The 72-year-old Bob’s Donuts location on Polk Street in San Francisco will shut its doors for good on November 23rd.
Bob’s Donuts has remained a San Francisco fixation, touchstone, and late-night icon for over 70 years. In the decades since its original location opened at 1720 Polk Street, the beloved donut store spawned multiple locations across San Francisco, including its most recent store that sits right up the street at 1621 Polk Street, and has grown into a staple for morning sweet tooth and a post-bar darling for those looking to sober up on their walks or Waymos home.
Bob’s Donuts suggested earlier in 2025 that its days at the original location were numbered; a series of failed lease negotiations with the building’s landlord were ultimately to blame for its future exit … whenever that would be. It was those same lease disputes that ultimately sired the far more spacious, ostensibly modern donut shop at 1621 Polk Street store — a product testing ground for Bob’s Donuts where specialty donuts are experimented with before debuting at its other two modernized locations at 601 Baker Street and 252 Almonte Boulevard in Mills Valley — but lacks the gritty, grab-and-go charm of its predecessor.
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and Bob’s Donuts’ 1720 Polk Street location will officially shutter on November 23rd.
“Bob’s has always been more than just a donut shop,” reads a post on Instagram announcing the store’s imminent closure. “It’s a reflection of the incredible community around us.”
Like countless small businesses that bracket San Francisco’s backbone, Bob’s Donuts’ success was the product of an immigrant striving for excellence. Aya, who’s been the pastry shop’s head chef and owner for over 20 years, took over the business, which was first founded by a prolific mid-20th-century entrepreneur named “Bob,” after its second owner, Elinor, the mother of Aya’s husband, unexpectedly passed in 2001.
Aya transformed the then-struggling donut shop into a successful, iconoclastic SF establishment and has remained at the helm ever since taking over.
“Aya, an immigrant from Japan, approached Bob’s with the spirit of shokunin, the devotion to one’s craft and the pursuit of excellence not for praise, but for purpose,” continues the post. “When she took over the struggling shop, she treated every customer like a neighbor. She remembered names, shared stories, and made everyone feel seen […] Aya has always cared deeply for her community, but through it all, this community cared just as deeply for her and for Bob’s.”
The OG Bob’s Donuts location will fry its last batch of yeast and cake donuts on November 23rd before closing its doors for good.
“Thank you to everyone for the continued support throughout our journey,” concluded the post. “We’re excited to see you at our new store.”
