Acorn
3350 Brighton Boulevard
720-542-3721
Brider
1644 Platte Street
303-455-3084
Acorn and Brider chef/co-owner Steven Redzikowski may have created the perfect doughnut, and enough people appear to agree, given that the limited selection served at these two Denver restaurants sells out every day. At Acorn, the fifteen or so doughnuts made daily disappear before lunch ends, and at Brider the situation is the same, though there are a few more made — along with addictive apple fritters. The flavors change daily and have included roasted blackberry-ginger, grapefruit glazed, Chinese five-spice with sugar, and bourbon with mint. The first doughnut special made an appearance at Acorn on a Saturday as a treat for customers, but the demand proved high, and soon it was clear the eatery needed to offer them every day at lunch time. Get there early to nab one, but don't be surprised if they're already gone.
City Donuts
4918 East Colfax Avenue, 720-485-5706
746 Peoria Street, Aurora, 303-367-4603
If you aren't looking, you might drive right past City Donuts' small storefront on East Colfax. Don't let this happen; after all, the quaint shop won our Best of Denver award last year for its sweet pastries for a good reason. The selection (lacking the newfangled inventions of other shops) may look a little dull, but those looks are deceiving. The yeast-risen options prove light, fluffy and totally addictive, while the cake doughnuts have a nice lemony freshness that sings with not-too-sweet frosting and multi-colored sprinkles. You might also want to try the apple fritters, which have a deep flavor and density perfect for dipping in black coffee or taking on the road. Just make sure you get there early: The doughnuts are made at the Aurora location, and they sell out just about every day.
Glazed & Confuzed
2501 Dallas Street, Aurora (Stanley Marketplace)
950 Broadway (Broadway Market)
303-524-9637
When doughnuts taste fresh and bouncy and boast a bevy of unique, inspired flavors, the shop making said treats surely stands out. At Josh Schwab's Glazed & Confuzed, such is the case, and it's not just the witty name that makes the offerings so good. You'll want to hang out in the spacious shop in Stanley Marketplace and take a deep dive into a plate of bacon-and-maple-laced Breakfast of Champz doughnuts while nestled in a booth, or feed your kids bites of bright-pink strawberry-glazed morsels while they play with toys. The flavor list changes frequently; recent highlights on the menu include the Mojito, a yeast doughnut with rum, lime and mint glaze that gets topped with a candied mint leaf; the Mexican hot chocolate, a stuffed doughnut oozing with cinnamon-tinged chocolate goodness; and the Confuzed Somoa, the shop's take on the classic Girl Scout cookie. If you come in and the case is empty, don't worry: Schwab and his team restock with fresh doughnuts all day long, something that can happen more than a dozen times on a busy Saturday. To top off the wonderfulness of this venue, Schwab uses organic, sustainable and local ingredients in almost all of his doughnuts, so that makes them good for you (right?). There's also a second location now at the Broadway Market.
Habit Doughnut Dispensary
1553 Platte Street
720-428-8565
Habit Carbon Five Points
2200 California Street
The doughnuts at the original hipster shop on Platte Street aren't for everyone. But if you crave brioche doughnuts in flavors like strawberry jam, peanut-butter drizzle and candied peanuts, or mint-buttercream filling with mint-chocolate ganache, well, then, give Habit a go. French-toast doughnuts come with a "syringe" of maple syrup, and a range of streusels make an appearance on all sorts of daily flavors. The brains behind the creations is chef Jason Graf, and the menu speaks to his love of the pastry as well as his fondness for whiskey. That's why you can opt for doughnuts infused or paired with booze, a novelty that's open to guests over 21. But don't worry, kids can find goodies, too, including the Habit, a raspberry and blueberry doughnut with white chocolate, or the simple malted-milk-glazed option. There are no tables at Habit on Platte, so take your doughnuts to go — even if it's right next door to Carbon Cafe & Bar for a cup of coffee. Note: For more capacious surroundings, hit the new spot on California Street.
Do you want beer with that?
