What’s the best doughnut in the Triangle? These two shops are the finalists.
Oh my, a doughnut giant has fallen.
Moving into the final round of the Triangle Doughnut Bracket, the finalists are top-vote-getter Early Bird Donuts and popular North Carolina based chain, Duck Donuts.
Krispy Kreme, the Winston-Salem based international doughnut icon, didn’t collect enough votes to move on to the final. The beloved Durham diner and bakery Monuts will also miss out on the final round.
Here’s how it works:
In The News & Observer’s latest food bracket, we’re looking for the Triangle’s favorite doughnut. We assembled 16 of the most popular doughnut shops and bakeries around, including some national brands this time.
In the final round it’s Early Bird Donuts versus Duck Donuts. Voting will be open until noon on Friday, April 22, when the winner will be announced.
Get to know the original 16 shops:
Baker’s Dozen Donuts
6320 Capitol Blvd., Suite 123, Raleigh. 919-803-0837 or facebook.com/baker-s-dozen-donuts-2
This doughnut wonderland always keeps the flavors fresh and fries up a wide variety, including cake and yeast styles. Though it specializes in old fashioned flavors, look for contemporary combinations as well, like maple bacon and a glazed that could rival another famous brand.
Big Dom’s Bagel Shop
203 E. Chatham St., Cary. 919-377-1143 or bigdomsbagelshop.com
Though famous for its leopard-spotted bagels baked in an old Little Caesar’s oven, don’t sleep on the B’donut at Big Dom’s. As the name suggests, these are baked doughnuts, pillowy with a crispy edge, like a cake-style doughnut, dusted with a hearty sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Burney’s Sweets & More
4500 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 100, Raleigh. 919-298-2800 or burneyssweetsandmore.comd
517 Outlet Center Drive, Smithfield. 919-300-1691
Doughnuts are just one of the sweet treats Burney’s does well. This North Carolina brand has outposts across the state, including two in the Triangle, frying up yeast and cake doughnuts.
Carolina Glazed Donuts
5400 S. Miami Blvd., Durham. 919-474-9999 or facebook.com/carolina-glazed-donuts
One of the most popular doughnut shops in the Triangle, Durham’s Carolina Glazed showcases the sweet spectrum of the fried dough arts, with a glass counter filled with sprinkled, iced, filled, cake, yeast and sugared flavors.
Daylight Donuts
7550 Creedmoor Road, Suite 101, Raleigh. 919-676-7442 or daylightdonutsraleigh.com
The Raleigh location of this national doughnut brand has been a local staple for years, making one of the Triangle’s widest selection of doughnuts, including yeast, cake and filled favorites.
Duck Donuts
Locations in Cary, Durham and Raleigh. duckdonuts.com
Born on the North Carolina coast, and now a national doughnut phenomenon, Duck Donuts created a new way to doughnut, frying up orders and then coating them in flavors. Everything comes out fresh and crispy.
Dunkin’
Numerous locations throughout the Triangle. dunkindonuts.com
This northern doughnut giant has moved into the Triangle in a major way. Chances are, the closest doughnut to you right now is from Dunkin’, beloved for solid coffee and reliable doughnuts, plus crushable Munchkins.
Early Bird Donuts
2816 Erwin Road, Suite 101, Durham. 984-888-0417 or facebook.com/ebdonuts
Creative and local, Early Bird taps into doughnut nostalgia while showcasing flavors of its own. Its artful seasonal offerings might include peak season strawberries, but classics like chocolate glazed are mainstays.
Kim’s Bake Shop at Wooden Nickel Pub
111 N. Churton St., Hillsborough. 919-932-0134 or downtownpies.com
This pandemic pivot bake shop from the popular Hillsborough wing joint The Wooden Nickel makes some of the most creative doughnuts around. These old fashioned cake style doughnuts are made with sour cream and come in flavors like classic apple cider, plus root beer float, lemon blackberry and mango lime.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Five locations in the Triangle, including Durham, Raleigh, Wake Forest and Fuquay-Varina. krispykreme.com
Hailing from North Carolina, these glazed rings of air are famous around the world. Whether they’re Hot Now or a day later, some see Krispy Kreme as the beginning and end of the doughnut universe.
Main Street Grille
1318 S. Main St., Wake Forest. 919-554-1564 or facebook.com/mainstreetgrillecafe
This Wake Forest cafe does a little bit of everything, but plenty of people head to northern Wake County for their doughnuts. The apple cider cake is an every day option, but Main Street gets creative with its yeast flavors, including, at times, options like pistachio and raspberry.
Monuts
1002 9th St., Durham. 919-286-2642 or monutsdonuts.com
It’s always a treat to read the daily doughnut menu at Monuts, but obviously a greater treat to taste them. This shop makes some of the most inventive and seasonal sweets around, including powerfully flavorful citrus and fruit glazes. But if you’re not looking for adventure, apple cider cake doughnuts are on the menu every day.
NC Jelly Donuts
126 Millstead Drive, Mebane. 919-568-0231 or ncjellydonuts.com
Situated on the western edge of the Triangle, this Mebane shop has fans across North Carolina. The shop makes a deep menu of raised, cake and filled favorites, but jelly is, as you may expect, a specialty.
Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken
Nine locations in the Triangle. risebiscuitschicken.com
Don’t let the name fool you, doughnuts are still part of the foundation of Rise, the fast-casual breakfast brand that’s one of the most popular concepts to branch beyond the Triangle. These modern flavors include Cheerwine glaze, a maple bacon, a classic glazed and one topped with Cap’n Crunch cereal.
Sola Coffee Cafe
7705 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh. 919-803-8983 or solacoffee.com
This North Raleigh coffee shop is a beloved community cafe. The bags of “hot minis,” two-bite-sized rings of fried dough, are at the heart of that love. These petite doughnuts come dusted in flavored sugars, like cinnamon, strawberry, birthday cake and espresso.
Tepuy Donuts
1818 Oberlin Road, Suite 103, Raleigh, in Idle Hour Coffee Shop. 984-389-6429 or tepuydonuts.com
Bursting on the sweets scene in the middle of the pandemic, Tepuy has thrived as a doughnut brand without a shop of its own, instead set up in the Raleigh cafe Idle Hour. Tepuy’s doughnuts often feature bright flavors, like a hot pink strawberry, and keep an airy lightness.
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 1:37 PM.
