Donuts aren’t just a breakfast food anymore and they aren’t solely frosted with sprinkles either. Maple bacon donuts, cronuts, and even a donut burger have popped onto the scene in recent years. Hungry donut lovers aren’t just tied to places like Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme either. No, there are homegrown, local spots popping up around the country with cake donuts, donuts with the texture of a fluffy cloud, and even Portuguese donuts.
We’ve scoured the country for the best donuts in America with a little help from our friends and family who live locally, or love to experience the local bites when they travel. There is no scientific method to this. If it tastes good, it made the list. We haven’t got every city or town covered, but if you find a favorite send it our way.
Table of Contents
Alabama
- still looking
Alaska
- still looking
Arizona
- Le Cave’s Bakery, 1219 S 6th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85713.
- La Estrella Bakery, 5266 S 12th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85706. Recommended by ArizonaFamilies.blogspot.com.
- Donutsville, 8275 W Lake Pleasant Pkwy, Peoria, AZ 85382. EclecticMomsense.com says “Yum! Little local spot with classic donuts and a few special offerings like Oreo donuts or a chocolate raised twist. Crispy on the outside, purely moist and soft on the inside.”
- Bosa Donuts, 3722 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85018
Arkansas
- still looking
California
- Donut Bar, 631 B St, San Diego, CA 92101. Recommended by LaJollaMom.com.
- Andaz San Diego, 600 F St, San Diego, CA 92101. Recommended by JetSetFam.com. NOTE: this is not a donut shop, it is a restaurant in a hotel.
- The Donut Man, 915 E Rte 66, Glendora, CA 91740. Features doughnuts stuffed with strawberries.
- Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee, 270 E 17th St #18, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
- Randy’s Donuts, 805 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90301
- Twisted Donuts, 1243 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122
Colorado
- Glazed and Confused, 5301 Leetsdale Dr, Denver, CO 80246. Want a shot to go along with your donut? Of course you do! This 21+ donut shop gives you your sugar rush with a side of booze to help with those morning hang overs.
Connecticut
- Dottie’s Diner, 740 Main St N, Woodbury, CT 06798. Named Connecticut Magazine’s best donut in the state 5 years running.
- Luke’s Donut Shop, 395 W Avon Rd, Avon, CT 06001
Delaware
- still looking
Florida
- Donut Hole Bakery Café, 635 Harbor Blvd, Destin, FL 32541.
- Dough, 2602 S MacDill Ave, Tampa, FL 33629. CarrieOnTravel.com says, “Has amazing doughnuts, brownies, pastries, etc.”
- Rhino Doughnuts & Coffee, 107 Commercial Blvd, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL 33308. Recommended by FuntasticLife.com.
- Jupiter Donut Factory, 141 Center St, Jupiter, FL 33458. Recommended by WordTraveling.com
- Hole In One Donuts, 410 N Alexander St, Plant City, FL 33563
- Big Bad Baby Donuts, 1900 Tamiami Trail N, Naples, FL 34102 (inside Coastland Center)
Georgia
- Sublime Doughnuts, 535 10th St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318. Recommended by Passportsndpushchairs.com.
- Mercier Orchards, 8660 Blue Ridge Dr, Blue Ridge, GA 30513.
- Dutch Monkey Doughnuts, 3075 Ronald Reagan Blvd, #502, Cumming, GA 30041
Hawaii
- Leonard’s Bakery, 933 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, HI 96816. Recommended by Idelish.com. “Go for the for malasadas…Portuguese donuts!”
Idaho
- still looking
Illinois
- Firecakes Donuts, 68 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654.
- Glazed & Infused, 813 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607
- Doughnut Vault, 401 N Franklin St, Chicago, IL 60654
- Stan’s Donuts, 1560 N Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622
Indiana
- Square Donuts, 925 Wabash Avenue Terre Haute, IN 47807. Recommended by Hautehappenings.com.
- Long’s Bakery, 2301 E Southport Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46227. Recommended by Katy at IndyWithKids.com.
Iowa
- Topped Doughnuts, 129 N Ankeny Blvd, Ankeny, IA 50023.
Kansas
- LaMar’s Donuts, 3395 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64111.
