Knead Donuts & Tea

There are countless donut shops across Orange County, most content to churn out solid but not especially imaginative treats. While we don’t take the availability of pretty good donuts for granted after living elsewhere in the country, we really appreciate bakeries that go out of their way to innovate and set new high standards for quality. Knead, a small chain of Cambodian bakeries just north of Orange County in Long Beach, is a prime example.

Over the past several years, Knead has continued to up the ante for local donuts: Its tres leches, chocolate tuxedo, blueberry, carrot cake, and caramelized crème brûlée donuts are some of the best we’ve ever eaten, anywhere. Better yet, as the images here illustrate, they look as compelling as they taste. Having confronted their display cases full of gorgeous options, we’ve come to appreciate how patient the employees are as customers attempt to choose just one… or maybe two… well, OK, I guess we’ll have a few.