[6] The Donut King had its world premiere in the Documentary Feature Competition the South by Southwest film festival.

[7] In a positive review, Richard Whittaker with The Austin Chronicle said that "Gu does stellar work compiling and constructing Ngoy's life story through interviews and archive and contemporary footage," and added "the animation sequences by Chapeau Studios and 1881 Animation that make the perfect drizzle of icing.

"[8] Giving it three-out-of-four stars, Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com called The Donut King "a heartwarming albeit scattered documentary from director Alice Gu," and praised the film for "its balance of poppy visuals and detailed history.

"[9] In a mixed review, Brad Wheeler of The Globe and Mail said the film is "well worth watching" while saying there "are holes in this doughnut story.

"[10] Whittaker said that "as Asian Americans face increasing racism, its closing message about how immigrant communities...define America has only become more timely.