The top 10 best doughnuts in London

Home / Arts & Culture / The top 10 best doughnuts in London
Arts & Culture
3 November 202028 January 2021By
The top 10 best doughnuts in London

Doughnuts are undoubtedly delicious. With reading week right around the corner, this is the perfect opportunity to go crazy and sample the best doughnuts London has to offer.

You could simply prefer a classic sugared ring. Or maybe you’d opt for a more extravagant sugary delicacy? Whatever your taste is, one of the thousands of bakeries across London will certainly be able to cater to your needs. In other words, they will have the doughnut perfect for you.

So, here is a list of some of the best doughnut shops in the Capital alongside their signature treats!

1. Doughnut Time

Location: numerous across London.

The Australian brand now has twelve stores across central London. To illustrate, this means it’s easy to pop in and pick up your favourite treat wherever you are in the capital. Doughnut Time is famously renowned for its bold and colourful creations. A must-try is the Sia Later doughnut. It is a bright red velvet, vegan doughnut topped with thick icing and raspberries. The Holborn branch (closest to City’s campus) even comes with neon lights and a ball pool for the perfect Instagram snap!

2. Dum dum Donutterie

Location: Unit 31, Box Park, Shoreditch.

Dum Dum Donutterie is an artisan bakery located in the heart of Shoreditch. Each doughnut is baked rather than fried. So, these doughnuts are lower in fat compared to their competitors. The bakery is also famous for its signature croissant doughnuts. For example, Zebra. This doughnut contains layers of chocolate croissant dough. It is also filled with velvety chocolate buttercream and rich ganache. Finally, it is topped with sprinkles. Dum Dum Donutterie is hugely popular. And it’s a great stop if you’re on a day out in trendy Shoreditch.

3. Bread Ahead

Locations: Borough market, Beak street, Hampstead, Pavilions road, Queens Park and Wembley.

The first branch opened in 2013 at Borough Market. The bakery has since expanded into six stores across London. These doughnuts are renowned for being light and fluffy. They come in flavours ranging from custard to passionfruit. Doughnuts aren’t the only thing Bread Ahead offer. It is also offering an online baking course. A pretty ingenious way of keeping us all occupied during the lockdown.

4. Chiltern firehouse

Location: Marylebone.

For those with more expensive taste, the 5-star Chiltern firehouse restaurant is renowned for its savoury crab doughnuts. Perfect for those lacking a sweet tooth! However, there is a long reservation list (if that doesn’t appeal to you, why not try making them at home?).

5. Rinkoff’s bakery

Location: Whitechapel.

Established in 1911, Rinkoff bakery is a family run business in the heart of Whitechapel. With over a hundred years of honing its baking skills, Rinkoff bakery is sure to sell you the perfect doughnut. Crodoughs, a gorgeous croissant-doughnut hybrid is Rinkoff’s most renowned menu item. Why not try a more seasonal flavour of toffee apple crumble, perfect for providing you with those winter vibes?

6. St Johns bakery

Location: Neal’s Yard

This is perfect for the doughnut- and wine-lovers alike. St John’s bakery is a combined wine shop and bakery. The iconic salted caramel doughnuts perfectly complement a glass of wine at the end of a long day.

7. Donut Round

Location: Brixton.

The Brixton-based Donut Round uses natural batter and organic toppings to create its delicious treats. The bakery takes pride in its use of free-range eggs and is renowned for its ginger, cinnamon, and raw chocolate toppings. It is simple, but undoubtedly delicious.

8. Crosstown doughnuts

Location: numerous across London.

With 19 stores and stalls all over central London, it is easy to get your hands on a Crosstown doughnut. Crosstown has a wonderful variety of artisan doughnuts, each beautifully decorated. It even has a variety of vegan doughnuts.

The brand is currently promoting its latest batch of seasonal doughnuts. This selection includes: dark chocolate and pistachio, chocolate and honeycomb, and blackberry and pear. Their current bestseller, however, is the matcha tea doughnut. All of these flavour combinations make it hard to choose; so why not get a selection of your favourites?

9. Dunn’s Bakery

Location: Crouch End.

Dunn’s bakery describes itself as: ‘North London’s favourite family bakery’. Its sweet treats would certainly argue this is true. The bakery offers a selection of four doughnuts. It has a chocolate chip, caramel and custard and Iced jam. It also has the occasional sprinkled doughnuts. While simple, it is sure to become a family favourite.

10. Happy Donuts

Location: Portobello road.

While visiting Notting Hill you should definitely make sure to stop by Happy Donuts. The stall doesn’t just specialise in freshly made doughnuts. You can also try its delicious milkshakes, coffee, and a wide selection of ice cream. Each doughnut is handmade. The Notting Hill market is the source for all their toppings. It also leaves nothing to waste; any leftover product will go to charities at the end of the day.

On the whole, there are a number of doughnut shops in London. Each of them serves its own unique selection of doughnuts accordingly. It is now up to you to decide where you want to go.

Doughnut shop hopping anyone?