Stan’s Donut Shop is nothing out of this world, but the flavor and texture of its donuts make it stand out for me.
Established in 1959 by Stanford Whittmayer along with his wife and nine children, Stan’s Donut Shop has become a Santa Clara classic for six decades, according to the store’s homepage.
“We accept cash and check only,” were the first words on their online menu. For a shop located in Silicon Valley, I couldn’t wrap my head around Stan’s Donut Shop to not progress with time despite how long the shop has been around, according to their online menu
This also created a vision of what the store would look like even before walking in. It took me back to waking up early with my parents on a weekend morning to get some fresh, warm donuts.
It is important to note that my trip to Stan’s Donut Shop was later in the day, nearing their closing hours but I was sure there would still be a large assortment of donuts.
Stan’s Donut shop is open from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., according to the same online menu.
Walking into Stan’s Donut Shop was almost like traveling back in time. The decorations that adorned the wall contained memorabilia along with several awards including “2013’s Best of the Valley,” according to Metro Silicon Valley.
A large sign of a vintage-looking menu also hung above the donut display case that was nearly empty by this point. However, best of all was the smell - a sweet vanilla aroma that just screamed donuts.
Whether it was perfect timing or pure luck, I was still able to grab some donuts, especially the last of the day – the buttermilk maple donut.
After taking my first bite, I was surprised by the softness it had – not too soft where the dough crumbled at every bite. The maple icing stood out to me because previous maple donuts I have consumed had been entirely too sweet and made it difficult to finish.
With Stan’s buttermilk maple donuts, I had no issue finishing the donut because of its balance of flavor.
Along with the maple donut, I was able to get a plain glazed donut and a vanilla donut frosted with peanut toppings, the only remaining flavors of the day.
More often than not, plain glazed donuts are overlooked because of the different variety of flavors donut shops offer but plain glazed donuts are my absolute favorite and this made me more excited to try this one out.
First bite in and I was hooked. Again, I am not a huge sweet tooth girl so I'm always looking for treats that do not have that overpowering taste of sweetness. The star quality of this donut was that its glaze did not break and fall off creating a mess.
Another of the donuts I tried was a vanilla glazed donut with peanut toppings. I wasn’t a huge fan of this donut due to the mess it created after the very first bite, but the taste made it an exception.
The sweetness of the vanilla, compared to the previous donuts, was not overwhelming but the contrasting nutty flavor from the peanuts left a pleasant taste.
To my surprise, the store provided classic flavors such as glazed donuts, similar to what I would see at any other donut shop.
Although it remains as a daily family-run business, the family recipe and their specific donut-making style have been passed down to Jesus Lopez, who is now the head baker of the establishment, according to the the same website.
The mom-and-pop shop vibe of Stan’s Donut Shop is something that I believe brings their customers in, but the flavors offered are what hook them into staying and maintaining their loyalty.
This helped the shop survive the COVID-19 pandemic amid false reporting of their business being closed, according to Santa Clara News.
Stan’s Donut Shop truly showed me why it won “Best of the Valley” when I tasted these donuts.
Although I wasn’t able to taste a lot of flavors due to its high demand, the ones I did have were very pleasant.
I had a great experience talking to the staff working at Stan’s and the entire atmosphere recreated that nostalgic feel of my childhood.
