Sk's Donuts & Croissants
Categories: Coffee & Tea, Donuts, Bagels [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mid-City West5850 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 935-2409
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 6:00 a.m.-6:00 a.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Wi-Fi: None
3 reviews
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
"I've only been smoking cigars for about 2-3 years and let's just say they've taken over my life. Some people call me in addict, but…" read more »
47 Reviews for Sk's Donuts & Croissants
Wow, I've been to SK many times, usually late at night, and I never realized it had so many fans. Their stuff is fresh and affordable. The late night window (sort of like a walk up drive through) guy is super nice and helpful. Amazing apple fritter. Get a pink box and fill it up.
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When I was younger, I was never terribly interested in growing up. It seemed to me that I had it made: I was constantly being praised for my "maturity", yet I had zero responsibilities, a library card, a bike, and an innate ability to finish an entire day's homework in my one free period. I couldn't imagine life got much sweeter. I was in no hurry to enter the real world.
That said: if I had approached a young Sarah A. and told her that when she grew up, she could eat fried dough, glazed in sugar and filled with raspberry jam FOR BREAKFAST....EVERY SINGLE DAY IF SHE CHOSE TO....such a thing would have blown her young mind. She would have immediately run away from home, falling into a seedy, "Go Ask Alice" world of addiction. Donut addiction. So it's good that time travel is not possible. YET.
As an adult it turns out I do have a problem with donuts, in that I have NO problems with donuts. I could eat them daily, and sometimes do. The donuts at Sk's are delicious, particularly the raspberry jelly and chocolate glazed (though I'm not a fan of their cake donuts). Their coffee is wonderful, and VERY hot. Intriguingly for an LA donut shop, the people who work there are actually nice...even helpful! Odd. They're also open 24 hours a day, with a delightful little walk-up window for those middle-of-the-night cravings.
Just please don't tell any children about the donut-world that awaits them. They will find out soon enough.
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Back in the day when my wife and I made fetish clothes for the three P's (Playmates, Pleasure Chest and Patricia Fields) we would work day and night out of our apartment/workshop guzzling pots of coffee, listening to GBH records at full blast and slopping on enough barge cement on vinyl to get us righteously cranked. All of these elements rendered meth superfluous. All we needed was sugar, and lots of it.
Since we lived on Cochran, the cross street to SK Donuts, I would occasionally make a run up the block at 1 AM for some donuts. I'd tap on their little window and order apple fritters, cinnamon twists, fudge buttermilk and jelly buttermilk donuts and their super-doughy chocolate chip bear claws.
Since I hit them up late at night they would dump some extra free stale donuts in the bag, and then off I'd go back to making chokers, pleated skirts and whips. So if you're gay for stale bakery goods, and who isn't, make the scene at SK Donuts late at night for your bakery bonanza.
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open 24 hours......
SHUT UP!
Ham and cheese croissants...
SHUT UP!
I discovered this gem after smoking one too many bowls with a friend that lived down the block, we strolled down the street, stocked up on smokes, dr. pepper, and donuts.......best idea ever.
SK's is stoopidly cheap and worth the trip no matter what day or night.
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Although I am not a huge donut fan I had to try this place.
Living fairly close it's considered my neighbourhood....
I love the 24 hours ...... great !!
Service is friendly and fast....
and last but not least.... the donuts are fresh and it makes even me smile and sigh when I have my last bite.
I lived down the street from SK's for ten years. Never had a bad donut. Never had a bad cup of joe. Well, maybe one or two cups that weren't up to snuff. But, if I said something, they wouldn't hesitate to pour me a new one.
Simply said, they're good people.
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Okay, so I just signed up for a Yelp account... but I've relied on the reviews of Yelpers for a little while now. In fact, I decided to take my family to this quaint little donut shop during a recent trip to SoCal based largely on the positive feedback found here.
