What is this sorcery??!! These donuts are absolutely insane! The flavors are incredibly unique, & specialty donuts vary daily. Examples of flavors include Berry Creamsicle*, Mango Orange*, Strawberry Matcha*, Salted Caramel Latte*, Brown Butter, Vanilla Bean, Devil's Chocolate, Devil's Vanilla, & more! By far, the best donuts I've ever had!!! They even taste fresh leftover! * = specialty donuts - vary daily
Greg S.
Donuts are ok. Certain donuts were much better than others. The chocolate tasted 2 days old and was dense cake; really bad. The caramel apple was really good although a bit too rich. Heath bar was good flavor, but again the cake was dense and despite being fresh, didn't taste it. Overall average donuts but the prices are gourmet donut prices. So for value I would never go back here.
Tim Dreyer
Great doughnuts and a cute patio upstairs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sara Brisbin
Such amazing service! I was in town visiting and walked by when they were closing. They were so sweet and gave me a free bag of their last donuts! Will definitely come back and try them all next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cin Co
Best donuts in San Diego. The brown butter + crumb is life changing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bryan Kelly (B.)
You better know what you want Check the menu before going. It's busy at times I hear it gets slow at points but I haven't been there yet for those slow points. Always busy when I go replace to get a unique donut. Very tasty The flavors will surprise you how authentic they taste. Like a minute to anyone not a dollar donut. It doesn't of these are cost a little. But worth it for taste only.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Michael Uzmann
Owned by the SDCM Restaurant Group behind Kettner Exchange Devil’s Dozen debuted in 2015, a Little Italy address predictably generating lines that the shop’s limited size continues to struggle with now.Narrow across the alley from KEX, a single window beneath the rooftop patio in charge of selling fried Dough plus elaborate Lattes to the Soy or Oat Milk crowd, guests can expect to wait, wait and wait some more while one guest has their whole six-drink order prepared even though others just desiring Pastries could easily be addressed in the meantime.Thirty minutes to move three orders, the online ordering system never once operational across two days, those with persistence will find the Donuts themselves mostly-well constructed, the raised options light and springy regardless of toppings while the Old Fashioned is unfortunately a bit dry.Prone to frequent change, Gluten-free choices available on weekends for those feigning an allergy, do consider the “Cosmic Brownie” if available as the Brioche ring marries semi-cooked Batter to airy Whipped Cream and Sprinkles.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Marco Chacon
Donuts are amazing, the best I’ve had in the city. The way the shop is set up is incredibly inefficient and frustrating to navigate: complicated coffee drinks and only 1 person there to make them + fill donut orders, leads to very long - unnecessary - wait times. It has taken 20 minutes to serve 4 customers, with similarly slow rates on multiple occasions (which is not the employees fault, just a poorly designed setup). If they had separate drink & donut lines, hiring 1 more person, it would make things much better for everyone.
Food: 5
Service: 1
Ti tan G
Paying cash left me realizing the workers do a little more than just work for a place called the devils dozen. They refused to give me my change saying “I don’t give change”. I was dumbfounded, but having bitten into the vanilla glaze donut and all was forgiven. Quality ingredients with devilish service will teach you a lesson about paying cash here but the atmosphere and donuts will make up for it. 10/10 place to watch anime at in the morning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Vanilla Bean
Tim
Edit: back to normal!!My favorite, the classic chocolate glaze, now comes covered in these super hard little jawbreakers and other little sprinkles. I loved the donut because of how soft and slightly chewy It is. Now I have to be super careful while chewing and that ruins the experience.I'm hoping that's an October thing (?)
Fantastic specialty donuts! However, the woman at the register does not seem to be a morning person. Didn't even try to crack a smile and was actually kind of rude. In fact, she charged me for a donut I never asked for. But hey, maybe I caught her on a bad day?
Ivy Ebanks
I finally made it to this place during my final days in San Diego on a friend's suggestion. I have tried several donut shops in the city and honestly, I see the light in the dark with Devil's Dozen..Tucked away on Kettner Boulevard in Little Italy, this branded cafe taunts and tempts anyone with a sweet tooth walking past their roadside, walkup counter. The donuts are made from scratch phresh daily and are available until what is in stock is sold out, so if you want the best of the variety, get there early. A woman with a cute and colorful head bow in her hair, cordially greeted me and took my order. I had the Vanilla Old Fashioned and an almond milk hot chocolate..After receiving my goodies, I went upstairs to their seating area that overlooks the Waterfront park at San Diego Harbor. The donut was perfectly glazed on the outside and felt like a mix between soft cake and a muffin upon sinking my teeth into it. The glaze was more sweet than the dough which was a good contrast and balance for taste and worth the potential cavities. The cocoa was hot, but not searing and and had a round flavor probably some of the best cocoa I've had. If you want a good sugar rush to start your day and you're in the area, don't hesitate to dance with the devil's dozen!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Julia Bell
We really enjoyed these donuts, they deserve a better rating! We tried a few and all the flavors matched the names to a T. Great view upstairs and the only thing is we wish we tried this place earlier!
Rashmi Rai
The donuts at this place are worth a try. My brother always praises the deliciousness of these yummy treats. I hope to stop by this shop and try this delicacy sometime soon. ✨
Brittany Morris
Quick stop at the donut shop before we flew back home. They have weekly donuts, and we had the PB&J one and the maple bacon one. PB&J is awesome, highly recommend!!
