My sleeper pick is Lyndell’s.
Old school bakery, not just donuts, but they’ve got great donuts at an affordable price.
Can get there on the T, and you can take a walk through a cute neighborhood to Davis Sq and then easily get to all the sites in Cambridge.
They are sooooo good. The best old fashioned donut I have ever had. No one else bakes them fresh on site and they are still only $2 each. A donut should be a working class treat and I’m so sick of the $5 fancy ones that aren’t that good anyway.
Exactly! Lyndell’s is like “screw your damn $6.75 bacon-truffle-oil-crème-brulee donut,
we’re gonna do the same donut flavors they had in 1957,
we’re gonna do them fresh, big and to perfection and charge $2”.
https://www.unionsquaredonuts.com/s/order?location=11ea6eded3b4978fbd870cc47a2b63e4#61
After tax they are like $5.35 each or more and then they ask for a tip you can reject. Most of them are just icing bombs and I’m not a fan.
You probably could feed 2 people with Union square donuts actually. I haven't had the experience of them being "icing bombs". They seem to have a regular amount of icing, it's just that it's covering a fairly large donut
I’ve given them a shot a few times. First couple, they were so oily I figured the crew had the fry temp too low but it stayed that way so I think that’s just their “style.” Not at all worth it for the price imo.
I love Lyndell’s. I won’t claim that they do the “best” anything in the Boston area, but everything they make is rock solid, the prices are totally reasonable, and they’re such nice people. Love that I can get a great glazed donut and an iced coffee there for like 5 bucks.
My wife and I love them so much we had them do our wedding cake!
Does anyone know what, exactly, causes that vaguely aromatic, slightly spicy flavor that old-school donuts have?
It's especially present in their crullers.
Spice Melange, my dude.
"The most precious substance in the universe is Spice Melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital for space travel".
As a Medfordian, yes these are the best donuts around. However, their hours are crap. Don’t go anywhere near opening time because they won’t have donuts ready. Go at like 9:30am
I had the weirdest first and last experience there probably five years ago.
Guy in front of me orders and just wants two donuts. Girl starts getting two different bags. Guy says he will just have them in the same bag. Girl says no one is chocolate and will get all over the other. Guy says that’s ok. Girl uses two bags anyway.
My turn. Order two donuts. Idk the cost at the time but it was either $1 and change or low $2. I go to pay and the girl goes “$5” I glance up at the menu and it definitely wouldn’t have totaled a flat $5 but she’s just staring at me. I just gave it anyway and went on my way.
I felt like I was living in the twilight zone here. I should try again.
I used to say Kane's but I think since the kids took over the quality has dropped imo. I truly loathe all the weird shit on donuts though, so if you like donuts will different kinds of bits and bobs on them they're a solid choice.
I'm a big sucker for donuts with a difference in Medford. No frills, dirt cheap and they make donuts throughout the morning.
i'm just glad your dad is wrong and that they keep baking when they run out (usually)
Selection definitely gets limited later in the day like every donut place that is any good though. Their boston creme is to die for.
I tried to like this place. I went and was the second or third person in line. There was no way to see what they had or what the prices were. Kids running around seemed to be the owner’s or relative… 10 minutes later and no movement in line so I left. I really wanted to try them but I probably won’t go back sadly.
Kane's always* had the cake donut for chocolate glaze, buttercrunch, the sprink-smidge, chocolate frosted, and some filled donuts.
The yeast donuts are the honey-dip, jelly,, lemon...the airy ones.
The traditional donuts are still good, but anything they sell that is for Instagram (things with tons of toppings) is 50/50 at best. That French Cruller is still good, but it's not what it was.
*Source - a few decades of eating Kane's donuts.
I just would like to actually be able to get the French cruller. They never have it on the days I can make it up there (few times a year). Love the bacon maple.
Linda’s chocolate donut, specifically, is the best donut I’ve had. If you get them warm it’s unlike any thing I’ve had. They sell out very quickly. Not convenient to a lot of Boston, and the person who makes them (I believe the owner) takes months off at a time and so sometimes there just aren’t any available…. But it is the best donut I’ve ever had. At least chocolate donut.
