Sam’s Donuts

San Jose, CA — South West San Jose
Near the 85.
A Ok is right.
Sam is from Saigon, Chinese and Vietnamese parents. In school learned French and of course speaks English, I think Cambodian too.
Minimum 4 languages, pretty damn cool. I barely speak English and Finance.
Cool cat trying to survive as a small business owner in the 408. Been in business over 25 years and trying to make it.
A bummer but the ADream is not easy.
His wife says everything good and Sam is straight up — Buttermilk are the 1#.
I went Nutso and tried a few. Maple, Apple Fritter, Glazed, Buttermilk with Chocolate frost.
BM w CF stood out to me. Worth a try. The Glazed was decent.
Great neighborhood spot, friendly owners, worth trying out and supporting.
*Angkor Wat Pic on wall — Solid! Largest religious site in the World. Absolutely HUMID and incredible in person.
* I think his wife is Cambodian.
* Buttermilk can sell out by 9 am.
* Sam says call in advance for Buttermilk if a dozen or more is needed.

My boyfriend I love this place! Their chocolate glazed donuts are so good. I usually never order a chocolate glazed donut, but here I do! I suggest getting here early to get a good selection of what you want. I’ve even showed up an hour before closing time and the few donuts they did have were still pretty good.

Helen is such a sweet lady. She has been feeding me since I was in high school :) Now she works with her grandkids there, how cute! it’s a true definition of a moms and pops shop.
My favorite donut is the Maple French crueler, it is perfection! It is crunchy on the outside and perfectly moist on the inside. The donut holes are also perfect, they are super soft and melt in your mouth. Keep in mind it’s CASH only. There is an ATM located inside. They offer 3 types of coffee with many flavored powdered creamers. They also have a beverage cooler, with sodas, orange juice etc. Enjoy!

First time there, and not too impressed! After reading the Unilocal reviews I expected to be wowed! Instead, I feel sick! Customer service was not all that great! The man was very kind and joyful while the woman on the other hand was sort of rude and rushing me! I love donuts! And am sad that after paying $ 10 for a dozen, not one of the assorted donuts I tried were worth going back!

Great customer service. Threw in a bear claw for free when I got a dozen. Nice little neighborhood spot.

After reading all of the reviews, I decided to give SAMs a try. How could so many people be wrong?
These were very average, common donuts typical of the current donut shops in this area. They can’t be called bad, but certainly if you think these are the best donuts ever, you don’t understand donuts.
These were not as greasy as some, but they were not light and fluffy by any means.
If I am desperate and next door, I will eat there. Otherwise I will eat a Safeway donut or drive a little to go to Stan’s Bakery on Meridian.

Nothing like good donut holes that are chewy and NOT dry (: yummy!!!

Soo yummy and friendly people! First donut shop we came to on our vacation and had a great experience! :)

I can’t believe It’s taken me 20 years to write this review, but that’s how long I’ve been a loyal customer. Sam and Helen have watched my kids grow up, and I’ve watched theirs!
If I could boil all the things about this place into one word it would be consistency. The donut recipe’s are excellent and they taste the same EVERY single day. The coffee is consistently excellent, and the smiles offered by Sam and Helen are consistently warm. I love giving my money to deserving local businesses and this is one that definitely deserves it.

I adore this donut shop. It is cash only, and the ATM fee is hefty, so just bring cash. My husband and I love to roll out of bed on Saturday mornings and get donuts here. They are my favorite donuts I have ever eaten. You can never go wrong ordering maple bar or chocolate frosted donut.

Just had by far the best Apple Fritter in my life. I have eaten many Doughnut’s in my life to include Apple Fritters. Sam and his wife make the best Doughnut’s in South San Jose.

Small place. Great donuts

The best donut I have ever had was here! I got the regular cake donut with chocolate frosting. It was so crispy on the outside and the chocolate frosting was … chocolatey. The donuty perfection left my mind in a numb bliss, a sign that I am at increased risk of addiction to these heavenly gems.
Cash only.

