The Springfield? Maple and Bacon Long Johns? Dollar donut day? These are your six favorite donut spots.
Sweet House Bakery | AB-Photography.US
SWEET HOUSE BAKERY
1219 Second St. SW
The toppings? Their cookies. Sometimes the way the cookie crumbles happens to be on top of a Long John. Since Sweet House Bakery is a full-service bakery, they often use chunks of their huge cookies as toppings for their donuts.
We’re not hung up on technicalities. Not technically a donut, the Kouign-Amann (which translates literally to cake butter) is a Sweet House specialty. The circular, crispy cornered pastry might be filled with Nutella. Its origins date back to 1860 in the French town of Douarnenez.
Dollar donuts. Donut flavors change daily at Sweet House, but consider stopping in on a Tuesday when the daily special is one dollar donuts.
BARLOW HY-VEE BAKERY
If? If you like candy bars for breakfast, the Hy-Vee Bakery has you covered. They offer donuts topped in Butterfinger, Heath Bar, Snickers, or M & M’s, and they’ll be accompanied by a helpful smile, since there’s one in every aisle.
Bacon for breakfast. For the carnivorous donut-lovers, Hy-Vee puts some oink into their maple and bacon long johns. That salty topping adds a delicious crunch to the deep-fried delicacy.
90-plus years of experience. Though you can get Hy-Vee donuts from four different Rochester locations including the Crossroads, West Circle Drive, and 37th St. NW stores, the first store in what would become the Hy-Vee dynasty opened in Beaconsfield, Iowa in 1930.
Drift Dough
DRIFT DOUGH
832 Seventh St NW (Inside Old Abe’s Coffee)
The Springfield. Drift Dough makes about 1,200 unique small-batch donuts with 8-12 varieties each Wednesday to Sunday. Flavors range from The Springfield (replicating the Simpson’s pink sprinkle-covered donut) to the Clown Car (covered in Fruity Pebbles).
For medicinal purposes only. If you like your donuts a little on the wild side, Drift Dough turns out specialty donuts for special occasions like a tequila donut for Cinco de Mayo and a “weed” donut for 4/20.
Egg and dairy free. Drift Dough made its first donut in its current location within Old Abe’s Coffee shop in late January of 2022, and fittingly—for an establishment specializing in vegan fare— many of its donuts are egg and dairy free.
DUNKIN’
Kahler Grand Hotel, 15 First Ave. SW and 2519 Commerce Dr. NW
Yes, guava. Dunkin’ sells 52 varieties of donuts including flavors ranging from their down-home blueberry cobbler to their exotic guava. If donut holes are your jam, their jelly Munchkins—the Dunkin’ equivalent—is just for you.
That’s billion. With a B. With its first store opening in 1950 in Quincy, Mass., there are now more than 11,300 Dunkin’ restaurants spread across 36 countries worldwide, and Rochester can claim two with its second location at 2519 Commerce Dr NW. Also, the company sells more that 3.3 billion donuts annually.
It’s our morning routine. If you like to dip your feet along with your chocolate dipped donuts, the Peace Plaza’s new wading pool is just around the corner from the Kahler Dunkin’.
KWIK TRIP
15 Rochester locations
That’s 360 hours. When you get that 2 a.m. craving for a donut, Rochester’s Kwik Trips have your back. With 15 local stores open 24 hours a day, there’s never a time you have to go without some crispy fried treats.
Almost 20 years. Kwik Trip introduced its Glazers Donuts brand in 2003, but opened its first Eau Claire Wisconsin store in 1965. Today there are more than 700 stores throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa—look for the name Kwik Star in our southern neighbor.
We’ve tried them all. Whether you need a Bismark, a Danish, or a Persian—perhaps coated in Andes Mints—Kwik Trip’s bakery has you covered since they bake from 25 to 30 different items every day.
Roasted Bliss | Traci Westcott/ Rochester Magazine
ROASTED BLISS COFFEE AND BAKERY
2550 South Broadway Ave. Suite #300
Time to start making the donuts (and other things). By 3 a.m., Roasted Bliss bakers are hard at work making everything from cakes to macarons, but customers don’t have to work that hard to grab the sweet treats since the joint is equipped with a drivethrough window.
We never skip donut day. Saturdays are “donut day” at Roasted Bliss, and their fresh buttercream-topped delights shouldn’t be missed. All week you can get their wide variety of pastries including butterscotch pecan rolls and raspberry white chocolate scones.
Three years of Bliss. Roasted Bliss is owned and managed by partners Ali Johnson and Stephanie Donovan. It first opened in St. Charles in 2019 before moving to Rochester.