Pepples Donut Farm

Impressive collection of flavors for a cake donut spot that is truly dedicated to being vegan. Like we-​avoid-​using-​actual-​maple-​syrup-​in-​case-​it-​has-​trace-​amounts-​of-​lard-​and-​use-​candy-​cap-​mushrooms-​instead-​for-​maple-​flavoring level of dedication. Mad props. Sparse but quite serviceable in the way of décor and seating… these are the options I encountered today…
Bottom/​Classic shelf ($ 2.50-$ 3): Lemon poppy, coconut whiteout, vanilla sprinkle, chocolate cookie, plain cake, chocolate coconut, chocolate, vanilla glaze, orange creamsicle, blueberry, cinnamon sugar, vanilla cookie, and chocolate sprinkle.
Top shelf ($ 3.5): Coconut curry, salted caramel, candy cap, strawberries and cream, whiskey tangerine fig aka WTF!, philz coffee, lavender earl grey, matcha green tea, meyer lemon, and mexican hot chocolate.
Since I was charged with getting 2 dozen donuts back to the office, I went ahead and got two of the assorted dozen deal ($ 29 for 8 classics and 4 top shelf). If I had my way I would have taste tested all of them… but being the ever-​so-​polite person I am… I just cut the most interesting ones into quarters and had my wicked way with them! XD Most notable were:
Lemon poppy– Damn good. The tart zing in the glaze cuts off the sugar nicely.
Blueberry– Solid!
Coconut curry– Interesting. not sure if I can fully get behind this one, but for the savory sweet crew, I could see this working for them
WTF!- I’m not sure I could really taste the whiskey, the but tangerine peels are the real deal!
Matcha green tea– I can justtt barely get the matcha slightly.
Philz coffee– Pretty sure those specks are real ground up coffee beans. Nice bold flavor in the icing!
A bit on the sugary side for me, but then I’m usually a raised yeast donut kinda gal. All in all, I would definitely swing by here again… I’d love to try that mexican chocolate!

I had to leave another review to follow up my first one. The first two visits were very good experiences.
Unfortunately, this experience was not. I ordered the jackfruit carnitas burrito and a dirty chai latte. Both of which I have had here before. Both tasted very bad. The jackfruit tasted like pure rubbing alcohol– which I can only guess is because someone spilled cleaning agent on it, or it was spoiled to the point of fermentation. The chai latte also tasted… Not like chai at all. I’m not even sure what it was, just bad. The waitress was kind and changed my order. I ordered the biscuits and gravy as a replacement and it tasted fine.
I also ordered donuts to go, which were also delicious as usual. However, I asked about end of the day deals on older donuts, and was told politely that they are not allowed to do that. The counter person whom I will not specify expressed disappointment at the amount of donuts that are thrown away.
I understand a business not wanting to give the incentive to customers to only come at the end of the day for cheaper donuts… However, THEN MAKE LESS DONUTS! Or deliver the uneaten ones to homeless or hungry people. To see food go to waste is such a shame, especially for such a «progressive» café in an area where hunger is very real!

I love me some donuts, so I stopped by after reading all the rave reviews. I came around noon and a lot of their flavors I wanted to try were sold out already.
I ended up getting four donuts, the coconut curry, chocolate cookie, blueberry and Philz coffee. The best one would have to be the blueberry. It was the moistest in texture and packed the best flavor. The chocolate cookie was super dry. The coconut curry tasted like a Thai curry, but it was too weird for me to get on board. The Philz coffee didn’t taste like coffee to me at all. Sadly, the texture was mostly dry and flavors lack lusting.

Got the privilege to receive kindness from Michael of Donut Farm. He was at the Ferry Building in SF with an assortment of the most interestingly flavored treats. I decided to try the Macha Green Tea donut, it was ahh-​may-​zing! The price point of $ 3.50 I thought appropriate once I tasted the quality and given its size. The green tea icing was smooth and didn’t leave a waxy film on your teeth like the cheaper donuts. The bread was light and fluffy, moist, not dry and crumbly. I didn’t need any beverage to wash it down! It was so fresh. The donut was so big, I ate only half and saved the rest for walking around the farmer’s market. Can’t wait to try more choices in Silverlake!

Love this place! The Philz donut is amaZing and everything is VEGAN AND Tasty. Definitely a go to stop before I head home back to san Diego. Check this place out for yummy vegan goodies!