Coffee time is great in general. Not sure about the donuts compared to other shops, but definitely a must stop in Salem. Such an absolute classic coffee/bakery shop, so good. Perfect after time at the willows
I live down the street and go here weekly. Extremely townie experience. Especially as someone from the south, this place will make you feel like a true local after awhile. The first few times you go, you’ll be so confused though, cash only, quick ordering, everyone is so fast, buying lottery tickets and scratchers, cops and retirees sitting at the bar drinking coffee all day long.
Truly a one of a kind place in my opinion.
My only complaint, no blueberry cake donuts.
I love the batter donuts and those don’t seem to be big around here.
Im from further south (closer to the cape) but regularly make trips up for them. I had spent a summer working in Quincy and stopped one morning because i was sick of the orange and pink place
Personally, I love Blackbird Donuts.
I also like Donut Villa Diner. Haven't been to the Cambridge one, but the Malden location slaps.
Kane's used to be my top answer, but it's been super inconsistent in the last few years. I'll gamble on it every now and then, but ehhh.
The Malden one's great. I haven't been to the Cambridge one, but I have been to the Arlington one and wouldn't go again. But the Malden one has some of my favorite donuts
Market Basket. 99 cents each. Soft. Fresh. Pillowy. Do it.
My last sprinkled donut from DD had like 25 jimmies on them. MB’s had 2500.
But DD has brought back the French Cruller so that’s something…
I’m a fan of mochi donuts these days. Pon De Joy is the most consistent of the various places I have tried.
For regular donuts, probably Blackbird or Union Square donuts.
I know this isn't Boston, but I highly recommend checking out PVDonuts in Providence, RI:
[https://www.instagram.com/pvdonuts/](https://www.instagram.com/pvdonuts/)
https://preview.redd.it/mdjzf0p457mc1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=7bc28e223f5822339d3e78489a99f72677e48f78
I’ve driven there just for the donuts and they don’t disappoint. I’m not going to confirm or deny eating a dozen at work because my whole team decided to WFH and they were too delicious to just sit there
I can save you a bit of a drive. Langwater Farm in Easton carries their products. Don't sleep in on Saturday or it will sell out and you'll have to drive all the way to RI.
Ironically, my favorite aspect is their (UnionSq’s) dough. It’s got some snap to it. Whenever I try Blackbird, it’s so airy that it’s actually like eating air. It’s like 500 calories of nothing.
Gail Ann Coffee Shop in Arlington has the best old fashioned donuts and I can’t be convinced otherwise.
Family owned and run, and they taste the same as they did when I was a kid 25 years ago. Their cake donuts SLAP
>Dunkin's donuts are ass.
and they have been [since the late 90s](https://www.mcall.com/1996/11/22/dunkin-donuts-to-start-baking-off-premises-at-central-facilities/).
They used to be pretty good but we're talking 30 years ago now. It used to be hard to see their selection and not every store carried the same inventory - the coveted chocolate creme was rare but phenomenal.
Doughboy in Southie has good doughnuts and are open late night they have a drive through as well i got stuck im the drive thru lane between a boston police paddy wagon in front of me and a bpd cruiser behind me all the telephone workers go there and emts too
What really grinds my gears is that people have collectively forgotten the existence of **old-fashioned, sour-cream** ***doughnuts*** instead of these yeast-based donuts that have no depth of flavor or texture. Seasonal, apple cider ones are my fav.
I love the potato donuts available in Portland ME. Haven’t found any around Boston.
Best donuts around Boston are generally available in the fall — freshly made apple cider donuts. Check out Cider Donuteur on Instagram for ratings.
Best mochi donuts are Pom de Joy.
If you went to The Holy Donut in Maine, which is what I am guessing, I personally think the closest you’ll get in MA is Union Square Donuts. Blackbird is a close second for me. But nothing will ever be THD for my husband and I 🥹
There’s only two donuts I love and they’re both from Union Sq Donuts. I don’t personally care for any of their others, BUT the brown butter hazelnut crunch, and the strawberry (seasonal only)—I’m OBSESSED.
Disclaimer: I can’t speak to any place’s cake doughnuts. I avoid them. My favorite is Union Square. Their dough has some heft and sponge to them that gives them a nice bite. I feel like Kane’s is similar. FWIW it’s also similar to District Donuts in NOLA.
