If the recent Great Wall of China-long lines at the opening of Doughnut Time on Chapel Street are anything to go by, Melburnians go cray cray over anything that is glazed, sprinkled, jam-filled and oozing with chocolate, caramel or peanut butter – preferably all of the above.
So in my final weeks of borrowing a super cute Nissan JUKE from Nissan Australia, I set off on a mission to discover where Melbourne’s best doughnuts are hiding, zipping in and out of Melbourne’s suburban streets as if I were navigating an 8am Flinders Street Station by foot. Thank heck for the JUKE’s blind spot warning, turbo engine and AMAZING bird’s eye view parking cameras.
Here’s my round-up of Melbourne’s best doughnut destinations that would terrify a diabetic:
Special note: strap yourself in for a boxed dozen of doughnut puns.
1. Doughnut Time
With locations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Doughnut Time is fast becoming Australia’s duke of doughnuts, winning over the masses with a variety of elaborate toppings. From Tim Tams and Oreos to freeze-dried raspberries and peanut butter cookie dough, a Doughnut Time doughnut is not complete without one spectacular sugar-filled crown.
In addition to the Chapel Street locale, you can also find Doughnut Time’s neon and pastel green shop fronts north of the river on Degraves Street (CBD), Brunswick Street (Fitzroy) and at Melbourne Emporium (CBD).
My favourite doughnut: the ‘love at first bite’ – Doughnut Time’s signature Nutella-filled doughnut that’s dusted with cinnamon sugar. No words needed – it’s pure I’d-die-for-you love.
Update 2018: Doughnut Time has clearly lost it’s crown, having closed up shop around the country, although a rumour of a come-back is circulating…
Doughnut Time | 178 Chapel Street, Prahran, Victoria
doughnuttime.com.au
2. Shortstop Coffee and Doughnuts
Venture down this Melbourne laneway off Little Lonsdale Street and you’ll find doughnut aficionados spilling out onto the street, clutching their royal blue bags like sold out AFL Grand Final tickets. If I stole a peep inside their take-away bags I’m pretty confident I’d find a pile of triple matcha, earl grey and rose, and au natural cinnamon doughnuts.
You can also pull up a chair and eat your sugar explosion inside this hole-in-the-wall cafe, sipping away on a latté, while watching the doughnut magicians weave their dough-magic in the kitchen.
My favourite doughnut: a peanut butter caramel and chocolate doughnut. Smothered in milk chocolate, with a filling of salted peanut butter caramel, it’s like biting into a doughnut version of a Snickers.
Shortstop Coffee and Doughnuts | 12 Sutherland Street, Melbourne, Victoria
short-stop.com.au
3. Doughboys Doughnuts
A couple of years back, Doughboys Doughnuts acquired a bevy of cinnamon-crazed fans when their rings of deep-fried dough started popping up at Top Paddock, The Kettle Black and other brunch-wielding trendies.
Now with their own teeny tiny shopfront on Bourke Street, you can get some of the city’s most art-like nuts of dough – that are slightly crispy on the outside but delightfully soft and golden on the inside – direct from the source.
My favourite doughnut: a peanut butter and jelly doughnut – this PBJ delight entails freshly-churned peanut butter icing with boysenberry jam and roasted peanut dust. YUMMMM!
Doughboys Doughnuts | 535 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Victoria
doughboysdoughnuts.com.au
4. Rustica Sourdough
Rustica Sourdough is not exclusively for doughnut enthusiasts. Indeed anyone with a sweet tooth will cry Marly and Me-style over their glassed cabinet of pastries, tarts and doughnuts.
My favourite doughnut: the chocolate and cherry in-bred cronut. Although not technically a doughnut, it’s absolutely delicious and oozes chocolate like an edible pimple, making it totally worthy of top spot. Excuse me while I wipe this cinnamon-covered smile off my face, and the thought of an edible pimple from my brain.
Rustica Sourdough | 402 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Victoria
rusticasourdough.com.au
5. All Day Donuts
This holey-goodness hang-out would make Homer Simpson weep. Eat-in or take-away at this simple, authentic, no frills, very Brunswick doughnut diner where everything is served in a cardboard box – even the strong filter coffee from Seven Seeds is served exclusively in a take-away cup. The flavours are simple, but tick some serious doughnut goals. Did I mention they make their own sprinkles?!
My favourite doughnut: hands-down the tuna mornay doughnut!
Jokes.
All Day Donuts definitely don’t do a tuna mornay doughnut and if they did it definitely wouldn’t be a favourite given writing that slightly made me vomit. It has to be the pillowy caramel doughnut topped with cookie dust. Truth! I promise.
All Day Donuts | 12 Edward Street, Brunswick, Victoria
alldaydonuts.com
6. Ascot Food Store
Donut let anyone tell you that a syringe does not improve the doughnut-eating experience, and Ascot Food Store do the best bunch of ultra-Instagramable syringe-filled doughnuts. Plus, by adding the filling later it keeps the doughnut at its most fluffiest for your eating pleasure. It’s a win, win.
My favourite doughnut: a cherry ripe doughnut with a syringe-full of cherry sauce. #sugarcrash
Ascot Food Store | 320 Ascot Vale Road, Moonee Ponds, Victoria
facebook.com/ascotfoodstore.com.au
7. Cobb Lane Bakery
Hole-y heck! This small bakery cafe in the heart of Yarraville is 100% worth crossing the bridge for. If the decadent doughnuts and desserts (that do star in various Melbourne cafes outside of the west) don’t make your knees weak, the artisan freshly-baked breads and simple(y delicious) breakfast fare will catch you out.
My favourite doughnut: the cherry and rose ball of ultra soft dough that’s injected with a surprisingly YUM potpourri-flavoured rose filling.
(P.s. remind me to attempt to paint my nails next time they need to make a blog appearance – head hiding in nail shame).
Cobb Lane Bakery | 13 Anderson Street, Yarraville, Victoria