- The Donut Whole, 1720 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67214. Recommended by The Walking Tourists. “Themed donuts include Dr. Who ones!”
Kentucky
- still looking
Lousiana
- still looking
Maine
- Tony’s Donut Shop, 9 Bolton St, Portland, ME 04102.
- Holy Donut, 194 Park Ave, Portland, ME 04102.
Maryland
- Fractured Prune, 1637B Crofton Center, Crofton, MD 21114. Recommended by We3Travel.com.
Massachusetts
- Anna’s Hand Cut Donuts, 2056 Centre Street, Boston, MA (West Roxbury).
- Kane’s Donuts, 120 Lincoln Ave, Boston, MA (Saugus).
- Union Square Donuts, 16 Bow Street, Somerville, MA.
- Ohlin’s Bakery, 456 Common Street, Boston, MA (Belmont).
- Betty Ann Food Shop, 565 Bennington Street, Boston, MA (East Boston)
Michigan
- Cops & Doughnuts, 521 N McEwan St, Clare, MI 48617.
- Sweetwater’s Donuts, 3333 Stadium Drive Kalamazoo, MI 49008. Recommended by WanderingEducators.com.
Minnesota
- Glam Doll, 2605 Nicollet Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408.
Mississipi
- Shipley Do-Nuts, 2011 Hardy St, Hattiesburg, MS 39401.
Missouri
- Hurts Donut Company, 320 Park Central W, Springfield, MO 65806. Recommended by PitStopsForKids.com.
- World’s Fair Donuts, 1904 S Vandeventer Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110
- John’s Doughnuts, 1618 S Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63104
- Donut Drive In, 6525 Chippewa St, St. Louis, MO 63109
Montana
- still looking
Nebraska
- The Doughnut Hole, 350 N 7th St, Lincoln, NE 68508. Recommended by OdysseyThroughNebraska.com.
Nevada
- Ronald’s donuts, 4600 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102. Recommended by Kate Clarke, who loves “the ones that are creme-filled with chocolate icing!”
- PinkBox Donuts, 3755 S. Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109 (two additional locations in NV).
New Hampshire
- Chichester Country Store, 267 Main St, Chichester, NH 03258. We love the glazed apple cider donuts!
New Jersey
- Marvel’s Bakery, 4 W Maryland Ave, Long Beach Township, NJ 08008.
- Uncle Doods Donuts LLC, 4 Robbins St, Toms River, NJ 08753.
New Mexico
- Rebel Donuts, 2435 Wyoming Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112. Recommended by Chelsea Moyer
New York
- Dough Brooklyn, 448 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205.
- Doughnut Plant NYC, 379 Grand Street (between Essex and Norfolk), New York, NY 100002. Recommended by DishOurTown.com. “The glazed donuts are my 11-year-old daughter’s favorite, actually mine too! ”
- Peter Pan Donut and Pastry Shop,727 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222. Recommended by Stephanie from MommyPoppins.com
North Carolina
- Britts Donuts, 11 Boardwalk, Carolina Beach, NC 28428. Karen from FamilyTravelsOnABudget.com claims these are the best donuts in the world.
- Duck Donuts, 710 S Croatan Hwy, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948 (more locations across NC and VA). We loved that we could pick out icing and toppings to make our own creations.
North Dakota
- still looking
Ohio
- George’s Donuts, 7995 Darrow Rd # 6, Twinsburg, OH 44087.
- Buckeye Bakery, 21 E 4th St, Mansfield, OH 44902. Recommended by TheTravelingPratters.com. “Buckeye Bakery has the best creme-filled Long Johns I’ve ever tasted. If you’re not there early in the morning, you’ll often find them sold out at all three locations.”
- Bill’s Donut Shop, 268 N Main St, Centerville, OH 45459
Oklahoma
- still looking
Oregon
- Voodoo Doughnut, 22 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR 97204.
- Blue Star, 1237 SW Washington St, Portland, OR. Recommended by WildTalesOf.com.
- Pip’s Original Doughnuts and Chai, 4759 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97213. Recommended by PintSizePilots.com, who loves the Portland Nutella and Sea Salt mini doughnuts.
- Coco Donuts, 2735 NE Broadway St, Portland, OR 97232.