I ordered food to-​go off of a menu they had online and when I showed up it was wayyyy more expensive than the online menu had stated it was going to be. The place was empty and I still had to wait about 5 minutes while the waitresses finished up their conversation to be helped. The food was really cold by the time I got home and realized they had forgotten an item. I didn’t have time to go back, but once I heated it up the food was really good. Not sure if I’ll be returning.

I love their breakfasts as much as I love their doughnuts. In fact, I’d call this my favorite breakfast spot in the Bay Area (disclosure — I am vegan but non-​vegans also love this place). Small but important detail for coffee-​loving vegans: they are one of the only places that offers soy and coconut creamers instead of just soy milk with your coffee.

Vegan donuts! An entirely vegan establishment! Hooray! This is (a big part of) why I love the west coast.
I managed to make a quick solo trip to the Donut Farm on my last morning in Oakland, for cold brew and a bag of vegan donuts to share back at our friends’ home. I would have loved to stay for brunch and try some of their awesome-​sounding offerings (like chik’n waffle… or biscuits and gravy but with the option of DONUTS instead of biscuits!!! although I may have still wanted biscuits… but still!!!), but we had pending plans so a sampling of donuts was exactly what the situation called for.
I picked up a banana fritter, Philz Coffee donut, lavender earl grey donut, and a whiskey tangerine donut… back at the house, we cut them up so people could sample and I can honestly say they were all excellent and made it difficult to pick a favorite. However, I think the citrus and moistness of the whiskey tangerine donut ultimately won me over.
From the outside, this place looks like a bit of a hole in the wall — and our hosts who live in Oakland had never even heard of it — but I really, really enjoyed and hope to make it back someday!

I love Pepples, for their vegan donuts, however, sadly I’d have to say it’s not in the best location, nor was I wowed by the menu. I’ve been here several times, hoping for the ultimate satisfaction in the breakfast items and have tried things on the menu, such as the pepples tofu scramble, and the hot chocolate, but I’ve had better elsewhere (sorry!). I hate to give negative comments, but I am quite picky when it comes to the end product. The donuts are definitely dense, but if you like the soft, fluffy «normal donuts», go for the braided or raised donuts. I will come back for the donuts, but I’ll have to pass on the menu items. Also, I felt the menu prices were a bit higher, compared to other places, for what you get. It’s definitely a great place to try, so don’t let my comments deter you from checking it out.

I’m not a vegan, or organic freak. I don’t even know what it means for a donut to be vegan. Whatever… but it came up on my Unilocal search when I was looking for delicious treats in the Oakland area.
I almost drove past it because it doesn’t have a huge sign or anything with their name, but I DID notice their huge VEGAN and ORGANIC neons on the outside, ok ok you’re vegan-​organic!!! GAH!
Dickheads love this place. The place was busting at the seams with them! Which is great, because that means it HAS to be good.
And let me tell you, these donuts were effing GOOD. So good they made my mouth numb and had to drive to CVS to get milk.
Lavender earl grey, Vanilla, Mexican chocolate, vanilla cookie, lemon poppy, cinnamon sugar, blueberry, chocolate sprinkle, tangerine whiskey– all these crazy amazing flavors I can’t remember right now. But I couldn’t decide which ones to get so I got a dozen. I got two blueberry by accident so I gave one to the cute little poochie that was tied up outside in the rain. He loved it too.
Apparently they have a delicious breakfast as well, will have to try next time I’m in town if they’re not crazy busy like they were this time. Too full to sit!!.

The donut are good. but stick to just the donuts and move on. there food is bland, there sausages and tempeh bacon is not good at all. the service is a little off. only one waitress extremely slow. just visiting but will not be returning

I’ve been meaning to stop by Pepples for a few weeks now, I wanted to try their donuts but also their breakfast, but unfortunately their kitchen was closed. They seems to have a decent selection and intriguing flavors but I wasn’t drawn to the interior and didn’t really want to stay in eat. You get a half dozen donuts for $ 16 which is pricey for normal donuts but on par for vegan ones. A nice spot to stop in if you’re craving some vegan treats for takeout.

I’m so glad we stopped here for both brunch and donuts. I really Fell in love with Oakland and this place was what started it! Super friendly, hip staff and a pretty rad spot. It’s a little grungy but it was totally part of its charm. Best
Donuts, hands down. Thank you for being amazing!!!

Organic and vegan :)
Seriously my favorite place! Amazing food, and all the people that work there are very nice and friendly.
Menu is really good lots a great items. But OMG the donuts. So good!

