback Crunch on your donut, this is the place to be.

JB noticed that there was not a whole lot of color on the donut racks. He likes to see a wide variety of frosted donuts, just as I do, and FGD’s racks were noticeably devoid of bright colors. Chocolate, maple, vanilla, plain—check; but those flavors don’t make you ooh and aah when you walk into a donut shop.

This one wasn't skimpy.

We agreed that the donuts were decent, but not outstanding. JB and I both tried out the chocolate-iced twist, which was plump and loaded with plenty of chocolate icing. The rest of the donut varieties, however, were just average and, in fact, seemed somewhat undercooked. The cruller, while it had a nice flavor to it, was rather skimpy on the icing, and the cake varieties were spongy, rather than crisp. Unlike the cake variety, the old-fashioned had a nice crackly texture, which is always good on a cake or old-fashioned donut. The maple icing, however, was again skimpy. (Now why am I repeating the word “skimpy” so often? Hmm.)

JB and I both enjoyed hanging out at FGD, which helped their overall score, but not enough to boost them into the top ten, or anywhere near it. Taste was just average for the most part, and since that makes up 60 percent of the score, FGD suffered as a result, ending up with a Donut Meter score of 66.0. I’m not sure if the owner of the shop would be up for it, but perhaps the place should be renamed Fresh Yellowish Donuts until they learn how to make donuts that are just a tad crispier and cracklier. And don’t be skimpy with that icing!

Updated Donut Meter Scores:

1. Peterson’s Donut Corner, Escondido — 94.0

2. Donut Haven, Hillcrest — 82.7

3. Super Donuts, Carlsbad — 82.0

4. Danny’s Donuts, Vista — 81.0

5. Christy’s Donuts, Kearny Mesa — 80.0

6. OB Donuts — 78.7

7. K-Donuts, Oceanside — 78.0

7. Heavenly Donuts, Del Cerro —78.0

7. Plaza Donuts, National City — 78.0

10. Donut Touch, Mira Mesa — 76.8

11. Linda’s Donuts, Pacific Beach — 76.0

12. Donutopia, Poway — 75.0

13. TK Donuts, Bay Park — 71.0

14. Marte’s Donuts, Escondido — 70.0

15. Foster’s Family Donuts, San Marcos — 68.0

16. Fresh Golden Donuts, Tierrasanta — 66.0

16. Pam’s Donuts and Chinese Food, Temecula — 66.0

16. KD’s Donuts, Ramona — 66.0

19. Solana Donuts, Solana Beach — 63.0

20. Leucadia Donut Shoppe — 62.5