Dynamo Donuts

By now, you may have realized that I really like donuts.  I have them at least once a week (usually Fridays).  I can appreciate a classic, simple donut (like a simple glazed from Super Duper) just as much as a super trendy donut (like those from Psycho Donuts that turned out to be amazing) or a stuffed and torched to order Gastro Tank from Fill 'R Up.  Am I a bit of a traitor to New England if I admit I don't really love Dunkin' Donuts though?  Anyway, I eat a lot of donuts.  I have opinions about donuts.

If you ask San Franciscans about donuts, there is no doubt that Dynamo will be one of the first places mentioned.    They are been so popular that they opened a second shop in the Marina (in addition to the original Mission location) and they distribute to coffee shops all over town.  They make 30+ varieties of donuts, in fairly unique flavors, that rotate on a daily basis.  The most famous is the Maple Glazed Bacon Apple (OMG! Bacon on a donut!  Hype hype hype!).

Update Review, 2023

As you've seen in prior reviews, before the pandemic, I used to have Dynamo Donuts regularly, about every other week, when we had them at our office for donut Fridays.  I wasn't really a big Dynamo fan, but rather, a captive audience who sometimes liked them, but generally just wanted them to be better.  After a few years of not having many, I still get lightly excited when I see them show up, because, well, they are still donuts after all, but I still don't love them.

I continue find it interesting that all of Dynamo's regular menu regular donuts use a single base, vanilla & orange zest, a raised greasy style donut, but all their regular menu vegan donuts are an entirely different base - dark chocolate cake style.  Don't non-vegans want chocolate?  And don't vegans sometimes want non-chocolate?  And people tend to have strong feelings on raised vs cake, sorry cake donut lovers, vegan is your only option?  Anyway, the regular menu is all just different toppings on the same base.  

The seasonal flavors are where things get interesting.  Dynamo offers 2-3 each of regular, vegan, and gluten-free, and these tend to have actually different bases entirely, not just different toppings.  

Spiced Chocolate (Vegan).

"Dark chocolate vegan donut tossed in cinnamon-chipotle sugar."

It had been quite a while since I had a Dynamo donut!  While I haven't ever loved the vegan spiced chocolate, I have tolerated them, and I was really in a chocolate mood, so I grabbed this.

My impression remains about the same as past encounters: a decently chocolatey cake style base, I don't actually taste the chipotle but don't mind.  I think it is just a bit boring as is, but I think it would be good griddled and topped with ice cream, but I haven't tried it that way.  Low ***.

Chocolate Rose (Vegan).

"Dark chocolate vegan donut topped with a sweet rose water and lemon zest glaze."

Now this is the vegan Dynamo donut I've always liked.  Same base as the spiced chocolate (and actually, same base as all 3 of their regular menu vegan donuts), a dark chocolate dense cake style base, that really is pretty good.  Lightly crisp around the exterior, moist enough inside, decent chocolate flavor.  And this time, topped with lovely sweet rose water glaze and a few sprinkles.  Nice base, good sweetness, subtle complexity from the rose.  Always my favorite of the vegan flavors from Dynamo.  ****.

Vanilla Bean (custom colors).

"Vanilla and orange zest donut with a vanilla bean glaze."

After so many years of having Dynamo Donuts regularly, how on earth did I never try the basic vanilla bean before?  I really don't know.  Likely because the donut base involves citrus, and I don't generally like citrus based desserts.  But still.  I've had soooo many Dynamo Donuts items over the years!  These were a custom color design, but otherwise, are one of their regular flavors.

It was a decent donut.  Lofty, greasy standard Dynamo base that you need to be in the mood for.  Fairly strong orange (zest) flavor.  I find it interesting they call this simply a "vanilla bean" donut when the orange element is so significant.  That said, I didn't mind it.  It was not particularly good nor bad, just a bit more interesting.  A standard Dynamo base.  The glaze was sweet, relatively thick vanilla glaze.  Not cloying, but certainly sweet.  I didn't taste vanilla bean exactly but I liked the glaze quite a bit.

So overall, fine, if you like 1) this style of donut and 2) orange zest.  ***.  

Raspberry Chocolate Chip (May 2024 Seasonal).

"Dark chocolate chips folded into our orange zest dough. Dipped in a sweet raspberry glaze."

Same base as all the regular Dynamo donuts, but with a few dark chocolate chips studded within and a seasonal glaze.   The base I felt the same about as their other donuts ... it is really just too greasy for me most of the time.  And the chocolate chips were laughably minimal, truly, perhaps 3 total in my entire donut. Eh to the base.  The fruity sweet raspberry glaze was good though, very sweet, very fruity, and pleasant to kinda peel off the donut, as gross as that sounds.  Low ***.

Update Review, 2018 - 2022 Tastings

As you may recall from my original review, from all my Dynamo visits from 2015-2017, I didn't really love them.  And yet ... I've since tried many, many, many more Dynamo Donuts.  Such is the life of being in an office with "donut Friday", and Dynamo being a regular on the donut rotation.  I'm glad of this fact though, not only because I've had a *ton* of donuts as a result, but, because I discovered some real gems in the Dynamo lineup, mostly monthly special flavors, including some remarkably good vegan or gluten-free options.

Everyday Flavors

Regular ($3.25).

Dynamo carries 6 standard flavors, one with a chocolate base, all glazed in some way.  These have been available for many years, and rarely change.  I've reviewed most of them previously.

Passion Fruit Milk Chocolate.

"Vanilla bean base glazed with tangy passion fruit and milk chocolate."

This is one from the regular menu, and one that has never appealed to me since although I love fresh passion fruit, I'm generally less than pleased with passionfruit flavored things.

But someone else cut these up, so I tried one.

