Danny's Donuts, Vista

Danny's sign can't be missed

In all the talk about local donut shops, I’m surprised that no one has ever mentioned Danny’s Donuts on Eucalyptus Avenue in Vista. Take Civic Center Drive off Route 78, go north a few blocks, then left on South Santa Fe. The big Danny’s Donuts sign beckons drivers from more than a block away, so you can’t miss it.

Danny’s is a walk-up establishment, much like Peterson’s in Escondido. You can look at the goods on display from the sidewalk, and place your order at an outside window. A couple of tables and chairs are set up at the side for those who want to linger, although the view of the street isn’t much to comment on. Vista’s vista apparently isn’t on South Santa Fe. The workers at Danny’s are extremely nice—and even Danny himself made an appearance while I placed my order, and gave me a free mini blueberry cake donut, still warm and oozing with glaze.

Danny’s racks don’t take up a whole lot of space, so there isn’t much room for them to add more than the basic varieties and flavors, but they did offer a good selection of everything except crullers. Plenty of cake donuts, a few old-fashioneds, all the standard raised varieties, plus apple fritters, Boston crèmes, jelly donuts, and donut holes. But the one that really caught my eye was this apple “foldover” (which I’ll call it for lack of a better term); it’s similar to a fritter, only it is neatly folded up in thirds like a letter (remember those things—letters?). The crispy outside and cinnamony inside was just excellent.

Apple "foldover"

The cake donuts at Danny’s were light and airy, with just enough glaze to give them the right amount of sweetness. I was particularly fond of the blueberry cake donut, especially because it was still warm (and not because it was free); the cinnamon cake was also a fine selection, as the cinnamon on top gave the right amount of spice, not enough to overwhelm my taste buds. Danny’s raised donuts are big and fluffy, but the chocolate raised didn’t seem to have enough chocolate flavor in the icing. 

Danny’s scored above average on taste and variety, and just average on innovation. The customer experience, however, was top-notch, and boosted the establishment’s Donut Meter score to 81.0, placing it in the upper half of the rankings. And if we rated donut shops by their names alone, this place would easily be number one on my list. 

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. OB Donuts — 78.7

6. Heavenly Donuts, Del Cerro —78.0

6. Plaza Donuts, National City — 78.0

8. Donut Touch, Mira Mesa — 76.8

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

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

11. Leucadia Donut Shoppe — 62.5