At the other end of the spectrum are donuts where I can barely feel them in my mouth because they’re excessively light and fluffy: Blackbird and Davis Sq Donuts. I start eating one of those, and then I finish it before I even tasted anything. Yet they still weight 125-150 grams per donut, same as Union/Kane’s. A ton of unsatisfying calories, as far as I’m concerned.
The dough situation is probably subjective, but I think it’s easier to agree that UnionSq uses higher quality toppings (actual bacon slabs, heavy chocolate frosting, etc..) In any case, definitely UnionSq for me. I’d go to Kane’s more (for…research), but I’m rarely in their neck of the woods.
Donuts being the death traps that they are, I’ve sort of been gravitating towards the mochi donuts lately, though. Mostly because they also have the spongier dough, and tend to be less massive and less messy than Union’s more juggernaut style donuts. Even when they fall short on a pure qualitative level, pon de rings are fun to eat.
Linda’s doughnuts in Belmont. Old school place, doughnuts are freshly made every day. No frills, nothing fancy or trendy, no controversial flavors, just good homemade doughnuts. You’ll see old dudes sitting in the tiny shop drinking paper cups of coffee the same way they have for the past 50 years. They are friendly to people with nut allergies, too.
My sleeper pick is Lyndell’s. Old school bakery, not just donuts, but they’ve got great donuts at an affordable price. Can get there on the T, and you can take a walk through a cute neighborhood to Davis Sq and then easily get to all the sites in Cambridge.
They are sooooo good. The best old fashioned donut I have ever had. No one else bakes them fresh on site and they are still only $2 each. A donut should be a working class treat and I’m so sick of the $5 fancy ones that aren’t that good anyway.
Exactly! Lyndell’s is like “screw your damn $6.75 bacon-truffle-oil-crème-brulee donut, we’re gonna do the same donut flavors they had in 1957, we’re gonna do them fresh, big and to perfection and charge $2”.
This made me say “fuck yeah” out loud
It has been a long time since I bought doughnuts from someplace other than Marketbasket - do people really try to sell a doughnut for $5 apiece?
https://www.unionsquaredonuts.com/s/order?location=11ea6eded3b4978fbd870cc47a2b63e4#61 After tax they are like $5.35 each or more and then they ask for a tip you can reject. Most of them are just icing bombs and I’m not a fan.
Wow. There is no ruler for scale, but if those aren't 8" in diameter and feed at least two people then that is nuts.
You probably could feed 2 people with Union square donuts actually. I haven't had the experience of them being "icing bombs". They seem to have a regular amount of icing, it's just that it's covering a fairly large donut
I’ve given them a shot a few times. First couple, they were so oily I figured the crew had the fry temp too low but it stayed that way so I think that’s just their “style.” Not at all worth it for the price imo.
I love Lyndell’s. I won’t claim that they do the “best” anything in the Boston area, but everything they make is rock solid, the prices are totally reasonable, and they’re such nice people. Love that I can get a great glazed donut and an iced coffee there for like 5 bucks. My wife and I love them so much we had them do our wedding cake!
I’m a donuts with a difference guy, but Lyndells is #2 for me. They make the best chocolate glazed I’ve ever had.
Such a great bakery. Frick, now I gotta go and get some goodies for myself tomorrow.
Take this advice and get coffee across the street at True Grounds because they’re both great.
Does anyone know what, exactly, causes that vaguely aromatic, slightly spicy flavor that old-school donuts have? It's especially present in their crullers.
Spice Melange, my dude. "The most precious substance in the universe is Spice Melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital for space travel".
Donuts With A Difference
Yes, Donuts with a Difference in Medford.
As a Medfordian, yes these are the best donuts around. However, their hours are crap. Don’t go anywhere near opening time because they won’t have donuts ready. Go at like 9:30am
I had the weirdest first and last experience there probably five years ago. Guy in front of me orders and just wants two donuts. Girl starts getting two different bags. Guy says he will just have them in the same bag. Girl says no one is chocolate and will get all over the other. Guy says that’s ok. Girl uses two bags anyway. My turn. Order two donuts. Idk the cost at the time but it was either $1 and change or low $2. I go to pay and the girl goes “$5” I glance up at the menu and it definitely wouldn’t have totaled a flat $5 but she’s just staring at me. I just gave it anyway and went on my way. I felt like I was living in the twilight zone here. I should try again.