As expected, this wasn't for me.  Very fruity, but not in the way I like.  I did like the chunks of chocolate on top, for the texture and the chocolate, but I felt the chocolate and fruity combo wasn't great either. **+.

Chocolate Rose.

"Chocolate base topped with a sweet rose water and lemon zest glaze."

It was basically just as I remembered: decent cake style chocolate donut, lovely glaze with subtle rose water sweetness.  A classic for a reason, and one I'm happy to have from time to time.  Tied with the wheat-free chocolate one I tried, middle of the pack. ***+.

Vegan ($3.50).

Dynamo always has two everyday vegan flavors, both with chocolate base, which I find surprising, given that their regular donuts are mostly non-chocolate.

Spiced Chocolate.

"Chocolate base tossed in cinnamon-chipotle sugar."

I know, I know.  "Vegan donut".  I always say I don't like "Mexican spice", e.g. a chocolate cinnamon combination.  And yet I went for the vegan cinnamon spiced chocolate donut?  Yup.

For one, I didn't have much selection (these were leftovers from some co-workers, they claimed all the "good" ones).  But also, as I've said in previous reviews, I just don't like Dynamo's vanilla base.  I like the chocolate base, which is always strange to me since I don't go for chocolate bases in general, and I like the gluten-free or vegan ones more than regular.  I just don't understand.

Of course, of the Dynamo chocolate bases, the vegan spiced one *isn't* my favorite, and I knew that, as I've had it many times before.  But given the choice of this or the non-gluten carrot?  This was certainly the better option.

And I did like it.

The chocolate base is just soooo deep and rich.  Cakey, but not too heavy.  Not oily, although, the napkin I had it wrapped in revealed otherwise.

I didn't taste *any* chipotle in the coating, but I found myself even liking the cinnamon sugar.  Well, huh.

I rather enjoyed my Mexican spiced vegan donut.  That is all. ***+.

Spiced Chocolate.

"Chocolate base tossed in cinnamon-chipotle sugar."

I selected this because I remembered loving the chocolate donuts before, but forgot that I had recently not cared for the spiced chocolate, and really prefer the rose chocolate.  Doh.

The donut was was still good, deep chocolate flavor, although a bit dry.  I did like the crust on it, which sounds odd, but I like the texture contrast.  

It was the spicing that I didn't like though, cinnamon, sugar, and chipotle just aren't a great combo for me. ***.

Monthly Specials

Every month, in addition to the everyday flavors, Dynamo has 5 regular seasonal flavors, 3 "I am Not a Gluten" (INAG), and 2 vegan.  They change out monthly, but often repeat year to year.  The INAG donuts are the most expensive, $4 each.

February

Valentine's Specials!

For the month of Febrary, Dynamo had a pink inspired lineup featuring Hibiscus Beet Rose and Huckleberry Meyer Lemon (plus the INAG Chocolate Raspberry), but for Valentine's day itself, they added another that I've never seen before (seemingly simple White Chocolate), and took some classics, like the standard Chocolate Rose, and heart-shapified them.

Everyone in my group loved the extra "cute" factor.

Huckleberry Meyer Lemon.

"Huckleberry and Meyer lemon zest donut."

I eagerly went for the Huckleberry Meyer Lemon to start, a funny move if you know my preferences against citrus desserts, but haven't read my past Dynamo reviews.  This is not a flavor that you'd expect me to like, but, I've often really enjoyed the fruity and citrus flavors from Dynamo, so, it was my first stop.

The glaze was fruity, and fine.

Huckleberry Meyer Lemon: Side View.

Inside was filled with tiny pops of huckleberry, and a hit of meyer lemon.

But ... I didn't care for it, not because of the flavors, which I thought were quite good, balanced, strong enough, and quite fruity, but because the donut was just kinda greasy and not the fried-but-light format I like from Dynamo.  I still don't understand why some wind up like this, and I really don't like them, and others wind up light and greasy in a good way.

I quickly moved on. *** flavors, but **+ cuz it was so greasy.

Hibiscus Beet Rose.

"Roasted beet and orange zest base, with a hibiscus rose glaze."

Next up, one I really did NOT expect to enjoy, as, well, I don't care for beets, citrus, and hibiscus, so I took a small chunk, just to evaluate.

And ... uh ... I really liked it.

The glaze really did not taste like hibiscus nor rose to me, but, it was sweet with a fascinating backdrop to it, and it complimented the donut well.

Hibiscus Beet Rose: Inside

The donut base was a lovely pink color throughout, and, did not taste of beet nor orange zest really.  It certainly was not "plain", almost reminded me of a sweet potato base, but neither I, nor any fellow tasters, thought we tasted beet.  Which of course didn't bother me.

I did like the complex flavor to the base, even if unidentifiable, and the texture of this was perfect, light but dense, fried but not greasy, very good.

I went back happily for a full size. ****.

White Chocolate (Valentine's Day Special).

And lastly, there was a donut I could not identify.  I looked on the website, knowing it wasn't a standard flavor, but looking to see if maybe they had added one.  Nope.  I looked again at the February specials, but it certainly wasn't any of those either.  I was stumped.  It looked like a white glaze on top, but not just the thinner glaze they use on the Vanilla Bean.

I had to try it.

One bite and I went running back.  I loved this one.  I polished off one of these in record time.  One of my all time favorites from Dynamo.

And what was it?  A simple one.  A Valentine's special.  White Chocolate.  Nothing more.  The glaze was thick and more generously applied than most others, it was sweet, but it was a brilliant sweet.  I loved the creamy quality to it in particular.  It was perfect with the donut base, which was classic Dynamo done right, light but greasy in a good way.  The little candy piece on top was ... uh ... the "cherry on top"?   A touch of texture, a touch of fun.

