visr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thiillst [DOTTIES DINER WOODYBURY,CT BK YAN AVIGNEMTHRNLIST THE 33 BEST DONUT SHOPS IN AMERICA By KEVIN ALEXANDER and LIZ CHILDERS By KEVIN ALEXANDER @KAlexander03 Published On 02/20/2016 And LIZ CHILDERS @lizchilderst f @KAlexander03 @lizchilderst Published On 02/20/2016 The donuts origins -- as a pragmatic New England ship captain's mother's take on the Dutch olykoeks (aka "oily cakes") with nuts in the center because the dough wouldn't cook through ~ are not that sexy. And up until the last 10 years or so, one could argue that donuts weren't sexy -- most a breakfast pastry used to make unoriginal jokes about chubby cops. My how that has changed. Over the course of the last decade we've seen the Phoenix-like rise of the artisanal gourmet donut, with toppings made from scratch, innovative hybrid take-offs (hello Cronut), and a reputation makeover. Donuts are like the pastry version of that unpopular high schor kid who goes to college and buys new jackets and comes back cool. And we're damn glad about it. RECOMMENDED VIDEO hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica wervisr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thiillst MAKE THIS GARLIC BREAD WREATH THE CENTERPIECE OF YOUR HOLIDAY DINNER How we picked the list is pretty simple: over the course of the year, we ate a lot of donuts and wrote down the ones we liked. And if Liz or myself didn’t eat the donuts, other members of our editorial staff and trusted freelancers ate the donuts and made the argument for said donuts' inclusion. And then we all argued about the list for a while until we got it down to 33. Point being: we actually ate the donuts, and now we want you to eat them too. hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 2187visr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thiillst ABAKER'S WIFE MINNEAPOLIS, MN Ihave family in Minneapolis (fine, Excelsior), and my sister went to college there, so | try and get out there once a year in the summer, to go out on the lake and listen to soothing, Nordic-inflected accents and eat things. And for a few years, | was solidly in the|Glam Doll camp for best donuts (NOTE: they're still very delicious), But that was just because | rarely went to South Minneapolis, an never got to A Baker's Wife. Now, this place is an actual pastry shop, so it has more than just donuts but everyone orders the donuts. And you can understand why once you bite into that cinnamon-anc sugar cake masterpiece, which has none of the oily texture you sometimes get with poorly constructed donuts. It was light and just the right amount sweet, and oh yeah: it only cost 50 CENTS I'll see you again this summer, and this time I'm bringing a $5. ~- Kevin Alexander, national writer-at- large IALLIE'S DONUTS hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 3187‘is018 Best Donut Shops in American 2016. Telist, NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI Asa kid, did you bring cupcakes to school to celebrate your birthday? That's adorable. You know what I brought? A donut the size of a cake. A donut cake, if you will, shaped like an ice skate, a heart, the sun, or whatever else | could dream up. | can attribute my elementary-aged baller status to Allie's Donuts, a Rhode Island institution that has been around for decades, catering to locals and touristy beach-goers alike. The place is packed with a line out the door every weekend, and if you want one of its custom-made donut cakes, you've got to call weeks in advance. It also offers the individual classics, from old-fashioned crullers to glazed donuts and jelly sticks. But the top seller is fluffy yeast donut with fluorescent sprinkles atop sugary, melt-in-your-mouth white frosting. It's a child's dream donut. It's an adult's dream donut. And it's best enjoyed en route to the ocean with the windows down and sprinkles all over the car. -- Sarah Anderson, senior production assistant BLACKBIRD DOUGHNUTS BOSTON, MA hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 47s08 Best Donut Shops in American 2016. Telist, The Gallows is one of my favorite Boston restaurants, with |a burger worthy of an out-of-town journey. When it opened up a donut shop, | was excited but confused, as running a restaurant and successfully pulling off damn good donuts are two things that don’t necessarily intersect. But clearh Iworry too much. Blackbird’s donuts (made on site, which, as touted on the website, is actually a rarity in Boston proper) have that artisanal look, meaning they're impeccably dressed up in beautift glazes and offer up weird-ish flavors (when | was there the shop had a blueberry white chocolate Bismarck and a cold-brew coconut). lalways get the simple donuts, though, when trying out new shops (because, basically, if you can't di a layup, how're you going to hit a half-court shot?), and both the simple raised-style vanilla glazed and the cinnamon-sugar cake donuts checked off all the boxes: airy, pillowy dough in the raised, and that moist cake without the oil in the latter. It also has soft-serve, | should point out, in case you don feel like a donut alone poses much of a challenge to your system. -- KA BLUE STAR DONUTS tps slwaruteltstcom/eatnation’best-donut-shops-america sor‘visr0%8 Best Donut Shops in American 2016. Telist, PORTLAND, OR ‘A fewyears back, | knew Blue Star was going to be making a big impression on Portland... a tough nu to crack considering the city has been on the forefront of the donut revolution for as long as people have been standing in line for Voodoo Doughnut's dong-shaped cream concoctions (a long time). Well, now Blue Star has multiple locations throughout Portland, one in LA, and one in Japan, where Portland has become the new Hello Kitty. The expansion, however, hasn't changed anything. The créme brulee donuts are still perfect in their burnt-sugar crunch, with a pipe of Cointreau syrup jammed in the top. The brioche-based dough is a fantastic counter to the traditional cake in everything from the buttermilk old-fashioneds to dulce de leche, Mexican chocolate, and almond granache. Soon, Portland might have to share Blue Star with the world, If that means more donuts 0 this caliber for everybody, well, we'll take it. -- Andy Kryza, senior editor, Food and Drink CHAMPION MALASADAS HONOLULU, HI hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica a7‘visr0%8 fest Donut Shops in American 2016. Tit Nowlook: | ama Leonard's man, and | have expressed that on several of the previous lists. But our Hawaii contributor Summer Nakaishi insisted that, although she too digs Leonard's, Champion's malasadas are “equally as good or better" thanks to the dough's famed aging process, which makes them less airy, but still chewy with a crispy outer layer. They fly under the radar for people like me, who just come barreling in from the mainland all sunburned demanding Leonard’s in still-creased, newly purchased Hawaiian shirts. -- KA DDAVINCIS DON IDA VINCI'S DONUTS ATLANTA, GA I'm from Alabama, just over the Georgia border, and Atlanta was always the "big-city" destination, the place my family went for museums (culture!) and its the first home of the first restaurant where had a very formal waiter scrape the tablecloth in front of me after | exploded bread everywhere. (I was 9! Sorry!) If you're imagining Elf-like skyscraper-ogling moments, you're on the right track. While I'm now less intimidated by Atlanta, | do still get very excited when I find any place that hips latvia comleatnation’best-donut-shops-ametica nr‘visr0%8 Best Donut Shops in American 2016. Telist, contradicts my 9-year-old intimidation. Da Vinc's is relatively new ~- it opened in 2014 ~ and Melissa Rudd, who owns the spot with her husband, draws inspiration from making donuts with her family as a child, and her small, dunkable cake donuts are a refreshing throwback to, well, simpler times. You can grab some of the elaborate orders like the caramel apple that's stuffed with apple pie filling and coated in an oozing caramel icing, but stick with classics: | dare you not to fall under the basic powdered’s instant nostalgia-inducing power and picture Saturday mornings with a bag of the bite-size grocery store bites. But, you know, in the big city and much, much better. - Liz Childers, senior cities director DISTRICT: DONUTS. SLIDERS. BREW. NEW ORLEANS, LA The last time I went into DISTRICT, I was alone, which I've since decided is the best way to go. For one, it's easier to get a spot at the counter and, despite being open two and a half years, and having « surprisingly large shop for a Magazine St breakfast-cum-lunch spot, seats are hard to nab considering the line that weaves and jumbles overwhelmingly by the door. But also, eating a giant hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica a7‘is018 Best Donut Shops in American 2016. Telist, donut stuffed with cheesecake filling and topped with a citrus blueberry glaze has the instant effect of making you look like a kindergartner who has encountered sugar for the first time ~— even if you'r tackling it with a fork and knife. For a city with such a phenomenal dining culture, New Orleans also has a history of being slow to joi food trends, so DISTRICT was a sugary explosion onto the scene in 2013. While there are afew flavors that fall into the "simple" category of the daily rotating menu, most options are just the right version of over-the-top, like that blueberry-lemon cheesecake one or a whiskey-ginger number. If donuts aren't your thing (we'll try not to judge you), the nitro iced coffee