Westword
3450 Larimer Street
720-535-4477
Whether you drop by Hotbox Roasters Cafe for a shot of caffeine or a beer (taps open weekdays at 7 a.m.), you'll definitely want a doughnut with that. This triple-concept cafe, part of Oskar Blues Fooderies, cranks out roughly twenty hand-cut varieties while you're sleeping so doughnuts are fresh every morning. Don't miss the glazed, a ring of yeast-raised yumminess that takes two hours to make and is full-bodied thanks to high-protein bread flour. And by all means, venture out of your comfort zone with the Earl Grey-lavender (trust us), with a colorful drizzle of naturally flavored frosting. If you're a cake purist, you'll be hot for Hotbox's cake doughnuts, which are tender but never oily. The blueberry is a fan fave, but we can't resist the vanilla-scented old-fashioned and the chocolate glazed. So don't kid yourself when you're at the front of the line: You'll want a box, not a bag, and whichever side of the raised/cake divide you fall on, you can go home with plenty of both.
LaMar's Donuts and Coffee
Multiple Locations
Ray Lamar opened his first LaMar’s Donuts in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1960. More than thirty years later he decided to franchise, and now you can find these sugary doughnuts in nine locations in Colorado, as well as in four other states. The concept is simple: lots of flavors, choices of cake and yeast-risen doughnuts, and a reputation for fresh and fun creations. Compared to other boutique shops in the city, the doughnuts at LaMar's are sweeter and more traditional, but sometimes that's all you want in a pastry. Choose from flavors such as caramel iced, maple iced with peanuts, old-fashioned sour cream, pineapple cake and cherry-iced cruellers. The shop is a child's dream, with piles of doughnuts as far as they can see and so many to pick from you might have to buy them two. Luckily, LaMar's also specializes in coffee, perfect for washing down a Lamar's creation.
OMG Donuts
7355 Ralston Road, Arvada
303-431-3686
"Yellow" is the first word that comes to mind when you walk into this small, three-year-old doughnut shop. But soon that crash of color gets overshadowed by the tasty treats the Arvada joint churns out seven days a week. At the counter you'll find Peter ("Just Peter," he offers), the baker, manager and one-man-band who owns OMG Donuts with his Texan wife. Make sure to try a pine-cone doughnut, a large, yeast-risen pastry that looks like its name and pulls apart in neat little chunks of cinnamon-sugar goodness. Jelly and cream are big stars here, too: OMG will fill your doughnuts with raspberry jam, lemon curd, Bavarian cream, peanut butter or vanilla custard on demand.
Osaka Ramen
2611 Walnut Street
303-955-7938
You might be wondering how a ramen shop made the list of best places to get doughnuts. Chef/owner Jeff Osaka has skill with more than just noodles; he also makes a wonderfully unique and addictive pastry. Dubbed "My Wife's Doughnuts," this mochi- (a paste made from rice flour) and egg-based doughnut batter gets deep-fried by the spoonful, creating an orb of golden goodness complete with crisp tentacles curling up from the top. Before they're served, each doughnut gets a slather of salted butter and a dusting of sugar and kinako, a roasted-soybean powder. It's umami meets dessert in the most memorable and crave-worthy way.
Walton Donuts
6603 Leetsdale Drive (and other locations)
303-320-0061
If you like old-school doughnuts that bring to mind church meetings and classic cop shows, Walton Donuts has what you need, only better. The bright, sparse and spiffy shop opened in 2004 and has been churning out fresh, well-made doughnuts ever since. Go for a simple yeast-risen ring glazed with sugar or coated in shiny chocolate — or try the fist-sized cake doughnuts, which come in chocolate or vanilla, topped with chocolate frosting, mini M&Ms or rainbow sprinkles. The bakery also serves fritters and jelly-filled doughnuts; take a box to go or pull up a chair at one of the few tables. This mini-chain has four locations, in Denver, Aurora, Lakewood and Parker.
Voodoo Doughnut
1520 East Colfax Avenue
503-241-4704
There might be magic in the doughnuts coming out of this bustling shop on Colfax. Otherwise, why would there constantly be a line to get them? Voodoo Doughnut started in Portland, Oregon, and came to Denver in 2013, bringing its successful 24/7 model that constantly churns out super-fresh goodies that have developed a cult following. No matter what texture you crave, there's something for everyone here. Get yours in cake, yeast-raised or French cruller. Pop-culture options include the Old Dirty Bastard, a yeast-raised doughnut with chocolate frosting, Oreos and peanut butter; the Arnold Palmer, a plain cake doughnut with vanilla frosting that's dusted with lemonade and iced-tea powder; and the crunchy cereal-covered Captain My Captain. Don't leave without getting one of the signature voodoo-doll doughnuts, a fluffy specimen plumped with raspberry jelly and coated in chocolate. After all, how often do you get to eat a pastry shaped like a strange little man?
