Moist, Stunning Cake Donuts and Fluffy, Outstanding Yeast-Raised Donuts Fried To Order! - Oliboli Donuts [Thoughts + Pics]

I grew up on the East Coast and never understood the love for Dunkin. Their donuts are terrible. When they started opening up in the LA area I told my coworkers to stay away, LA has so many better donut shops than Dunkin, but they were curious to try anyway, and they told me I was right :laughing:. Maybe it’s a nostalgia thing for some people, because I remember for birthday parties in elementary school, kids would bring in a big box of Dunkin donut holes.

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Donut holes were the best but I generally agree dunkin is terrible. I also loved their breakfast sandwiches when I was a kid so I think for me the bar was just really low.

It’s definitely nostalgia. In NYC lots of kids used to bring in Munchkins for their birthday. Dunkin is not good but people love their coffee.

Most people I know from the East Coast love Dunkin just for their coffee. We made a visit to our CT offices ages ago and the team there was so excited because it was an excuse to order Dunkin for coffee and doughnuts. I’m not a huge coffee fan, so I skipped both. At the time I lived close to Donut Man
enough said.

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Dunkin was the only place to consistently get black iced coffee in the winter 15 years ago so it was a must for me. Whether it is 100% nostalgia or not it seemed a lot better when it was “time to make the donuts” vs having them obviously not made on premises when I was a kid.

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Thanks for the warning @hanhgry (and @JeetKuneBao). I have avoided Dunkin thanks to some co-workers and FTC over the years. :wink:

I think you’ll like Oliboli @hanhgry, and it’s only a few minutes away from Little Saigon, where you can enjoy Cococane and all of the other other delicious eats, should you decide to head south. Oh, and it’s just down the street from Cream Pan if you haven’t tried it yet, for another bang x bang. :slight_smile:

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Why would you order donuts at Dunkin - nobody (beside tourists) is doing it here

The one on the left was passion fruit, the right was a chocolate raspberry of some sort. I also recommend everyone speaking to the owner who will delightfully share the story of the namesake donuts (oliebollen) back in Holland.

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By a few you mean 15+ right?

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Hi @EattheWorldLA,

Nice! That reminds me, on one of our visits we saw a sign for Mango Passion Fruit Donut(!). :open_mouth: But they sold out. :sob:

If anyone has tried this daily special, please report back. :slight_smile:

Hi @Ns1,

:slight_smile:

Thanks. Considering we drove from LA, it’s all relative. “A few minutes” I think was like ~13 minutes from Oc & Lau when we last visited Oliboli? (just off the 22 freeway.) But, yes, give it 15 minutes or so. :wink:

Folks might as well visit the Little Saigon area if they wanted to bang x bang something driving down the OC for Oliboli. :smile:

Folks can be brave and venture into Santa Ana. Although I guess once you venture into SA then you may as well head up to LS :grin:

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Update 1:

Since we were in the area for a Little Saigon Journey, we decided finished things off with a stop by Oliboli Donuts. :slight_smile:

Their beautiful display of seasonal Donuts:

Oliboli Donuts had a healthy amount of customers coming and going (all socially distanced when ordering and awaiting their freshly fried Donuts).

(New) Pistachio Donut (Praline Glaze and Salted Crushed Pistachios):

One of Oliboli’s 40 Hour Yeast-Leavened Donuts, this was fried to order (as usual). As with their Donuts in general, the new Pistachio Donut was not overly saccharine (as you might expect with Donuts), and had a nice fragrant nuttiness. :slight_smile: (However, it was slightly underwhelming because Leo Bulgarini’s legendary Pistachio Gelato has ruined all other Pistachio Desserts / Sweets (yes, I know it’s not even the same category, but that’s how intense Bulgarini’s Pistachio is).) :wink:

Still, this was nice.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Donut (Homemade Strawberry Glaze on Top of our Yeast Dough. Harry’s Berries Strawberry Rhubarb Compote Topped with Pie Crust Crumbles, Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream, and Strawberry Dust):

Ridiculously great again! :heart:

It makes total sense now, why the natural, floral Strawberry fragrance is so intense, and the Strawberry flavor is so stunning: Using Harry’s Berries’ Organic Strawberries, the Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Donut arrives freshly fried, fluffy, airy, with a delicate tug, the Rhubarb balances out the Strawberries and that Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream and the Pie Crumbles for textural contrast. So, so good! :heart: :blush: :heart: (@PorkyBelly @JeetKuneBao @J_L @attran99 @hanhgry @TheCookie and others.)