What is this sorcery??!! These donuts are absolutely insane! The flavors are incredibly unique, & specialty donuts vary daily. Examples of flavors include Berry Creamsicle*, Mango Orange*, Strawberry Matcha*, Salted Caramel Latte*, Brown Butter, Vanilla Bean, Devil's Chocolate, Devil's Vanilla, & more! By far, the best donuts I've ever had!!! They even taste fresh leftover! * = specialty donuts - vary daily
Donuts are ok. Certain donuts were much better than others. The chocolate tasted 2 days old and was dense cake; really bad. The caramel apple was really good although a bit too rich. Heath bar was good flavor, but again the cake was dense and despite being fresh, didn't taste it. Overall average donuts but the prices are gourmet donut prices. So for value I would never go back here.
Great doughnuts and a cute patio upstairs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Such amazing service! I was in town visiting and walked by when they were closing. They were so sweet and gave me a free bag of their last donuts! Will definitely come back and try them all next time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best donuts in San Diego. The brown butter + crumb is life changing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
You better know what you want Check the menu before going. It's busy at times I hear it gets slow at points but I haven't been there yet for those slow points. Always busy when I go replace to get a unique donut. Very tasty The flavors will surprise you how authentic they taste. Like a minute to anyone not a dollar donut. It doesn't of these are cost a little. But worth it for taste only.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Owned by the SDCM Restaurant Group behind Kettner Exchange Devil’s Dozen debuted in 2015, a Little Italy address predictably generating lines that the shop’s limited size continues to struggle with now.Narrow across the alley from KEX, a single window beneath the rooftop patio in charge of selling fried Dough plus elaborate Lattes to the Soy or Oat Milk crowd, guests can expect to wait, wait and wait some more while one guest has their whole six-drink order prepared even though others just desiring Pastries could easily be addressed in the meantime.Thirty minutes to move three orders, the online ordering system never once operational across two days, those with persistence will find the Donuts themselves mostly-well constructed, the raised options light and springy regardless of toppings while the Old Fashioned is unfortunately a bit dry.Prone to frequent change, Gluten-free choices available on weekends for those feigning an allergy, do consider the “Cosmic Brownie” if available as the Brioche ring marries semi-cooked Batter to airy Whipped Cream and Sprinkles.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Donuts are amazing, the best I’ve had in the city. The way the shop is set up is incredibly inefficient and frustrating to navigate: complicated coffee drinks and only 1 person there to make them + fill donut orders, leads to very long - unnecessary - wait times. It has taken 20 minutes to serve 4 customers, with similarly slow rates on multiple occasions (which is not the employees fault, just a poorly designed setup). If they had separate drink & donut lines, hiring 1 more person, it would make things much better for everyone.
Food: 5
Service: 1
Paying cash left me realizing the workers do a little more than just work for a place called the devils dozen. They refused to give me my change saying “I don’t give change”. I was dumbfounded, but having bitten into the vanilla glaze donut and all was forgiven. Quality ingredients with devilish service will teach you a lesson about paying cash here but the atmosphere and donuts will make up for it. 10/10 place to watch anime at in the morning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Vanilla Bean
Edit: back to normal!!My favorite, the classic chocolate glaze, now comes covered in these super hard little jawbreakers and other little sprinkles. I loved the donut because of how soft and slightly chewy It is. Now I have to be super careful while chewing and that ruins the experience.I'm hoping that's an October thing (?)
Restaurantji Recommends
Fantastic specialty donuts! However, the woman at the register does not seem to be a morning person. Didn't even try to crack a smile and was actually kind of rude. In fact, she charged me for a donut I never asked for. But hey, maybe I caught her on a bad day?
I finally made it to this place during my final days in San Diego on a friend's suggestion. I have tried several donut shops in the city and honestly, I see the light in the dark with Devil's Dozen..Tucked away on Kettner Boulevard in Little Italy, this branded cafe taunts and tempts anyone with a sweet tooth walking past their roadside, walkup counter. The donuts are made from scratch phresh daily and are available until what is in stock is sold out, so if you want the best of the variety, get there early. A woman with a cute and colorful head bow in her hair, cordially greeted me and took my order. I had the Vanilla Old Fashioned and an almond milk hot chocolate..After receiving my goodies, I went upstairs to their seating area that overlooks the Waterfront park at San Diego Harbor. The donut was perfectly glazed on the outside and felt like a mix between soft cake and a muffin upon sinking my teeth into it. The glaze was more sweet than the dough which was a good contrast and balance for taste and worth the potential cavities. The cocoa was hot, but not searing and and had a round flavor probably some of the best cocoa I've had. If you want a good sugar rush to start your day and you're in the area, don't hesitate to dance with the devil's dozen!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We really enjoyed these donuts, they deserve a better rating! We tried a few and all the flavors matched the names to a T. Great view upstairs and the only thing is we wish we tried this place earlier!
The donuts at this place are worth a try. My brother always praises the deliciousness of these yummy treats. I hope to stop by this shop and try this delicacy sometime soon. ✨
Quick stop at the donut shop before we flew back home. They have weekly donuts, and we had the PB&J one and the maple bacon one. PB&J is awesome, highly recommend!!