Alan ‘Bo’ BorensteinIf you’re like us, donuts are our favorite mid-day snack, together with a cup of joe and maybe a side of bacon. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’re actually here to tell you all about our favorite local donut shops in the city.
These spots are our go-tos for delicious and unique donut flavors that will satisfy any craving. Whether you’re a classic glazed lover or a fan of adventurous combinations like maple bacon or matcha green tea, we’ve got a donut shop here for you.
Vancouver’s Best Donut Shops
Donuts are a real local favorite, loved by folks young and old. The good news is that right here in Vancity, we’ve got some amazing places whipping up their own special donut delights. Check out how we’ve judged these donut joints below:
1. Honey Doughnuts & Goodies
| CRITERIA | RATING |
| Variety | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Donuts Flavors | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Gluten-free Options | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Presentation | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Quality | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Donut Size | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Texture | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Seating and Ambiance | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
Honey Doughnuts & Goodies kicked off back in ’96, serving up all sorts of fresh baked treats, breakfast grub, lunch stuff, and a ton of awesome drinks to pair your munchies with.
This sweet spot sits right in the middle of Deep Cove, a cozy seaside spot in North Van, sandwiched between the ocean in Indian Arm and the lush mountains of Mount Seymour.
You’ve gotta swing by Honey Doughnuts & Goodies in Deep Cove. These donuts are the real deal—made fresh in-house and hand-cut from scratch every single day.
Their donuts blend old-school classics with a bunch of out-there flavors that you’ve gotta taste at least once.
Their OG donut comes with a choice of two classic glazes: chocolate and maple. But don’t miss out on the cinnamon sugar, maple bacon, chocoreo, and the top pick, the coconut cinnamon sugar.
The donuts are soft, with a really good topping that’s not overly sweet. We reckon they’re like a sponge cake in the form of a donut.
The only bummer is that it tends to be a bit greasy. It’d be even better if they could strain it more to let the excess oil drip away or find a way to make it less oily overall.
Nevertheless, we liked that these donuts showcased a cool vintage setup with old-school car vibes. There are loads of seats indoors, but this joint gets packed fast; luckily, they’ve got outdoor seating too.
Pros
- Fresh in-house and hand-cut donuts
- Nice selection of coffee
Cons
- Donuts tend to be greasy
Customer Reviews
Wide array of pastries
“Went for a short trip to North Van before and we knew we had to try this shop when we saw it! Upon entering, their array of pastry choices was honestly pleasing to the eyes!.”
-Keith V.
Fresh and special donuts
“Their donuts are so fresh and special. It tastes like a sponge cake in the shape of a donut…”
-Tina O.
2. 49th Parallel Café & Lucky’s Doughnuts
| CRITERIA | RATING |
| Variety | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Donuts Flavors | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Gluten-free Options | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Presentation | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Quality | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Donut Size | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Texture | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Seating and Ambiance | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
49th Parallel Café & Lucky’s Doughnuts has been around the block since 2012, and they serve authentic and hand-crafted donuts that are made fresh throughout the day.
First and foremost, the variety of flavors here impressed us. You’d think you’ve seen enough donuts in your lifetime, only to find out that there are other flavors like pouding chômeur, French cruller, and apple bacon.
These artisan donuts nail that perfect balance of flavor and sweetness. Nothing’s too sweet or syrupy. Their coffee, tea, and donut combo is a sweet deal, and you can grab your drink hot or iced.
If we had to pick favorites, though, it’s gotta be the triple chocolate doughnut. It’s vegan and gluten-friendly, and it’s dipped in dark chocolate vegan ganache and sprinkled with cocoa nibs.
When it comes to drinks, the Venezuelan latte is a must-try. We’re not big on overly sweet coffee, and this one hits the mark. The coffee itself is top-notch—not too bitter, but strong and just right.
The atmosphere here is super cozy, and they’ve set up the tables just right. The mix of brick, wooden beams, and the open ceiling is a really cool touch. The shop’s style is bright, modern, and has a really airy feel to it.
Pros
- Vegan and gluten-friendly donuts available
- Cozy atmosphere
Cons
- Some complaints about customer service
Customer Reviews
Nicely-balanced in flavor and sweetness
“Go for the donuts, stay for the coffee! We loved this place so much we went every morning during our visit to Vancouver. The artisan donuts here are all nicely balanced in flavor and sweetness…”
-Kristy O.
Delicious donut and coffee
“Delicious donuts and coffee!! We had the mango passionfruit donut and I love the texture of the old fashioned donut…”
-Lori F.
3. Disco Biscuit Donuts
| CRITERIA | RATING |
| Variety | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Donuts Flavors | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Gluten-free Options | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Presentation | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Quality | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Donut Size | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Texture | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Seating and Ambiance | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
Disco Biscuit Donuts may not have a fancy space to showcase their donuts, being a mobile donut shop and all, but that doesn’t mean that they lack in the taste and quality department.
In fact, what got us hooked here is their delicious vegan donuts. That’s gotta be what makes them unique, because their entire menu features a wide range of vegan yeast donuts.
The flavors here include Boston Dream, Bump Up The Jam, Earl Grey Boba, Mango Raspberry, Matcha, Orange Brulee, and our top pick, the Brookie Cookie.