I was quite excited to step into SK's, especially considering that we sampled Bob's Doughnuts at the Farmer's Market just a month ago... and this place is more highly regarded around these parts. Sadly, however, I was a little disappointed.
So we ordered two dozen donuts. Sadly, there were no "hot" donuts available at the time. And there were no crullers! Maybe this is why we weren't blown away by these donuts. A little stale, truth be told.
Oh well... back to Bob's!
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Drunken Yelp! review # 3:
This is the place to go if you suddenly find yourself TOO stoned and craving donuts. That being said , I have made several "donut-craving midnight-missions" to SK's Donuts with my co-workers.
A slightly unorthodox donut shop for some due to the fact that you must order from a window late at night, Sk's represents one of L.A.'s finer points in cuisine: the perfect midnight donut.
Just ask for whatever donuts were made most recent. Chances are it will still be warm and so incredibly delicious that you will need at least a dozen... per person.
My personal favorite are the Devil's Fudge Cake and the Strawberry Frosting.
P.S. - don't get too high as there is usually a cop car posted close by. But that's should be a given.
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The family that runs this place is so nice, and the coffee and donut holes have never let me down. They always remember how we like our coffee, and there are always friendly dogs out front.
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Rob is dead on with the family comment. Have lived in Park LaBrea for 12 years and didn't discover this family owned shop which is a block away until last year. I love the fact that it is open 24 hours, for a late night sugar high after walking around the block.
It's cheap, sugary, and great friendly service. Go, talk to the family, and become a regular. They will at times give you some free donuts along with your order. The favorites have to the the Thai Tea and the old fashioned chocolate donuts fresh in the morning.
I'm back from Sk's ready to pass out from a donut-coma.
I had been here before last summer due to the rave reviews and I wasn't too impressed.
But tonight I got there approximately 10:30pm because I heard from dawson s. that there would be some fresh donuts at this time. At this hour, their dining area is closed and you have to order at the window on the side. When I was there, there was some skeezy dude that followed me and he asked me which donut was the best one for tonight. I said I didn't know and proceeded to focus my attention back to the donuts. The Sk donut guy said that only the krullers were fresh at this time. I asked him how long we would have to wait for more fresh donuts and he said another thirty minutes. I wasn't going to wait that long and I was in no mood for krullers - as fresh as they may have been. I snagged my favorites instead: crumb-cake, chocolate round, a bear claw and a bottle of milk to wash it all down with. While I was waiting for him to wrangle my order, I turned around and the skeez was gone.
Did I disappoint him with my selections? Or did I scare him off when I was asking about the next batch of fresh donuts and referred to us as "we"? Is it really true what they say about LA guys being commitment-phobic? Hmmm...
I pondered this as I made my way back to my car. Oh well! He was soon forgotten as I became enraptured by the hot donut action that was to come.
The chocolate round was so doughy and there was plenty of delicious, chocolaty frosting. SO GOOD, even though it wasn't straight-from-the-deep-fryer fresh. The crumb-cake was good but a little on the stale side. Still good. The bear claw was stuffed with so much luscious, apple filling, it was spilling out after I tore off a piece. If the dough on the outside wasn't so dry, it would have been hands down the best bear claw I've ever had. Still good!
It was totally worth the trip but I still prefer Donut Man. :x
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droool.
I went in the late morning - I was helping with a photo shoot.
We were right around the corner and the model wanted (!!!!!???hah!!!) donuts!!! hehehehehhe.
It has been on my mind to try out SKD and this was serendipity.
I walked in. At first when you enter, the shop is nondescript ... I vaguely recall it has the standard soft drink dispenser/ condiments near the front, and scratch-offs/lotto tickets/cigarettes near the register.
I was momentarily suspicious and distracted by the odd, craggy old man near the door who ear hustled all of my subsequent dialogue.
But then...all of this and everything else blurred and fuzzed to the edge of my vision, as I was hit by the visual impact only a wall of fresh donuts can have. Noises faded away. All I could focus on was the do -nuttiness and the smell of freshly baked sugary temptation. I was overcome.
