Grandad's Donuts

This place is hands down the best doughnuts around town and the region. Always fresh. Always so soft and good. Reminds me of my childhood. Staff are incredible. Prices are amazing. You need to have a doughnut here. You will be back for more. Seasonal flavours available with all the traditional flavors you know and love.

Hands down one of the best donuts you could ever get! It’s soft, fresh and amazing! Donuts a dozen $21 and per piece $2. You cannot go wrong with any of them. Hamilton’s very own Grandads Donut is something you shouldn’t miss when you’re in town or passing by!

I grew up in the neighbourhood and Grandad's, and the preceding shops, were always fantastic. Though I now live more than 5 hours away, I always try to stop by when I am in the area. Where else can you get scrumptious, fresh baked doughnuts of this quality? They have all the classics and more. Walnut Crunch. Yes. Orange stick (twist)? Yes. Ghostbusters? Check.

Drove by this place on Friday on our way to Niagara Falls from Toronto, and decided to check it out (attracted by the store name Granddad's Donuts) and saw a crazy amount of high reviews on Google map. The store is small with a very mom and pop shop vibe to it, when we get there around 5pm, many of the donut options have been sold out already, The server indicated that they have a bakery chef come in every morning to bake fresh donut from scratch in the shop ( could that chef be the Grandad?) And apparently their donut selection is very popular with the locals and many of the popular options sells out earlier on during the day. They suggested we should come back again next time around noon for better selection. We bought half dozen of donuts( Boston cream, maple cream, and others) and they were quite delicious and fresh, definitely a huge step up from the central kitchen mass produced and reheat-from-frozen Tim Horton style donuts that we have everywhere. We bought the donuts home and had them for breakfast 2 days after, reheated them in microwave and they still tasted delicious and soft. (Whereas the Timmies variety would have been rock-hard after 2 days) Definitely will come back again ( around noon if we could) next time for more. Gotta support the local artisan bakery stores from the giant chain Timmies of the world!

Everything about Grandads is top shelf! Their renovation turned out amazing, the staff are now and have always been friendly and helpful, and obviously the donuts are worth the trip alone.

It seems like a lot of donut shops are dying but was glad that I found this hidden gem in Hamilton. I drove from Toronto as I was told these are very good donuts and I must say absolutely amazing. Staff very friendly service was good I only got half a dozen $9 but I don't mind paying for quality very good donuts good job granddads Was driving by and have to stop by this Hamilton staple. They recently renovated about a year ago. Place looked fantastic like always. Donuts were fantastic. Service was good

Very fresh donuts, $2 each, and they are reasonably sized, with some unique kinds as well.

Saw on instagram an influencer visited here so we decided to check it out and drive from Toronto. Upon arriving, there were a lot of people and it was only 1130. I have a feeling you need to come early to get what you want otherwise you get the leftover. Costed me $22 for a dozen and picked many flavors. They were soft & delicious. Kids love em

Sometimes, you just crave a classic donut. Nothing fancy or unique, just the basics done extremely well. And this is exactly what you get at Grandad's Donuts at a great price! Think all your classic donut flavours: honey cruller, old fashioned glazed, apple fritter, choc/vanilla dip, and more. Apparently, the founder was one of the original Tim Horton's bakers, which explains why these donuts are so freaking good. Cravings satisfied.

Solid good old fashioned donut shop. Grandad's donuts really gives your a good classic donut. We ordered a box of a dozen donuts for $18. The donuts are soft and delicious. I'm not typically a fan of large filled donuts but I had the blueberry filled powdered donut and....literally inhaled it. They ran out of some that my family requested I get -the blueberry fritter. I'll definitely have to come back and get that next time. I would probably describe this place similar to Timmies but better. The donuts are still soft the next day.

Good donuts, however the front-end staff are generally rude and condescending towards patrons. You always get the vibe that they don't want you there, and that your presence is nothing but an inconvenience to them from their constant snide remarks. I was met with rude comments when I enquired about their donut selection with something along the lines of: "didn't you read the menu?" In a sarcastic tone. Along with many groans and eye rolls. Although I enjoyed the donuts, I don't enjoy being talked down to and/or disrespected as a paying customer. I'm new to Canada, so I don't know if this is a common practice, but I will not be supporting a business that treats me with such disrespect.

