One wouldn’t expect to find California’s best doughnut joint located next to a Marshall’s and a Dollar Tree inside a nondescript San Juan Capistrano shopping plaza. Such gastronomic distinctions from food media ilk are usually reserved for gentrified enclaves like San Francisco’s Mission District or Eagle Rock in L.A. But according to Yelp, JD Flannel Doughnuts, found just off Del Obispo Street near the 5 Freeway, ranks No. 1 when it comes to doughnuts in the Golden State.
“[T]he gourmet confections are dressed up in Valrhona chocolate, Maldon sea salt, real vanilla bean, and other premium ingredients. Employees roll and cut small batches of dough by hand throughout the day, so customers get the freshest, warmest donuts possible,” according to Yelp in its recent “Best Donut Shop in Every State, According to Yelp Elites 2024.“
SEE ALSO: The Orange County train-station dining guide: San Juan Capistrano
Randi B., a Yelp Elite, who are a selective, annually chosen group within the Yelp community, wrote in their review of the doughnut joint, “That Brown Butter Sea Salt was just perfect; loved the salty glaze on it! Triple Chocolate was an intensely deep chocolate flavor that was reminiscent of the crunchy edges on freshly baked brownies. Their donuts are quite large and all gorgeous to look at. I don’t get to San Juan Capistrano all too often, but JD Flannel will definitely encourage me to make that drive more frequently!”
JD Flannel, founded by Dave Rhode and John Miller in 2019, also received praise in 2020 from former Orange County Register restaurant critic Brad A. Johnson, who gave high marks for their blueberry-lemon, brown-butter-sea-salt, boysenberry glazed and old-fashion cake doughnuts.
The San Juan Capistrano shop was also lauded the third-best doughnut shop in the U.S. and Canada in 2023, according to Yelp.
JD Flannel joins a host of other critically acclaimed eateries in the South County town, including FKN Bread, El Campeon Taqueria, Heritage Barbecue and Mayfield, which have helped turn the city, famous for its returning swallows and weathered Mission structure, into one of Southern California’s most esteemed food meccas.
If you can’t make it to San Juan Capistrano, other equally tasty doughnuts can be found at Oliboli in Tustin, Costa Mesa’s Sidecar and Glee Donuts and Burgers in Fountain Valley, to name a few.
Find it: 31878 Del Obispo St, #122, San Juan Capistrano