I loved this, and wish it could find its way to the regular menu. ****+.

April

I somehow lost my photos this month, but I have my notes ...

Cornmeal Rosemary Cherry
"Dried sour cherries in a cornmeal-rosemary base topped with a sweet buttermilk glaze."

Remembering how much I loved the cornmeal blueberry before, I eagerly snatched up a hunk of cornmeal rosemary cherry, choosing only not to take a full size one due to the rosemary.  I didn't expect to like the herbs in my donut.

I loved this though.  The doughnut was light and airy, had a slight cornmeal grit to it, the cherries weren't plentiful but gave nice pops of flavor, and the rosemary actually complimented it well, and it made it feel like a ... classy donut?  I'd gladly devour a full size one of these. ****.

Lemon Thyme

"Sweet fresh thyme base topped with a lemon-honey glaze."

I didn't know what kind this was when I took a chunk, as I certainly would never go for a lemon donut, and thyme I was just as skeptical about as rosemary, but it too turned out to be a good donut.  Light and airy, not as fried and heavy as I've felt Dynamo's donuts have been in the past, and again, a fairly complex, grown up flavor profile.  ****.

Chocolate with Raspberry Black Pepper Glaze (INAG).

"Wheat free chocolate donut with a Raspberry Balsamic and Black pepper glaze."

I forgot that I had tried this before, and again didn't really care for it.  Rather dry base, slightly fruity glaze. **.

Chocolate Ginger Orange (INAG).

"Candied ginger folded into a wheat-free chocolate base finished with a ginger-infused orange juice glaze."

Another base I did not care for, but, the candied ginger chunks were nice. **+.

May

Jalapeño Lime. $3.

"Fresh jalapeño and lime zest in a vanilla base, dipped in lemon-line glaze and rolled in tajin."

I ... wish I liked the Dynamo Donuts vanilla base.  This was just spongy, oily, and I didn't like it.

The jalapeño and lime zest were great though, slightly spicy and zingy, the lemon-lime glaze was sweet and tangy, and tajin added more spicy and ooph.

So great flavors in the sweet-spicy-tangy combo, but sigh, I just don't like their base donut. **+.

Carrot (INAG).

"Fresh carrots & currants in a wheat-free base, tossed in cinnamon-brown sugar." 

I knew I didn't really care for this before, but I decided to give it another try, since I have liked their other "not a gluten" bases.

It was dense, tasted "gluten free"in that bad way, and was way too aggressively spiced.  Certainly not for me. **.

Lemon Pistachio. $3.50.

"Lemon zest and pistachio base glazed with lemon and rolled in toasted pistachios."

You wouldn't expect me to give a positive review of a lemon product, nor of a Dynamo donut generally, but, I liked this.

A dense, kinda greasy, but not unpleasant donut base, plenty of icing (albeit lemon), and lots of texture from the crumbled pistachios on top.  The best part though was the unexpected salt level, I think from the toasted pistachios.  The salt added so much pop to it.

I truly enjoyed this, and found the lemon-pistachio combo pleasant even. ***+.

Another Lemon Pistachio.

Since I enjoyed the Lemon Pistachio the previous week, I was happy to get one again.

This time the base was actually lighter, fluffier (although still pretty greasy), and I liked it a bit more.  I again loved the pop of flavor from the salt level (seriously, awesome!), didn't mind the lemon, and loved the crushed pistachios.  ****.

Pineapple Basil.

"A fresh basil, lemon zest, and orange zest base is hand dipped in a pineapple glaze and garnished with fresh basil. "

The other May special was a really fascinating sounding combination: pineapple basil!

It let me down.

The pineapple glaze was sweet and fruity, and was the dominant flavor.  There were a few visible shreds of basil, but ... I tasted no basil.  Not on top, and not inside.

Pineapple Basil: Fluffy Raised Base.

The base was far more fluffy and lighter than some other Dynamo donuts, which I liked, but I didn't taste the basil, nor the lemon and orange zest promised in the base.  It tasted like their standard vanilla base, albeit fluffier.

Overall, fine, but really just a raised fluffy pineapple donut. ***.

June 

Strawberry Earl Grey.

"Fresh California strawberries in a semolina base topped with double bergamot Earl Grey glaze. "

I stopped to take a photo of this one ... only once I went back to claim the rest of it.  I assure you, it was too good to eat this small of a chunk!

The base had big pieces of strawberries in it, juicy and fresh, almost like what you'd expect in a muffin, not a donut.  I don't think I've ever had fruit like this in a muffin before.  I loved that, and the semolina base was good, not too fried tasting.  

The glaze I was less into, as I'm not really one for tea flavors, and the earl grey and strawberry were an odd pairing to me, but, I appreciated the sweetness nonetheless.

A unique donut, and I wish they just used a different glaze. ***+.

July

Pink Lemonade.

 "Fresh and candied lemon zest in base, lemon hibiscus glaze, topped with candied lemon."

This was a tangy, lemon forward donut, which isn't normally my thing, but, I'll admit, the pink color helped trick me into thinking it wasn't entirely lemon.

Definitely not my favorite, and I wouldn't get another, but it was fun to try. ***.

Orange Dreamsicle. $3.

"An orange zest infused vanilla base topped with a marbled fresh orange juice and vanilla glaze."

I expected to taste more orange in this, but it was fairly subtle.  Still, it reminded me a bit of an Orange Julius, and that isn't a bad thing.  Still, not my favorite. ***.

Blueberry Lavender. $3.50.

"Lemon cornmeal base with fresh blueberries topped with a honey lavender glaze."

I *loved* this one.

I know this sounds like something I wouldn't really like (lemon and lavender are both never high on my list), but it was fabulous.

