Strict Paleos, folks who don’t work off their excess calorie intake, and those not interested in history, please keep moving…there’s nothing to see here!
Credit: Rebecca Sowards-Emmerd (www.Calipidder.com)
There is very little in Silicon Valley that’s more than a few decades old. Santa Clara County was mostly farmland until the 1960’s and 1970’s. Even the buildings from that era were low-density and have mostly been pushed aside in favor of even higher density construction. One beautiful exception to this “everything is new” situation are the Victorian and other older homes in the older core areas of San Jose, Santa Clara. Mountain View, and Palo Alto.
(All of which reminds me to stay away from the Apple construction site, where Wolfe and Homestead Roads have become a mess! https://alpharoaming.com/2013/12/06/new-apple-spaceship-campus/)
Then, there’s “Stan’s Donuts“! They’ve been in business since 1959, when Stan opened his shop in Santa Clara. He eventually retired and sold his shop to the current hard working family.
Talk about nostalgia, the menu, painted right on the wall, has not been touched in decades (except the prices, which are quite reasonable)
Their $1.40 cinnamon rolls are huge! I recently measured one at over 6 inches diameter and 1.5 inches thick (hand-rolled, and still warm from the fryer!)
There are no machines and conveyor belts here. There are big tubs of dough, dumped on the floury table, which are then hand-rolled and cut before being manually lowered into the fryer…all in the front window for everyone to see!
Yes, you can join the cupcake or “cake pop” fads, if you wish. You can also have a bit of kitschy fun locally at Psycho Donuts http://www.psycho-donuts.com/ (…or Portland’s similar VooDoo Donuts http://voodoodoughnut.com )
However…if you want a classic, hand-made, family-owned, dose of comfort food and three major foods groups (flour, sugar, frying oil), then Stan’s is my go-to place!
Stan’s Donuts, 2628 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara, CA 95051 (near San Tomas Expressway. At the left end of the Safeway plaza, across from the Santa Clara Library)
BTW: They’ve got huge and awesome Yelp ratings, and more photos to browse! http://www.yelp.com/biz/stans-donut-shop-santa-clara
AlphaRoaming 
I tried Psycho Donuts for a work event once. Great donuts. Very creative. Pricey! And everyone asked for Stan’s. I am by there every few months to get a load for a work event treat. Great place! An excellent guilty pleasure stop.
Stan’s that is! Gave up on Psycho for anything except one-off donuts. 🙂
35 yrs ago I would wait patiently in line for a maple bar an amazing treat I hope they haven’t changed the way they make them.Recently tried Voodoo donuts maple bar could not measure up.
Wow
Reblogged this on Elizabeth Karlsson.
ONE THING I MISSED AN DID CRY WAS MOVING FROM SANTA CLARA. A PLACE WE WORKED AT SINCE THE 1940s. AND ALSO LEAVING BEHIND STANS DONUTS. I REALLY ENJOYED THE ICE CREAM AN THE TUNA SANDWICHES WHEN FOOD WAS SERVED.
BUT I KNOW I WILL RETURN ONE DAY AN MY FIRST STOP WILL BE STANS DONUTS.
REASON FOR MOVING WAS OUR RENT KEPT INCREASING AN OUR SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO STAY. 😦
Thank you for the fabulous donuts, can’t find a good donut place here…
Those were good times. Too bad you could not stay in Santa Clara. Until then…James