21 doughnuts you need to try in NYC
Dough is known for their super-sized doughy doughnuts. Their most iconic — and prettiest — creation is the bright pink glazed hibiscus doughnut. If you're looking for something less fruity, go for the chocolate-cocoa nib.
The Cinnamon Snail's doughnuts are so good that you'd never know they're vegan. Their most popular treat — and the one that has won them multiple awards — is the vanilla-bourbon crème brulée doughnut. Caramelized on top, but chewy in the middle with a creamy filling, this is two decadent desserts in one.
Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop's doughnuts are like the shop itself: old-fashioned. Their glazed red velvet cake doughnut is the traditional favorite, but if you're looking to mix it up, the shop also serves a marble cruller that's a mix of their plain and red velvet glazed cake doughnuts.
It's not every day that you find a doughnut shop in a car wash. But that's exactly what Underwest is; a shop that churns out delectable mini doughnuts inside a carwash along the West Side Highway. Go for the carwash doughnut, which has a perfect cake texture and a sweet vanilla-lavender glaze.
Finding good beignets outside of New Orleans can be tricky, but Delimarie presents a solution. New Yorkers and tourists alike rave about these warm, traditional, powdered-sugar-covered rectangles of fried dough.
Sometimes you just can't make a decision between savory and sweet. When that's the case, stop by the Doughnut Project and grab a bacon maple bar. This rectangular doughnut features maple glaze topped with a piece of crispy bacon.
Doughnut Plant's doughnuts are easily recognizable due to their square shape. Although they make cake doughnuts, the shop is mostly known for their yeast doughnuts, as well as their homemade jam fillings. Their peanut butter and strawberry jam is a classic go-to, but they also serve a peanut butter and banana option that's equally nostalgic.
If you're a purist and prefer the old standbys to the more trendy innovations, take a trip to Shaikh's Place in Sheepshead Bay for a Boston cream doughnut. This 24-hour coffee shop has been serving fresh doughnuts since the '80s, and not much has changed — the decor nor the regulars who stop in — since then.
As you might guess from the name, Pies 'n' Thighs specializes in southern comfort food. Their doughnuts are just as comforting as their biscuits, especially the butter pecan crunch doughnut. It's buttery, fluffy, and rich.
Manila Social Club serves Filipino cuisine with a unique twist. A perfect example is their purple ube doughnut: a treat similar to a French cruller, but the dough and the frosting are made from ube, a yam native to the Philippines. It's crispy on the outside but light and moist on the inside.
Luckily you don't need to take a trip all the way upstate to get a good apple cider doughnut. Food truck Carpe Donut serves the treats fresh with a dusting of cinnamon sugar.
Peter Pan rival Moe's Doughs Donut Shop got in on the rainbow craze earlier this year and created the rainbow cake doughnut. A combination of flavors united into one treat, this doughnut gives you a taste of sour cream, pistachio, blueberry, strawberry, and red velvet in one bite.
Gossip Coffee's chef, Scottish Francis, was featured on Masterchef, which is where Gordon Ramsey gave him the name of "Donut King." Take a trip to Astoria and order the prosciutto Guinness doughnut to see for yourself if he lives up to his nickname.
The Donut Pub has been around since the '60s, and walking into the shop is almost like taking a step back in time. If you're craving a doughnut late at night, stop by the pub (it's open 24/7) and try one of their neon tigers: a brightly glazed treat flavored with strawberry, lemon, and orange.
Founded by two friends who realized there wasn't a vegan shop that could satisfy their doughnut cravings, Dun-Well Doughnuts became one of the first all-vegan doughnut shops in the city. Non-vegans like Dun-Well's treats just as much as vegans do, especially the French toast doughnut.
The jelly-filled doughnuts at Orwashers on Manhattan's Upper East Side are filled to order right before customers' eyes with jelly sourced from a farm in upstate New York. The blackberry jelly inside a chocolate glazed doughnut makes for a delicious combo.
Sullivan Street Bakery brings a little piece of Italy to the city with its breads, pizzas, and pastries. Their bombolonis (Italian-style filled doughnuts) are irresistibly light and puffy balls of dough filled with cream, jelly, or chocolate.
Mike and his family have been serving an impressive array of 35 different kinds of doughnuts for 40 years in Bay Ridge. Their crullers are a crowd pleaser, especially the marble, which mixes plain and chocolate flavors.
Astoria's Queens Comfort is known for its outrageous brunch food, which attracts long lines every Saturday and Sunday. Part of the attraction are their doughnuts, created by Donut Diva, who comes up with new over-the-top creations every weekend, like this Captain Crunch cereal cake doughnut.
If you're looking to expand your doughnut horizons, stop by Korean bakery, Grace Street, and try a ho-dduk. This Korean creation is a pocket of dough bursting with cinnamon, brown sugar, and walnuts.
Not all doughnuts have to be sweet. Flex Mussels serves a mouthwatering tray of four everything doughnut holes that are filled with scallion cream cheese and topped with everything bagel seasoning.
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