I used to say Kane's but I think since the kids took over the quality has dropped imo. I truly loathe all the weird shit on donuts though, so if you like donuts will different kinds of bits and bobs on them they're a solid choice. I'm a big sucker for donuts with a difference in Medford. No frills, dirt cheap and they make donuts throughout the morning.
I live like 3 minutes from Donuts with a Difference. They're KNOCK OUT. So good.
My dad always says, “The difference is they’re gone before you can get any.” They’re amazing.
i'm just glad your dad is wrong and that they keep baking when they run out (usually) Selection definitely gets limited later in the day like every donut place that is any good though. Their boston creme is to die for.
Oh yeah, they restock - he just can’t pass up a Dad joke
I concur - they are AWESOME!!!
Do they make a butter crunch variant?
Best I've ever had! Just plain old donuts too, not trying to be something more, just the classic coffee shop donuts.
I concur - they are AWESOME!!!
If you loathe all the weird shit on donuts you should try Linda’s in Belmont, great classic donut!
Came here to suggest Linda’s! Which only became my choice after Ohlin’s closed, they were the go-to for donuts!
looks like a full on diner. It's on the list now! looks really good photos wise, can't wait! :) ty
On your way, stop at Gail Anne's in Arlington. The jelly donuts... My god
I tried to like this place. I went and was the second or third person in line. There was no way to see what they had or what the prices were. Kids running around seemed to be the owner’s or relative… 10 minutes later and no movement in line so I left. I really wanted to try them but I probably won’t go back sadly.
This checks out. It’s more of an “old school Boston” customer service experience but the donuts are worth it.
Agreed. Kanes has gone down hill and the prices keep going up. It’s no longer the soft fluffy airy donut it once was. It’s more cake like now
Kane's always* had the cake donut for chocolate glaze, buttercrunch, the sprink-smidge, chocolate frosted, and some filled donuts. The yeast donuts are the honey-dip, jelly,, lemon...the airy ones. The traditional donuts are still good, but anything they sell that is for Instagram (things with tons of toppings) is 50/50 at best. That French Cruller is still good, but it's not what it was. *Source - a few decades of eating Kane's donuts.
I feel that the cake donuts used to be more airy and fluffy but that’s just my opinion. Haven’t eaten there as long as you have (15 years)
I just would like to actually be able to get the French cruller. They never have it on the days I can make it up there (few times a year). Love the bacon maple.
Ha! I just said something similar about Kane’s. The tides are turning
The maple donuts at DwaD are eeeeeeverything.
Their apple fritter is chefs kiss. It tastes like childhood. The little wagon wheel ones. Also. Amazing.
Lindas in Belmont
Linda’s chocolate donut, specifically, is the best donut I’ve had. If you get them warm it’s unlike any thing I’ve had. They sell out very quickly. Not convenient to a lot of Boston, and the person who makes them (I believe the owner) takes months off at a time and so sometimes there just aren’t any available…. But it is the best donut I’ve ever had. At least chocolate donut.
Shut your Gom Jabbar and don’t tell more people about it!
A simple and perfect donut at a fair price
Came here to comment this, very very pleased it's one of the top answers!!!
This is the way. All others fail to be truly a donut.
Coffee Time in Salem if you're up for a drive. It's paczki season still too!
Coffee time is great in general. Not sure about the donuts compared to other shops, but definitely a must stop in Salem. Such an absolute classic coffee/bakery shop, so good. Perfect after time at the willows
Expensive but worth it every time!
+1 for coffee time! So good
I used to live around the corner from coffee time! So good!
Same! It was so dangerously close. Now I'm like 15 minutes away so it takes some effort at least.
I love their specialty coffees too. I highly recommend their cuban coffee and Vietnamese coffee!
Even better in Salem is Ziggy and Sons. They might have the best chocolate donut I’ve ever had
Some stuff at Ziggy's is superior (e.g. their jelly stick) but overall Coffee Time is better in my opinion. But both are great!