or the fried chicken sliders are still worth a trip or five. But let this place convert you to donuts. And then eat them with full enthusiasm -- and lots of napkins -- alone. -- LC DISTRICT DOUGHNUT AND COFFEE WASHINGTON, DC hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 9197s08 Best Donut Shops in American 2016. Telist, If you're headed to the Barracks Row neighborhood of DC it's probably to eat at Rose's Luxury because Bon Appetit told you to while you were thumbing through the magazine during a layover. Bt there's a better reason to get to Southeast - and it's warm, round, and dipped in Nutella. I'm talking about the Goodfellow at District Doughnut, which is named after a CrossFit coach despite its status as a caloric punch to the gut. After being dipped in Nutella and cream, it gets a heavy dose of applewood-smoked bacon that Elvis would dig. Other flavors include the simple brown butter and the salted dulce de leche. There's a scientific reason why District slays it at fried dough. It's that the donut maker, Christine Schaefer, is a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, so don't forget to yell "YES CHEF” a the register. Probably with a mouthful of sugar. - Laura Hayes, Thrillist DC contributing writer DO-RITE DONUTS CHICAGO, IL As one would have to expect from a shop keeping such prestigious donut-making company, Do-Rite does the fancy-donut basics right (spelling, less so), with the chocolate old fashioned and pistachio- Meyer lemon being standouts among the steady offerings. But it also pushes the creative envelope. tps slwaruteltstcom/eatnation’best-donut-shops-america sors08 Best Donut Shops in American 2016. Telist, If it didn't, would it offer fried-chicken donut sandwiches kissed with a spicy maple aioli? Would it offer a steady stream of visionary donut collabs, including the latest, lan insane Upside Down, Inside Out creation conceived with music video revolutionaries OK Go?! Look, if both the dudes who create insanity like this] AND Winston from New Girl want to get into the donut game with you, you're doing it right. Or Rite, even. -- Matt Lynch, executive editor DONUT ALLEY LARKSPUR, CA Larkspur, CA basically looks like a fake town they'd make up for romantic comedies in which the ver good-looking firefighter lives in a place so picturesque as to be nearly offensive. And in the heart of Downtown Larkspur, down what is not really an alley as much as just a Magnolia Center parking lot, sits the shop, which Steve and Ann Pring took over in 2008. Inside is completely standard -- just a few tables, a bunch of delicious-looking donuts, and three of what look like hampers with labels like "powdered sugar,” "chocolate," and "blueberry." tps slwaruteltstcom/eatnation’best-donut-shops-america war‘visr0%8 Best Donut Shops in American 2016. Telist, But ignore the spartan interior and focus on the donuts — though this spot's got a standard variety, you're here specifically for the old fashioned, which has one of the best and most subtle, crunchy crusts | had this year. Get one of each flavor (it comes in four varieties), then head out the door and eat them amid the splendor of a somehow not-made-up beautiful Marin County town, and you'll be having pretty damn good day. -- KA DONUT BAR SAN DIEGO, CA | go down and visit my father in San Diego five or six times a year, because I'm a nice son/family is important/I like free dinners. And each time I go, | set aside a morning to make the trip to Donut Bar (now making a third consecutive appearance on our list), partially because it’s my job or whatever, but also because | continue to be obsessed with its Big Poppa-Tart donut (for more about what's actually in it, read this). Does it make me feel gross after | eat it? Of course. It's ADONUT STUFFEC WITH CRUSHED-UP POP-TARTS. Do | continue doing it five or six times a year? Yes. Also because family is important or whatever. -- KA hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica sassv15r2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thaillst DONUT BYTE LABS PORTLAND, OR If | learned anything from T2, it's that I'm oddly attracted to women who can do endless pull-ups, bu also that robots can't cry. But they can bring tears to our eyes, as proven by both Arnold's touching goodbye and the next-level desserts made by a semi-automated robot at Portland food cart Donut Byte Labs. The place specializes in miniature rings, pumped out fresh all day by a specialized androic of sorts, then gussied up by an actual human who custom-makes every single 'nut in the box to orde (plan to spend some time on the sidewalk). They're hit with everything from bacon and real maple t salted caramel, Reese's peanut butter, and a blowtorch, which caramelizes the cinnamon sugar on the insane French toast bite. |ve