The base had a slightly crispy backside, it was greasy yet light, in the way that I now know to be prepared for with Dynamo donuts.  A fine base, and the cornmeal element of it is really what I quite enjoyed.  There was only a slight lemon hint, and that went very nicely with the blueberries.

Speaking of the blueberries, they were juicy and fruity, and provided pops of flavor, and I guess, lightness against the heavier donut.  The fruit really is what makes many Dynamo donuts shine.

And of course, the glaze, honey lavender, but, a very subtle flavor, not punch-you-in-the-face floral at all.   And not too much honey either.  It was certainly sweet, and there was tons of glaze, but it complimented the fruity cornmealy donut so well.

I really enjoyed this, and it was another one I was embarrassed by just how quickly I devoured it. ****+.

iNag Assortment: Carrot Cream Cheese, Lemon Blueberry, Chocolate with Raspberry Black Pepper Glaze.

While I'm not gluten-free, I have enjoyed some Dynamo iNag (I am not a gluten) donuts before, so when there were plenty leftover, I gave another a try.

Carrot cream cheese (yellow one):

"A wheat-free base filled with carrots, currants, cinnamon and clove, dipped in a carrot juice and cream cheese glaze. "

The carrot cream cheese is an evolution of the regular carrot cake one I've tried before (and didn't care for) so I was tempted to skip it, but the addition of the cream cheese glaze and carrot juice dip (?!) intrigued me.

I ... still didn't really like it.  It seemed dry, and although the base had a lot going on, with carrots and currants and lots of spicing, it fell flat.  I didn't taste the carrot juice dip, and the glaze wasn't particularly cream cheesy either. **

Lemon Strawberry (light pink topped one):
"Fresh strawberries folded into a wheat-free lemon base and topped with a strawberry lemon glaze."
This was delicious!!!

The base was dense, cakey, and not as good as a not gluten-free donut, but, it wasn't odd texture, nor odd flavor.  I didn't taste much (if any) lemon in it, but that was fine.  Basically, a non-offensive base.

But it is the strawberries that made this incredible.  Juicy, fresh, moist, and pops of fabulousness throughout.  The glaze on top was also delicious, very berry forward.

I easily finished this donut, and had no qualms about it being gluten-free.  A very different (denser, cake-like) style than regular yeasted Dynamo donuts, but the fresh strawberry elements made it a serious winner. ***+.

August

August brought some fruity heavy hitters.  All were great.

Whiskey Peach.

"Brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a fresh peach and lemon base, topped with a spiced peach whiskey glaze and cinnamon dust garnish."

I expected this to be my favorite of the August specials, as I um, love whiskey and peaches, although I was a bit worried about the nutmeg (a little goes a loooong way for me).

The nutmeg wasn't really noticeable, but neither was anything else.  I didn't taste any whiskey nor peach in the glaze, and the donut itself wasn't bursting with fruity goodness.

It was still a fine donut, just, not as peach and whiskey forward as I was hoping, my least favorite of the August specials.  ***+.

Blackberry Almond Crumb.

"Fresh blackberry and orange zest base is dipped into a mixed berry glaze and topped with cardamom almond streusel."

Next, I grabbed a hunk of the blackberry almond crumb, approaching it with a bit of apprehension as I tend to shy away from blackberries (I hate the seeds!) and cardamom.  But I was drawn in by the streusel topping.

This one was good.  The base was light and fruity, with berry flavors but (yay!) no seeds, and some citrus to brighten it up.  The fruity berry glaze was great, and the streusel added good texture on top, but, I wasn't in love with the cardamom flavor, as expected.

Still good, my second favorite of August specials. ****.

Apricot Cardamom. 

"Dried apricots and currants in a cardamom base, topped with a cardamom-rosewater glaze."

Well, this one shocked me.  I thought it would be my least favorite.  Apricots are ... fine, but not the most exciting to me, currants are only marginally better than raisins, and of course, all the cardamom.

But ... I loved it!  My favorite of the August flavors, and the one I immediately snagged a full size of.

The base was light, fruity, and everything I wanted the Whiskey Peach one to be, with seemingly more fruit, even if it was dried.  I liked the chew to it.  I didn't taste cardamom really, and I didn't mind.

The glaze was fantastic, sweet in all the right ways, and the perfect compliment to the fruity base.

I'd gladly have another. ****.

September

New month, new specials!  And of course a chance to re-sample some favorites.  

#allTheDonuts.

The delivery was over 100 donuts (this is only some of them), and let's just say, I was overwhelmed.

I couldn't make decisions, so create a sampler platter, trying 6 different donuts, 4 regular (3 seasonal, 1 standard), and 2 wheat-free (both seasonal).  Chocolately, fruity, spicy ... I tried it all.

Strawberry Earl Grey. 

"Fresh California strawberries in a semolina base topped with double bergamot Earl Grey glaze."

The flavors with fruit involved are always my favorites from Dynamo, so I went straight for this one, even though earl grey isn't really something I get excited for.

I almost liked this one.  It was the same style of other fruit ones I had liked before, lighter, fluffier, and did have big chunks of strawberry.  A decent base, although it did trend greasy.

The glaze was well coated, and tasted like, well, earl grey, as promised.   Which ... just wasn't my thing.

It was a fine donut, but my second to last pick of the 6 I tried. ***.

Buckwheat Corn Peach.

"Corn, Guinness-infused peaches, and orange zest are folded into a buckwheat base and topped with a Guinness glaze."

I had no idea what to expect from this one.  Sure, I like peaches and the fruit donuts from Dyanmo.  I liked the idea of corn in it.  Orange zest I could do without, buckwheat seemed different and perhaps successful, and Guinness ... eh.