«The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it…” – Oscar Wilde
Sam’s Donuts (SD) is located in the copacetic Santa Teresa Square Shopping Center, and has been the the «go-​to» spot for Santa Teresa residents to go get fried «belly bullets» for well over 20 years. I’m not a huge fan of Donuts in general, as I’d much prefer a Bagel or a Pastry, but the Missus and the boy love ‘em – so guess who wins that argument? However, with that being said, it is nice to know that when I am forced to eat a donut, at least I know with SD that they’ll be good ones. SD has all your usual array of doughy goodness (e.g., cake, glazed, sprinkles, crullers, etc.), but I usually stick to my «Holey Trinity» (see what I did there?) Here they are in no particular order:
Apple Fritter– Sam’s Fritters are always tasty, fresh and never greasy. I also like that they’re flat, and almost have a crispy snap to them. They’re unlike most Fritters you’ll see, that are huge, greasy and not a trace of apple flavor. Sam’s has actual pieces of Apple embedded in the dough – imagine that?!
Chocolate Glazed– This is your quintessential donut, and is usually the 1^st image that pops into my mind when someone says the word «donut.» SD’s rendition is tender, flaky, and always fresh. Solid choice if you can’t make up your mind on what to get.
Chocolate Buttermilk– The Buttermilk Bar is what many people consider the «Ultimate Donut.» Cakey, moist, tangy and not heavily laden with grease – this is the true carboholics delight. SD’s is not the best I’ve had, but it’s in my Top 5 all-​time.
Service & Ambiance– Not much to SD, just a case full of doughnuts and a tiny table in the corner that’s usually filled with old codgers telling old stories of how they used to walk to school uphill in the snow – both ways! This isn’t the kind of place you just «hang out,» I would say 99% of the customers just grab-​and-​go. I’ve only been served by Helen (Sam’s wife), and she’s always so nice and sweet –especially for the ungodly hours they must work– and she always throws in something a little extra to help keep us carbed up! Ambiance 3*/ Service 5*
Value– Standard donut pricing, I can’t say if it’s really cheap or expensive. I’ve gone in and bought a monster box to share with the boys at work for under $ 20, if that helps. They’re also «Cash Only,» so keep that in mind, but they do have an ATM available inside, if you don’t mind paying fees. 4*
If you’re in South San Jose, and looking for some fried doughy goodness then I would say Sam’s is your best bet. Friendly service, deep-​fried sin and a great value. Here’s to another 20 years!

Hands down the best, freshest donuts in this area. I’ve lived in South San Jose for 20+ years. It’s very obvious that they are doing something right because they withstand the test of time in the Santa Teresa Plaza. One of my best memories growing up was walking/​riding bikes to Sams Sunday mornings with my brother and my dad. They have always had fresh, great tasting donuts ever since I could remember. I always get the chocolate donut or any of the old fashioned ones. But honestly, everything they have is great! Now that I’m older and have experienced other mom & pop donut shops, I still find myself going here for my donut fix. I highly recommend everyone go to Sams!
They do only take cash (looks like another person gave them a 1 star for their atm fee… but then again, doesn’t every non-​bank atm have a fee lol…) so make sure you have cash on you.

Donuts were good, but they scam u with cash only! There is an ATM machine that the store owns inside, and they make $ on customers using the ATM machine as we’ll as the donuts ! Horrible business when u take advantage like that!

