We know our nonstop destinations are all full of cultural institutions, historical landmarks, and countless life-changing experiences and attractions, however, on National Donut Day we’re taking a closer look at something sweeter. Here is a baker’s dozen of the must-try donut shops in each of our nonstop destination cities.
Orlando
If you’ve ever wanted to hop into The Simpsons and try a Lard Lad Donut for yourself, you’re in luck! Universal Orlando Resort has a real-life Lard Lad Donuts featuring the iconic pink frosted confection we’ve all come to associate with fits of open mouth drooling.
Atlanta
Featuring donut “burgers” and ice cream alongside their more traditional fare, Sublime Doughnuts absolutely lives up to its name by delivering heavenly sweets to their avid fans in Atlanta. Founder, Kamal Grant, traveled the world while serving in the Navy and made sure to sample the best treats from each country he visited along the way, eventually bringing the best of these unique flavors to Sublime.
Chicago
If you’re visiting Chicago and see a long line, it might be the famous Doughnut Vault at the end of it. This popular doughnut destination was featured in Food & Wine’s list of the best donut shops in America and it’s easy to see why. With a freshly updated menu each week, fans of the Vault can explore a different flavor each day such as Raspberry with Crumble or Whiskey Caramel with Pecans.
St. Pete – Clearwater
Boasting 30 donut flavors, Fray’s Donut House has your breakfast more than covered. A staple of the St. Petersburg area, Fray’s offers free donuts every Tuesday for Public Servants Day to give back to the men and women who make St. Pete safer. Owners Dae-Kun and Lan Kim invite visitors to grab a coffee and a donut and become part of their family.
Charlotte
While Suarez Bakery has plenty of more traditional donut varieties to choose from, their most impressive creation has to be their Texas Doughnut Cake featuring three Texas-sized donuts layered with frosting and topped with icing and plenty of sprinkles. Most impressive of all? This enormous donut cake can be made vegan by request.
Denver
Glazed and Confused offers donuts with a twist, combining culinary flavors for truly non-traditional treats. With combinations like Cinnanutelamon (cinnamon and Nutella swirl) and POG (Hawaiian’s popular juice drink combining passionfruit, orange, and guava), as well as CBD infused donuts (hey, it’s Colorado, after all), this is one donut shop you do not want to miss.
Minneapolis
For some seriously delicious donuts, head to one of the locations of Glam Doll Donuts. Owners Teresa Fox and Arwyn Birch aim to make each donut a tiny work of art using made-from-scratch doughs, fillings, and glazes that all started with a handful of Fox’s grandmother’s recipes.
Detroit
Named after the late hip hop producer, J. Dilla, Dilla’s Delights is a beloved part of downtown Detroit’s resurgence in recent years. Featuring traditional donuts alongside vegan treats, this is one donut shop everyone can enjoy.
Dallas
Hypnotic Donuts offers some pretty incredible donut flavors such as the popular Evil Elvis (topped with peanut butter, bacon, banana, and honey) and Peace’statio (brown butter glaze and pistachios) in addition to an array of biscuit sandwiches.
Philadelphia
You won’t want to leave Philly before making a stop at one of the Federal Donuts locations to try one of their hot, fresh donuts, fancy donuts, breakfast sandwiches, or fried chicken. What locals love is that Federal Donuts does each of these flawlessly well, and it’s not always the case that a place can do it all!
Houston
Featuring gourmet donuts in addition to a variety of kolaches, Hugs & Donuts promises each one of their items is made with ‘heartisan love.’
NYC
When Underwest Donuts owners, Scott Levine and Orlee Winer set up shop in a car wash, people weren’t sure if this shop would last. As it turns out, locals and tourists don’t mind the unusual location and Underwest has grown quite a following.
Washington D.C.
District Doughnuts offers some seriously interesting gourmet flavors – even a savory option (Everything Cream Cheese donut). Pastry chef and founder, Christine, developed her recipes based around the idea that her customers deserve better donuts.