Nice that they were open at 7am. Picked up donuts for the folks at my factory. No dairy-free options though. And no vegan options either. Would probably try another place next time. Heard the donuts are made fresh at Grandads though. (Tim hortonsw makes their donuts off site)

The cost of these average donuts has gone through the roof. I guess they want us to pay for their renovations. Nope!

I just had the most terrible experience at this establishment. Do not patronize them. Had put in an order for a dozen donuts on Wednesday for a birthday party tonight, Friday. When I went to pick the order which was to be ready for 3:30, the order was no where to be found. The woman behind the cash couldn't find any order under the name placed on Wednesday. She was quite dismissive and did not offer an apology and just kept repeating the order was not there and that all orders are made in the morning. Good customer service dictates an apology and perhaps an offer of the product on the house. I left there quite annoyed. I then decided to call them and speak to a manager to let them know about my experience. When I called, I asked for a manager. I was told no manager in the building. I asked for someone in authority. No one of authority in the building. I proceeded to explain my experience and the missing order. The person on the phone was obviously young and not well versed in customer service. I explained what my expectations were (that a manager must call me back to address my complaint). The girl on the phone developed an attitude and began raising her voice demanding I not tell her what to do. The exchange continued until she lost control and called me a "f***ing idiot". In disbelief I said "Excuse me?" at which point she realized what she had said, let out a gasp and hung up the phone. I had someone else call to get the person's name and this time the women whom I spoke to in-store answered and admitted to have spoken to me in store. When asked if it was appropriate to call a customer a "f***ing idiot" and then hang up on them, she said "if it happened ........." Please read the review by Grant W on the right hand side. I had the same experience but with an added "f***ing idiot".

When in Hamilton, I always hear about how great Grandad's Donuts are. I have been in and out of Hamilton longer than they have been in their current location and I've not gone in at all--until now! True to what a lot of positive reviews are saying--I am hooked! To take it for a good run, I ordered 4 donuts: Apple Fritter, Sugar Twist, Orange Twist and an Old Fashioned Glazed. No, I didn't eat them all but bit a big chunk out of each one and finished the apple fritter. To my amazement, closer to noon, they were all still fresh! My teeth sunk joyfully in a cloud of freshness! Grandad's Donuts--you had me at my first bite of the Apple Fritter!! I'm not a big donut eater but this place is definitely the best donuts and worth going back to, time and time again! Friendly staff--keep up the great work and don't cut corners--people will come!

Went in here at 5:00pm today and they still had donuts left. It's an old school type donut shop. The staff were pretty casual, and told us what types of donuts were left. They cost $1.60 each, and the cream filled eclairs are $2.10. We picked up an Eclair, Dutchie, and Glazed donut. The size of all of them were just a bit bigger than Tim Horton's donuts. We wanted to eat at a table inside, especially since it was 17°F out, but all the tables were moved at an angle making it impossible to have a seat at them. I guess they start cleaning up the place at 5:00pm. As we ate the donuts off-site, we noticed the Eclair had very little taste to it--the whipped cream and chocolate topping tasted like nothing. The Dutchie tasted very doughy, with not many raisins in it. The Glazed donut was the best of the bunch, being moist and tasty. All in all, I wasn't that impressed with this place, and don't feel the premium price they put on the donuts is justified.

I found this amazing donut shop a week ago by reviews and the donuts are amazing. So I made another trip back there today to get another dz donuts. Upon our arrive there was one staff member who didn't seem to be in a good mood and she ended up serving us. I treated her and asked how she was doing. She didn't reply just asked what I wanted. Alright I'll keep the small talk to a minimum and just tell her my order. I made a joke to my friend about my friend and she seemed offended so again I'll keep my chatter down. When it came time to pay she was very short and had a rude tone. I said have a nice day and her reply was " ya thanks ". If you are having a rough day you shouldn't take it out on your customers at all. My friend was served after me and when it came time to leave after she paid she asked for a piece of tape to keep the box closed and the lady rolled her eyes at my friend. I just wanna say I'm sorry you are having a bad day and I really hope it gets better for you.