Whenever I read about the apple fritters at Bob’s Donuts in San Francisco or Ronald’s Donuts in Las Vegas, I get an apple fritter craving. I’ve been searching for a note-​worthy apple fritter locally but been largely disappointed — large, oversize, doughy, and flavorless seem to be the donut norm.
Luckily fellow Unilocaler Beth W. shared a tip that I should check out Sam’s Donuts. After a similar excellent rec about the fresh original glazed at Stan’s, I knew I should check it out.
The hours of Sam’s are typical donut shop hours, eg. open breaking dawn early (in this case 4:10 am) and closing early afternoon (2:00 pm most days). After a missed try, I came early enough to partake.
A friendly Asian couple owns Sam’s and they were happy to recommend the apple fritter. Other popular donuts are the cinnamon crumb and blueberry, all made fresh daily.
Apple Fritter — first take looks promising. Instead of oversized and full of donut filler, this fritter is large but overall flat. Several nice chunks of apple are visible and it maximizes the flavorful, crunchy glazed exterior to soft interior ratio.
Given the cinnamon donut is popular, I wasn’t surprised this fritter had great flavor too and the fact it’s fresh makes a difference. The dough is soft yet moist and the apple tasted particularly good.
If I had one criticism (and it’s almost universal to every fritter I’ve had and I haven’t had Bob’s or Ronald’s) is that I would have loved to have more apple. I could have done with twice or even three times as much apple. Most places don’t do that and apples aren’t particularly pricey so maybe it’s something to do with baking and making donuts that I’m clueless.
Overall, at $ 1.50 for an apple fritter, Sam’s makes a tasty, fresh, and enjoyable apple fritter… just put more apple. Thanks Beth W. for the great tip!
Sam’s accepts cash only.

As far as mom-​and-​pop doughnut shops go, this is one of the best I’ve ever had. Here’s the deal… Nothing frozen, shipped-​in or overly-​packaged. Sam starts in the middle of the night, every night, and sells the freshest, tastiest doughnuts nearby.
For me, the glazed buttermilk doughnuts are (hands down) SUPER YUMMY. But, beware that they sell out of this gem. You need to get there early to get them, because they’re so good. Cash only (keeps the costs down). Would love a slightly larger variety (perhaps berry filled, etc). With their experience and craftsmanship, I think they’re up for the challenge.
Exactly what you’d expect from a small, local doughnut shop. Reasonable cost for a fantastic doughnut.

Cute Asian couples run this small shop.
I stopped by for a quick donut run but I didn’t find it very appetizing.
I ordered the blueberry donut and the cinnamon sugar donut (?). It came out to be $ 1.80 for 2.
I don’t think I am qualified since I don’t normally enjoy donuts but I can tell you if you are expecting the famous blueberry donuts from Southern California you won’t be getting it here. It’s a whole different style of blueberry donuts. It’s just basically old fashioned cake donuts with little bit of blueberries added in. You can hardly taste the blueberry.
As for the cinnamon sugar streusel, it was okay… I guess I just don’t really like donuts in general.
But the cute couple was fast and nice. They at least make you feel welcomed. Fast service and I got out of there in about less than a minute.

the world according to noelle, 2013
noelle’s Unilocal notebook
— — — — — — — –
the quick details
— — — — — — — –
business: donuts
parking:parking lot
price: good
customer service: good
stroller friendly: yes
restroom: none
family friendly: yes
noelle’s favorites: cinnamon crumb and blueberry donut
*This would have been a five star review but they don’t accept ATM cards*
*CASH ONLY*
Thanks to fellow Unilocaler Beth W. who recommended Sam’s Donuts to me. Sam’s Donuts is located in the Nob Hill Shopping Center (when facing Nob Hill, the donut shop is located on the right hand side).
Bought the following donuts:
Cinnamon Crumb
Chocolate frosted Cruller
Original Glazed
Sugar Raised
Chocolate Cake
Old Fashioned Glazed
Cake Donut with Chocolate Frosting and Sprinkles
Old Fashioned Chocolate Frosted
Blueberry Donuts
Apple Fritter
I purchased one dozen for my husband’s co-​workers and six donuts for my family, the total came out to a little over $ 15 dollars — I was charged extra for the Apple Fritter. The better deal would have been to purchase two dozen for $ 16 or $ 17 dollars but we didn’t need 6 extra donuts for my family. The donut shop is cozy yet stroller friendly if you needed to push a stroller inside. Its clean and smells of delicious and fresh donuts. Service is fast and friendly– on my first visit Helen the owner helped me. The donuts are AMAZINGLY fresh and delicious (the way another donut shop in the heart of Willow Glen used to be 25 years ago, but its not that great anymore).
Their blueberry donuts taste better than that famous place that’s known for blueberry donuts in Southern, California (that must go unnamed according to Unilocal TOS). Next time I’ll try their filled donuts as they are supposed to be delish :) It may not be close to my home but its definitely worth waking up early and grabbing deep fried goodness!!!