The Best Doughnut Shops in Melbourne
Celebrate Melbourne's consecutive days of zero cases with the new symbol of success: doughnuts.
The Best Doughnut Shops in Melbourne
Celebrate Melbourne's consecutive days of zero cases with the new symbol of success: doughnuts.
The humble doughnut has long outgrown its stale reputation as a snack reserved for Homer Simpson, police-folk and school kids. The treat has gained widespread popularity in recent years, with vendors exploring unique and, at times, outrageous flavour combos. And of course, Melbourne's sparked a special appreciation for the holey creations in this era of COVID-19 — the term 'doughnuts' has quickly come to represent the big fat zeros joyfully flooding the daily tally of new case numbers. And as of today, Friday, November 6, the state has celebrated seven days in a row of 'em.
But while demand is at an all time high, you can bet there's no shortage of decent doughnuts in Melbourne. You'll find them stuffed with Nutella, topped with fairy floss, handmade with seasonal ingredients and bearing all sorts of other creative twists. So, here's our list of the city's best and most extravagant doughnut offerings — proof that this indulgent treat's 'day in the sun' is not quite done. Go forth and celebrate Victoria's streak with one of these bad boys.
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Raised, filled, cake or cruller, Shortstop explore the boundaries of doughnut experimentation, spanning the entire flavour spectrum and borrowing a few international influences along the way. The earl grey and rose variety ($5) is not for purists — designed midway between a doughnut and tea cake, it’s a bit drier and more delicate than your standard Krispy Kreme. Decorated with a pretty scattering of petals, it’s been the feature image of many a foodie blog. To snare one for yourself, arrive early in the morning — they’re often sold out come midday.
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Blueberry yuzu. Vietnamese iced coffee. Banana bruleé. These are just a few of the diabetes-inducing flavours that have earned Doughboys a reputation as one of the best doughnut outfits in town. Following a few years of pop-ups in share spaces, coffee shops and markets around Melbourne, the team of dough-fiends opened up their own digs right in the CBD. Designed by Studio Esteta, the store boasts tiled floors, high ceilings and ample display cases, so sugar-obsessed doughnut lovers can press their noses against the glass. Small Batch Roasting Co. provide the coffee for dunking, or you can opt for some luscious hot chocolate.
Doughboys is set to reopen for store visits and deliveries from early November.
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Not content with mastering what he believes to be the perfect burger recipe, Raph Rashid — owner of Beatbox Kitchen and Taco Truck — turned his attention to sweets with the opening of All Day Donuts. Although it’s not actually open 24-hours, the Brunswick shop is operating seven days a week, selling doughies from morning till night (or until sold out).
The selection changes regularly, but you might spy the likes of lemon curd with toasted coconut, a caramel cookie crumble, or the strawberry cheesecake variety rocking a creamy centre and fruity glaze. Need something savoury to follow these bad boys up? The space also houses Juanita Peaches for post- or pre- doughnut fried chicken.
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Now with three outposts across Melbourne, Lukumades specialises in handmade Greek doughnuts, and oh boy are they something. You can get these beauties served in the traditional fashion, with cinnamon and honey, or opt for something a little more extravagant. The Twix Fix pack, for example, comes smothered with melted chocolate, caramel sauce, crushed Twix and vanilla bean gelato. And yes, Nutella also plays a prominent role on the menu, because some things never go out of style.
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The Richmond-based baking duo behind Penny for Pound are masters at turning basic household ingredients — flour, butter, sugar — into something special. Its goodies, including croissants, tarts, cookies and cruffins, have starred in many a Melbourne cafe cake cabinet over the years, though now there’s also a Richmond shopfront where you can see the full range in all its glory. These guys don’t hold back on experimental doughnut flavours either. Allowing seasonal produce to guide creativity has resulted in innovative flavour combos including yuzu meringue; rhubarb and ginger; and the award-winning fig, honeycomb and orange creme brûlée. That said, purists will be more than happy tucking into the menu’s classic jam doughnut, coated with cinnamon sugar and stuffed with house-made raspberry jam.
Image: Kate Shanasy
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As a teenager, owning an actual doughnut shop would surely be the realisation of all your sugar-filled fantasies. So we’re betting that Morgan Hipworth was pretty popular at school when he launched his Bistro Morgan doughnut business at the tender age of 13. Known for throwing down imaginative, new-school riffs on the classics (think Golden Gaytime and Iced Vovo), it’s not hard to see why this talented teen has been dubbed ‘Melbourne’s doughnut prince’. The menu at his Windsor flagship store runs on a two-week cycle of twelve signature flavours, with an additional lineup of classics permanently on offer. Plus there’s new combinations being dreamt up all the time. Truly proving a youngster runs the joint, there’s no reprieve on the sugar levels in the drinks either — indulgent shake options include cake batter and a mocha cookie crunch. Because if you’re going to treat yourself, you may as well go all out, right?
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Doughnut purists will be well familiar with this one. This family-run business has been kneading and frying dough since the 1950s. The iconic blue and white van has long been a necessary pit stop during a visit to the Queen Victoria Markets, and a paper bag of the fresh, fried delights a favourite shopping accompaniment. Sometimes simplicity rules and this is definitely the case here — the unchanged recipe involves a quick fry of the yeasted dough in sizzling oil following by a generous dusting of sugar. The final step is an injection of hot red jam into the doughnut’s core, which explodes into your mouth (and onto your clothes if you’re not careful) on first bite.
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This bakery, based in Croydon, is not about doing things by halves. Firstly, each doughnut is a visual delight: they’re big, glossy and topped with crazy things like gold leaf, rose petals and fairy floss. But the painstaking presentation does not overshadow the more important job of pleasing those taste buds. Which they do — very, very well. And because one sweet treat is never enough, these guys have earned quite the reputation for their customisable doughnut boxes, teaming various holey creations with accompaniments like lollies, chocolates and extra Nutella. Go hard or go home, right?
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