We finished the Portland Donut Crawl!
If you haven’t been following along for the past few months, Eric and I have been on a quest for the best donut in Portland. We ended up tasting donuts from 13 (!!!) different shops around town. And if that doesn’t give you a mad case of the sugar shakes, I don’t know what will.
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Obviously, we couldn’t try every single donut (we would have died within a week, I believe), but we did our best to taste an assortment from each shop. Some were really good. Some were really, really bad. And although we did our best to try every shop we could find, I’m sure we missed some. So if we missed your favorite, please let us know, as donut eating is one of my top life skills.
Sidenote: I know the world is greatly divided on the donut/doughnut spelling, and after choosing “donut” for these posts, due to the sheer number of times I had to type the word, I think I’m joining the “doughnut” side of the conversation. It seems fancier. And I like my doughnuts fancy.
In our four rounds of tasting, we consumed doughnuts from Tonalli’s Donuts & Cream, Pip’s Original, and Blue Star; Donut Byte Labs, Annie’s Donuts, and Staccato Gelato; Sesame Donuts, Helen Bernhard Bakery, and Rocking Frog Cafe; and Ataula, Heavenly Donuts, Delicious Donuts, and Voodoo Doughnuts.
And after making return trips to a few shops to make sure we were being thorough (and because we just really like doughnuts), we are officially declaring a winner. And remember that this winning doughnut will make its way into some homemade ice cream (recipe coming soon)!
The best doughnut in Portland is…(drumroll, please!)
Pip’s Original!
If you’ve been following along with our doughnut tasting, you probably aren’t surprised that Pip’s came out on top. We found ourselves comparing most doughnuts with Pip’s, and all of them fell short. Pip’s is just that good. At Pip’s, they make your mini doughnuts fresh to order. And when you bite into a warm, fresh doughnut, it is a completely different doughnut eating experience. We’ve been to Pip’s many, many times since moving to Portland, and each time we have our first bite, we both stop to say, “This is SO good!” (Picture eyes open wide, big smiles, and cinnamon sugar crumbs all around our mouths.) Every single time. We love the Cinnamon Sugar and the Dirty Wu (a combination of all the regular flavors, with cinnamon sugar, raw honey, sea salt, and Nutella). I’ve raved about it before, but I’ll say it again: Pip’s has the ultimate cinnamon sugar combination, using giant granules that stick to the doughnuts so well, and burst with sweet flavor in every bite. The doughnuts there are so good that if I dropped one, I would not only pick it up and eat it, but I’d probably lick the table, as well. Seriously, we find ourselves scooping up every last bit of topping left on the plates and licking our fingers with reckless abandon. (Sidenote: I think we’re unattractive doughnut eaters.) The doughnuts never taste oily, undercooked, or overcooked. Somehow, they are doing it perfectly every single time. And I love it.
If cinnamon sugar and Nutella aren’t your game, Pip’s Raw Honey and Sea Salt doughnut is their award winning flavor, and you really can’t go wrong with anything they make in their shop.
Aside from the doughnuts, the staff at Pip’s is super friendly. And they give you a free dozen doughnuts on your birthday, which is making the world a better place, in my humble opinion. And did I mention that you can pick up a Pip’s punch card and earn your way to a free dozen? We’ve gone through a punch card or two in our time…
And if the best doughnuts and a friendly staff aren’t enough for you, Pip’s also has the best environment of any doughnut shop we tried. The shop is cozy and warm, with cute little tables made for huddling over a dozen doughnuts. If you are lucky enough to snag a table by the window (our favorite spot), you can enjoy all that natural light and do some people watching at the same time. And people watching at Pip’s is fun, as it is full of families (tiny children eating tiny doughnuts = giant adorableness), grandparents, youths (they are less frightening when smiling over fresh doughnuts), young folks like us, and everyone else under the sun. And everyone is so happy because they are eating the best doughnuts in Portland (and maybe the world?).
Pip’s only downfall is that the shop is small, and seating is limited. And now that Pip’s is the hottest spot in Portland, it’s always pretty crowded (particularly on weekend mornings). But the shop is so adorable that I can get over the crowded feeling and just take my sweet treats out to the sidewalk to enjoy.
And if this tells you anything, Pip’s is the only place in Portland I can visit by car without using my GPS. Should I feel shame or pride? Not sure. But my taste buds are so happy.
So thanks, Pip’s Original, for making the best doughnuts in Portland. We love you!
And because we love doughnuts so much, we’re awarding second place in the Portland Donut Crawl to Staccato Gelato. What? Yes. This place didn’t knock our socks off on the first try, but we were so intrigued by all the flavor combinations that we ended up going again. And again. And again. Like, every weekend for a while. (In fact, the same fella was working there on most of our visits, and he would smirk a little when we came in, as if he recognized us and our clear addiction to everything he had. And since it is my dream to be a recognized regular somewhere, this made me unbelievably happy.) Staccato Gelato only sells their doughnuts on the weekends; but the good news is, they generally have a pretty good selection late in the day, which is when I want doughnuts the most. They have some pretty unique flavor combinations, and after trying quite a few of them, our favorites are Chocolate and Marionberry (the glaze is insanely good), Vietnamese Coffee, and Prince of Darkness. Did I mention that they have all of their doughnuts labeled in their little doughnut case? It’s the best for this girl who wants to know exactly what she’s getting without having to ask ten questions.
Now, since everyone’s taste in doughnuts is different, I’ve broken down the Portland doughnut shops into a bunch of different categories that should help you make the best doughnut decision for you. I’m not including a few of the shops that we really, really disliked, nor am I am including Ataula, which had a lovely doughnut, but is actually a fine dining restaurant, and therefore doesn’t really count as a doughnut shop. Without further ado, here are the final results of our Portland Donut Crawl:
Best Doughnuts in Portland
- Pip’s Original
Doughnuts Shops I’d Feel Comfortable Taking Kids
- Pip’s Original
- Staccato Gelato
- Annie’s Donuts
- Sesame Donuts
- Tonalli’s Donuts and Cream
- Heavenly Donuts
Doughnut Shops I’d Feel Comfortable Sitting and Enjoying My Doughnuts
- Pip’s Original
- Staccato Gelato
- Annie’s Donuts
- Sesame Donuts
- Tonalli’s Donuts and Cream
- Heavenly Donuts
Doughnuts Shops with the Friendliest Service
- Pip’s Original
- Staccato Gelato
- Delicious Donuts
- Sesame Donuts
- Heavenly Donuts
Prettiest Doughnut Shops
- Pip’s Original
- Blue Star
Doughnut Shops with Most Creative Flavors
- Staccato Gelato
- Blue Star
- Voodoo Doughnuts
If you’d like to read more about our doughnut tasting, check out all the Portland Donut Crawl posts here!
Here’s to Portland, doughnuts, and Pip’s Original! And remember, we’re putting Pip’s Cinnamon Sugar doughnuts into HOMEMADE ICE CREAM later this week. Get excited.
-Ally
Sarah Wahlstedt says
Youths…
Jess! says
This is the best resource for #nationaldonutday
🙂
Mike C says
Jess sent me here during a work “donut date.” I just enjoyed some super oily Heavenly deliciousness. I’m curious if Pip’s is newborn friendly? Heck of a line these days. Thanks for the read!