seen the future. And in it, John Connor is very, very fat. But he's coc with it. AK hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 1307svi5r2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thaillst LICKHASUSIE WYSHE DONUT SAVANT OAKLAND, CA The first time I went to Donut Savant, | didn’t do things right. You see, there are three sizes of donut here, and the champion move is to get the donut holes. Meanwhile I just got two normal (delicious!) donuts and returned home, only to be told by a buddy in Oakland that I'd just made a horrible mistake. What | didn't realize originally is that, unlike most donut holes, which are just kind of shitty afterthoughts, the holes here actually resemble tiny donut cupcakes, as thoughtfully crafted as the rest. And also: you can eat SO MANY MORE THAN TWO. I'd recommend getting at least a half- dozen, including but not limited to the salted maple and the vanilla dust. OK, and maybe a regular- sized vanilla cream Cron't. Decisions are hard. -- KA hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica saissi2018 Best Donut Shops in American 2016 - Thillst DOTTIE'S DINER WOODBURY, CT Dottie’s stays on the list for a second time in a row, thanks to the fact that we still can’t get enough ¢ her alliteration ("the deluxe destination for delicious donuts") or her donuts, and the fact that thoug Iwas obsessed with the powdered sugar last time, this time I tried the jelly and now | can't even remember ever wanting anything else. Although | have to say ~- the strawberry pancakes looked pretty damn good, too. -- KA tps slwaruteltstcom/eatnation’best-donut-shops-america 1907ssr2078 Best Donut Shops in American 201 - Thiillst [THE DOUGHNUT PROJECT NEW YORK, NY With just six flavors to choose from, this West Village newcomer specializing in small-batch yeast donuts stands out among NYC donut shops with countless elevated flavors in constant rotation. Thi Costanza (salted chocolate with buttered pretzel) and the Bronx (olive oil and black pepper) tend to receive the most hype, but my vote goes to the outstanding and admittedly strange beet donut stuffed with ricotta named Those Beetz are Dope, which we'll forgive, because it's just that good - and the the bacon maple bar (or The Classic). But the beet & ricotta is enough to land The Doughnut Project a spot on this list - the bright-pink glaze makes for the perfect mix of sweet and savory, wit! an added kick of savory from the fluffy cheese filling inside (which, it should be noted, is not obnoxiously over-filled, as filled donuts tend to be). Also, the maple bacon bar features a full strip of bacon. No further explanation necessary. -- Lucy Meilus, New York editor tps slwaruteltstcom/eatnation’best-donut-shops-america 1897visr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2018 - Thaillst [DOUGHNUT VAULT, CHICAGO, IL On our list once again, this wildly popular fried-dough purveyor has been known to break hearts over its limited number of fresh-baked donuts (it only bakes a certain number daily; once they run out, it closes until the following day), so you'll have to plan your trip wisely. Stop by on the early side for an array of some of the best old-fashioned-style donuts in the city, like toasted almond, coconut cream, and lemon poppy seed. Pro tip: available at the restaurant group's other cafes, including Sawada Coffee, C.C. Ferns, and 3 Arts Clu limited number of the coveted old fashioneds are also (Café. Sean Cooley, senior city editor hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica warsvisr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2018 - Thiillst DUCK DONUTS DUCK, NC (& OTHER LOCATIONS) The first time I went to Duck Donuts, | bought one donut. Five minutes later, after I'd eaten it in two bites and turned around, | made my second trip to the cash register, and purchased 24 donuts. That’ what Duck Donuts does toa man. This place doesn't lay up. The donuts are of the stomach-filling cake-batter variety, fried in soy-based shortening and each heavier than an iPhone. At the original location, the donuts are fried on a conveyor belt behind glass panels, so you can follow your fattenir little friend from batter ring to fully topped beauty. This makes it feel like a field trip. Field trips wert pretty great, huh? Pro tip: eat more than one, but fewer than 24. Do as | say, not as Ido. -- Dave Infante, writer-at-large hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 1897si2018 Best Donut Shops in American 2018 - Thillst FEDERAL DONUTS PHILADELPHIA, PA Yes, it's on our list again. And yes, chef Michael Solomonov's ode to the simple pleasures of chicken, donuts, and coffee continues to be one of the best places in the country to get a simple honey donut and some delicious spicy fried chicken. But if you want to just