This just in: Doughnuts are good. Fortunately for Bostonians, the city and its neighboring ‘hoods are dotted with a flight of quality doughnut shops. (Maybe you’ve heard of a little gourmet coffee shop called Dunkin’ Donuts? Just kidding. Sort of. Dunkin’ is good.)
There are many kinds of doughnuts — and many kinds of doughnut shops — but the two most commonly available varieties are cake and yeasted (otherwise known as raised). Cake doughnuts are denser than their yeasted counterparts, but they should not be stodgy — the crumb should be fluffy, and the exterior should be fried to a golden crisp. A good yeasted donut should be light and airy, and ideally it will melt in the mouth.
As far as differences between doughnut shops go, they are many in Greater Boston —some are old-school and have been in operation for more than 60 years, while others are shiny and new and filled with handcrafted wood furnishings and expensive coffee contraptions. These differences don’t matter, though, because every shop on this list is hawking truth in fried ring form — interiors notwithstanding.
Here are 15 of the top doughnut shops in and around Boston.
Explore further: Farther outside of Boston, check out the Donut Stand from Oleana alums Hanna and Mike Lombardi, popping up inside of wine and cheese shop the Vin Bin in Marlboro, Southboro, and Hopkinton; the Angry Donut, which began as a pop-up but now has a storefront in Newburyport as well as in Stratham, New Hampshire; and Basic Batch Donuts in Milford, from pastry chef Christina Larson, an alum of Menton and Bar Mezzana. Also keep an eye out for excellent local doughnut pop-ups Speakeasy Donuts, which sells elaborately decorated and themed doughnuts around the North Shore, and newcomer Neighborhood Donut Society, which sells mochi doughnuts around Greater Boston. (Another popular pop-up, Lionheart Confections, is featured in a map point below as it currently has a regular residency in Dorchester.)
See also: Where to Eat Cider Doughnuts Not Too Far From Boston
The latest CDC guidance for vaccinated diners during the COVID-19 outbreak is here; dining out still carries risks for unvaccinated diners and workers. Please be aware of changing local rules, and check individual restaurant websites for any additional restrictions such as mask requirements. Find a local vaccination site here.
This map was originally published on November 20, 2017. It is updated occasionally, and the date of the most recent update appears above.
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