A young dude behind the counter asked me what I wanted and ....things quickly spiraled OOC.
I found myself quickly firing off my order, like it was going out of style:
2 Coconut cake donuts!
2 apple fritters!
BEARCLAW, rowr!
2 glazed! BAM!
1 old fashioned!
2 crullers!
And the guy smiled at me and threw in a cake donut with sprinkles. (homer simpson wail)
Heart? Stolen. If I wasn't engaged?
....well, okay, I'd be a fata$$ and BFF with this guy, if nothing else.
I grinned at him and told him how yelpers love these donuts, and how I couldn't pass up the chance to visit as I had to make a run for a model with donut issues, all in support of my man.
He laughed and said that, for sure, my man would love me even more now, and that his mom (apparently owner of the place and runs a tight ship) would be proud of the good reviews they were getting!
Could the donut buying experience get any better? no!no!no!no!
The donuts themselves? were for the most part, bliss.
The raised donuts were perfectly pillowy and glazed just enough.
The fritters had a sweetness to the glaze I've never found in others - I think they make it with fruit juice added to the sugar/butter mix.
Caveat: the cake donuts were the one part I found somewhat lacking. DunkinD's does them better, IMHO.
While SK's doesn't skimp on the glaze, and the donuts themselves are moist and full of delectable flavor, the cake texture reminded me of an airy muffin rather than the dense richness that DD's cake donuts have.
Note: this seems to be a tendency that many independent donut b'nesses share in making their cake donuts from the look of it, but I've never tried other cake donuts at non chain shoppes. Was it bad? No. Just different, and my preference runs to the type that DD offers.
To wind it up: I brought the tall order back to the model, her seven dwarves, and the rest of the village that it took to get her made up.
The model loved her donuts. The staff, crew, etc. who partook loved theirs. Everyone inhaled them like it was oxygen in a stalled elevator, but so did I.
All in all, a solid 5 for the excellent service, heavenly goods, and what I think is a commitment to producing more of the same. Keep it up!
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Quality donuts, really cheap prices. Great staff. Perfect for picking up the morning sweets for the office...
Let me first of all say that I don't take the phrase "the best ____ that I've ever had." This is a selective phrase and the weight that goes with it is of utmost honesty and has been seriously deliberated.
So let me just say, HOLY F#@! these are the BEST donuts I have EVER had.
I'm an avid krispy kreme lover- and I'm not talking buy it in the grocery store krispy kreme, I'm talking fresh from the only damn one in los angeles down on crenshaw, krispy kreme. Ohhh how deceived I have been!
Let me also add that I am a medium grade food snob- or more accurately a high grade food enthusiast. I love love love good food, and am always on the lookout for the best of the best. This said.....
Hands down, SK is the BEST.
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Fresh made donuts, croissants, breakfast & lunch sandwiches w coffee & espresso...and they are open 24/7.
Perks: parking lot, bagels, lotto tickets & cigarettes.
The staff is super friendly & alert even in the am.
I love going to the little side window at 3am or 4am, slightly damp from dancing at some house club and probably still somewhat buzzed, when they're pulling out fresh batches of crumb cake donuts. Good God.
I also took some out-of-town friends here for breakfast donuts 'n coffee a few weeks ago. We got two donuts each. They were delish but I felt slightly sick afterwards. For breakfast the next morning, we went to the Farmer's Market and had Pinkberry, followed by an order of extra-cripsy bacon to go at Charlie's Coffee Shop. Yum.
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THE CRULLERS ARE INSANE! Sweet Jesus. Seriously, it's disgusting how delicious they are. The first time I ever went was at 10 pm after a 4 hour class, let's just say I'd go to school every day if this was my reward. Def. you have to get whatever is fresh at that moment (that's the official donut rule), but the glazed, maple, and vanilla crullers are where it's at.