stick to the donuts, the old-fashioned glazed is as perfect a single donut as you're going to find on the East Coast. There | said it. Again. — KA tps slwaruteltstcom/eatnation’best-donut-shops-america 1997svi5r2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thaillst —— GIBSON'S DONUTS MEMPHIS, TN If you're from Memphis or have lived in the city for at least a few years, you've been to Gibsons. It's just what you do when you have this sort of mom-&-pop legend in your town. And the fact that you can get a simple triple-tise, glazed yeast donut and a cup of coffee on the cheap makes a very strong case that the almost 50-year-old institution hasn't changed since Lowell Gibson first started frying rings. However, things have changed, but unlike most modern inflections on a trusted old thing, the updates to Gibson's have only made it that much better: a half-priced happy hour from 11am to 1pn (it’s open 24/7) and the Samoa donut --a play on the caramel-and-coconut Girl Scout favorite —is sc good you might just be able to forgo your springtime cookie orders from now on, -- LC hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 20137svisr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thaillst GENERAL PORPOISE SEATTLE, WA When | found out that Renee Erickson of The Walrus and the Carpenter and The Whale Wins (among others) had a while ago -- eaten a filled donut at Fergus Henderson's famous Londot restaurant St. John and that she thought about it so much that she had to open a donut shop, | immediately stopped just respecting her work and started liking her personally. And now she's done it, given the project my favorite name on this list, and focused exclusively on filled donuts using chef quality ingredients. | only got a chance to try two when | was there (vanilla custard and peaches & cream), but I'd gladly eat dozens of each if not for worries about my health/penchant for elastic- waisted pants. -- KA hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica ausisi2018 Best Donut Shops in American 2018 - Thillst ( =A iursday to Sunday, so stick to queso. But when it is actually open, it's fantastic -- the guava cream was better than any I ha jas residents have to avoid donuts for three days and just while in Mexico, and | ate three Saigon cinnamon sugar before | even asked anyone else if they wanted anything. Also worth noting: there's a Friday and Saturday late-night menu (like geniuses, these guys re-open from 9pm to 2am) that includes donut grilled cheeses and fluffernutter sandwiches. So let the place stay closed those other three days. It's damn well earned it. -- KA tps slwaruteltstcom/eatnation’best-donut-shops-america zara1512018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thaillst THE HEAVENLY DONUT CO. BIRMINGHAM, AL In Southern tradition, kids turn to their parents for family recipes, so it makes sense that, when Kimberly and Brock Beiersodoefer ~ who knew nothing about donuts in a city that was late to catct on to the donut craze -- decided to open a donut shop, they turned to Gibson's (the grandpa of the Southern donut game) and current owner Don DeWeese. The couple did time in the kitchen at the East Memphis legend, learning trade secrets, which explains why there's a hell of a lot more years o! experience in each bite of their fried treats. While jokes like "Heaven is a place on Earth... when you have one of Kimberly's custard-filled Bismarcks" or "the chocolate-covered sour creams like a gift from heaven" (Brock makes the chocolate in house) are far too easy to riddle off in full corny glory, well, | stand behind it. Gibson's was just that good of a teacher. ~ LC hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 23197svi5r2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2018 - Thaillst HUGS & DONUTS HOUSTON, TX Once you realize that you actually don’t have to get the hug part of the business, Matt Opaleski and Jason Hill's Houston donut shop suddenly becomes more enticing. Although these guys are showmen and unafraid to put together crazy concoctions -- they get our nod because they do the gourmet moves well (get the Homer and the One Night in Pearis) while also paying tribute to the local scene with excellent kolaches. -- KA hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica zarasvisr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thaillst LONG'S BAKERY INDIANAPOLIS, IN On for the second year in a row, Long's continues to make our list despite a litany of complaints: line are too long! It won't accept the Apple Pay on my iPhone! They don’t taste good when you dip them in|St. Elmo's cocktail sauce! But everyone just shut up, get in line wearing your very cool Rik Smits jersey, and spend just over $3 on a half-dozen glazed yeast donuts. There are other kinds, of course, but