Vegan doughnuts – not worth it. I was on the hunt for good doughnuts, but did not find them here. The base is essentially the same for each of the doughnuts I tried, and just tasted like very greasy, fried bread dough. The icings were where the different flavors were, but they flavors were not strong and just tasted very sweet. The store front is unappealing and when you walk in, it remains so. The body odor smell from the staff or patrons was also unappealing. Won’t return.

WOW! I have been craving gourmet donuts since seeing IG posts of the decadent creations out there. Pepples donuts is the first East Bay donut place that has not only met, but exceeded, my expectations. We came in about 5 minutes before they were to close and still had our pick of at least ²⁄₃ of that day’s selection. The donuts are dense and fluffy (kind of like old fashioned type donuts). While we opted for the traditional sweeter donuts (salted carmel was to die for) there were savory and spicy flavored ones as well. I will definitely be back.
⁵⁄₅ stars for this VEGAN donut place from this NON VEGAN Unilocaler.

we really liked this place the people were nice the coffee was great and the donuts were delicious

Good doughnuts. Kind of rude staff at times. Which I don’t understand. I worked at a bakery doing essentially the same thing for six months.
Trying to match the «edgy» atmosphere with unwarranted attitude? ;)
P. S. You generally can’t go wrong welcoming families with a smile. I’d give it a try. You’re serving doughnuts, lighten up.

They get this low review because of the food. I rate the donuts a 4.
We ordered the tofu scramble, the burrito (with daiyo cheese avocado), 2 donuts, and 2 coffees: totaling $ 38.60. The food was good, but not «I’ll come back here and order the food» again good. This place should stick with what they do best… DONUTS!
Their donuts are awesome! They are heavy and you will be full with just one. The donuts are expensive, but I’m assuming they are expensive because they are vegan. I didn’t think a vegan donut sounded like a good thing, ever, until I tried the Pepples Donut Farm!
The place is pretty small and they don’t have to go coffee (gotta bring your own mug if you want it to go).

As a long time vegan who loves food, I was excited to finally check this place out.
The tofu scramble had a very small portion of actual tofu compared to carbs. Guess I should have looked at the pictures on here more closely.
Waffles and breakfast burrito were okay. Pretty bland and uninspired. I’ve had much, much better.
Donuts were the only things that were a little better. I liked the candy cap. At around $ 3 a pop, they’re pretty expensive. And I’m from LA!
I feel like this place is in line with Herbivore. They are both OGs in terms of vegan restaurants and have been around a long time but are so mediocre.
Will not return.

I’ve never even had philz coffee but boy do I love the philz donut, well and every other donut here.

Organic and vegan OMG I’m in love! Their lemon poppy donut is on point and I’ve had their breakfast a few times everything I’ve had so far is so delicious! Pepples makes meat eaters want to turn vegan.

I really like the idea of Pepples Donut Farm and while my vegan burrito was decent, it wasn’t anything amazing… especially for almost 10 $. I like the casual atmosphere and the relaxed vibe it brings but I feel the prices are a little steep. I understand vegan food requires fresh, cooked to order ingredients but the little things like charging 3 $ for a tea bag is just too much.
The burrito came with vegan sausage which had some spice to it. I enjoyed it but without the avocado that I added, it would have been a little dry. On the way out we grabbed a salted caramel, blueberry, lavender earl grey and pumpkin donut. The pumpkin was our favorite and while the blueberry was pretty it tasted nothing like blueberry. The lavender and earl grey only tastes faintly like earl grey and leaves the lavender to be desired.
This place gets a lot of business and is worth a try if you don’t mind spending a few dollars more on each item. I commend them having an all vegan restaurant and any donut lover who has gone vegan should come and experience this place.

One of my favorites. Always super good. Love the donuts and the breakfast burrito especially. Great service too.

Came back here a few more times after my last review… service at this place has gone downhill plus the food not as great. You do not get enough for what you are paying for. Donuts, yes are still good, but avoid eating here.

Pepples is my new spot for breakfast dates with my husband or taking a friend to a cool, delicious, low-​key and local vegan brunch spot. Really great food, great vibes, and close to where I live. For brunch, I really like the breakfast burrito with avocado and jackfruit. YUM!

Finally! A vegan place that is no-​frills, yet good food, and won’t break the bank!
I heard about this place from friends for a long time and while they all gave it the thumbs up, I didn’t really consider this as a place for breakfast. It could be because the exterior is quite blah looking and I didn’t have an idea of what to expect. This place reminded me of New Dawn Café that was in the Mission way back in the day. This place is kinda quirky, hodge-​podgy, art student types working the counter and with a random bit of dust here and there. As for the food, they have a full breakfast menu! You don’t have to just a donut. You can have fake chik n waffles, burritos and so on. While I loooooooove Timeless, this place is where you want to go when you want a nice filling breakfast, and not just pastries. The other pluses about this place include: relatively easy parking around, no waiting for a table and not expensive. Lastly, the food is filling and not just for the vegan/​veggie folks.