It was good.  I did like the base, heartier style from the buckwheat, and, as with all the fruit muffins, the chunks of peach really are what made it, nice sized, juicy chunks.  I didn't really find any corn though.  Still, a far more interesting base than standard, and I liked the crags.

The glaze, well coated, sweet, and ... just different tasting.  I didn't taste Guinness but I also just tasted ... something?

An interesting donut for sure, I'm glad I tried it, and I did like the juicy peaches, placing it above the strawberry one for me, 4th place. ***.

Ginger Orange.

"Candied ginger in a fresh orange zest base topped with a sweet ginger-orange glaze. "

And finally, the last of the September specials, ginger orange, which I tried for completeness, since I don't generally like citrus flavors in my desserts.

This one reminded me of the first Dynamo donuts I ever tried, back when I thought I didn't like them.  Dense in a greasy way.  Heavy.  It just made me feel gross to eat it.

This wasn't helped by the fact that it did taste like citrus (orange), but inside and on top.  The ginger orange glaze wasn't bad actually, but I really disliked this heavy base.  Last pick of the 6, I didn't want a second bite. *.

Chocolate with Chili Chocolate Glaze. (INAG)

"Wheat-free chocolate donut dipped in a chocolate glaze that has be steeped with chili flakes, cinnamon, cayenne."

This was a kinda fun one.  The base was a dense chocolate cake, like a brownie, but ... a store bought brownie, if that makes sense. Not necessarily gluten free tasting, but something you could tell was a bit off.  It was fine though.

The glaze I liked, thick, rich, and, spiced!  A little extra fun to start the day, much like the regular spiced chocolate one, but I really preferred the glaze over powdered spices coating the regular one.

Tied with the chocolate rose. ***+.

Wheat Free Lemon Pistachio.

"Wheat-free lemon buttermilk base is dipped in a zesty lemon glaze and rolled in toasted salted pistachio."

This one was a winner for me.  Yup, the wheat-free, lemon one.  You'd never think it would be for me,  but, it was.

I liked the lemon buttermilk base, cake style.  It was dense but not greasy, decently moist, had only very subtle lemon, and had a great buttermilk tang and some spicing.  The glaze was well coated, more lemon forward that I'd really want but it was a nice match for the base, and I liked the crunch from the pistachio bits.  And bonus points for the salt too.

I tried 6 types of donuts this day, and it was my favorite. ****.

October

Caramel Apple with Spiced Peanuts.

"Crisp apples fried in a vanilla base then dipped in caramel and coated with toasted spicy peanuts."

This one was pretty awesome.  If "apple fritter meets caramel apple" is what Dynamo was going for, they nailed it.

The base was certainly not remotely healthy nor wholesome tasting, more akin to a fluffier apple fritter, just ring shaped.  Fried, greasy, and filled with apples.

Then, imagine your fritter got slathered in a very generous, very sweet caramel coating.  Like a caramel apple.  And dunked in peanut bits.  Again, like a caramel apple.

It was decadent, it was sweet, it had some crunch.  Apple and peanut wasn't actually a combo I was a huge fan of, the peanut bits I loved, but they dominated the taste, and made me want a jelly component.  But that was just my brain doing strange things (although, omg, jelly filled or glazed with crushed peanuts would be great!), and overall, I enjoyed this one, although it certainly was a guilty indulgence. ****+.

[ No Photo ]

Lemon Raspberry (INAG).

"A wheat-free buttermilk lemon base topped with a fresh lemon juice and raspberry glaze."

This was ... fine?  Standard dense Dynamo wheat free base, slightly sweet and fruity raspberry glaze.  Fine for a healthier, fresher tasting donut, and of course, being wheat free. ***.

December

Baruchador .

"Candied orange base topped with a blackberry champagne glaze & glittery gold sprinkles."

I originally only took a tiny chunk of this, drawn in of course by the sprinkles (I love fancy sprinkles!), but expecting to hate it, because I don't like citrus desserts (candied orange base) nor do I care for blackberry (blackberry champagne glaze).  Side note: I do not understand the name of it and a quick Google search did not solve the mystery.  What is "Baruchador"?

But ... I loved it, and went back for a full size immediately.

The base was light and fluffy, and only slightly orange flavored, and it mostly just actually reminded me of the holidays, as silly as that sounds.  It worked.

The glaze?  Perfectly fruity, no seeds (the part of blackberries I don't actually care for), and the fruity blackberry complemented the orange flavors perfectly.  The ridiculous sprinkles were as tasty as they were fun, added sugar, sweetness, and a touch of crunch.

This was one of my all time favorites, so I'm glad I gave it a try.  I gladly *did* get it again! ****+.

Santa's Cookie.

"Vanilla base swirled with chocolate cookie crumbs, finished with a creamy glaze, topped with chocolate shortbread crumbs & a chocolate cookie."

Because every donut needs a full size cookie on top, right?

I know I'm not one for cookies in general, but this sounded pretty interesting.  The silly holiday girl in me did wish it took more from the "Santa" name, perhaps a red icing?

I didn't like it.  The base was mostly the fairly standard Dynamo light and airy yet greasy foundation I do like, but it had this strange slight grit to it, that I think was the chocolate cookie crumbs "swirled" into it, not quite visible, but definitely impacting the base texture.

The glaze was good, sweet, but I didn't like the chocolate shortbread cookie crumbs on it, as much like Oreo crumbs, I just don't care for the texture and dryness.  The cookie was ... eh, a unremarkable chocolate shortbread that wasn't particularly buttery nor decadent.

This was just far more lackluster than expected, and I certainly wouldn't get it again. ***.

