George's Donuts & Merriment

San Francisco has no shortage of donuts shops, even fancy donut shops, but, in January 2025, we got another entry: George's Donuts & Merriment.  It got a ton of buzz very quickly, both for the excellent donuts, and the epic lines (90+ min wait standard!).  Oh, and for the strict 6 donuts per customer restriction, with no pre-orders available.  And the calibre of chef baking the donuts (Michelin-starred background). The popularity has continued for several months, and I watched from afar eagerly awaiting the day I'd get to try it myself.

"Step into a world where the aroma of handmade donuts and freshly brewed coffee fills the air. Founded by neighborhood locals and helmed by Spruce and Bacchus Group veteran, Chef Janina O’Leary, George's isn’t just a donut shop; it’s a cafe and neighborhood destination where Chef O’Leary’s culinary creativity shines."

Ah, yes, George's isn't *just* a donut shop, hence the "& merriment" name, as they also operate as a cafe with a few breakfast items such as yogurt or cottage cheese parfaits, lunch items such as salads and sandwiches, and are even open 3 nights a week with small savory bites.  They have a full line up of espresso based cafe beverages, AND cocktails, beer, and wine (the real "& merriment!").  But I was interested for the donuts first and foremost.

Donut Menu.

George's doesn't have an over-the-top long donut lineup.  They start with the standard raised basics (only 3!): glazed, chocolate glazed, sprinkle. They have a few cake donuts for those who prefer a denser style (old fashioned and ... tahini rose, the later of which is definitely a bit unexpected!).  Then come the crullers, which are actually not all that common around here, and are supposed to be fabulous at George's, where they offer 3 different styles. And then, the main attractions: the brioche filled donuts.

These are raised brioche donuts filled and often topped with embellishments.  They are far more interesting than your standard jelly donut or Boston Cream: think strawberry champagne jelly instead of classic raspberry goo, and crème brulée filled and topped rather than the more simple Boston Cream.  The most well known of their creations is the "bacon & eggs", which is an egg custard filled ring with maple glaze and bits of candied bacon on top.  It sounds pretty fabulous, and more outside the box than other fairly mainstream bacon topped donuts (I'm looking at you Dynamo!).

If you are dining in, you can also opt for a flight of fried-to-order sugar dusted brioche donut holes that come with Valrhona chocolate fudge dipping sauce.

Prices really aren't high compared to other fancier donut shops around town.  The classics are $3.50, the most expensive brioches are $4.50.  I was treated to an assortment when a coworker brought in some one day.

Donuts! Key Lime, Crème Brulée, Cinnamon Roll,
Chocolate Glazed Cake, Nutella, Apple Fritter.

My coworker brought in his allowed 6 items: with 3 brioche based donuts (key lime, crème brulée, Nutella), one cake, and two specialties (apple fritter, cinnamon roll).  Sadly no bacon & eggs, which was the one I was most excited for, but still a great line up.  I was able to try all but the cinnamon roll and chocolate cake ring.  (Note: The cinnamon roll is actually not considered a donut, but rather one of the sweet "delights" on the menu alongside chocolate chip cookies and coffee cake, if you are looking for something a bit different).

Nutella: I'm not actually usually super excited about Nutella, but a coworker snagged me a piece of this one (he picked for me as I was stuck in meetings), so I started with it.  It was a sugar coated raised round brioche, stuffed with Nutella, with an additional chocolate garnish on top.  One bite and I was instantly in awe of the quality of the base donut.  The depth of complex flavor was remarkable.  It was super lofty but not too airy.  Not too greasy or fried tasting.  I loved how the sugar coating enhanced it.  And then, yeah, it had a glob of creamy Nutella inside, but really, that wasn't needed.  A shockingly good donut.  My second favorite of the four I tried.  High ****.

Key Lime:  Another picked by my teammate for me, and not one I would have grabbed.  This one had a lovely meringue puff and graham cracker crumble on top, and key lime curd filling within.  I didn't get any of the crumble nor meringue on my hunk, but I did get the filling.  It was a very tangy key lime curd, exactly the type of curd I don't care for, and why I don't like most lime/lemon desserts.  Creamy, yes, but tangy and just really the flavor I dislike.  The base donut was good, but, I couldn't get past the filling.  My least favorite, due to my own preferences.  **.

Crème Brulée:  I love crème brulée in general (hence the label on my blog for it!), so this one I was definitely excited for.  It had the same great base as the nutella, and came topped with a bruléed shell.  I didn't know that I wanted a candy shell on my donuts until now.  It was *so* good.  It absolutely would pass the "tap test" of a crème brulée.  Such great caramelized flavor, and really quite fun to eat.  My favorite, and I'd gladly get this again.  Another high ****.

Apple Fritter: A fritter is usually what I consider "the king of donuts", but this one was fairly average.  Don't get me wrong, it was a good fritter, but it wasn't as unique as the other items.  It had nice sized cobbles, was slightly gooey, had an excellent cinnamon level, and very uniform cubes of not too mushy apples.  Ok, it was above average, but, just not noteworthy besides being well made, and not too greasy.  ***+.  It was fine, but no reason to pick this over their other items.