Top Five: The Best Donuts in NYC
There are four Doughnut Plant locations throughout the city; this one is just a few blocks from Barclays Center. All photos: Stephanie Ferrara
By STEPHANIE FERRARA
The Midwood Argus is an open forum and welcomes a diversity of student opinion about donuts. The donut-related views expressed in the paper should not be taken to represent those of the administration, faculty, or the student body as a whole.
Are you tired of going to Dunkin Donuts and getting boring old flavors? I know I am. Chocolate frosted, strawberry frosted, and glazed, sooo plain. There are several fancy donut shops around NYC that can break that routine, so I checked out three of the best to find out which unique flavors were a-glaze-ing, and which do-nut meet expectations.
Doughnut Plant (★★★★)
Located at 245 Flatbush Avenue near Barclays Center, with crowded streets filled with honking cars, you walk into this shop and the aroma of freshly baked donuts fills the air. You can see them being made and put on racks behind the register, and the workers are super friendly. When I asked to take pictures, they responded with “Of course, please do!”
Crème Brulee: The menu board labels this one “Our signature doughnut!,” so I thought to myself that if it's that special, it must be good. But honestly, it was a let-down. When you bite into this donut, the custard oozing out is thick, sweet, and creamy, but the topping is an issue. It’s torched, but it lacks the crunchiness of the caramelized sugar found in typical crème brûlée desserts, and it just tasted burnt. The biggest downfall was the size: it could fit in the palm of my hand. A whole $4.00 for something the size of a donut hole? That’s a no thank you for me.
Tres Leches: Now that we got a disappointing flavor out of the way, here comes the best! This velvety, smooth donut was extremely moist on the inside, yet the outer shell was crumbly. It’s larger than the Crème Brulee, and being $3.95, the Tres Leches is a much better value. I’m pretty sure I heard angels singing as I took that first bite, and second, and third, until it was gone in under a minute.
Strawberry Cake: This donut ($3.75) was strawberry flavored, both inside and out. The inside had a hint of fresh, sweet strawberries, and the outside glaze had chunks of strawberry within it. It was the perfect amount of sweetness without going overboard. This is also perfect when you don’t want too crazy of a flavor; it was not overwhelming, and was just right on the amount of strawberries.
Overall, it's worth the stressful traffic and honking cars of Flatbush Avenue to take a bite out of these heavenly donuts ranging from $3.75-$4.25 each. There are a total of four Doughnut Plants around NYC, so be sure to stop by one if you get the opportunity.
Dun-Well Doughnuts (★★★)
Vegan and affordably priced Dun-Well Donuts is located in East Williamsburg near the Grand St stop on the L.
When you walk into Dun-Well Doughnuts in East Williamsburg (222 Montrose Ave), the decor makes your eyes widen and brings a smile to your face. With the pink and white wallpaper, frames with old pictures and newspapers, bookshelves, and wooden floor and counter, it has a cozy, vintage vibe that separates it from other donut shops. It also has a cute book section where people can borrow something to read, and offers free wifi and a printer for anyone to use. The lady who helped us was extremely nice, made conversation, and seemed excited to be working there.
Lemon Cookie Raspberry Pie: The name of this donut hooked me the second I read it. However, I had mixed feelings about the taste. This light and airy donut has super sweet, smooth raspberry jelly in the middle and cookie crumble on top, but it tasted mostly like a regular jelly donut, just a lot sweeter. The cookie topping contributed to an even sweeter taste, so in the end, everything was just too sweet. But the crunchy cookie did contrast with the silky jelly for a nice mix of textures.
Pistachio: Waiting in line, I heard the cashier tell a customer: “The pistachio is a great choice,” so I had to try it. This one looks like a typical glazed with pistachio chunks in the glaze. I have to say it does not look very appetizing, but the taste is more important! The pistachio in the glaze compliments the sugar and balances out the sweetness, though the overall pistachio flavor is not very strong. Though tasty, it’s a bit too close to a regular glazed donut to take the crown.
Chocolate: This donut had extremely rich and light dough. The chocolate frosting was good at first but had a strong aftertaste that wasn’t pleasant to me. I would surprisingly say that I prefer a Dunkin chocolate donut over this one.
One thing Dun-Well has going for it is reasonable prices ($2.50 per donut). Plus, the shop is all-vegan, allowing people who have food restrictions to still be able to enjoy donuts. I would love to give this place a better rating due to the staff and the comfortable, welcoming atmosphere, but I’m sorry to say I was a little disappointed in the flavors.
Fan-Fan Doughnuts (★★)
As I arrived at this donut shop at 448 Lafayette Avenue in Clinton Hill, I walked up to a line of at least 15 people in front of the store. Excitement and curiosity filled me as I realized people were willing to wait patiently to get these donuts. After 16 minutes, I was finally able to enter.
We were practically in the kitchen with pastry chefs, watching them glaze donuts and top them with churros and meringue. The ovens themselves were right behind the counter where we ordered. The man who served us was smiling and patient as I tried to decide what to choose. The price is $3 each.
Rhubarb: This donut was tart and overwhelming. The rhubarb filling on the inside, along with the flowers on top, added a very herby flavor that felt too strong for me. However, the consistency was pleasantly moist and soft.
La Donna: This donut has an appealing bright red raspberry glaze, and it’s topped with flat meringue. The raspberry was extremely sweet and tart, making it another overwhelming first bite. The meringue is crunchy at first, but soon begins to melt in your mouth; it was the best part!
Spain: This donut has a decadent chocolate glaze with churros in a cinnamon sugar coating. The chocolate had a bold, bitter flavor, like dark chocolate, and I wasn’t a fan. But the churros were so crunchy, offering the perfect amount of sweetness.
Fan-Fan has gotten a lot of hype, but to me the dough itself is a little lacking. The toppings were better than the actual donuts.
Okay, so here it is (drumroll please...):
The Top Five Donuts in NYC:
The champ: Doughnut Plant’s Tres Leches.
1. Tres Leches (Doughnut Plant)
2. Strawberry Cake (Doughnut Plant)
3. Pistachio (Dun-Well)
4. Lemon Cookie Raspberry Pie (Dun-Well)
5. Créme Brulee (Doughnut Plant)