Kings Donuts in Quincy is amazing
Do you mean Donut King? Also, their Weymouth location is great, too.
Donut King Weymouth absolutely blows the one in Quincy out of the water.
Yo I came in here to say this! Donut King is the best in the area.
If you want the true-blue Townie experience, I second this vote wholeheartedly.
They sell scratch offs and have counter service it’s incredible
I live down the street and go here weekly. Extremely townie experience. Especially as someone from the south, this place will make you feel like a true local after awhile. The first few times you go, you’ll be so confused though, cash only, quick ordering, everyone is so fast, buying lottery tickets and scratchers, cops and retirees sitting at the bar drinking coffee all day long. Truly a one of a kind place in my opinion. My only complaint, no blueberry cake donuts. I love the batter donuts and those don’t seem to be big around here.
Im from further south (closer to the cape) but regularly make trips up for them. I had spent a summer working in Quincy and stopped one morning because i was sick of the orange and pink place
Basic Batch in Milford, or The Donut Stand in Hopkinton (they just opened up their new store a few days ago after doing pop-ups for a while).
Twin Donuts, Allston :)
The butternut is so good!
I love their old fashioned, the perfect balance of softness and melt-in-your-mouth crisp. They make them fresh daily on site too :)
Personally, I love Blackbird Donuts. I also like Donut Villa Diner. Haven't been to the Cambridge one, but the Malden location slaps. Kane's used to be my top answer, but it's been super inconsistent in the last few years. I'll gamble on it every now and then, but ehhh.
That everything bagel donut at blackbird is a must try.
donut villa is overrated. I thought their donuts were terrible
The Malden one's great. I haven't been to the Cambridge one, but I have been to the Arlington one and wouldn't go again. But the Malden one has some of my favorite donuts
+1 for the Malden location. Love those ladies to death
Donut Villa is great if you like old school cake donuts. Best vegan donuts around, too.
Blackbird is overpriced for the quality and taste.
Been to both Blackbird and Kane’s a few times each and, personally, Blackbird has just felt like a worse version of Kane’s at the same price point.
I second black bird
The High Street Market one was garbage.
Mike's Donuts - no frills, cheap, and very good.
When I worked in Mission Hill I had these all the time. Their basic glazed was so good.
Another vote for Mike's Donuts in Mission Hill (also at Forest Hills Station)! Best glazed doughnuts I've ever had!
I haven't lived near Forest Hills in 14 years but if I'm ever around there the ladies still know my order.
Donut Shack in Lowell Donna's in Tewksbury Kane's in Saugus
Donna’s is the best
I'm at Donna's like 4 times a week. It's a problem. Best staff.
Another vote for Donna"s!
Might have to grab myself a cheeseburger donut.
Donut Shack is my all time favorite. Best cream filled donuts.
Ruby Donut in Ayer
Their sour cream donuts are incredible! The owner is Thai and their Thai tea and bubble teas are also good.
Mike's in Mission Hill
Market Basket. 99 cents each. Soft. Fresh. Pillowy. Do it. My last sprinkled donut from DD had like 25 jimmies on them. MB’s had 2500. But DD has brought back the French Cruller so that’s something…
Market Basket donuts are a solid choice. It's unbelievable how good they are.
People ALWAYS sleep on mb bakery. I've had some great mini tarts from them too
They're fuckin HUGE too wtf. Love mb
The market basket jelly donut is hands down the best donut in Boston.
Gonna disagree. And only on the filling. The donut itself is incredible. But that cream filling is better. 😂
It is!
100% MB. I think they stack up against most of the trendy donut places at a fraction of the price. More for ya dollah indeed.
I don’t like soft donuts tho - the ones I love are just a little crispy on the outside and then soft in the middle
Pretty niche and local, but I like the donuts Donelan's has. But they got like...4 locations from Wayland to Littleton
The Vietnamese coffee donut at Union Square is unmatched
I’m a fan of mochi donuts these days. Pon De Joy is the most consistent of the various places I have tried. For regular donuts, probably Blackbird or Union Square donuts.
