Winchell's Doughnut House - Riverside

After my partner mentioned that Winchell's is a local favorite, I knew I had to give it a try. We visited early in the morning, and it was pretty busy, but the staff were incredibly efficient! Unfortunately, the back door was out of order, so we had to enter and exit through a single door, which felt a bit awkward. However, the donuts were fresh and delicious, and the coffee was just what I needed. I did notice that the place seems to attract some individuals experiencing homelessness who may ask you to buy them food, but it's easy to politely decline.

The staff here is incredibly friendly. However, there is an issue with homeless individuals in the early mornings. It would be helpful to have a guard on duty to assist in clearing the area during that time. On the bright side, they offer fresh donuts every morning!

"Okay, coming from the Bay Area, I really enjoy this place when I return in the mornings. I give it 3 stars because I hope to see more smiling faces, like they have when they advertise that they’re hiring. The donuts are not always great, but the one I had was really good! I wish there were more locations like this in other cities. If you opened one in Richmond, CA, you would attract a lot of customers. Overall, stay awesome and definitely go try the donuts and coffee!"

Winchell's seems to be trying to move into other markets. I had already had donuts elsewhere, so I ordered a sausage egg and cheese on a whole wheat bagel. It was fine, but nothing to write home about. The servers also were fine. Their payment systemwanted a tip before providing any service, super annoying, but typical to the service counter restaurant industry. The lowscore is because All of the 6 or 7 tables in the restaurant were dirty and when I tried to ask for a rag to clean one, Icouldn't anyone's attention. I'd give them another shot. They did have some construction going on.

I ordered the breakfast meal deal, which came with chorizo and egg on a plain bagel. Their coffee is exceptional—truly the perfect example of classic donut shop coffee. The atmosphere feels very local and welcoming.