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Part 2 of : I'm moving to the miracle mile area, so this is where you'll find me segment
As you can see, not many people are giving SK's anything other than 5 stars. I also am giving 5 stars so I surely agree with everything else written. However, since I have all this space, I'd like to make my feelings on donuts known.
SK Donuts are great. Best I've had... maybe anywhere! But I want to make it clear that I would much rather have a Dunkin Donuts on every corner in this town with their just-fine-by-me satisfactory donuts and their worth-flying-to-the-east-coast-for-2-hours coffee than have one dream-worthy SK donut shop.
Tis All!
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So you want to sketch out your friends at 1am? Great! Let me show you how:
1) Walk up to the side window of SK's anytime after 12am.
2) Knock on said window.
3) When the guy inside slides it open and gives you a nod, ask in your best creepster voice: "What's hot?"
No, this isn't code that will accidentally score you some horse tranquilizer or underage porn wrapped in black plastic-- but it will garner you a list of their most recent, hot out of the fryer donuts and make you look super hip to the workings of a strip mall donut shop.
Yeah, this also might make you looks ridiculous to your friends.
But anyone who says it's anticlimactic when you knock on a window and ask what's hot at 2:00am only to be handed a donut...well, they've never had a piping hot, gooey chocolate covered piece of post-party heaven.
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I am screwed because I live within walking distance.
Donuts were soft.. And not too sweet. And soft.... to the core..
And I got free donuts D: How can I not 5 star to free food D:
Now to erase my memory of the location ......
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I made the trip over here for a bite of these highly proclaimed fresh donuts before going to work. I chose everything possible that looked like it was still cooling from the oven/fryer. Sadly, it didn't appear possible to tell the difference unless you've got access behind the glass like the workers do. So, I go ahead and ask what's fresh and the girl helping me sweetly gives me a puzzled face. Erm, nevermind. I'll move on because this appears to be a pattern in my life. Why does no one answer my questions? Instead, I just randomly pointed at different shaped donuts and bought them right away before I realized there was way too much in my box to feed myself. The girl helping me is smiling while I walk away afraid I wouldn't give these treats their due justice. And than I remembered I'm like fifteen minutes from where my mom lives. I'm gonna go share some with her. In a full ten minutes time from the drive away, I took a bite of all the various colored sprinkled donuts, chocolate long twists, old fashion style donuts, french cruller, apple fritter, and glazed donuts. So hot, so warm, and so sweet. When my mom opened the box, I joked it came like that and she told me to wipe the glaze off my lips.
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Best donut shop in the area I have found so far. I hate thin worthless kripy kreame or street people hangouts as the other are. These guys sell real donuts. Not as good as Round Rock donuts but hey, those are 1300 miles away.
There could be better out there so I am still looking.
3.75 stars here.
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I definitely understand saying that these donuts are delicious, but possibly not quite delicious enough to drive any sort of distance to. But for me personally, I disagree.
If you have a midnight craving for donuts, it's the perfect place to go. Hell, even the drive helps wake you up. It's nice that it's 24hrs, and even late at night, it seems like a safe place to hang out inside and eat your donuts any time of night.
The donuts were delicious. And the employee who helped me and my friends was more than amazing. I look forward to more midnight runs there.
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Had a delicious cup of coffee for $1. and it was super fast. why waste time at other coffee shops when you can get instant gratification at this no-frills shop. I'll have to try a donut.
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I don't get all the insanity over these donuts. Tried out the place this morning after seeing the Yelp reviews. They were very good, but then again, a baby's arm deep fried and slathered in chocolate would probably be equally delicious. Great if you're in the area, but not remarkable enough to drive any distance for. I will say the staff was very friendly and threw in an extra donut even though I only ordered 3 (guess I got a baker's 3).