Pennsylvania
- Beiler’s Bakery, 51 N 12th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (in Reading Terminal Market).
Rhode Island
- Allie’s Donuts, 3661 Quaker Ln, North Kingstown, RI 02852. Recommended by Tamara from We3Travel.com.
South Carolina
- Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts, 481 King St, Charleston, SC 29403.
South Dakota
- Wall Drug- Doughnuts, 510 Main St, Wall, SD 57790. Recommended by PitStopsForKids.com
Tennessee
- Julie Darling Donuts, 121 Frazier Ave, Chattanooga, TN 37405. Recommended by CrazyFamilyAdventure.com
- The Donut Friar, 634 Parkway #15, Gatlinburg, TN 37738 (in The Village). Don’t miss the Friar’s Favorite and chocolate eclairs!
- Foxes Donut Den, 3900 Hillsboro Pike #2, Nashville, TN 37215
Texas
- Round Rock Donuts,106 W Liberty Ave, Round Rock, TX 78664. Recommended by RWeThereYetMom.com. “They have been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. Check out the Texas Donut!”
- Shipley’s Do-Nuts, 210 E Villa Maria Rd, Bryan, TX 77801. Recommended by KidWorldCitizen.com
- Gourdoughs Doughnuts, 1503 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704. Recommended by MalaysianMeanders.blogspot.com. “Over-the-top dessert donuts, burgers and sandwiches with unglazed donuts instead of a bun/bread, and salads with garlic doughnut on the side.”
- Mrs. Johnson’s Bakery, 4909 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX 78751.
Utah
- Branberry Cross, 705 S 700 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84102.
- Tasty’s, 612 Main Street #4, Kaysville, UT 84037.
- Daylight Donuts, 51 11400 S, Sandy, UT 84070. Multiple locations.
Vermont
- The Doughnut Dilemma, 55 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401.
Virginia
- Duck Donuts, 3030 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23452. Multiple locations in VA and NC.
- Sugar Shack Donuts, 804 N Henry St, Alexandria, VA 22314. Recommended by Is gokidtrips.com. ”Besides having a wide variety of yummy flavors, they are also known for baking in small batches and hand making each donut.”
Top Pot Donut photo via Emilyburnette.blogspot.com
Washington
- Mighty-O Donuts, 2110 N 55th St, Seattle, WA 98103. Multiple locations across Seattle.
- Top Pot Donuts, 720 3rd Ave Suite 100, Seattle, WA. Multiple locations across Seattle.
- Frost, 15217 Main St suite #106, Mill Creek, WA 98012.
- Legendary Donuts, 2602 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98406
Washington D.C.
- GBD Chicken and Donuts, 1323 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036.
- Astro Donuts and Fried Chicken, 1308 G St NW, Washington, DC 20004. Yes, you should eat friend chicken ON your donuts. Although I guess you could eat them separately too. No matter how you do it, this shop is great for lunch, morning hang overs and to-go snacks with the kids in tow. We love the creme brûlée, but seasonal specials like cherry pie and strawberry rubarb that pop up are always worth a taste. There are also locations in Los Angeles and Falls Church, VA!
West Virginia
- Frank’s Pastry Shop, 430 Carolina Ave, Chester, WV 26034. Recommended by Karyn Locke. “The best pumpkin donuts!”
Wisconsin
- Rosie’s Coffee Bar and Bakery,4604 Monona Dr, Madison, WI 53716. Recommended by WisconsinParent.com.
- Paielli’s Bakery-6020 39th Ave, Kenosha, WI 53142. Recommended by CrazyFamilyAdventure.com.
Wyoming
- still looking
Vertical stack of donuts and group of donuts via ShutterStock.com
I’ve been waiting for this list! Delicious. Can’t wait to go try out a few. 🙂
You forgot Legendary Donuts in Tacoma, Washington! By far the best doughnuts I’ve ever tried!!
Adding it in now Tabitha! Thank you!!!!!
Yum! I think Bosa Donuts in Phoenix should be added and if you ever make it to Minneapolis, check out Glam Doll!
Yum! I think Bosa Donuts in Phoenix should be added and if you ever make it to Minneapolis, check out Glam Doll!
Just added them in. Thank you Karla!!!