Original Review, 2015 - 2017 Tastings

It somehow took me a few years before finally trying them, when last year our admin ordered them for an event in my office.  I was super excited, particularly because she had plenty of the famed bacon topped donuts.  But ... sadly, I didn't really like any of them.  A few months later, I tried one at Red Door Cafe.  I still wasn't impressed.  And then this summer, someone brought them to a brunch I attended.  At this point, I've tried enough of the donuts to say that I just don't like their regular donuts.  The chocolate based donuts have some redeeming qualities, and the gluten-free weren't awful, but, overall, these just aren't the donuts for me.

I'll add a caveat though - there are a few varieties I'd still gladly try, as they sound pretty amazing, like the Monte Cristo: "Ham and Gruyere cheese base filled with our seasonal homemade plum-ginger jam."  That does sound kinda awesome, right?

Visit #1: August 2015

My first encounter was at my office, where our admin brought in 2 dozen assorted donuts, plus a box of just the maple bacon and a box of gluten-free.

Each box had 11 flavors in it.  There was a flavor card, but since they were just checked off on a list, they, didn't correspond to positions in the box.  Thus, it was a guess as to what each was.  I later looked them up online where they had pictures.

Dozen Donuts (several missing).

I wasn't the first one to reach the donuts, so, a couple had been taken when I arrived.

Another Dozen Donuts (several missing)

The same was true of the second box.  If you combine these two photos though, you can fill in all the blanks, except the bottom left.  It must have been a crowd pleaser.

By rows, starting on top row:

• Spiced Chocolate: "Chocolate base tossed in cinnamon-chipotle sugar". $2.75 each. 
• Passionfruit Milk Chocolate: "Vanilla bean base glazed with tangy passion fruit and milk chocolate". $2.75 
• Caramel de sel: "Vanilla bean base glazed with our homemade sticky caramel and sprinkled with Fleur de Sel."  $2.25
• Candied Orange Blossom: "Candied orange zest base glazed with orange blossom water and drizzled with bittersweet chocolate". $2.75

I started with several that were topped with glazes.  I had no idea what kinds I was having at the time. One turned out to be Candied Orange Blossom.  The donut itself was a raised donut but was really greasy, oily, and I don't really like orange flavors, so this was a fail for me.  I wouldn't have picked it had I known what kind it was.

Middle Row:

• Hazelnut Lavender: "Hazelnut base topped with a chocolate lavender glaze and rolled in candied hazelnuts". $2.50
• Coconut: "Coconut base glazed with sweet coconut milk and topped with toasted coconut". $2.75
• Chocolate Rose: "Chocolate base topped with a sweet rose water and lemon zest glaze." $2.75 
• Chocolate Star Anise: "Chocolate base glazed with chocolate-star anise and sprinkled with cocoa nibs." $2.75

I also tried the hazelnut lavender, trying to identify it for Ojan who was seeking it out.  It too was a heavy, greasy donut.  I didn't really taste hazelnut, but the lavender was strong.   Lavender can work really well in sweets, but it is also tricky to balance, and the balance wasn't right for me here.  Too floral, and I didn't care for it.  Crunchy bits of hazelnut were nice though.

Bottom Row:

• { No donut in either box in this position, and the card had only 11 choices, so, perhaps we got only 11 in each? No idea.}
• Strawberry Earl Grey: "Fresh California strawberries in a semolina base topped with double bergamot Earl Grey glaze."
• Vanilla Bean: "Vanilla and orange zest base with a vanilla bean glaze". $2.25
• Maple Glazed Bacon Apple (see below)

Maple Glazed Bacon Apple. $3.99.

"Diced Fatted Calf Heritage Bacon and sautéed apple base, glazed with real organic maple and topped with crispy bacon."

Well, hello.  This is their most famous donut, and, in addition to the two boxes of mixed donuts, we also had a dozen of these.

I was very excited to try one.  But, like the candied orange blossom and the hazelnut lavender, I really didn't like the base.  So greasy.  Maybe these are good when fresh?  Although, its not like these were more than an hour or so old.  I don't know.  I don't mind fried food, I don't mind oil, but these just really were not appealing.

Side note: I didn't actually find any apples in mine either, but the maple glaze on top was sweet and tasty, and bits of bacon appreciated, but still, the base just ruined it for me entirely.

Lemon Buttermilk.  $3.75.

"A wheat free buttermilk-lemon base tossed in confectioners sugar. In lieu of wheat flour, these donuts are made with coconut, rice, brown rice and tapioca flours. They contain no potato starch. However, they are fried in the same oil as wheat-based donuts."

And last but not least, she also brought in some gluten-free donuts.  I don't care for lemon flavors, but the donut base was more appealing than the others, dense, not greasy.  It was slightly crispy, and I loved the powdered sugar.  So, besides the essence of lemon, this was pretty good, and really great for a gluten-free item.

Visit #2: November 2015

A few months later, I was at Red Door Cafe, and wanted a treat.  I knew the donuts were Dynamo, so I didn't want a donut.  But I saw a sticky bun, and I couldn't resist.  I mean, I even like the cinnamon rolls from 7-Eleven!

Sticky Bun.

"Donut holes combined, rolled, and baked in a sweet, sticky glaze."

I didn't actually realize this was one of the Dynamo offerings, as I didn't know they made items other than donuts.  I also had no idea what kind of sticky bun it was, the cashier just said “its ... like a sticky bun?”

After a few bites, I thought it was a pumpkin sticky bun, as I definitely found some subtle pumpkin spices between the layers, and, well it was November.  But then I also randomly found a cranberry or two.  And … then one chocolate chip?  I was pretty confused.  How did these all go together?  And why in such strange distribution?

The dough also wasn’t normal sticky bun dough, but I couldn’t quite place it.  It was only after, when I went online to find out who made it, and what it was, that I discovered it was made from donut holes and leftover donut dough, presumably random ones, hence the different flavors, and the unexpected type of dough.

