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Since 1959, the Wittmayer family has been pulling warm donuts out of its fryer. When you walk through Stan’s Donut Shop in Santa Clara, California it feels a bit like you’ve stepped into a wormhole and popped out in another decade. A decade where fresh hot donuts and ridiculously reasonable prices still exist.

We’re not going to lie. Instead of cutting out carbs, we love filling our belly with them (especially if said carbs come in doughy, sugary donut form). We’ve chowed down on the artsy Wynwood district delights from The Salty Donut in Miami. We enjoy the devilishly delicious donuts that come from Small-fry in Hobart, Tasmania. We’ve injected donuts with flavor shots at Balls and Bangles in Queenstown, New Zealand. We even proudly display our donut pride by decorating our jeans jacket with the adorable donut pins from CMYKlays. What makes Stan’s Donut Shop special isn’t that they have the latest and greatest donuts in Silicon Valley, it’s the fact that in the heart of the high tech Bay Area Stan’s old fashioned style donut shop has managed to stay pristinely frozen in time. Things haven’t changed, pivoted or become next gen at Stan’s …and that’s an amazingly good thing in the land of drones and driverless cars.

It’s not uncommon to hear people in line discussing how generations of their family love Stan’s or how they drove an hour from San Francisco just to get their paws on a classic cinnamon twist.

Stan’s Donut Shop is perhaps best known for its classic glazed donut and it’s not uncommon to have to wait for a fresh batch because they often sell out.

Since it’s autumn, Stan’s is infusing a bit of fall flavor into its fried dough confectionery.

In addition to Stan’s Donut Shop, here’s a list of other neat little local spots we love across the Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

If you’re willing to break from tradition, we loved Stan’s maple glazed old fashioned and its pumpkin buttermilk donuts.

The family owned shop (which was started by patriarch Stan Wittmayer) uses the same recipe and has the same commitment to detail and quality that it had when the business first started nearly 60 years ago.

Helpful Tip: Stan’s gets super busy on Friday, Saturday and Sundays. If you’re hoping to snag a fresh batch of two dozen or more donuts, your best bet is to pre-order your donuts ahead of time by placing your order over the phone before you arrive. It’s also worth noting that Stan’s only accepts payment by cash or check and the line begins at the register with the back of the line being near the counter seats (so don’t queue up by the busy front door).

If you long for the simplicity of past decades, pull up to a swivel seat at the counter of Stan’s Donut Shop, order a classic glazed and watch the next batch getting made right in front of you.

Stan’s Donut Shop
2628 Homestead Road
Santa Clara, California 95051
Hours: Monday Through Sunday 6:00am to 3:00pm
Phone: (408) 296-5982
Pricing (All in USD): To Go – Donuts (Glazed, Sugar, Frosted Cake, Decorated Cake or Old Fashioned) .95¢ Each or $9.50 Per Dozen, Chocolate Glazed $1.00, Buttermilk Donuts $1.25, Cinnamon Roll $1.60, Jelly Donuts $1.30, Maple Bar $1.40, Twists $1.40 Counter Service – Donuts $1.03, Coffee and a Donut $2.34, Coffee and a Cinnamon Roll $3.05, Coffee and a Jelly Donut $2.72, Coffee and a Maple Bar $2.83, Coffee and a Twist Donut $2.83, Coffee $1.20 (Refills .40¢), Hot Chocolate $1.50, Tea $1.20, Iced Tea $1.50, orange Juice $1.25 to $2.00, Coke, 7 Up or Root Beer $1.50 *Cash or check payment only.