I’ve been waiting for this list too!! I’ll make it my mission to find something in MA besides Dunkin. Thanks for including my suggestions.
You left out New Mexico. Rebel Donuts in Albuquerque is the best
Thank you, added it to our list!
You definitely should looking at Pink Box Donuts in Nevada. The best donuts I have ever had…and I’m a sucker for donuts. As someone who lives in Ohio, the most popular place in my area is Bill’s Donuts. They have a long family history and everyone I know prefers Bills over Krispy Kream.
You definitely should looking at Pink Box Donuts in Nevada. The best donuts I have ever had…and I’m a sucker for donuts. As someone who lives in Ohio, the most popular place in my area is Bill’s Donuts. They have a long family history and everyone I know prefers Bills over Krispy Kream.
Chicago
– Doughnut Vault (401 N. Franklin, plus van!) – their Gingerbread Stack is the *best*!
– Stan’s Donuts (multiple locations)
– Enoch’s Doughnuts at Endgrain (1851 W. Addison)
– Dinkel’s Bakery (3329 N. Lincoln; a pastry icon for 90+ years in Chicago)
– Do-Rite Donuts (50 W. Randolph)
– Beaver’s Coffee & Donuts (French Market at 131 N. Clinton)
– Delightful Pastries (3 locations incl. the French Market) – they specialize more in paczki, Polish doughnuts. Fat Tuesday is generally Paczki Day in Chicago.
– West Town Bakery (1916 W. Chicago Ave)
– Scafuri Bakery (1337 W. Taylor St)
– Dat Donut (8249 S. Cottage Grove Ave)
North Carolina
– Daylight Donuts (Stonehenge Market, 7550-101 Creedmoor Rd, Raleigh)
– Baker’s Dozen (1307 Buck Jones Rd, Raleigh)
Florida
– Big Bad Baby Donuts (1900 Tamiami Trail N, Naples – inside Coastland Center)
– Peace Love & Little Donuts (3106 Tamiami Trail N, Naples – and apparently multiple locations in Ohio & Pittsburgh as well!)
California
– Spudnuts Donuts (220 W. Carillo St #1, Santa Barbara)
– Randy’s Donuts (805 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood, near LAX – with its giant iconic rooftop doughnut!)
– Manley Donuts (1423 Bird Ave, San Jose)
– Sam’s Donuts (6047 Snell Ave, San Jose)
– Happy Donuts (1345 S. Winchester Blvd, San Jose)
– Johnny Doughnuts (1617 4th St, San Rafael; plus vans)
– Pepples Donuts (multiple locations incl Ferry Bldg, SF)
– Dynamo Donut (2760 24th St, San Francisco)
– Bob’s Donut & Pastry Shop (1621 Polk St, San Francisco)
– Twisted Donuts (1243 Noriega St, San Francisco)
– Donut Savant (1934 Broadway, Oakland)
St. Louis
– World’s Fair Doughnuts (1904 S. Vandeventer Ave, St. Louis)
– John’s Doughnuts (1618 S. Broadway, St. Louis)
– Donut Drive-In (6525 Chippewa St, St. Louis)
– Eddie’s Southtown Donuts (4701 S. Kingshighway Blvd, St. Louis)
Nashville
– Donut Den (3900 Hillsboro Pike #2, Nashville)
– Shipley Do-Nuts (2540 Lebanon Pike, Nashville)
I’m a bit into doughnut tourism, yummy! 🙂
Boston also has some excellent doughnut shops in the area, if you can see them past the Dunkin’ Donut shops (which are practically on every corner!):
– Anna’s Hand Cut Donuts (2056 Centre St, West Roxbury)
– Kane’s Donuts (120 Lincoln Ave, Saugus)
– Union Square Donuts (16 Bow St, Somerville)
– Ohlin’s Bakery (456 Common St, Belmont)
– Betty Ann Food Shop (565 Bennington St, East Boston)
Harold’s Doughnuts and Strange Donuts, located in Columbia, MO!
Luke’s Donuts, Avon, CT. Same delicious recipe for 50 years. I grew up on these donuts and still travel back to Avon just to get them.
Dutch Monkey Doughnuts in Cumming, GA is the Bomb.com ????????????