I think that the majority of my roll was made from Dynamo's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip donut,  “bittersweet chocolate in a pumpkin base", as it was the donut of the day when I got the sticky bun, and matches the pumpkin and chocolate I found.

As you can see, it was very burnt on top.  Also fairly dried out.  Someone definitely left this in the oven too long.

Sticky Bun: Side Profile.

The sticky bottom was honey-like, quite tasty, but certainly not a traditional caramel based sticky bun coating.

Overall, this was pretty mediocre, due to being dried out and burnt.  I also think there is a lot left to chance here, based on which donut dough is used to make a particular bun, so no sticky bun will be the same.  Mine was pretty plain.  Meh.

Visit #3: August 2016

A year later, I attended a brunch, and someone showed up with a box of donuts (yay!)  I remembered not like the regular donuts before, so this time, I tried the chocolate ones.  They were more successful.

Assorted Donuts (August 2016)

Back Row:  Passionfruit Milk Chocolate / Caramel Apple / Maple Glazed Bacon Apple / Vanilla Bean
Front Row: Spiced Chocolate / Chocolate Rose / Lemon Pistachio / Cornmeal Rosemary Cherry

Caramel Apple: "Crisp apples fried in a vanilla base dipped in caramel and coated in toasted spiced peanuts."

Ojan selected this donut, and I stole a bite, as the caramel glaze looked gooey and awesome, and I like peanuts.  It was ... ok.  Like all the donuts I had on the first day, I didn't really care for the greasy base.  The caramel was sweet, tasty, and plentiful, but the peanuts didn't really make sense to me.  The peanut flavor was somehow really strong, and took over the whole thing.  Just like the Maple Glazed Bacon Apple, I didn't taste the apples.

Spiced Chocolate: "Chocolate base tossed in cinnamon-chipotle sugar."

Since I knew I didn't like the plain base, I went for a chocolate one.

The spiced chocolate ended up being my favorite the first time I tried Dynamo Donuts, and my second favorite this time.  It had a dense, cakey chocolate base, with plentiful cinnamon sugar coating.  Not the type of donut I normally go for, but it was the only donut base that I enjoyed, as it wasn't as greasy as the regular bases.

Chocolate Rose: "Chocolate base topped with a sweet rose water and lemon zest glaze."

Still not satisfied, Ojan and I decided to split a third.  This was my pick, since I knew I didn't like the plain bases.  This was even better than the spiced chocolate.

The base was again super dense, with a crispy exterior.  The glaze was sweet and went well with the chocolately base.  I didn't pick out the rose or lemon exactly, but, I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I'd gladly have another.

Visit #4: March 2017

Another day, another event where someone brought Dynamo Donuts.

I didn't snap a photo, but our host had a full box of assorted Dynamo Donuts.  From my past experiences , I knew that I never really like Dynamo's regular donuts and only really like the chocolate base (which is crazy, given that I don't normally like chocolate based donuts).  I had my eye on the prize, and snatched up the sole chocolate donut, before anyone else.  I also got a chance to try another kind, which confirmed my thoughts on the matter.  Yup, I like their chocolate donuts, and dislike the others.

Caramel de Sel.  $2.50.

"Vanilla bean base glazed with our homemade sticky caramel and sprinkled with Fleur de Sel."

A friend went for the caramel de sel, and, when I realized I hadn't actually tried it before, I asked to snag a bite ... just to make sure.

And ... yup, I just don't like the raised base Dynamo uses.  It tastes greasy and oily to me, in not a good way.  It is strangely moist.  I just don't like it.

The caramel on top was sweet and sticky, good caramel, but actually a bit of a mess to eat.  The salt was too subtle and didn't deliver the extra pop I was looking for.

I wouldn't try this again, but my friend loved it, and always picks this one.

Chocolate Rose. $3.00.

"Chocolate base topped with a sweet rose water and lemon zest glaze."

Since I really liked the chocolate base donuts before, my selection was easy: the one sole chocolate donut in the box.

And ... I loved it.

A dense chocolate cake donut, moist inside, but awesomely crispy on the outside, particularly the bottom.  I loved the crunch and texture.

On top was sweet glaze, generously coated, super sweet, perfect compliment to the chocolate.

I did taste the rose water and thought it added a nice dimension to the donut.

A fabulous donut, and I'd gladly get it again.

Visit #5: June 2017 - National Donut Day

National Donut Day.  Yes, it is a "real" holiday.  And yes, we celebrated it at my office.  And yes, I was in charge.

I needed somewhere that would deliver me a large quantity of donuts ... more than 100.  In the past, I went for Donut Savant for these needs (but, alas, they no longer deliver to SF) or my absolute favorite, Johnny Doughnuts (but, alas, too pricey for this quantity).  When I saw that Dynamo delivered, for a reasonable $15 delivery fee, it was an easy pick.

Boxes of Donuts ... Delivered!

I ordered ... all the donuts.   They were delivered via Kudos, and a message was sent to me as the donuts were loaded on the truck, and once they were delivered.  They came nicely tied together.  A wonderful ordering experience, really.

For National Donut Day, Dynamo offered 15 different varieties, 3 of which were gluten-free.  We got them all.

Baker's Choice Dozen. $33 ($2.75 each)

First up were boxes of assorted "Baker's Choice", which included one each of the 12 not gluten-free options.