Locals and tourists in the know go to Grandads. Donuts are tasty, large sizes, and not the fancy flavour. Their apple fritter is my fav. The classic chocolate donut is also delicious. Parking can be tight especially if there is a lineup.

This place had every OG traditional flavour of donut possible in shop. My favorite was the cherry loop which you don't find everywhere but really each donut here is great. They had seemingly an unlimited supply of each when we arrived and the staff were inviting. Social distancing recommendations were positively enforced.

Grandad's Donuts was surprisingly busy - people lining up out the doors, stacks of donuts waiting to be picked up. I waited approximately 15 minutes to order. There is only 1 person allowed inside at a time to order. Staff is friendly - they also take debit/credit cards. I ordered 1. Ghostbuster: My favorite - a chocolate dipped donut with cream filling 2. Maple: My other favorite 3. Chocolate dipped Will go back and try Cherry as they sold out early. Tip: You can pre-order the day before!

With the trend of fancy donuts these daysits kinda nice that these mom and pop donut shops still exists. We stopped by this place on our way back home from Niagara. We ordered a dozen of assorted donuts. It is a nostalgic space with trays and trays of different flavours and toppings. There was a fair number of people in line. I guess this place is quite popular here. Verdict: it is pricey for a "Baker's Dozen" style donut shop. Now that is fine, however is it worth the cost? I'm on the fence about that. A donut is each well over$2. As expected with many donut shops, it's the same base donut with different toppings. The toppings are good. However the base donut is more "meh". I'm not sure if it's a tad stale but maybe not coz it seems the turn over at this place is pretty high. So I'm going to assume it's their batter that makes the donut itself a little dry and chewy. I'm not sure if one is better than the other. Service: It's quick. No frills which is understandable. Will I go back? Sure to give it another chance.

We were in Hamilton to eat a burger featured on a TV show, and we figured we should also make our way to Grandad's to try their infamous Walnut Crunch concoction. We showed up early afternoon and were pleasantly surprised to discover that the joint is in a plaza with its own parking lot. Free parking! Anyway, obviously I ordered the Walnut Crunch. It's actually quite a bit larger than I would've expected, and I was sure I wouldn't wind up eating the whole thing. (Spoiler: I ate the whole thing.) It's really good. The whole thing is very fresh and flavorful, and the sporadic pieces of walnut give it a welcome crunch. It might not be worth a drive to Hamilton, but the Walnut Crunch at Grandad's is certainly worth grabbing if you're in the area.

Grandad's is the nostalgic throwback we all need in our lives. It's worth going out of my way to get fresh, delicious, hard-to-find classics like Blueberry Fritters and Cherry Loops. The staff is friendly and know their regulars. Prices are really reasonable considering that this is an independent speciality donut shop. Grandad's has a lot of discontinued favorites from that national chain, and their donuts are a bit bigger too. Pro tip: the donuts freeze really well, so if you're stopping from out of town, buy extras and toss them in the freezer.

Just alright! The donut was kind of dry; maybe that's because we came at the end of the day? Service staff was super nice.

The absolute best donuts. They have all the classic flavours and they make them all perfectly. Very affordable prices as well! They freeze well so grab a dozen and freeze what you can't eat that day.

Best donuts ever, bar none! Large selection, all very yummy. I am an old fashioned cake donut fan, and Grandads are excellent....the closest to my mums homemade donuts I have ever had. Service is fast and friendly, and they are doing a great job managing Covid precautions. Dont bother with Tim's donuts, once you have tasted these, you'll never go back! Mel H

Excellent. The best donuts in Hamilton. Bang for buck, the best donuts in the GTA as well. This is an old-time donut shop. Like Tim Horton's style, except good. The donuts are really fresh and tasty, and the dough is not overly sweet. Cheap too. I come here whenever I can.

I would come back for the nostalgia and leave the donuts. Grandad's Donuts is a bite of the past with the neon plastic booths and the donuts laid out in trays the way they used to be at Timmies or Coffee Time in the 90s. Admittedly, I am a millennial baby so I can just barely remember those days. We had coffee, an eclair and one of their "grandad's feature" donuts which ended up tasting more like dried out peptol bismol. The coffee was equally mediocre - it was pretty weak but standard donut companion coffee. The eclair on the other hand was lovely. Would definitely recommend because of the fresh cream taste. Overall Grandad's Donuts was a great experience but I wouldn't stay for the donuts but rather for the ambiance.