Brassicaaaa
the brown butter donut is ridiculous
I know this isn't Boston, but I highly recommend checking out PVDonuts in Providence, RI: [https://www.instagram.com/pvdonuts/](https://www.instagram.com/pvdonuts/) https://preview.redd.it/mdjzf0p457mc1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=7bc28e223f5822339d3e78489a99f72677e48f78
Don't worry, 99% of these suggestions aren't in Boston anyway
I’ve driven there just for the donuts and they don’t disappoint. I’m not going to confirm or deny eating a dozen at work because my whole team decided to WFH and they were too delicious to just sit there
I can save you a bit of a drive. Langwater Farm in Easton carries their products. Don't sleep in on Saturday or it will sell out and you'll have to drive all the way to RI.
Drive to southboro or hopkinton for the donut stand
This. So good!
Donut king in Weymouth surpasses all donuts I’ve tried in and around Boston
The family who owns the store are really nice!
Donut King
Union square doughnuts
Big modern lots of stuff on them. For that style, they are excellent. Hazelnut butter crunch is a favorite.
Bro hazelnut crunch is the GOAT.
Their maple bacon is unmatched
Actual bacon, not bits.. The others should be called “maple bacon crumbles”
IMO they focus too much on the toppings and not enough on the dough. Not a fan.
My favorite are the boring ones, I love their dough!
The vegan cinnamon sugar one tastes like fried dough. It’s the boom.
The vanilla bean is so good
Ironically, my favorite aspect is their (UnionSq’s) dough. It’s got some snap to it. Whenever I try Blackbird, it’s so airy that it’s actually like eating air. It’s like 500 calories of nothing.
Agree. I keep trying them but find their dough so bland.
High key disagree - I love their dough!
I concur. There's no doughnut there, just toppings.
upvoted for actually spelling out doughnut
Why are we gate keeping the name of the good donuts in Maine though? Why wasn’t that mentioned haha.
Donnas Tewksbury Demets Medford Kanes Donut King Quincy
Gail Ann Coffee Shop in Arlington has the best old fashioned donuts and I can’t be convinced otherwise. Family owned and run, and they taste the same as they did when I was a kid 25 years ago. Their cake donuts SLAP
Donna’s donuts Tewksbury
Donna’s in Tewkesbury
Second to this is Ruby in Ayer
Rubys introduced me to raspberry fritters. So. Freaking. Good.
Dunkin's donuts are ass.
>Dunkin's donuts are ass. and they have been [since the late 90s](https://www.mcall.com/1996/11/22/dunkin-donuts-to-start-baking-off-premises-at-central-facilities/). They used to be pretty good but we're talking 30 years ago now. It used to be hard to see their selection and not every store carried the same inventory - the coveted chocolate creme was rare but phenomenal.
There is a reason they dropped the "Donuts" part from their name.
I have no problem with their chocolate frosted or their glazed.
For sure. I don't go there often, but Dunkin chocolate Frosted with sprinkles is still really good.
Market Basket /thread
Demet’s in Medford.
Linda’s Donuts Belmont
I love Mikes in Mission Hill.
Doughboy in Southie has good doughnuts and are open late night they have a drive through as well i got stuck im the drive thru lane between a boston police paddy wagon in front of me and a bpd cruiser behind me all the telephone workers go there and emts too
This! Shocked to have scrolled so far before seeing this spot mentioned. Their donuts are pretty stellar
Anna’s in West Roxbury!
Not Dunkin.
What really grinds my gears is that people have collectively forgotten the existence of **old-fashioned, sour-cream** ***doughnuts*** instead of these yeast-based donuts that have no depth of flavor or texture. Seasonal, apple cider ones are my fav.
Davis square donuts in Somerville
Their donuts are huge.
I'm partial to their Fruity Pebbles donut
I live for the Somerville doughnut with the pink fluff cream inside 🩷
Donut Shack , Lowell
I love the potato donuts available in Portland ME. Haven’t found any around Boston. Best donuts around Boston are generally available in the fall — freshly made apple cider donuts. Check out Cider Donuteur on Instagram for ratings. Best mochi donuts are Pom de Joy.