Burnt Butter Bourbon Bacon Donut (Burnt Butter Bourbon Glaze, Fried Fresh Bacon Bit Crumble):

Making sure it wasn’t a fluke, the Burnt Butter Bourbon Bacon Donut still arrives not only freshly fried warm-hot, but the Bacon is freshly fried as well, crispy and outstanding! :heart:

The Burnt Butter Bourbon Glaze isn’t too sweet and the salinity / savory aspect of freshly fried Bacon Bits just puts this over the top.

(New) Apple Crisp Donut (Homemade Apple Compote, Apple Cider Glaze, Vanilla Whipped Cream, Streusel Crumble):

This Yeast-Leavened Donut is like the rest on this visit, airy and cloud-like. Loved the Homemade Apple Compote, nicely balanced by the Apple Cider Glaze, Vanilla Whipped Cream and the Streusel Crumble gives it a nice light crunch to the fluffy Donut. :blush:

(New) Campfire Donut (Chocolate 40 Hour Wild Yeast Dough with Chocolate Chips, Peanut Butter Mousse, Cocoa Whipped Cream, Homemade Chocolate Meringue Sticks):

Seriously.

Shut the front door! :smile:

The Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Donut is one of the highlights, but Owner-Donut Maestro Brooke DesPrez is showing off real skills here: The Chocolate 40 Hour Wild Yeast-Leavened Donut is absolutely stupid-good! :heart:

I think @Hungrydrunk (and we also) thought the PB & J Donut didn’t have enough Peanut Butter. This is the answer to our prayers! :slight_smile: This arrived freshly fried, piping hot, the Chocolate 40 Hour Yeast-Leavened Donut itself was airy, fragrant and not overly sweet. Then you get melting Chocolate Chips inside, Chocolate Glaze, but then you get the Peanut Butter Mousse that is gorgeously nutty, like the essence of Peanut Butter, and you get a light textural contrast finish from the Homemade Chocolate Meringue Sticks on top, that resemble “wood logs on a campfire.” :blush:

This all combines to the ultimate Chocolate & Peanut Butter Donut. Do not miss this! :heart: :heart: :heart: (@J_L @PorkyBelly @js76wisco @Hungrydrunk @hanhgry @TheCookie @attran99 @JeetKuneBao @A5KOBE @paranoidgarliclover and others!)

Oliboli Donuts continues to shine, with 3 new seasonal offerings showing up just one week after we last visited them. Their Yeast-Leavened Donuts are fried fresh for every single order. The 40 Hour Yeast Dough with 30% Hard Winter Wheat Stone-Milled Flour really shines through, giving each Yeast-Leavened Donut a subtle, beautiful tang. It is incredible as is.

But then you get those wonderful, varied toppings, like using Harry’s Berries Organic Strawberries for their Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Donut, them taking the time to make Homemade Chocolate Meringue Sticks just for 1 new Donut, and many more little touches like that, and it makes a difference in the final taste. Oliboli Donuts is a standout Donut Shop worth a visit.

Oliboli Donuts
135 W. First Street, Suite #B
Tustin, CA 92780
Tel: (714) 760-4876

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Thanks to a gracious member of the FTC community, I got this delivery today. I was struck by the 40-hour fermentation dough
it adds such great flavor! I was also struck by how the flavors of each doughnut are meticulously developed. What crazy person would think to do all of these things to a doughnut? To use fresh and perfect fruit? They are both mad and brilliant at the same time.
I think the Meyer Lemon and the Harry’s Berries strawberry doughnuts were so so good! We cut up the doughnuts so we could have a doughnut buffet. I’ve not eaten this many doughnuts in one sitting in a very long time.

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Homey

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Hi @attran99,

So glad you were able to finally try Oliboli! :slight_smile: That base 40 Hour Yeast-Leavened Donut is so good right? Really interesting, and the Meyer Lemon (fragrant, citrusy), and Harry’s Berries’ Strawberry Donut! :heart:

It was really sweet that you got this care package from one of our nice FTC’ers. Next time you visit Oliboli, give their Campfire Donut a try (crazy good). And the Bibingka Cake Donut was great as well.

Hopefully you (or someone here) manages to catch their elusive Mango Passion Fruit Donut (daily special) one of these days. :slight_smile:

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That strawberry rhubarb donut looks beautiful, @Chowseeker1999! I need to get down there to try it, and as you suggested, do a stop at Cream Pan too :slight_smile: it’s been a while since I’ve been to Cream Pan!

