This family-owned shop in Carlsbad Village is a fan-favorite for gourmet doughnuts like its classic yeasted doughnuts filled with housemade citrus curd or topped with Tahitian vanilla glaze or Vermont maple glaze and applewood-smoked bacon as well as cake doughnut varieties like brown butter glaze with Maldon sea salt. It’s also notable for a daily selection of vegan and gluten-free doughnuts.

Live in or near in Escondido? Lucky you: it’s home to Peterson’s, the no-frills, top-quality doughnut destination in North County since 1981. For everyone else, Peterson’s old school doughnuts are worth the day trip. Hopefully they will continue to be, even after the new owner takes over. (The family recently sold the business.)

Move over cronuts. Mochinuts, which mix the shape of doughnuts with the rice flower and texture of mochi, are the new hot hybrid. The chain has locations in South Korea, Thailand and the U.S., including several around San Diego.

VG Donut and its extensive bakery in Cardiff-by-the-Sea have been satisfying sweet tooths since 1969. The letters stand for Very Good. A sample of what keeps doughnut hunters returning year after year: their cinnamon roll apple fritter doughnut, the tender cinnamon crumb doughnut, and the classics (chocolate, maple, or glazed in yeast, and good old fashioned buttermilk).

Whether you go classic (cinnamon crumb or vanilla glazed) or seasonal, Sidecar’s small-batch, handcrafted doughnuts, part of a small but acclaimed Southern California chain, are very welcome player in San Diego’s doughnut scene.

Mary’s has been an East County — and, really a San Diego County — institution since it was opened in 1984. Plentiful flavors (plus sandwiches and muffins — they have a broad menu) and a 24/7 schedule means no doughnut emergency will go unaddressed.

Where else in San Diego can you satisfy a craving for a doughnut and arroz con leche at the same time — in the very same bite? Other Mexico-inspired flavors at this Clairemont shop that also has an outpost at the Old Town Urban Market include mazapan (with and without a chocolate drizzle) and creamy cajeta. Check out their vegan options, too.

The daytime cafe companion to Bird Rock’s Paradisaea restaurant, Dodo Bird features classic sugared or glazed doughnuts as well as rotating flavors that include chocolate and passionfruit. The menu extends to breakfast sandwiches along with tea and coffee, including specialty drinks like matcha lemonade and sea salt mochas.

This vegan doughnut shop offers a broad variety of bases and glazes. Some are delicate (rose cardamom), and some are bold (sprinkles). Suggestion: sample the classics and a few atypical varieties before declaring a favorite.

Rose’s doughnuts — fluffy, puffy, gleaming — remain a go-to for a reason. This beloved neighborhood favorite, with locations on opposite ends of Linda Vista Road, has sandwiches and other savory breakfast options, too. Cash only. 

Another classic mom-and-pop shop that’s been feeding Hillcrest forever, the shop stays open later than most. Its offerings range from traditional classics to seasonal and more unique flavors, with its yeasted maple bacon doughnut and blueberry old-fashioned as two of the standouts.

A neighborhood gem, known for its friendly service, does always-dependable classics like original and chocolate glazed twists, but don’t sleep on other menu items like the blueberry scone or croissant and bagel sandwiches.

This sweet companion to Kettner Exchange does a rotating menu of doughnuts anchored by classics like vanilla bean and cinnamon sugar with flavors of the day ranging from brambleberry to strawberry-rhubarb.