Several donuts are available throughout the country that are outstanding, but what about the best local specialties around the USA? That’s where this guide–built by experience–was made for you.
Let’s go West to East for the best local donut spots we’ve found across the country…
VOODOO DOUGHNUT (Portland, OR and select locations)
We tried the Old Town location in the middle of Portland. Barricades were set up outside…pink, of course. Then you enter the most eclectic store you’d ever imagine. Wind around some more–all while trying to get a glimpse of what’s in stock–and you’ll arrive a a spinning display case. Pick your favorites and walk away proudly down the street with your full pink box. Yes, the Voodoo donut above actually bleeds with filling.
Order this: Maple Bar
STAN’S DONUT SHOP (Santa Clara, CA)
In this unassuming spot in Silicon Valley, customers waited in line through the store for the next batch of fresh glazed donuts, and that’s what you should do, too.
Order this: Famous Glazed
RANDY’S DONUTS (Inglewood, CA)
Right off the 405 Freeway at Manchester and featured frequently in the press due to their iconic donut on top of the store, the Honey & Wheat donut is the recommended buy every time. Often local media will journey to this location in Inglewood to get the pulse of the city. Unique and inexplicably outstanding.
Order this: Honey & Wheat Donut
THE DONUT STOP (Amarillo, TX)
If you are traveling through the panhandle of Texas for any reason, stopping at one of their stores should be your sole objective and your oasis in the high plains. This is the little chain that once pushed Krispy Kreme out of the market. Their store at the intersection of Bell and IH-40 is a bit of an architectural marvel, and they’ve recently expanded into Raiderland to the south in Lubbock.
Order these: Chocolate Glazed or Maple Glazed Donut
ROUND ROCK DONUTS (Round Rock, TX)
Just north of Austin is a donut both with a reputation and circumference as big as Texas. In a small town area of Round Rock that falls in the shadow of the town water tower (seriously, nothing more Texas), you find the small building that houses the sensation that lines up outside the building for the orange-colored glaze treat.
Order these: Round Rock Glazed Donut or Texas Sized Donut
SHIPLEY DO-NUTS (Houston, TX and more in Texas)
Centered in Houston but recently expanding up toward Dallas and across the Sun Belt, these economical donuts are solid in either the donut hole variety or the more conventional, iced donuts. Open times vary by location, so check ahead.
Order these: Do-Nut Holes, Plain Glazed, Chocolate or Maple Iced
WORLD’S FAIR DONUTS (St. Louis, MO)
On the outskirts of downtown, a tiny shop with an added screen door beckons customers at a street number intentionally referencing the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. Meet me at this donut shop and be sure to order in unconsciously delicious blueberry chip cake donut that is as unique as it gets. Oh, and bring cash…
Order this: Blueberry Chip Cake Donut
GIBSON’S DONUTS (Memphis, TN)
You almost have to be going there to get there, but in the outskirts of Memphis is a donut shop that is every bit as important to residents of the Bluff City as their barbecue. Gibson’s operates with a modest parking lot, and once inside and called on, you best be ready to go with your order as you won’t be the only one there–no matter the hour. It’s an old school shop that is timeless.
Order this: Glazed Donut
SWEETWATER’S DONUT MILL (Kalamazoo, MI)
Ranked the as best donuts in Michigan in a number of surveys, Sweetwater’s has become an institution in West Michigan. On a weekly basis, they offer many adventurous options worth trying, but the staple here is the Chocolate Iced Ring. As the TV ads used to say, “don-ut make you happy like nothing else will.”
Order this: Chocolate Iced Ring (or seasonal Blueberry Lemon)
DONALD’S DONUTS (Zanesville, OH)
Right down the main strip in the city on Maple Avenue is a donut shop that survived a family feud to become a favorite in the area and for travelers off Interstate 70. The shop even has a competitor owned by his brother in the south part of town. These cake donuts are as as light as any you’ve tasted, but beware…they go quickly through the morning.
Order these: Any Iced Cake Donut (Vanilla, Maple, Blueberry, Lemon)
Map of Donuts referenced in this post:
RoadGreater 