SloDoCo Brings A Bite Of San Luis Obispo To Santa Barbara

At 7:30 p.m. on a Friday night, my friends Michelle, Rachel, and I decided it was time to lock in. We packed up our laptops, piled into Rachel’s Kia Optima, and made the short five-minute drive from the heart of Isla Vista to the San Luis Obispo Donut Company — SloDoCo for short.

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, SloDoCo stands apart from the rest of the Isla Vista and Santa Barbara late-night study spot scene… that is, it’s pretty much the only option. Sharing the massive Storke Plaza parking lot, we had no issue finding a spot. The main four bus lines frequented by UC Santa Barbara students — the 11, 24X, 27, and 28 — all stop conveniently close to the shop as well, but do stop running at varying times around midnight, which is something to consider if you choose to take the bus to study late at night. 

There were too many beautifully decorated donuts to choose from, including vegan and gluten free options, but the three of us eventually decided on six donuts and two drinks to try together. For the donuts, we selected the Créme Brûlée, Marshmallow Galaxy, Matcha Raised (with chocolate chips), Espresso Cream, Froot Loops Cereal Raised, and half a dozen original glazed donut holes. We accompanied our selections with an iced Thai tea and hot vanilla latte. 

After collecting our haul, we were faced with another decision… Where to sit? Luckily, SloDoCo doesn’t have a shortage of seating. Their guest WiFi works well throughout the entire building, but the layout splits the shop into two main areas with different vibes, depending on what you’re looking for.

To the left of the register is more of a social space with cozy corners, couches, beanbags, and a huge shelf covered with books and games that you’re invited to borrow from during your stay. On the right side, where we decided to settle in, you can find a smaller space, inviting a more focused atmosphere. It has similar mixed-seating tables to the other side, but features a long countertop for high top seating, a lower wheelchair- accessible countertop, and sparser lighting. Between bites, my friends and I enjoyed looking up at the colorful graffiti wall adjacent to our table. 

We took our first sips to the sound of Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors” playing throughout the shop. For just $3.50, Michelle’s Thai tea was perfectly average. It had a nice amount of  spice and wasn’t too sweet, which we liked, but we found the drink to be too watered down, even before the ice began to melt. My $5.00 vanilla latte, on the other hand, was a fan favorite. I would’ve liked it a touch sweeter, but Michelle and Rachel found the lighter flavor of the latte to work in its favor, and our average rating settled close to an 8/10. A pleasant, warm drink to keep you company through a long autumn night. 

Next, we tackled the donuts, starting with the favorite pick of the night: the original glazed donut holes. A donut shop staple, Rachel decided that this menu item would say a lot about the donut company — and SloDoCo delivered an exceptional batch. Chewy, light, and airy, we were all fans. Even better, the glaze on the donuts didn’t leave a sticky, sugary film on our fingertips, making them the perfect bites to snack on in between paragraphs of an essay due at midnight. 

The Froot Loops Cereal Raised donut landed a solid seal of approval, as did the Créme Brûlée and Espresso Cream. It’s difficult to accomplish a topping well, and while the cereal tasted a little bit stale — likely having sat out for the majority of the day — it balanced out the raised donut nicely. 

The Créme Brûlée and Espresso Cream donuts shared a spot in the display, but also a similar composition. Our reviews of the crunchy, sticky caramelized sugar top on the Créme Brûlée donut varied with personal preference, but the custard filling was unanimously delicious. The Espresso Cream was a nice blend of custard, chocolate, and espresso on the palate, and paired well with sips of vanilla latte. 

Unfortunately, not every selection was a winner. While I ate it up, the Matcha Raised was another controversial bite. The donut would have benefitted from a thicker matcha glaze, and I probably would have been better off ordering the version without chocolate chips, which neutralized the matcha flavor that I was looking forward to. 

The Marshmallow Galaxy, however, might be the messiest choice for three girls looking to “lock in,” and is certainly not one we would recommend ordering on a first date. The donut smelled like a marshmallow and maintained a pillowy, light consistency, but the galaxy aspect certainly came across the strongest — Michelle and Rachel’s fingers and teeth turned so blue from the icing that I refused to try my bite. 

Despite reminding ourselves several times that we came to work, we ended up sacrificing an hour of study time for girl talk, which was well worth it. At about 9 p.m., we slid our unopened laptops into our backpacks and headed home to our apartments, driving by the place we all first met — as floormates in Santa Catalina Hall — on the way back. 

Yes, SloDoCo shares a hometown with our athletic rivals, but I would certainly not be opposed to the 24/7 donut shop sticking around in Goleta. I had a fabulous time catching up with two of my college “day ones” and treating myself to something other than freezer-burned ice cream in my apartment, and don’t doubt that I’ll be back in the future to actually get my work done. 

Although the donuts this time around were a mixed bag, I would definitely recommend hitting SloDoCo for a pre-finals study session or two and trying out some new menu items. If you find any winners, be sure to let me know.

• #finals
• #studying
• college
• donuts
• SLO