the glazed are the reason you'll happily endure the queue. -- KA hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 2s197svisr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thaillst INEW PALACE BAKERY HAMTRAMCK, MI Hamtramck is a bit of an oddity: a city within the city of Detroit populated with huge Polish and Muslim enclaves that's seemingly worlds away from the city just outside its limits. It's also home to some of the best bakeries in the state, and on Paczki Day (or Fat Tuesday, if you're wrong), it’s hom to the best hyper-caloric donut varieties in the US. At New Palace, though, every day is Paczki Day, with the city’s best version of the dense, stuffed Old World donuts come in flavors ranging from ros hip to Boston cream, apple, cherry, blueberry, and prune, just in case you overdo it. New Palace didn't exactly reinvent the wheel (Dave Goodwill did that, we think). They just kind of pumped it ful of fat and butter and some of the best custard you've ever had, Then coated it in sugar. -- AK hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 26197svi5r2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2018 - Thiillst (ORAM'S DONUTS BEAVER FALLS, PA "We don't have any donuts left." If you're not at Oram's early, this is the earful you'll get. Oram's has been in the business for almost 80 years, and is known for its enormous and delectable cinnamon- roll donut. It's the size of a human head, with a cinnamon swirl, and no hole in the center. It's the stu of legends and an absolutely necessary buy if you can make it in time. Set your alarm clock an hour c two ahead. -- Laura Zorch, Thrillist Pittsburgh contributing writer hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica austsvisr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2018 - Thaillst PETER PAN DONUT & PASTRY SHOP BROOKLYN, NY There are plenty of donut shops in New York City doling out massive, over-the-top creations in flavors like gin & tonic, creme brulee, and spaghetti carbonara with peas (or, you know, just the first two).A lot of these places are quite good (in fact, one is on this list), but there's something to be said about the classic New York donut shop that offers simple flavors and reliable service for little more than a buck. Peter Pan in Greenpoint (on for the second straight year) has been slinging unfussy classics like red velvet, jelly with powdered sugar, and toasted coconut since the 1950s, and hardly anything about i has changed since then. The staff still sports old-school pink-and-teal uniforms (hats included), the donut prices are still criminally low, and there are still crowds of regulars (old-timers and newer, younger residents) that line up every Saturday and Sunday morning for a coffee and red velvet donut that’s arguably better than a slice of red velvet cake. While Greenpoint's changing rapidly, Peter Pan remains an important piece of neighborhood history. -- LM hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica e137svisr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thaillst THE SALTY DONUT MIAMI, FL. Miami, as we are to everything else on the planet, was a few years late to the gourmet donut party. Which means this spot, still operating out of a trailer in the Wynwood Arts District, was the first gourmet shop in Miami-Dade County when it opened in December. But showing up on Miami time isn't so bad when you've got a lineup of donuts like these guys. Owners Andy Rodriguez and Amand Pizarro traveled the country trying a bunch of the places on our last list of best donuts shops, brought their inspirations to chef Max Santiago, and created this menu that's got Miamians waiting in line for something other than bottle service. Highlights include double-chocolate gluten-free donuts that taste more like Ho Hos than health food, and "spiked" donut holes, stuck with booze- filled pipettes that effectively turn your dessert into a hand-held cocktail. - Matt Meltzer, staff writer hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica arsisi2018 Best Donut Shops in American 2018 - Thillst ISIDECAR DOUGHNUTS SANTA MONICA, CA When LA sweets lovers heard rumors that the beloved Costa Mesa store Sidecar was finally coming to town, they and their cars both rejoiced -- after all, it wasn't uncommon to hear of people driving 2 full hour to get their fill of the always-fresh, ultra-unusual, crazily delicious donuts -- which use a proprietary technique to maintain crunchiness on the outside with an extra-doughy interior -- and then promptly driving back home. Now that they're by the ocean in Santa Monica, it puts them in competition with both classic shops (lookin' at you, Randy's!) and trendy, newer openings (oh hey, Blue Star). And then it crushes them. -- Jeff Miller, Los Angeles editor tps