Donut devotion as fervid as the commitment devotees have for barbecue. Everybody has a favorite kind. From robust cake sinkers to featherweight glazed, styles vary dramatically. In our experience, preferences are not necessarily regional, although cake donuts tend to be more popular in the Northeast. Our list of favorites includes donuts of every stripe, from coast to coast.
Mrs. Murphy’s Donuts
Manchester, Vermont. Mrs. Murphy's donuts are the simplest pastries imaginable: sturdy circles with a good crunch to their skin and creamy-soft insides.
Donut Dip
Donut Dip makes some of New England's best donuts: cake, raised, jelly-filled, and iced, plus apple-cider donuts with crunchy crust and creamy insides.
Allie’s Donuts
Allie's variety is endless, including honey-dipped and glazed crullers and mighty jelly sticks. No seating: It's all take-out.
Dottie’s Diner
Traditional farm house chicken pie is still available at Dottie's restaurant / diner, as are some of the best cake donuts in Connecticut and all of New England.
Neil’s Donut & Bake Shop
Neil's old fashioned donuts are thick and cakey with a wicked exterior crunch. Early in the morning, still warm, they virtually melt in your mouth. A Connecticut best!
Orangeside Luncheonette
** THIS RESTAURANT IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED ** A breakfast- and lunch-only counter in downtown New Haven, Orangeside Luncheonette serves the best chili dogs in the Nutmeg State. The spicy chili is a finely-grained meat sauce with assertive yet manageable heat. Their top-shelf donuts should not be missed as well, especially the Butter Crunch: pure donut heaven.
Speedy Donut
Speedy Donut is a Roadfood best-bet for its egg-rich, crisp-edged crullers as well as cake donuts, twists, and fritters.
Doughnut Plant
Artisan donuts, including a Valrhona dark chocolate yeast donut and a Meyer lemon donut make Doughnut Plant a Lower East Side treasure.
District Donuts Sliders Brew
Donuts star at New Orleans' District Donuts Sliders Brew -- from simple ones to sweet/savory inventions that push the fried-dough envelope. Coffee's great, too!
Doughnut Vault
Quite literally a hole in the wall, the Donut Vault has attained cult status in Chicago. People wait in line for up to an hour to get their morning fix.
Firecakes Donuts
The donut, the whole donut, and nothing but the donut. That's what Chicago's Firecakes is all about: some of the best donuts anywhere.
Lindstrom Bakery
Lindstrom Bakery's glazed Scandinavian donut is about as close to total morning-pastry satisfaction as a fry-kettle can produce. A Minnesota best bet!
Glam Doll Donuts
Wild and wildly-named donuts are served with retro-urban panache at Minneapolis' Glam Doll, where interior decor includes mid-20th century dinette sets.
Round Rock Donuts
Texas' legendary Round Rock Donuts are more substantial than evaporative Krispy Kremes, yet not the least bit heavy like the more dunkable cake donuts.
Le Cave’s
Le Cave’s is a vintage Tucson bakery known for donuts. We recommend the chocolate-frosted, maple-frosted, powdered-sugar, and cinnamon-sugar varieties.
Donut Man
Donut Man in Glendora on Historic Route 66 is one of the country's best donut destinations. Summer-only fresh fruit-filled donuts are truly peerless.
Voodoo Doughnut
Behold Voodoo Doughnut's bacon-maple bar -- a great all-in-one breakfast. Just one of many pastries that have made this shop in Portland, Oregon famous.
Annie’s Donut Shop
Portland's great non-artisan donuts. Annie's cream puffs are light & fresh. Raspberry fritters are unctuous, fruity, monumentally satisfying.
Top Pot Doughnuts
Even a plain old fashioned doughnut at Top Pot is a sensuous experience. Seattle's downtown location is an airy space with book-lined walls and retro décor.
Holy Donut
Mashed potatoes added to the dough make crisp-edge Holy Donuts smooth and creamy. Ingredients are all-natural, varieties are inventive, taste is devastating.
