Golden Bell Donuts

Thanks to my Unilocal friend Roger for turning me on to the… Ham & Cheese Croissant! I went there at 6 am after my morning workout. I ordered one, still warm, big croissant and flaky.
Also, I really liked:
— glazed donut
— donut holes (very fluffy)
— blueberry donut
They had not made any apple fritters at 6 am in the morning. I hope to try one to give it a comparison to other places.
Parking can be hit or miss, but overall, a great place for donuts and my favorite donut place in San Mateo.

Been taking my son here since he was two! He is now 9 ½ and about to be a big brother:) love the long chocolate donuts here, too yummy ! And we love play the scratchers while enjoying our donuts!

Awesome little donut shop, prices are good and donuts are tasty!

5 stars for coffee and service!
I’m headed over there now, almost 4:30am time they open.

I love sugar donuts. My BF bought me 2 from here and it was delicious. Light and airy. Inhaled one and saved the other one for later.
My BF got the maple bar and that was yummy too.

This place is everything that other Unilocalers say and a bag of donuts.
We got there 30 min prior to closing on a Sunday and my blueberry donut was super soft and tasted as if it was just made, I inhaled it in the car and was screaming for more. I did save one bite for my man but I was not happy about that. I could have just kept my mouth shut but no… anyway we also got the classic glazed which was as big as my hand but I gobbled that one as well before even getting home. I want more !
The young guy was super sweet :)

Cheap donuts and beverages. And SCRATCHERS. Some people be too technical with their reviews, this place is great, right by the freeway. Except that u have to sort of be a good driver to get out of the parking lot. I am so its fine.

delicious, fluffy donuts!

I love doughnuts of all varieties but the ones here are so greasy that I can’t stomach more than ½ of a small one. A few weeks ago I stopped here, got two doughnuts to go, drove to work (less than 1mi) and by the time I arrived the paperbag was completely soaked with grease. I’m sorry, I know that a doughnut isn’t health food but I can’t eat a grease sponge.

**3.5**
Oh boy, do I regret stopping by before running my errands. Of course, I had to have one of the glazed donuts in the car, which led to a wane in motivation to work out for the rest of the day. Good enough to get your donut fix, not the best I’ve ever had though.

I love living down the street from this little donut shop! One of the things I noticed when I first moved to California is the proliferation of old-​timey, kind of divey, independent donut shops. They’re all over the place! It’s amazing that so many are able to survive.
When we have company staying with us we always go get a big pink box of these fresh donuts. I personally like the jam-​filled best, but all the varieties I’ve tried have been great, like the maple glazed. They always throw on a handful of donut holes over the top of our dozen– a nice little touch.
The only drawback is the truly harrowing parking lot. If it’s empty, you’re fine, but God help you if it’s crowded. The donuts are worth it though!

These donuts are DELICIOUS! Their fresh cream puff donut holes are not to be missed; they are heavenly.
Oh yes, and of course, a visit here is best in the morning because they run out, and they are closed in the afternoons! So enjoy, but leave some for me :)

hubby and i were a bit disappointed.
coffee was mediocre, reminded me of chickory coffee. and we poured what was the french roast variety. maybe if you like and drank the vanilla or irish crème or hazelnut, you woulda been very happy.
hubby’s apple fritter was alright. nothing exceptional like we were hoping for. my glazed old fashioned was very good, the chocolate old fashioned had a weird aftertaste. hubby’s crumb custard filled thingie was good.

Let me tell you my reasoning for 4
1)Parking
You’re experience for a place starts with parking. Pit first visit we pulled right in, today parking took longer. We had to circle once.
2)Friendly staff
The staff here are super friendly. I have two little girls and they are great to them. First, they have each of them a free donut hole. You may think, that doesn’t cost much. And you’re right. It doesn’t cost much but it means a lot!
3)Donuts
Donuts are good. They are fresh, taste love you and priced well. We will return!

Ham & Cheese Croissant!
I must say it took me a while to notice this little donut shop even though I drive right by it on a regular basis when in San Mateo, I was so happy when I finally discovered it! (Getting too excited over a donut shop huh? Thats ok… haha)
What I Like.
My weapon of choice here is the Ham & Cheese Croissant (warmed up please) because not a lot of people make those anymore and when they do… they don’t make them very well. This place definitely nails it! I also recommend their donut holes. I bought donut holes and a Coke and managed to spend $ 2?! Wow.
What I Kinda-​Sorta Don’t Like
My only real complaint against the establishment is the parking… the small parking lot is almost impossible to maneuver in and out of without having to wait for another car to move or have another car wait for me. Can’t really hold it against the place so I will give them a SOLID 4 STARS… for quality goodies, fast transactions, good prices, friendly staff and convenience!
Tip To Owner
(Yelp — Give me credit if you copy this idea please, thank you… haha)
Please keep up the good work!
I hope this helps, God Bless. ~Da Critic

noticing crowds in the morning… mostly construction workers… sardine packing vehicles in the small parking lot… leaving vehicles in middle, side, exit, entrance, etc… self-​serve coffee pump containers… people lined and busy pumping coffee… moving to the glass display for donut, pastries or other… line is moving fast… what to get… no time to think and requesting a simple sugar twist… to the register and paying $ 1.50 for a single simple donut… little pricier, but finding the donut larger in comparison… worth the price for size… noticing a difference in the sugar coating… superfine granulated baker’s sugar used… texture is wonderfully fluffy with a good pull and chewy… worth the price for quality… this is a fine donut…

Best Bay Area donut to date and I’ve reviewed several!!! The other
Reviewer who talked of their
Lightness and sweetness wasn’t kidding. Had both the choc iced old fashion and the raised glazed. Both amazing. Check it out.

Decent and cheap doughnut holes. They tend to get busy in the morning. I went one morning before 7:30 on my way to work and there was a wait and the parking lot is a cluster eff mess with dumb people behind the wheel. so try to get street parking if you can.

Most definitely a fan. I had been looking for a solid donut shop in the area for the past few years, and just happened upon this place one morning. After driving by a few times, I finally pulled the trigger and checked it out.
Interior is really small, but still manages to house a few tables to the side for folks to enjoy their coffee and donuts. When you enter, the coffee is to the right, donuts and other pastries are smack dab in front of you, and the seating is to the left. To date, I have only tried a sampling of donuts. Have not ventured towards the pastries quite yet but those filled-​croissants always tempt me. Favorite donut thus far is the crumb custard-​filled. Excellent. Still need to try the apple fritter to see if they truly pass the donut shop test…
The parking lot small and can sometimes be a mess trying to navigate in and out, but highly worth the effort. Maybe reward yourself with an extra donut.

Fair selection of Donuts, friendly customer service and a few tables inside to sit at and enjoy some coffee with your sugary treat. Ok, so it isn’t open 24 hours but then Donuts at 3am isn’t a good idea anyhow.
As this is so close to my regular workout spot — Shoreline Park’s it’s so tempting to come here every day before heading home, completely undoing any hard work I have just done. Lucky that although my willpower to stop but here is weak my willpower to eat them is strong (go me!) and hubby gets given these sugary balls of dough instead.
The Raspberry Jelly filled is by far the best.