slwaruteltstcom/eatnation’best-donut-shops-america 30197sv15r2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thiillst THE SPUDNUT SHOP CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA There was a dream that was Spudnuts, once. It would be a potato batter-based donut franchise empire that stretched from sea to shining sea. And for a moment, it might have been, but for the Sacramento public-works bond fraud that took down the parent company's owners in the late '70s. Charlottesville's Spudnuts Shop is one of a couple dozen remnants of that empire. It's a small, unassuming, and sincerely old-school outpost, and to this very day, it serves classic crullers and potato donuts to locals and students in the know. Like the exterior, Spudnuts' coffee and prices are throwback, and once something's sold out, it's sold out for the day. It's closed on Sundays and the walls are covered with news clippings and old photos of the golden years, long before artisanal desserts became a "thing." - DI hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica suasvisr2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thaillst Re afl UNION SQUARE DONUTS SOMERVILLE, MA Now on our list for an unprecedented third year, I can’t stop eating these every time | go home. I've already talked enough about them in years past, but quickly so you don''t forget: they folks here mak everything by hand each day, the raspberry jam flavor (when in season) is absolutely ethereal, and the Boston cream is better than the ones | remember getting from the Mister Donut on Route 9 in Natick after church when I was 8, and | LOVED THOSE DONUTS. -- KA hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 32197svi5r2018 Best Donut Shops in America in 2016 - Thaillst WELCOME CHICKEN + DONUTS PHOENIX, AZ If Federal Donuts in Philly is the boss of the new wave of donut & fried chicken joints, then WCD is the most promising new employee. The self-proclaimed inspiration is "a mix of old-school donut shops and the artisan shops popping up all over the country" and it pulls it off, with new-school donuts sitting in those old-school baking trays, waiting to be crushed alongside some damn good fried chicken. On my visit, | got talked into getting the chipotle limon alongside some of the other classics, and its smoky flavor mixed with the citrus stuck with me, much like my sweaty shirt in the hot Arizona sun, all day. -- KA WHOO'S DONUTS SANTA FE, NM To think that I might never have found this place if not for being very sick of our features editor Joe Keohane on a trip to New Mexico. But luckily Joe drove me out to seek new foods and | found myse hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 33197‘is018 Best Donut Shops in American 2016. Telist, in Whoo's eating the most delicious (and only) blue-corn donuts I've ever had. It's ike eating a corn muffin that has been put into a culinary witness-protection program and comes out with a totally new identity, but is more delicious. OK, so maybe that was a bad analogy. Anyway, you don't need te be sick of someone to try these donuts. You just need to get to Cerrillos Rd by the ChocolateSmith before they're sold out. - KA Love free donuts? Find out where to stock up for this year's National Donut Day on Friday, June 2, 2017. Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email, and get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun. [Kevin Alexander is Thrillist's national writer-at-large and, after researching this story, the “at large" part makes a lot more sense. Follow him into the social media abyss: @KAlexander03. Liz Childers is Thrillist’s senior cities director, and is currently happily smeared in donut icing. Follow her te more napkins: @lizchilders1. hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 34097visr2018 Best Donut Shops in American 2016 - Thillst © OUR BEST STORIES, DELIVERED DAILY Sign up with email oo The best decision you'll make all day. I confirm lam at east 21 years old 1. ABaker's Wife Pastry Shop 4200 28th Ave, Minneapolis 2. Alllie's Donuts 3664 Quaker Ln, North Kingstown 3.Blackbird Doughnuts 492 Tremont St, Boston 4, Blue Star Donuts 1237 SW Washington St, Portland 5. Champion Malasadas 1926S Beretania St, Honolulu 6.Da Vinci Donuts 5610 Glenridge Dr, Sandy Springs “| rgeMap data 02018, 1. ABAKER'S WIFE PASTRY SHOP Gary Tolle and Margaret Mossberg Tolle's Powderhorn bakery serves crave-worthy treats and some of the best donuts in the Twin Cities. 9 4200 28th AveS, Minneapolis, MN 55406 J 612.729.6898 @ Website hips wuts comleatnation’best-donut-shope-ametica 39097si2018 Best Donut Shops in American 2016 - Thillst tps slwaruteltstcom/eatnation’best-donut-shops-america 36097si2018 Best Donut Shops in American 2016 - Thillst tps slwaruteltstcom/eatnation’best-donut-shops-america ss