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I lived down the block from this place, and I enjoyed my little Saturday morning walk for coffee and donuts. Even though I've moved away, I've considered driving back on occasion. I haven't done it, but I've considered it. Their donuts are some of the best I've had in a while.
I particularly enjoyed that everyone who worked there was super friendly. I even got a free donut from one of the boys once, which I thought was special. I miss having a place like this in my neighborhood. I don't know that it's worth a special trip, because when I want coffee and donuts, I want it NOW, but if you're in the neighborhood, you should check it out.
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It occurred to me recently that donuts are the new drunk food. I know, I know, where the hell have I been, but after spending a little time with fellow yelpers and reading so many reviews about drunken pastry binges I decided to join the ranks of other sugary coated serial killers. Which is what I'm convinced S+K stands for, haha. Or is it South Korean donuts... "some killer donuts" who cares I was drunk...
So I go for the glaze, I'm an old fashion kinda girl and then the French cruller comes out and then I died... I did! I fell backwards on a cloud of fluffy sweet heaven and woke up the next morning crusted to my pillow with leftovers still pasted on my face waiting to be re consumed. Oh yah.
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Like I need to review SK's.. But thank you, thank you, thank you Yelpers for turning me on to this place. Holy crap, but after years of dreaming of Dunkin' Donuts (and smuggling a dozen or so on the plane back from the East Coast) I found a little piece of heaven. Asked for the fresh ones, and got 'em... Soft puffy pillows of sweet happiness..
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I had the best eclair/long john I've had anywhere in Los Angeles at this shop. They cheated and sliced it open to fill it with custard instead of injecting it, although I can see the benefit of that since the custard was evenly and generously distributed. Sorry Sk Donuts, I won't doubt your methods ever again.
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I finally got over to SK's for a proper review of their donuts. Rock...Solid...Donuts! On the scale, I'm still going to put WenDy's in the Marina a touch higher on the list, but SK's is still worthy of the full five stars.
My favorite thing about SK's is that they have the rare and elusive cruller! So exciting! Most places don't take the time to make 'em since it's a completely different deal than other donuts. Bravo!
Also, the glazed raised and chocolate bar, two of my staple donuts, are excellent here. Donut Hut in the valley still has an edge on the crumb donuts. Also worth noting, the selection on my visit was lacking in the cake donut selection, but I think they're on the right track with that. After all, anyone can make a cake donut (have you ever had a bad rainbow sprinkle?)
Of course, these aren't Krispy Kremes but you can't eat those every day, right?
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best motherfudging donuts in LA. ive had my fair share of donuts and these are the best hands down. at only $5.80 for a dozen you could become happy in a matter of minutes. the cruller is delightfully fluffy yet exquisite and the coconut cake donut is slightly crunchy yet perfectly doughy. its just really good. just go already!
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These are the best tasting damn donuts EVER!!! The best part is going at midnight and asking the guy from the order window in your deepest voice "WHAT'S HOT?" When he tells you what's hot, you better order it and eat it right away to experience the best tasting donut EVER!!
I confess, I just binged on three fresh SK donuts and I'm damn happy I did! Well, at least my tummy is happy... *sigh*, I know I'll be paying for it with extra time on the treadmill for the next two weeks... But seriously, well worth the binge! Hands down the best donuts in LA.
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Hands down, the best donuts I have ever tasted. At 60 cents each or $5 a dozen they're also a great deal! The only downside is that it's a tiny storefront in a strip mall so not the kind of place you want to go if you want to eat in. (I'd suggest Bob's in the Farmer's Market instead.) But if you're getting them to go then you can't go wrong - they're all fabulous!!!
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Yes, I am an apple fritter ho. And these apple fritters make me want to do inappropriate things.
You see, every weekend at work someone has to bring in donuts. People are coming from all over, so sometimes you get Valley donuts, sometimes beach donuts, and, when my work is really lucky, you get my SK donuts. They are so far superior to all the others it's just silly. Anyway, I always got 2 apple fritters, one for myself and one for whoever else was fast enough. Apparently, my boss didn't get the memo that one apple fritter is MINE.