The Brookie Cookie is filled with biscoff cream and vanilla glaze and topped with biscoff crumbs and a cookie. We absolutely loved the creaminess and richness of this donut.
The dough is spot on—nice and fluffy, just like it’s supposed to be. And the fillings? They hit the sweet spot—not overly sugary, just perfect. Plus, the donut dough itself is light and airy.
You’ll probably catch Disco Biscuit Donuts on Industrial Avenue, but they also wander around the city, hitting up local markets and events. Oh, if you pre-order donuts with them, they offer a cool 15% discount as an awesome incentive.
Pros
- Fully-vegan donut menu
- 15% discount for pre-orders
Cons
- Limited donut flavors
Customer Reviews
Soft dough and fluffy
“Very delicious donuts, I tried a few different flavors, but Boston Dream is my favorite. Even my partner who isn’t vegan loved them. The dough is soft and fluffy and the filling is not overly sweet, just how I like it!…”
-Karmela K.
Great donuts
“I am not vegan. These donuts were great. I really liked the biscotti one. However jam is always my favourite. Yum…”
-Beth N.
4. Lee’s Donuts
| CRITERIA | RATING |
| Variety | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Donuts Flavors | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Gluten-free Options | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Presentation | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Quality | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Donut Size | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Texture | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Seating and Ambiance | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
Lee’s Donuts is one of the more well-known donut shops in the city, and for good reason. They’ve been dishing out classic donuts since 1979, and you can find them right at the iconic Granville Island Public Market.
Right off the bat, what caught our eye was the variety of rotating seasonal donut flavors they offer, like pumpkin cinnamon, cookie monster, matcha, raspberry fritter, and Reese’s.
What really blew us away was the sheer number—seriously, a lot—of regular donut flavors they have on hand. We expected the classics like glazed and chocolate, but they’ve got a whole bunch more than that.
They’ve got a whopping 13 types of yeast donuts, 14 flavors of vanilla cake donuts, and five different kinds of chocolate cake donuts lined up.
For us, the must-try flavors here include the raspberry jam, honey dip donut, Dutch crumb, and German chocolate. They’re absolute winners!
Their cake donuts are delightfully airy and moist. Yet, we found the chocolate-glazed ones to be a bit heavy and undercooked. The cream-filled donuts were yummy, but the bavarian cream had a bit too much of a vanilla kick compared to the custard.
Despite this, we still think Lee’s Donuts is one of the best donut shops in Vancouver. They offer a wide variety of flavors and rotating seasonal specials.
Pros
- Wide selection of donut flavors
- Offers rotating seasonal donut flavors
Cons
- Does not offer any vegan or gluten-free options
Customer Reviews
Freshly-made donuts
“Lee’s donuts in Granville Public Market is by far the best authentic donuts I ever had. It’s fresh and made daily. So if you’re having something from there, be assured it was made freshly made in the morning…”
-Sagar S.
Great and unique flavors
“Lee’s Donuts had great unique flavours. They were nice airy and flavourful. I wish we got more! I forgot which flavours we got but they did not disappoint…”
-Rishanth J.
5. Duffin’s Donuts
| CRITERIA | RATING |
| Variety | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Donuts Flavors | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Gluten-free Options | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
| Presentation | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Quality | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Donut Size | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Texture | ★★★★★ 5/5 |
| Seating and Ambiance | ★★★★☆ 4/5 |
Duffin’s Donuts first opened its doors in 1987 on 33rd and Main before moving to its current location at 41st and Knight. They’re known for their donuts, fried chicken, and hot tortas, but let’s be real, we’re here for the donuts.
Flavors here change often, so we can’t really give you the exact line-up. But, to give you an idea, the flavors that greeted us when we stopped by here are chocolate, bavarian, blueberry, lemon, cinnamon, and peanut.
The best, in our opinion, are the buttermilk donuts in lemon and raspberry. These babies are perfectly moist and have a tangy sweetness that pairs perfectly with the rich flavors of the buttermilk.
In terms of taste and texture, they were decent but nothing exceptionally standout; at least they’re somewhat light, not overly heavy. The original honey dip and powdered donuts were also fantastic, boasting just the right amount of filling.
They have an exceptional Thai tea too, which we highly recommend pairing with your choice of donut. It’s quite a combo, as the creamy and aromatic Thai tea complements the sweet and fluffy donuts perfectly.
Here’s a heads-up: This place tends to get pretty busy, so it’s smart to pre-order and do a quick walk-in to pick up your order. Otherwise, you might find yourself waiting in line for about 10–15 minutes to snag those donuts.
Pros
- Open 24 hours on weekends
- Serves Thai tea
Cons
- No gluten-free options
Customer Reviews
Excellent place for donuts
“A must visit place, a landmark if we can call it one. This place is excellent for nice and delicious donuts and late night snack cravings…”
-Anthony P.
Must-stop place for traditionally-made donuts
“A must-stop place for traditionally made donuts. It appears that you can place orders ahead and walk in and pick up, or you’ll have to wait in line for 10-15 mins to buy donuts.”
-Jamie K.