The lineup pictured here was (left to right):

Top Row: Chocolate Star Anise, Coconut, Ginger Orange, Maple Glazed Bacon Apple

Middle Row: Chocolate Rose,  Caramel de Sel, Vanilla Bean, Cornmeal Blueberry
Bottom Row: Passionfruit Milk Chocolate, Candied Orange Blossom, Spiced Chocolate, Apricot Cardamom

I didn't try them *all*, but, many people wanted to try multiples, so quickly started cutting them up.  This allowed me to try bites of all that I was interested in.  I tried 5 of the regular donuts: all 3 of the chocolate based ones, since the chocolate bases had been my favorites before, plus the two most interesting sounding regular bases.  More details below!

iNag Baker's Choice Dozen. $45. ($3.75 each)

I also ordered the baker's choice of the I'm Not a Gluten offerings of the day, 3 varieties:

• Lemon Buttermilk
• Chocolate with Raspberry Black Pepper Glaze
• Carrot Cake 

My gluten-free folks were thrilled to have choices!  I had liked the gluten-free ones I had tried in the past, so I tried all three.  (Yes, if you are counting, that is 3 chocolate, 3 gluten-free, and 2 regular.  I didn't have them all at once, and they weren't all full donuts!  I'm not *that* crazy).

Piles of Donuts.

We had ... a lot of donuts.  This is just the table full of regular donuts.

They vanished.  Very, very quickly.

Regular Base

I've never been a fan of Dynamo's regular base.  It has always seemed too oily, heavy, and spongy before.  We had 9 different varieties that fell into this category, but I only tried two, given my past experiences.

They actually were much better than I remembered, and one turned out to my favorite of the day.

Coconut.

"Coconut base glazed with sweet coconut milk and topped with toasted coconut."

While I've never liked the plain Dynamo base before, I figured if I'd ever like one, it would be the coconut.

And it was better than most others I've tried.  The dough was still kinda spongy yet light yet oily in a strange way, which I didn't care for, but it was lighter and loftier than I remembered from past tries, and it wasn't too bad.

The coconut milk glaze was pretty tasty, great coconut flavor.  The donut was topped with large shreds of toasted coconut.

Overall, it was better than most others I've tried with the regular bases, and great coconut flavor, but not something I'd go running back for.  Middle of the batch for me in that I didn't dislike it, nor love it.

Cornmeal Blueberry.

"Lemon cornmeal base with fresh blueberries topped with a sweet lavender glaze."

This was, hands down, the best regular Dynamo donut I've had.

The base was light and moist and had a cornmeal grit to it, and it was loaded with big, juicy blueberries.  The blueberries were bursting with flavor.  They really made this donut incredible.  The glaze on top didn't taste too much like lavender, which was my concern, and just added a great sweetness.

This was sorta like a hybrid of my favorite two muffins (corn and blueberry) merged with a donut.  I really liked it, and would love another.  I wish I had kept an extra one for myself, although I did smartly take a full one of these.  My new favorite.

Chocolate Base 

I don't normally like chocolate based donuts, but with Dynamo, I had always preferred their chocolate base.  We had 3 varieties, and I tried all three, only one of which I liked.

Chocolate Star Anise.

"Chocolate base glazed with chocolate-star anise and sprinkled with cocoa nibs." 

This was the biggest disappointment of the day.  Given the success of past chocolate bases, and my love of cocoa nibs, I was most eagerly awaiting trying this one.

And ... the cake was dry and crumbly, not dense and delicious as in the past.

I didn't taste star anise, and although the glaze looked great, it didn't offer anything, and the amount of nibs was too few to actually taste or enjoy the crunch from.

Sadness.  Second to last pick.

Spiced Chocolate.

"Chocolate base tossed in cinnamon-chipotle sugar."

Further sadness came from the spiced chocolate, one I had also enjoyed before.  Just like the chocolate star anise, the cake donut was just dry and not particularly good.

This has been in my top 5 before, but here I was glad I only tried a small chunk.  I didn't want more.  Least favorite.

Chocolate Rose.

"Chocolate base topped with a sweet rose water and lemon zest glaze."

The chocolate base donuts redeemed themselves with the Chocolate Rose though, which has always been my top pick.  It was exactly as I remembered.  Moist, dense base, crispy exterior, and awesome sweet glaze.  I still couldn't taste the rosewater nor lemon zest, but I didn't care.

The best of the chocolate donuts, my third pick overall of the day.

I Am Not a Gluten Donut

"In lieu of wheat flour, these donuts are made with coconut, rice, brown rice and tapioca flours. They contain no potato starch. However, they are fried in the same oil as wheat-based donuts."

And finally, the gluten-free options, which had surprised me in the past.  We had 3, I tried them all.

Carrot Cake.

"Fresh carrots & currants in a wheat-free base, tossed in cinnamon-brown sugar." 

I love carrot cake, so these sounded great, but, alas, were not winners.

The cake was dry, very dry.  Yes it had carrots and currants in it, but it was just dry and tasted a bit strange.  The cinnamon-sugar coating added to the dryness.

3rd to last pick.

Chocolate with Raspberry Black Pepper Glaze.

"Wheat-free chocolate donut with a raspberry balsamic and black pepper glaze."

This one I also did not like.

The donut was rather dry and just a boring chocolate base.  The frosting was sweet and tangy, and did taste like raspberry, but I didn't taste balsamic nor black pepper.  

I wouldn't get this again, and was glad I only cut off a tiny chunk.  4th to least favorite, with the flavorful glaze being the only interesting aspect.

Lemon Buttermilk.

"A wheat free buttermilk-lemon base tossed in confectioners sugar."

When I had this donut the first time, it was the first Dynamo donut I really liked, and I was surprised, given the gluten-free nature of it and the fact that it is lemon based, and I don't care for lemon generally.

I again liked it.  Just a cake donut, lightly lemon flavored, and coated in confectioner's sugar.  Really simple, but, well done.  And it continues to amaze me, because there is nothing about this that really screams out as something I'd like.

My second favorite.