And he ate it.
And I killed him.
Well, I thought about it at least. But by then he'd already taken a bite, and I don't want his cooties.
So, now I get three apple fritters.
As an added bonus, I once bought a lottery ticket here that won me $11. All around awesome.
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Wanted: Cake donut with cherry frosting.
Will gnaw off own hand, sing along to Britney, watch a pauly shore movie (maybe even two), compliment jessica biel's acting skills, play tetris on an old arcade machine with a faulty joystick, kiss kim kardashian....oh what the heck, just give me the donut already!
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Okay, I'm really upset that Stephy already reviewed this since I told her about the place but I will put my aggresion aside for a moment to represent for S to the K's
If you are a Do- NUT, like I am, you know that its really hard to find a good donut spot, especially one that makes them fresh. Not only does this spot make them fresh, I know their schedule of what comes out from 10:30PM on to 6:00AM. What's great about that is that when you are coming home from a bar or a club you always have a different choice of what just came out fresh. And if for some reason, if nothing has come out in the past 20 minutes, all you have to do is wait 5 more and out comes a piping hot fresh new batch...damn I love this place!
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SK's Crack House!
I live dangerously close to this donut hole.
Here's how it usually goes down...
It's 4am, I'm driving home from a night of debauchery and over indulgence. I get a twitch. I get another twitch. In fact, I can't f-ing stop twitching! DONUTS...must have donuts. I pass Beverly and bust it on down to 3rd. SCREECH! SLAM! *patter of feet...knock on glass* SK's donut pusher stumbles up to the all-night window bleary eyed and pissed off (wouldn't you be if you had to make friggin donuts at 4am?) One night I actually caught him sleeping standing up...no shit. Anyway...no chavs in sight tonight, I can sate my habit in peace.
Me - "What's hot...what's hot?"
SK SIinger - "Those two racks just came off."
Me - "How about the buttercakes?"
SK Slinger - No words, just the old "What the F did I just tell you?" look.
Me - "K, how about two originals and a cruller."
I scrape the bottom of my pocket for loose change and pay up, throw the bag in the car and peel it home to bang my glucose.
I have this ritual now where I have to rub the donuts on my nipples before I eat them. JK. I usually cozy up to the boob (speaking of nipples) with a glass of milk (speaking of nipples) and demolish those bad boys in 1.30 flat.
A few tips for the novice...
1 - ALWAYS ask what is fresh. I can tell donut boy hates this...but hey, I don't do dirty junk.
2 - NEVER eat more than 3 donuts per sitting. Diabetes...bad.
3 - SOMETIMES take a friend...but I recommend keeping this little gem a secret. Buy it there, sell it double curbside.
For this review (and this review only) the Official Pie Hole Chart will become...you guessed it.
Rating: 5 Donut Holes
Official Donut Hole Chart
1 Donut Hole - Vomick!
2 Donut Holes - Not so vomick, but still kinda vomicky
3 Donut Holes - Fills you...but without the regret
4 Donut Holes - Gooder than a Nutter Butter
5 Donut Holes - CRAM IT IN!!!
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One of the better donut places that I've been to in Los Angeles -- there was absolutely nothing wrong with their donuts -- but not worth a special trip.
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Oh sweet donut gods, I am so glad you have placed SK's donuts next to my apartment!! I used to brood about the lack of non-scary dunkin' donuts in LA, but thanks to SK I don't miss Dunkin at all!
The donuts and croissants are dirt cheap. I think I paid less than $5 to get a few donuts, milk and a croissant last time I was in there. In the morning the nicest ladies work there, they even replaced the donut I dropped on the floor (how embarrassing I was trying to shove it in my mouth the moment they handed it to me). I try to avoid this place for the obvious reasons, but when you need a donut this is the place to be!
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