4 stars alone for their vegan organic donuts. They also serve brunch but I’ve yet to try it.
Street parking
Small restaurant
One restroom for all
Tables and a counter. on the counter is the donut display of their current offerings: ‘Top Shelf’ and ‘Classic’ flavors.
They keep the donuts in boxes behind the counter. $ 2-​$ 3 per donut.
These donuts are cakey. The flavors are good. I like that I can eat it and know the flavor because I forget what I picked. I like a fluffier donut but these aren’t too shabby.

Ok, I have this to say:
They have a great divie dinner thing going on and they have vegan doughnuts !
They make there own tempeh bacon which is amazing and super tasty, the hashbrowns are good and they offer gluten free toast trade out without an extra charge which is a plus.
The cons where that I thought the portions were small for the high price and I thought they pesto scramble could use a little more flavor and some soy cheese.
But, overall this place is cool and I can see why people would want to eat there, it’s a little brake from what’s going on in the bay area, almost a throw back to a time when things were more affordable in Oakland. Would come back and hangout there.

I haven’t had their breakfast/​brunch/​anything besides their doughnuts. I think the coffee and Mexican chocolate doughnuts are my favourites, but we have tried the lavender earl grey, lemon poppy seed, cinnamon, matcha green tea, pumpkin, blueberry, orange cream and the salted caramel. They are all delicious. The blueberry and orange cream are a bit lacking in flavour, but nice still. They have mastered the vegan doughnut and I would say surpass most of the traditional doughnut shops in the Bay Area.
The place is small and at times unsightly if you are used to your usual tidy patisseries and cutesy bakeries. The staff is generally friendly and there is usually plenty of street parking.

My husband and I are on a mission to try as many vegan restaurants as possible while we are living out here in the Bay Area. Pepples was recommended to us many months ago, and we finally made the time to visit.
Street parking is available and rather easy to find during early morning hours, but will obviously become trickier as the city wakes up. We were the first ones in on this particular morning, and we were seated immediately.
We decided to order breakfast off of the menu instead of just grabbing a few donuts.
My husband had Biscuits and Gravy. The dish was prepared using plain cake donuts instead of biscuits (brilliant), and the gravy was obviously made using vegan ingredients. It had mushrooms in it, and was really good considering we don’t normally love mushrooms. His breakfast was delicious. Added hash browns for $ 3.00.
I ordered the Tofu Scramble with Pesto. I just loved my dish; it couldn’t have been more perfect. The scramble had fresh chopped vegetables and the flavor of the tofu was sensational. Whatever they use in that pesto really brings together the whole dish. I would highly recommend this dish. Mine came with hash browns and a side of Acme sourdough bread (absolutely yummy!). We were very pleased with the food and service here. Our waitress was totally sweet.
We agreed that next time we visit that we are splitting a plate of their gourmet donuts. It just has to be done.

I’m so glad to find out that there is a vegan donut place. We tried the half dozen box and liked all of them, the favorites were the lavender tea, lemon poppy and the plain one. Simple is best… And perfect with a cup of coffee.
Donuts and frosting were a little to sweet for my taste buds.

I have tried (and loved) Pebbles donuts bought from their vendors, but have never been where the magic happens.
Today was that day for me, and it was magical. We went to the place were donuts are made… Donut Farm.
My cousin and I had one of the cutest and most kind servers ever. She was patient while we poured over the single page menu and asked silly questions. She brought us a donut to keep busy with while we waited for our brunch.
My cousin demolished a breakfast burrito of the perfect brunch size, and I savored every bite of the seasonal scramble. And this place gets how hash browns are supposed to be, I didn’t have to ask for them to be crunchy!
There was donut artwork for sale on the wall and a super chill vibe in the shop. The employees all seemed genuinely happy to be there and didn’t appear stressed when a line formed for takeout donuts.
Unlike some places who appear to be trying to lure a hipster crowd, this place feels authentic and non judgmental. A note on the menu made me want to visit them everyday, «This is a non-​GMO restaurant, and we provide healthcare to our employees. Thank you for supporting our desire to create more sustainable foods.»
Needless to say, I will return soon.

