Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee

**4.4/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟✨ Sidecar Doughnuts Costa Mesa: Creative Donuts in a Posh Strip Mall Setting**

Tucked in a sleek Costa Mesa plaza off Newport Blvd, **Sidecar Doughnuts** is the artisanal donut shop that elevates the humble treat to gourmet status 🍩✨. The **location felt like in a posh strip mall**—modern storefronts, upscale neighbors like coffee shops and boutiques, making it feel more like a trendy foodie destination than your average bakery. The **great display** inside is a visual feast: glass cases showcasing rows of beautifully crafted donuts with glossy glazes and artistic toppings that beg for photos. The **creativity for recipes** shines through—think huckleberry cake donuts with tangy lemon curd, or maple bacon bars with real candied pork. Each one tastes thoughtfully balanced, with fresh ingredients like house-made compotes and premium chocolates elevating the experience.

Service is friendly and efficient—staff let you sample flavors, box everything neatly, and keep the line moving even during morning rushes. Convenient spot near the 55 freeway, easy for quick grabs on the way to the beach or work.

That said, minor deductions keep it from a full 5. **Parking** in the plaza can be a hassle—spots fill fast with other shoppers, forcing street hunts or circling. The donuts lean toward **extreme sweetness** (glazes and fillings can overpower), and while inventive, some flavors just **aren't my taste**—too avant-garde for a classic donut lover like me (the lavender honey felt more perfumey than palatable).

Still, Sidecar earns a strong 4.4 for those standout creative donuts and posh mall charm in Costa Mesa. It's a fun detour for donut enthusiasts—I'll be back, sticking to the simpler options next time. Worth trying if you're nearby!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

Overpriced donuts and not so friendly staff

Food: 1

Service: 1

Shrinkflation! The cake donuts used to be so big. I can’t believe how small the doughnuts are compared to three years ago! I used to be so fond of this place, and now I’m thoroughly disappointed. It’s very bad value and does not justify the expensive price.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

I had a frustrating experience picking up multiple ClassPass orders. I was told staff could not validate more than one order, despite this having been done previously. I showed the order screen, paid screen, and email confirmation.
I was repeatedly asked to select “pick up” for each order and to show my phone, but was told staff could not see the selection on my phone. Due to weak signal inside the store, I was asked to go outside to complete the process. Since staff insisted on seeing each pick-up screen individually, this would have required reentering the line multiple times, which felt unreasonable.
The staff member assisting me also appeared to have a visibly swollen and irritated eye, which raised a health concern. Given that the orders were already paid for and confirmed, this should have been resolved more smoothly as a customer service gesture.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Diamonds and Donuts, D&D has always been our style!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Butter and salt is a top tier donut! Probably my favorite ever, especially when fresh and hot.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

great sweet treat

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious donuts!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

A fun and unique donut shop. Extremely fresh. They make them in small batches so they are always fresh. The latte coffees were great too.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Seasonal Doughnut, Saigon Cinnamon Crumb, Maple Bacon, Butter and Salt, Butter \u0026 Salt, Cinnamon Crumble

The butter and salt, apple fritter are great here

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

his place has been on my list to try for quite some time. I was in the area this morning so I stopped in and picked up half a dozen. There is a good amount of parking, the store is clean and well decorated. The staff are friendly and welcoming.
Based on the reviews I was expecting some of the best donuts of my life, unfortunately they were as mediocre and mediocre gets. For $4.83 a piece these aren't worth it. The texture wasn't great, kind of doughy and gum like, and the flavors were just ok. Once was enough for me.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 4

extremely rude and very slow workers. was told 10 min for specific donuts to come out and waited long over 30 min & still nothing. Never coming here again

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Absolutely loved it. The attention to detail and service were amazing.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Absolutely love this place. We always stop here for donuts when in travelling to LA from out of town. Well worth it!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Aaaah just the best! Very delicious and not greasy at all. This is the place to go if you eat healthy but once in a while you crave something sweet.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5