The Jelly Donut (CLOSED)

When the Bunry family emigrated from Cambodia and opened this Mission District shop 29 years ago, panaderias and mercados were as common in the neighborhood as hand-roasted, pour-over coffee shops are now. The fact that the Jelly Donut has managed not just to survive but to thrive in the rapidly gentrifying Mission (even with competition from the artisanal-hip donut shop down the street) is a credit to both the family and the donuts. This is the place to go when a chili-chocolate-nib-sprinkled thing just doesn’t hit the spot. The old-fashioneds, crullers and glazed confections are traditional, fresh and satisfying. Don’t miss the cinnamon rolls or the “buttermilk”—a bar the size, density and butter-load of a miniature pound cake. The best part: a handful of donut holes usually come gratis with any order.