What is your pick? These are some tried and true popular shops that circulate when recommendations are requested:
-Honeys
-Cartems
-Mello
-Lee’s
-Lucky’s
-Duffins
-Cream Pony
-Their There (mochi doughnuts)
I really don’t understand these gourmet donuts. Donuts are cheap sugary fried lumps of dough with filler and icing on them.
I’ll take duffins over any of these other glorified donut shops. A fresh cheap donut I can dunk in my morning coffee is all I ask for; and not the frozen/baked garbage from Tim Hortons.
Lee’s is basically the sweet spot of flavour vs affordability for me. I can’t speak to Cartem’s, I don’t have the money to justify the cost.
Unfortunately, since Lee’s got a spotlight on some food show and renovated their kitchen, the prices have risen. They don’t have the doughnut hole packs I used to get that were the best bang for your buck in terms of fried dough.
Anything but Tims. Love mochi doughnuts, so probably that.
Are Honey’s and Mello worth the price? I went to Cartems once and I never went back because of the price.
I’m concerned that fresh made donuts, no pre-mix, are becoming a rare special treat due to how expensive they’re becoming. At a certain point the taste of something does not justify the cost.
The only doughnut worth the money is the London Fog at Cartems. I really like Honey’s but North Van is too far away. It’s maybe a once a year treat. Mello is delicious and worth every damn penny!!
I definitely think Mello is worth the price. They’re our favourite (we only like yeast ones, and have tried all the yeast ones above).
I still haven’t found a mochi doughnut as good as mr. donuts in Japan though. The ones at ukoi cha taste right, and the texture is right, but they taste like oil :(
So close.
