Organization
Seaside Donuts Bakery
Seaside Donuts Bakery is a Cambodian-owned bakery next to the Newport Pier in Newport Beach, California, open 24 hours a day.[1][2] Also called Seaside Bakery, it has had Cambodian owners since 1985.[1][2] It became a local favorite for its low prices and its spot by the ocean, and its green Thai tea donut gets much praise on TikTok.[1][3]
History
Kong Eap, a Cambodian immigrant, bought the small shop in 1985 and worked there daily for decades. By 2012 Roger Eap owned the bakery.[1] It is one of many Cambodian-owned donut shops in Southern California, a trend that began with the refugee Ted Ngoy in the 1970s.[3]
In 2012 the bakery still looked much as it had in 1985. Framed black-and-white photographs and faded snapshots of customers hung on the walls, and the register took cash only.[1] Roger Eap said the relationships with customers, many of them decades long, were part of what made the work rewarding.[1]
Food
The counter carries about ten kinds of doughnuts. One favorite has blueberries baked into the dough under a crumb topping.[1] The bakery also sells sweet and savory croissants, cronuts, ham-and-cheese croissants, sandwiches, smoothies and muffins. Thai iced tea is a popular drink.[1][4]
Community
Local surfers, business owners and residents come regularly, and summer brings tourist crowds.[1] Its popularity grew first among college students, who came for low prices and a relaxed mood.[2][3] In the mid-2020s it became a late-night gathering place for young Asian Americans in Southern California, helped by TikTok videos. It is often packed between midnight and 4 a.m.[2][3]
Press
The bakery has been written about in the Los Angeles Times' Daily Pilot (2012) and Hoodline (2017).[1][5] Hoodline ranked it 14th on its 2017 list of America's 50 favorite donut shops.[5]
Visiting
The bakery is a small shop on the Balboa Peninsula, next to the Newport Pier. Lines often form outside late at night.[1][4][2]
See also
References 5
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Daily Pilot, "A happy baker makes happy doughnuts" (February 2012)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Baron News, Ashley Trinh, Seaside Donuts Bakery: A new spawn-point for Stereotypical Asian influencers (September 23, 2024)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 88Tumble, What is Seaside Donuts and why does it have such a large impact on Southern Californian Asians (September 2024)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Visit Newport Beach, The best bakeries and sweet shops in Newport Beach (November 2025)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hoodline, Here Are America's 50 Favorite Donut Shops (July 20, 2017)
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