Getchyer Hot Donuts! Hot Donuts Here!

July 14, 2010 4:26 PM

Where can I find fresh, hot, glazed donuts in Manhattan for breakfast?

I have a hankering for the bakery-fresh donut breakfasts of my youth (oh, All-Rite Bakery and Eatery, how I miss you!). Where can I recreate the experience? I'm looking for fresh, piping hot glazed donuts (the kind that practically melt in your mouth) from a local bakery, ideally within one or two subway stops of 23rd Street and Broadway (where I work).

posted by ocherdraco to food & drink (17 answers total)

Donut Pub on 14th, just west of 7th? I think they make their own donuts. They're open 24 hours a day, I think so the hot donuts might come out early...
posted by Admiral Haddock at 4:37 PM on July 14, 2010 [1 favorite]

I'd go to Peter Pan in Greenpoint, but it's difficult to guarantee that you're going to get them right out of the fryer unless they're made to order at a restaurant like A Voce, Jane, Shopsin's, Hearth, Per Se, Babbo. My theory: NYC is a bagel town, not a donut town like LA.

See also:
A Guide to the Best Doughnuts in New York
posted by kathryn at 4:45 PM on July 14, 2010

What, no Krispy Kreme in Manhattan???
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 4:57 PM on July 14, 2010

I think there's only one Krispy Kreme in NYC, in Penn Station, which is itself a pain in the ass, and they don't fry the donuts there (think airport terminal vendor).
posted by Admiral Haddock at 4:59 PM on July 14, 2010

Seconding Peter Pan, but it's not in Manhattan. Maybe you could move to Greenpoint and pick one up on the way to work. I bet they have some serious turnover in the mornings, so you'd have a damn good chance of getting a hot one, especially if you're a fan of the basic glazed.

And, yes, I would seriously consider moving to Greenpoint only for the sake of Peter Pan donuts. That's perfectly normal, right?
posted by Sara C. at 5:10 PM on July 14, 2010

I second Donut Pub. The crullers are to die for, as well as the sugar glazed. I used to live in the apartment directly above it. Every morning I would wake up to the smell of vanilla and of coffee. Heaven! Go to Donut Pub. Go early.
posted by iconomy at 5:15 PM on July 14, 2010

There are certainly donut places in manhattan.

Example

http://www.doughnutplant.com/
posted by majortom1981 at 5:16 PM on July 14, 2010 [1 favorite]

Donut Plant = awesome. Strongly, strongly seconded.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 5:19 PM on July 14, 2010

Yeah, Donut Pub is a solid choice. It's not artisanal or gourmet, exactly, but the prices are reasonable and just about everything is quite good.

Also, Alia, I hope you were kidding about krispy kreme, because if you think that's the zenith of the donutsmith's art you might be missing out
posted by clockzero at 5:48 PM on July 14, 2010

It's not artisanal or gourmet, exactly (clockzero)

Neither was the All-Rite (it was, well, all right when the donuts cooled off, but heavenly when they were fresh).

Donut Pub and Donut Plant sound like my best bets, and I'll make a field trip to Peter Pan. If anyone knows of anywhere else, keep em coming.
posted by ocherdraco at 5:51 PM on July 14, 2010

"You ever put a donut in the microwave?" - Liz Lemon
posted by cazoo at 5:57 PM on July 14, 2010

Oh, and a secondary question: anyone know where to find vegan donuts in the city? I'm not vegan, but my boyfriend is, and it would be great to get donuts together occasionally.
posted by ocherdraco at 5:59 PM on July 14, 2010

Babycakes and Atlas Cafe should have vegan donuts. According to one person, Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings are the best times for fresh donuts at Atlas.
posted by thegreatfleecircus at 6:15 PM on July 14, 2010

There's a place on 8th ave, just south of MSG that's definitely no Peter Pan, but they make a pretty mean apple fritter. It's the size of your head.

Doughnut Plant does not use eggs. I don't know about butter. Peter Pan has a sign about using only vegetable shortening, but I don't know about the eggs.

The first doughnuts out of the fryer at Peter Pan in the morning are the sour cream and the whole wheat. Both excellent, but they open for business before the doughnuts are ready. If you get there to early sit at counter and have a bialy, toasted, with butter and wait for them.
posted by clockwork at 6:20 PM on July 14, 2010

I like Doughnut Plant a whole lot but their yeast-raised large donuts aren't for everybody. Doughnut Plant's are both fluffy and chewy at the same time: think Krispy Kreme with more texture. A lot of people get turned off by the chewiness.

However, I really like DP's cake based donuts: blackout (chocolate filling, chocolate cake, chocolate glaze, rolled in chocolate cake crumbs) and tres leches (filled with a mixture of traditional Mexican creme: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and cream).

A friend tried the Babycakes' vegan donut and thought it was odd they'd sell it as a "donut" when it wasn't deep-fried. And they're $3.50. Each.
posted by kathryn at 7:13 PM on July 14, 2010

Doughnut Plant is *not* vegan. Delicious though, best I've found in NYC.
posted by unknowncommand at 10:16 PM on July 14, 2010

Jumping in with Donut Pub love. Always good. Old school donuts.
posted by vivzan at 11:08 AM on July 15, 2010