Love Granddad's Donuts on James St. north best donuts in the Hammer!!! My personal Favourite is the Walnut Crunch!!! A word of advice come early, they sell out quickly

Love Grandad's! Nothing fancy about this place, just quality handmade donuts in an old-school donut shop. I'm an American dating a Canadian, and I was hooked on this place the first time she brought me here back in 2017. The Canadian maple is incredible, and I'm a sucker for a quality dutchie. So much better than Tim's!

Good donuts... They used to open at 5 or 5:30 AM. Can't get a coffee and donut on the way to work. Bummer.

They do not answer their telephone - ever! I sent a question through orders, heard absolutely nothing. Then sent an order in and this is going on four weeks, and I still haven't even heard from them. Maybe their donuts are good, but their customer service is disgusting. I would not recommend this place at all. As customers, especially during covid, you shouldn't receive such horrible service, when all people want it to support local businesses. It's a big NO for me. NOTE: I have since heard from them and I am changing my rating based on customer service I just received. Although I am not happy with the original situation, I will give them kudos for trying to change their practices and acknowledging this error.

Ended up here entirely by accident, just walking by on my way down to the water. Wasn't sure whether to expect it to be good, since I hadn't checked online first as I usually do. Overall I was disappointed, and I'm surprised to now see how much people like it online. I had one of the big special things whose name I don't recall. Overall it was too sweet and it didn't taste fresh enough. I know, donuts are supposed to be sweet, but I was tasting sugar where I should have found a fresh coat of oil.

The donuts here are amazing! Very fresh and fluffy almost. It wasn't busy at all when I went early in the morning. The prices are reasonable compared to other fancier donut shops in the city.

Grandad's Donuts are hands-down the best yeast donuts in the Hamilton Wentworth area. Taking a cue from what old donut and coffee chains used to be, Grandad's bakes/fries on site. So no partially cooked frozen donuts delivered via truck or even just fully cooked donuts being carted between locations. Grandad's is authentic on site baking/frying using authentic ingredients. Where our favorite big chain donut shops have resorted to using corn syrup and coloring to replace jelly filling, gelatin and flavoring to replace custard and just plain ditching recipes requiring real fruit or cream in favor of cheaper donuts, Grandad's keeps us delighted with old favorites. Good luck trying to find old favorites like Dutchies, eclairs, chocolate cream donuts and bow ties at Canada's most popular donut chain. These were discontinued as cost cutting measures at that one popular place. Grandad's has revived them with slight changes. The Dutchie is a touch larger than we remembered, eclairs are a little fancier, chocolate cream donuts are called "ghostbusters" and bow ties have different sprinkles. They're all here though, the way we remembered them. It's fitting that Grandad's is named what it is. The donuts remind me of a bygone era. A time when Grandpa would appear for a visit just as Saturday morning cartoons ended and he'd be holding that familiar box that resembled a storefront under his arm, filled with tasty goodies. Grandpa may no longer be with us, Saturday morning cartoons no longer exist and those fun boxes have been replaced with a logo covered parcel, but thanks to Grandad's Donuts, we can still enjoy the fondly remembered goodies the way they used to taste. If you miss how the donuts made famous by a hockey player tasted, you gotta try Grandad's.

Terrible coffee. Please change your coffee. It tastes watered down. If you like coffee, dont come here. The staff is wonderful. Very polite and friendly. The doughnuts are really good. Please change your coffee. If you do, I will definitely drop tons of money in your store. Tons.

Saw this place and was really curious. Always looking for an alternative to the freeze dried mess that is Timmy's. So I got there a bit late in the day and there was a thin selection of donuts. Sad, but there was another bake advertised for later in the afternoon. I ordered a medium coffee, the old fashioned glazed and tried a sample chocolate glazed donut hole. The donut hole was delicious and so was the glazed old fashioned. It was a little crumbly but so full of flavour. I could have eaten a few. The coffee was really watery--it lived up to the name Grandad because it tasted the way old people enjoy their Folders coffee. I'll be back for the donuts for sure.

The best donuts in the greater Hamilton area. Visited many times and had many flavours. All great and priced right, unlike the overpriced lipstick donut holes in Hamilton and Burlington.

