In New York City, doughnuts have come a long way. Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of people standing in line every morning to grab a cup of coffee and a cruller at one of the city’s many Dunkin’ Donuts locations. But alongside the corporate sprawl, there are a lot of small bakeries refining and tweaking your old favorites–it’s a veritable doughnut renaissance. If you are a NYC resident (or just visiting), it’s past time you get out there and reap the benefits.
Below is a list of 5 of the city’s most unique doughnuts.
The General Bakery
199 Bowery at Spring St
$3 or 3 for $6
Most of us have fond memories of plopping down in front of the TV on Saturday mornings with a bowl of sugary cereal. The General Bakery lets us relive that nostalgia with cereal-topped doughnuts. Try the chocolate-packed Coco Puff, the sweet milk-filled Fruity Pebble, or the fall spice cream-topped Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Heck, load up your iPad with your favorite cartoon and relive your childhood on your way to work.
Doughnut Plant
379 Grand St between Essex and Norfolk Sts and 220 W 23rd St between Seventh and Eighth Aves
$2.25-$3.25
This is the place to go if you’re interested in trying something new. Known for their peanut butter and jelly doughnut (peanut butter dough filled with jelly), their blackout cake (a chocolate doughnut filled with rich, chocolate pudding), and their not-to-be-missed tres leches, Doughnut Plant has something for everyone. If none of those interest you, they have a rotating selection of seasonal doughnuts.
Dominique Ansel Bakery
189 Spring St at Thompson St
$5
This is it, folks. This is the place to go for the original Cronut™ (a doughnut so revolutionary its name is trademarked). If you don’t know, the Cronut is a doughnut/croissant hybrid created by French pastry chef Dominique Ansel. To keep people coming back, each month brings a new flavor of Cronut. For November, enjoy Salted Dulce de Leche.
Dough
448 Lafayette Ave at Franklin Ave, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
$2.25-$3.75
Brooklyn catches a lot of flack for offering products with buzzwords like “artisanal,” “fresh,” and “seasonal.” That said, Dough offers doughnuts that can only be described as artisanal, seasonal, and–above all else–fresh. There are eight varieties available daily: cinnamon sugar, plain, chocolate with cacao nibs, salted caramel, dulce de leche, cafe au lait, lemon poppy, and coconut. And every season brings in a new crop of fresh, delicious flavors.
Orwasher’s Bakery
308 E 78th St between First and Second Aves
$4.25
You go to Orwasher’s for the filling. When you think of jelly filling, you probably don’t think chunks of fresh fruit. Orwasher’s wants to change that. The jams they use are made in-house using whole fruit. After ordering the staff fills the doughnut in front of you. In our opinion, Orwasher’s doughnuts are more hand pie than doughnut. As pie and doughnut lovers, we think these are definitely worth the trip to the Upper East Side.
Enjoy!
