ATLGuide

The Best Donuts In Atlanta

Whether you prefer cake or yeast donuts, here are the best places to snag ‘em in Atlanta.
collection of doughnuts

photo credit: Amy Sinclair

Welcome to the capital of The Donut South (yup, claiming it). Sure, we have the big national chains. But this is Atlanta, a city of originality, and while we’d never blaspheme an iconic Southern-born chain, mass-produced glaze donuts only go so far here (sorry, Shaq, let us know when the Ponce Krispy Kreme is back open). Bakers in this city have stepped up to take down any glazed god you put before them, so whether you prefer cake or yeast donuts, here are the best places to snag ‘em in the A. 

THE SPOTS

photo credit: Juli Horsford

Donuts

Buckhead

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Don’t mistake the shipping container sitting in the parking lot of Lenox Square Mall for a Macy’s inventory delivery gone wrong. It actually houses DaVinci’s Donuts, a small to-go donut and coffee shop. We could eat their cakes plain because they’re incredibly soft and sweet enough on their own, so having choices like cinnamon roll, strawberry shortcake, and maple bacon is just an added bonus. Their donuts are a little smaller (they easily fit in the palm of your hand) giving you a solid reason to order a dozen and pretend you’ll be sharing them with friends.

If for some reason your mind immediately drifts to a rain-drenched Enrique Iglesias when you head to Hero Doughnuts in Summerhill, we understand. But once the cashier politely interrupts, order the light and airy donut holes and the Apple Crisp (our favorite) with a cinnamon apple mash on top that tastes like a homemade apple pie—not that poser synthetic filling from a jar. If you need more sustenance than sugary bread, Hero has spicy kolaches and sandwiches, like their egg and cheese bun. Unlike most grab-and-go donut spots, Hero has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating in case you want to indulge immediately and get back to singing Enrique in your head.

We’ll happily fight through Buckhead traffic if we can get Duck Donuts to start our day. It’s an ego booster to walk in unannounced and watch a team scramble behind the counter to make your actual order fresh (yes, we’d like oreo and graham crackers, s'il vous plaît). But don’t dive into the doughy goodness right away because they come out steaming hot. It’s so fresh, the dough seems borderline raw and the smell of fried dough (much like funnel cake) hits you in the face. Just cool your ego and donuts with a quick wait at the small window countertop, then enjoy.

Sitting between Walter’s Soul Food and a barbershop in a Cleveland Avenue shopping strip, Atlanta Donuts has a type of donut for whatever mood we’re in. If we just want a sample of sweetness, we opt for the light and fluffy donut holes that huddle in their own shelf of the old school pastry display case. When we need a hearty breakfast to start the day, the dense cake donuts fill us up. Get the blueberry—that’s an order. Even the old-fashioned donuts with their lovely tapered edges, which we normally write off as better left in the past, are tasty.

Doughnut Dollies takes its name from American Red Cross’ Donut Dollies who delivered coffee and donuts to soldiers during WWII. Luckily the only battle you'll have to endure to get one of these giant donuts is finding a parking spot on Virginia Ave. When you head into the tiny interior—covered with black and white subway tiles and a mural of a Rosie the Riveter-esque woman flexing with a donut—whether you get the yeast donuts made with 24-hour brioche dough or a cake donut, prepare yourself because they are massive and thicc. The hot cocoa donut is one of our faves with gooey homemade marshmallows on top and a chocolate filling. Sometimes bigger really is better.

Mochinut in Chattahoochee Food Works makes donuts with rice flour for a stretchy and chewy texture (mochi, get it?). Like the ones made famous by Japan’s Mister Donut chain, these mochi doughnuts form a ring of eight connecting mini dough balls. There are a variety of ever-changing flavors to choose from like the raspberry funnel cake (it does, in fact, taste like carnival food) and a caramel churro. Mochinut doesn’t open until noon, so it’s ideal for those of us who regularly hit snooze seventeen times in the morning. Or you can stock up for later since the mochi dough will maintain a similar softness the next day.

The OG Rev Dough opened in 2012 in Decatur. Five years later, they expanded with another location in Inman Park, serving up their made-from-scratch yeast and cake-based donuts. With a few tables inside, this is the perfect place to party like it’s your birthday with a birthday cake donut topped with chocolate icing, sprinkles, and whipped cream. These donuts aren’t revolutionary, but they are damn good and offer fun flavors like tangerine-pistachio and banana creme pie with plenty of vegan options. Plus, their full coffee and espresso bar featuring beans from Counter Culture Coffee always helps us on our daily caffeine quest.

After taking a bite of the moist and sugary Funfetti donut from Hell Yeah Gluten Free!, our take is more like “gluten who?” This small, single counter storefront off Dekalb Ave in Inman Park is strictly a grab-and-go spot. Order their double chocolate vegan donut with pureed veggies (from now on we’ll only eat our veggies if they’re disguised in mounds of chocolate, because damn) or the chai crumb cake and see if you can refrain from saying “hell yeah” after the first bite. Make sure to visit early because these donuts go quick.

Originally started by a Tennessee couple, who (you guessed it) has five daughters, this doughnut chain is famous for its 100-layer croissant-doughnut hybrids. With two Atlanta locations (a walk-up counter on the Westside and a stall in Ponce City Market), we’re partial to the bigger PCM one, so after lunch in the market, we can pick up a fresh strawberry lemon shortcake donut, which is basically just dessert.

photo credit: Amy Sinclair

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You probably know Beetlecat in Inman Park for their oyster and seafood selection, so it might be a surprise to find out they offer a donut brunch on the weekend. With eight donut options and a full brunch menu (including their famed lobster roll), breakfast at Beetlecat feels like a casual morning spent dockside with friends. The original glazed Plain Jane holds its own, but for extra flair get the Unicorn, a glazed topped with raw cookie dough and sprinkles. Or go the savory route and try their spicy chicken sandwich with a sunny side up egg, bookended with glazed donuts. If the table service seafood thing ever goes belly up, Beetlecat could easily compete in the donut game.

With sky blue walls and a playful logo of a doughnut with angel wings, Sublime doesn’t hide its intentions. Open 24/7, this 10th Street pastry shop lets dessert lovers fulfill any random jelly-filled fantasies at any waking hour. Flavors range from the typical (the honey glazed cinnamon swirl and frosted croissant are our go-tos) to the tantalizing (Fruity Pebbles doughnut), and most of them are pretty good. But even the bites that look better than they taste (like the blah apple fritter) will have your followers foaming over your timeline.

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