Those donuts...so so good. The quality of them is amazing. To really get a sense of the quality difference, it's worth eating a Tim Horton's mass-produced-pre-frozen-then-thawed version first and then coming here and trying an equivalent flavour. You will really get a sense of the quality difference fresh baked...err fried makes. To top it off, their prices are pretty much on par with Tim Horton's, so you're not paying a premium for a better product. This is a hidden gem in Hamilton and worth seeking out.

Went here because a lot of people locally rave about it. Had a Boston cream donut which is my standard. Very fresh dough. Layer of chocolate glaze was too sweet with not a lot of chocolate flavour. Disappointing custard filling. Also too sweet and not very appetizing. Staff and service was lackluster. Decor is reminiscent of the down and dirty north end of years past. The place is in desperate need of a facelift and the staff need to learn how to smile. Won't be going out of my way again.

This is the best donut shop in al of Hamilton! Hands down favourite! Great selection of donuts and they taste homemade! You do need to go in earlier to get the best selection but they always have a good selection (well anytime I've gone). Worth the trek! A Hamilton staple. And the price is incredible! You can get half a dozen for $6.50. Totally worth it. Favourite is the chocolate peanut one. But all of them are excellent. Highly recommend.

I think best donuts in Golden Horseshoe. Not tried them all yet but what I have are delicious.

Fresh, tasty, old fashioned made-onsite donuts! We picked up 1/2 a dozen when we were visiting friends over the weekend and were in love. If you wax nostalgic over how a certain giant coffee chain's donuts used to be so good 'back in the day' then you'll be happy to discover Grandad's donuts.

Best donuts in hamilton. Plain and simple! Go here now because it is absolutely to die for!

If you are looking for fresh home style donuts this is your place! Better selections available the earlier you come in, but they are all pretty damn yummy!

Cute little donut shop I stumbled across while going for a walk. The donut was really good and the staff is very friendly. Like everyone said the coffee is watery but that's okay. Everything else is good. I had their western sandwiches without any meat and their orange twist.

I'd forgotten what real homemade donuts taste like. By comparison the big chain donuts are bland. The decor is no frills but who cares? They have wifi if you want to sit with your coffee.

This is one of the rare hidden gems in a treasure chest of a city. There is good reason they have been around as long as they have. There isn't a person in the city of Hamilton that doesn't know what Granddads donut shop is. The donuts are outstandingly brilliant, but you have to go early go get your hands on some. Ever since they've been featured on TV, people go out of their way to pick up donuts in the morning before work. I've went at 11AM and they've been almost wiped clean before. If you haven't been in for one before, and you're in the area, you really gotta eat here

I went because a coworker said that their donuts were great and they actually sold the walnut crunch and cherry stix that Tim Hortons used to sell many years ago and I was excited because of that and was going to spend a fair amount just to get that feeling of nostalgia back. When I went the customer service was poor and the one staff member was knowledgable about anything (the website shows the stuff they sell but it was practically empty at around 3 pm), I bought the cherry loop and it had a bad after taste (slightly cough medicine-like) the coffee was expensive! I paid $1.90 for a medium coffee that was the same size a tim hortons small. maybe the girl screwed me over or maybe that's actually the size of a small, I don't know but I was very disappointed because all I wanted was the cherry stix and walnut crunch, is there any store in ontario that sells those 2 donuts!

If you love donuts, then you owe it to yourself to experience what a REAL donut tastes like...not some freezedried parbaked tasteless Tim. Other than a small bakery I once knew in Oshawa, this is the best donut diner bar none. Now of course there are some small issues, such as coffee can be anywhere from blah to ok to not bad so would be nice if an improvement was made on that part. There is not a huge menu for sandwhich/deli/lunch clientele but THATS NOT WHO THEY ARE. They offer some selections for those who may want that sort of thing but you come here for DONUTS !!!..and trust me, you wont leave with just ONE.

The donuts are very good. They are freshly made and they had a large selection. The people working there are also very friendly.

peanut donut was.awesome and the price was reasonable XD We had walnut crunch and peanut donut

Great Donuts, best around. Only problem is they are not close enough. Perhaps that is a good thing. lol