I don’t mean to brag, but I love doughnuts so much that we served them, instead of cake, at my wedding. And lately, doughnuts seem to be the new cupcake, especially in NYC. Lucky me!
Dough—Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
In my home state of California, the doughnut industry is ruled by mom-and-pop shops that dot the state like rainbow sprinkles on a frosted cake doughnut. My favorite had always been the glazed old-fashioned. That is, until Dough changed my life. The first bite of their yeasty, spongy, raised ring of heaven is coated in a sticky, sugary, mouth-watering glaze, revealing a cross-section that screams, “This took hours of mixing and proofing and letting yeast do its thing, and this is why raised doughnuts rule!” There are also many flavors of icing to choose from, including exotic creations like hibiscus and lemon poppy seed. Plan to eat more than one.
Doughnut Plant—Multiple locations, Manhattan
These are as inventive as they are scrumptious. With flavors and fillings like Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam, Tres Leches, and Pistachio, you can check off “adventure” if you make this stop on your NYC tour.
Peter Pan Donuts—Greenpoint, Brooklyn
A neighborhood institution, Peter Pan has die-hard fans. Many swear by Peter Pan doughnuts as the best in the tri-state area (if not ever in the history of man—whoa…). Classic and simple, they offer all the basics, from raised, glazed, to chocolate-glazed cake, to the French crueller. A specialty is their red velvet. They are a full bakery, and offer more than doughnuts, too!
Dominique Ansel Bakery—Soho, Manhattan
Cronuts™ should not be confused with copycats and imitators, as they were created and trademarked by NYC pastry chef Dominique Ansel. So get the original at his Soho bakery; reports indicate that once-long lines for what seems to be the most blissful love child between a croissant and a doughnut ever imagined are dwindling (except on Sundays). Plus, if he came up with a Cronut™, what will he think of next?
La Churreria—Nolita, Manhattan
Churros are, simply, Latin doughnuts. You can find a wide variety of them throughout Central and South America; in Spain, chocolate and churros are a typical breakfast or afternoon snack. At La Churreria, an off-shoot of the Socarrat restaurant group, you can get the thin, loopy ones (á la España), or the thick, filled ones (that I’ve seen in every country I’ve visited south of the American border). Get them fresh and hot, filled with chocolate, crema, dulce de leche, or a squeeze of all three!