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Hi @hanhgry,

Yes, their Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler Donut is wonderful. :slight_smile: Have you ever tried Cococane before? Another great item to try while you’re visiting the area. :smile:

Update 2 (To-Go):

Like a song that gets stuck in your head, I’ve been dying to return to Oliboli Donuts for the past few weeks ever since @attran99 mentioned the new Guava Donut(!) that debuted recently.

Walking into this little family-run establishment, you’re greeted by more impressive seasonal offerings from Donut Maestro Brooke DesPres:

As always, Oliboli offers 2 types of Donuts for all to enjoy, their Yeast-Leavened Donuts (each fried fresh to order(!)), :open_mouth: and their Cake Donuts, which are made at least once per hour.

Meyer Lemon Donut:

Using their 40 hour yeast dough base, the Meyer Lemon Donut continues to be one of the must order items at Oliboli. Taking a bite


Piping hot, freshly fried Donut, there’s a light tug before the Donut turns into a cloud, so airy and light, and then you’re hit with the incredible Meyer Lemon zest and flavors. It is refreshing, not overly sweet, and so good! :heart:

(New) Plum Jam Donut:

A new seasonal offering, their Plum Jam is another Yeast-Leavened Donut, also fried fresh to order. You get hit with a tart-sweet Plum filling, a bit shocking, but not overly tart where it’s unpleasant, and it finishes with a light sweetness.

(New) Guava Cream-Filled Donut:

The Donut we were looking forward to! :slight_smile: Taking a bite, there’s a slight crispness to the exterior before it gives way to a wonderful tropical, fragrant Guava Cream filling inside! :blush: There’s a little bit of tartness (inherently), but that unmistakable Guava flavor comes through and there’s a nice light sweet and creamy finish. Tasty!

Burnt Butter Bourbon Bacon Donut (Burnt Butter Bourbon Glaze, Fried Fresh Bacon Bit Crumble):

As ridiculous as usual! For those that haven’t tried it yet, do not overlook Oliboli’s Burnt Butter Bourbon Bacon Donut. It is a Yeast-Leavened Donut, and freshly fried. And the Bacon is still freshly fried to order, so you get real crispy Bacon bits as well. :heart: The light tang from the 40 hour yeast dough, the airiness and that Burnt Butter Bourbon Glaze (without it being too sweet) makes this one of the best Donuts on Oliboli’s menu. :blush:

(New) Cactus Pear Donut:

A more unusual flavor for Donuts, this had a light tart-sweet flavor that was unique, and made for an enjoyable new flavor combination. It wasn’t our favorite, but served as a good alternative flavor.

(New) PĂȘche FraĂźche Donut (Peach):

But the highlight of this visit might very well be their new PĂȘche FraĂźche Donut: You see Brooke DesPres’ prowess on full display here, using her 40 hour yeast dough base, freshly fried Donut base, with slices of perfectly ripe Farmers Market Peaches, Housemade Peach Glaze, Almond CrĂšme FraĂźche, and Toasted Almonds on top


You’re hit with juicy, gorgeous in-season ripe Peach flavors, the Housemade Peach Glaze is not overly sweet and just reinforces the fireworks going off in your brain, and then the pairing with the beautiful nutty Almond Crùme Fraüche (absurd how good this is), with Toasted Almonds afterwards on a hot, just out of the fryer, freshly fried Donut?

Stupid Good! :heart: :blush: :heart: A must order especially for Peach Lovers!
(@paranoidgarliclover @J_L @PorkyBelly @JeetKuneBao @attran99 @js76wisco @Hungrydrunk @hanhgry and others!)

The freshly fried Yeast-Leavened Donuts (just for your order), the moist Cake Donuts, the thoughtfulness and bright flavors that shine through in each of their seasonal and regular offerings, and the fact that it’s far less sugary than most Donuts is what makes Oliboli Donuts standout from the competition.

The mainstay flavors remain outstanding (like the Meyer Lemon and Burnt Butter Bourbon Bacon), but you continue to get great seasonal offerings like their Strawberry Cobbler (made with Harry’s Berries Organic Strawberries!), the Guava Cream Filled Donut and especially the new PĂȘche FraĂźche (Peach) Donut. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Oliboli Donuts
135 W. First Street, Suite #B
Tustin, CA 92780
Tel: (714) 760-4876

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The Harry’s Berry strawberry donut is glorious. The cooked to order raised yeast fluffy donut with the beautiful strawberry glaze. YUM.

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