Awesome food here. The chef, Lael, is a great cook.
I tried the waffle and syrup, stir fried greens, hash browns, jack fruit carnitas and gravy the first day. It was delicious.
Second day, i asked Lael to surprise me and he made me a great platter with greens at the bottom, followed by hash browns, soy hot dog and gravy with sourdough bread on side. OMG!!! WOW! Hands down. Great food and awesome donuts too. Tried many different ones.

Homer Simpson would be proud.
If he ventured out of Springfield, I’d recommend this place to him.
Usually when I hear the word «vegan» I cringe because I think of bland, tasteless, food.
Not these doughnuts.
It’s a great sign when I buy something (like this one Philz Doughnut), take a bite, and then walk back in for another one.
Real blueberries in the blueberry doughnut, and a great Matcha Green Tea Doughnut.
I should have bought a dozen to save me the time of walking back and forth for more.
Yes, these are pricey at $ 3, but I don’t mind paying more for something this vegan-​good!

11:17am/64°F cloudy
Purpose: New pizza place across the street had me in the area. Before I left check notes what else nearby. Then it hits me. Couple of weeks ago, I tap Victor G about this place it was within half block away. He warns me its a sketchy area. I chance it in day time, no problems. Basically one trip here with two spots to go.
Ambiance: There’s no outside seating to be seen just a large painted foamy pink donut. While inside with 4 – 5 tables for four, communal sit 8 – 10 comfortably. All chair sets are different color expect 6 – 7 colors. Counter area three cushion stools could fit another person however just too much miscellaneous clutter. Bakery racks, bag flour, shelves, bags etc. Walls plaster with local artist pieces, news periodicals, magazines, posters, lots of makeshift things like kindergarten kids would do. Place feels like it was part of a lunch break room and kitchen. They really don’t want the place looking like spic & span, but clean enough to pass. By coincidence they’ve the two tier donut display at the end of counter and first thing to see when entering. I think it’s a eye catching scheme to lure you in faster. Nevertheless place is great for what it does don’t need any changes.
Staff: One girl hipster trending type with glasses. Later I learn she was the baker/​chef also. She was mellow, did all the aspect of CS while I was there. She ask me to take a seat, but I wasn’t there to sit. Everything I needed was in the donut showcase already. She explain what flavors are great sellers while asking did I have any particular in mind. I was with wandering eyes looking for loose sample (crumbs) somewhere lol.
Cleanliness: Grade B-​, lots of miscellaneous things here and there. Looks disorganized to the masses, but organized enough for them. Its the look that may be a turn-​off for some.
Eats/​Drinks: Coconut curry donut $ 3. This was my first of this flavor, all others, I’ve try many of times at the ferry building. One bite had me doing cartwheels so airy, but looks dense. No hardness, icing looks sweet and hard, but it was neither. All of their donut line up is like that, its just a new flavor to try out had me thinking otherwise. Whole donut was cover top to bottom from icing, sprinkle with rainbow non perils. I can actually taste the curry/​coconut flavors mix in. What’s most interesting is that when you bite into donut theres no oil feel. No oil oozing from side of mouth was a plus. Although all of their donuts are made that way, but the new coconut curry is just like any other. I would eat it daily if doctor gives me the go ahead.
Main Features: Philz coffee donut, match green, coconut curry sells out daily.
Products/​Services: Vegan donuts, breakfast, lunch, brunch, juices, coffee. Donuts buys-​single, half dozen, bakers dozen, party pleaser sizes. Large quantities discounts, wholesale.
Punch Lines: Over 20+ flavor of donuts, homey feel, kid friendly, vegan, hip and happening, pleasing flavors, superb, always buzzing, wood paneling, devotees, well-​prepared, lackluster décor, light bites, a home run, can’t bgo wrong, worth the wait, casual and delicious, street parking, AC Transit #72 line, sketchy area.
Tradeoffs: You get it straight from the source that makes them. This is better than buying it at some coffee shop that may had it previous day before.
Final Thoughts: Donuts! Who don’t like them? Policeman likes them, its a must have in the wee hours of morning. However here not all donuts are created equal. Its all about organic vegan versions here. As a kid you eat what ever was available. Apple fritters, bars, old fashion, glaze, sugar, sprinkles, bars, twist, swirls etc. As you grow older you notice why some items are more pricier than others. I wish I had knew back then about how artificial Hostess, Little Debbie, Bimbo, Winchell’s, Colonial were. Now a day, I have to watch what I take in. Only in moderation now, easy does it.