There is no denying it ~ Charlotte loves donuts. There has been an explosion of new donuts spots in the Queen City from classic cake donuts in Pineville to one-pound donuts Uptown. Whatever your craving you are bound to find something to love in all neighbors of the city. Grab a cup of coffee or glass a milk and let’s talk about where to find some of the best fried dough in the area.
Joe’s Doughs
1721 North Davidson Street – NoDa
Joe’s Doughs started out as a pop-up and opened up a storefront this summer, less than two years later. At Joe’s Doughs, you will find traditional fried donuts but with flavors that made Joe’s an instant favorite. Each week the website updates the flavors for the week, you will find flavors like roasted hazelnut salted caramel, carrot cake old fashion with cream cheese glaze, sweet potato glazed with toasted meringue and if you are feeling really adventurous give the everything donut a try. You can also find gluten-free and vegan donuts available on Saturday and Sunday or by special order Monday thru Friday.
MJ Donuts
325 S Polk Street – Pineville
Tucked away in an unassuming shopping center located in Pineville, you will find MJ donuts. It is an old school donut shop with only a handful of options but you will find the classics and they will not disappoint. With every order, you will receive a side of donuts holes. Go ahead makes plans to drive out to Pineville on an upcoming Saturday, order yourself a Boston cream or just a classic glazed donut.
Suarez Bakery
4245 Park Road – Dilworth
Everything at Suarez Bakery is delicious, and their donuts are no different. They are frying up the classics like apple fritters and Bavarian cream. On Saturdays, specialty doughnuts are available until they sell out. So what is Suarez doing differently? The Texas doughnut which is over 7″ in diameter. If that wasn’t enough then maybe you are ready to take on the Texas doughnut cake, which serves approximately 6 – 8. This cake is three of the Texas doughnuts layered with vanilla pastry cream and topped with a Texas doughnut hole. One more thing Suarez Bakery is doing to mix it up on the donut scene, special alphabet donuts, so you can let your donuts do the talking (only available by pre-order).
Duck Donuts
1710 Kenilworth Ave #220 – Dilworth
I paused before adding Duck Donuts to the list because it is a franchise, but I think there would be a riot of emails if it was left off. That is how much people love Duck Donuts. You want a simple donut with lots of flavor choices but that is still delicious? And by delicious, I mean you will want to go visit every time you are in Dilworth, then Duck Donuts is the place to go. Don’t settle for Dunkin when you want to take donuts into the office, treat your coworkers to Duck donuts and you will be the hero of the week.
Your Mom’s Donuts
11025 Monroe Rd – Matthews
Why is it that some of the best places are in unassuming tucked away strip malls? Just like MJ Donuts in Pineville, you will find Your Mom’s Donuts in a small strip off of Monroe Road in Matthews. Now these are not your classic donuts, these are monstrous and with flavors that only a creative donut genius could come up with. Not only are they tasty they are also handcrafted with locally sourced ingredients. And while it is absolutely worth going to Matthews to snag a bag full of these cakes donuts, you don’t have to. The Matthews-based shop now has a donut cart uptown on the corner of S. Tryon and E. MLK Jr. Blvd from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM (or until they sell out) Wednesday through Friday. And if donuts aren’t your thing, they also sell massive cinnamon rolls.
Sugar Donuts
11914 Elm Lane – Ballantyne
Appropriately named, this shop in Ballantyne will provide you with the donut dreams you didn’t even know you had. The dough is made from scratch then rolled and cut by hand. Every donut is made fresh daily and they only use premium ingredients and you can taste it! You are going to want to come with an appetite because with donuts like southern banana pudding, fluffernutter, and bourbon custard you are going to need a fork and knife…and possibly a donut loving friend to help you finish them off. If you are looking for something different than a birthday cake, try the Sugar Birthday Box, it includes 15 mini (3 inch) square donuts with a vanilla or chocolate glaze, rainbow sprinkles and happy birthday candles for $22.
Carolina Doughnuts
1801 Yorkmont Rd. – Charlotte Regional Farmer’s Market
After waking up early to catch the best produce at the farmer’s market, what better way to treat yourself than with a yummy donut. You can do just that at Carolina Doughnuts located in the Charlotte Regional Farmer’s Market. Opened only on Saturdays from 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM, these doughnuts are worth the wait all week. You can also find them at pop-ups, look at their Facebook page for announcements of where they will be. Carolina Doughnuts carries some of your basic favorites but you don’t want to miss out on combinations like jalapeno cream cheese, chocolate caramel toffee, or fruity pebbles.
We’ve covered some of the best donuts shops in the Charlotte area, but here is a list of restaurants that will knock your socks off when it comes to the donuts on their menu.
Stoke
100 W Trade St (inside the Marriot) – Uptown
If you are looking for a donut that will make you feel like a king, then go to Stoke and order the one-pound donut with Bavarian creme and heath bar crumbles.
Little Spoon
2820 Selwyn Ave – Myers Park
If you haven’t been to Little Spoon on Selwyn then you are definitely missing out. Go on the weekend for brunch and order the donut holes off of the snack portion of the menu, which come with creme Anglaise and a chocolate ganache. You may have to order more for the table because you won’t want to share.
Foxcroft Wine
1235 East Blvd – Dilworth
7824 Fairview Rd – SouthPark
When you go out for wine with your girlfriends you don’t always think of doughnuts, but don’t let that stop you from ordering them from Foxcroft. Order your favorite glass of wine then order a plate for the table, they come with two signature sauces.
Now that you have an extensive list of places to get your donut fix, go on a tour and report back with your favorites.