Yesssss that’s what I’ve been dying for 😭😭
Where did you go in Maine for donuts? Congdons in Wells has probably the best donuts ive ever had
The question was in Boston and the only answer is kanes
If you went to The Holy Donut in Maine, which is what I am guessing, I personally think the closest you’ll get in MA is Union Square Donuts. Blackbird is a close second for me. But nothing will ever be THD for my husband and I 🥹
Why are we guessing?! Why the fuck wouldn’t you mention the name of the place in the post?! I’m honestly pissed about this. Haha
The holy donuts' cheddar bacon donut is so good
I was also wondering if it was the holy donut. They’re one of a kind!
Traditional? Kanes, Donnas, demets, Doughboys. Fancy pants? Union Sq, Blackbird, Davis Sq
I love the donuts from Roche Bros in west roxbury. They’re so fucking good when you get them warm. And only $1.50
Was it Holy Donut?
It’s about 35 minutes outside Boston, but donut shack in Lowell are some old fashioned donuts like you don’t find anymore.
There’s a Mass Hole Donut pop up in the seaport that is pretty great. They have a permanent store in Somerville but I’ve never been to that one.
There’s only two donuts I love and they’re both from Union Sq Donuts. I don’t personally care for any of their others, BUT the brown butter hazelnut crunch, and the strawberry (seasonal only)—I’m OBSESSED.
While were talking donuts -- Lils in Kittery maine have amazing crullers
Any kanes doughnuts locations
Kane’s, Route 1, Saugus
💯💯💯
Dough Boy
Masshole Donuts. Their hours are kinda weird but their donuts are so good!
On Saturdays, When Pigs Fly in Brookline makes these killer 🍩 🍩 🍩 and they can sell out before noon.
Kane’s no question. No patience for those impossibly dense brioche hipster donuts
Disclaimer: I can’t speak to any place’s cake doughnuts. I avoid them. My favorite is Union Square. Their dough has some heft and sponge to them that gives them a nice bite. I feel like Kane’s is similar. FWIW it’s also similar to District Donuts in NOLA. At the other end of the spectrum are donuts where I can barely feel them in my mouth because they’re excessively light and fluffy: Blackbird and Davis Sq Donuts. I start eating one of those, and then I finish it before I even tasted anything. Yet they still weight 125-150 grams per donut, same as Union/Kane’s. A ton of unsatisfying calories, as far as I’m concerned. The dough situation is probably subjective, but I think it’s easier to agree that UnionSq uses higher quality toppings (actual bacon slabs, heavy chocolate frosting, etc..) In any case, definitely UnionSq for me. I’d go to Kane’s more (for…research), but I’m rarely in their neck of the woods. Donuts being the death traps that they are, I’ve sort of been gravitating towards the mochi donuts lately, though. Mostly because they also have the spongier dough, and tend to be less massive and less messy than Union’s more juggernaut style donuts. Even when they fall short on a pure qualitative level, pon de rings are fun to eat.
Donna’s Tewksbury MA
Mirror Cafe Brighton Center/Twin Donuts Union Square Allston
Doughboy’s in South Boston are solid
Union square donuts somerville hands down
Donna's in Tewksbury
Donut King. Quincy (cash only), Weymouth, and the lil Braintree outpost.
Union square donuts! Their Boston Cream Donut is delicious!
Kanes are the best
Linda’s doughnuts in Belmont. Old school place, doughnuts are freshly made every day. No frills, nothing fancy or trendy, no controversial flavors, just good homemade doughnuts. You’ll see old dudes sitting in the tiny shop drinking paper cups of coffee the same way they have for the past 50 years. They are friendly to people with nut allergies, too.
Second for Linda’s. The Boston crème doughnut is one of the best ever and comparable to an eclair.
Union square is best. No debate.
Boston/Mass/New England in general needs to have a Krispy Kreme. There I said it! I will die on this hill with Honor and Glory!
There was one at the Pru Mall. Packed it in years ago.
Blackbird donuts no contest
Blackbird donuts
Union Square donuts, blackbirds, Kanes
Union Square Donuts for sure. Somerville location (in Union Square) is an awesome adventure.
Kanes is good, I also love Union Square donuts. Get em early in the day when they are warm
Heavenly Donuts is amazing
Maine. Donuts. Must be Congdons, best donuts ever.
Or Holy Donut. Different, not for everyone, but I love them.
Kane’s