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Best Doughnuts In Baltimore

By Joel Furches

There are dozens of kinds of breakfast pastries in the world, but none can replace doughnuts for sheer popularity.  But if you're tired of chain shops like Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme, and craving something original and freshly made, what bakeries or restaurants should you visit? Where can you go to fulfill that deep longing in your gut for a soft, mouth-watering breakfast treat? In Baltimore, there are a few places that fit the bill and fill the belly.  Check them out.

Center Cut Doughnuts
3528 Chestnut Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21211
(667) 303-3604
www.centercutdoughnuts.com

As its five-star Google rating will attest, the quality of Center Cut Doughnuts is top-notch. But the freshness of the confections are not all that makes Center Cut stand out from the herd. Center Cut is especially known for the unique and mouth-watering flavors it presents. These include such delights as Brown Butter, Lemon Poppy Seed and Maple Bacon. You read that right: a bacon doughnut. If you want something a little more traditional, Center Cut has all of the classic doughnut flavors, as well. But why not be a bit adventurous? There are probably very few people who have sampled Center Cut's unusual flavors and not come away impressed.

Fenwick Bakery
7219 Harford Road
Baltimore, MD 21234
(410) 444-6410
www.fenwickbakery.com

Fenwick is a traditional bakery, dolling out pastries and pies,  cupcakes and and cookies, biscuits and bread. However, if you were to come by in the morning you would be likely to see a line forming at the counter for the true treat that has everyone eager to eat their fill: the fresh, warm doughnuts that populate the store each and every morning.
Fenwick has been a Baltimore staple for so long, it has served generations of Baltimorians stretching back nearly 50 years (longer if you count its several previous locations). Because of this, Fenwick has a popular following in the neighborhood.

Diablo Donuts
717 S. Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21231
(410) 892-3251

www.facebook.com/DiabloDoughnuts

Diablo Donuts is a irreverent and experimental establishment and its dedication to doughnuts takes it to extremes in creating new concepts and flavors. Small but cozy, the restaurant is a hidden gem for lovers of pastries (and pizza). Some of the unusual flavors include the unlikely Captain Chesapeake which is seasoned with everyone's favorite seafood spice; or the Unicorn Fart, which takes full advantage of those sugary breakfast cereals you remember fondly from childhood. The restaurant has it all - from earthy herbal flavors to traditional iced goods.

But plan to get there early in the morning, because the doughnuts sell out incredibly quickly, and there is very little indoor seating available.

Related:  Best Places To Buy Cookies In Baltimore

Harmony Bakery
3446 Chestnut Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21211
(410) 235-3870
www.harmonybakery.net

If you are vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free, donuts may be an unattainable pipe dream. Fear not, however: Harmony Bakery has come to the rescue. Milling its own alternative flour right on site, Harmony uses such creative ingredients as oat or almond flour to make crowd favorites like glazed, chocolate, cream filled, sprinkle, powdered and cake donuts. No eggs or milk go into the productions, so vegans can relax as they enjoy all of the favorite flavors they have been denied so long. For everyone else - give it a try! The loving, on-site, hand prepared confections taste better than anything you would get from a doughnut chain, and may be the only healthy way to ever indulge in your most treasured morning treat.

Woodlea Bakery
4905 Belair Road
Baltimore, MD 21206
(410) 488-7717
www.woodleabakery.com

Woodlea Bakery is best known for its cakes - which it prepares to cater weddings, birthdays, graduations and retirements. This being the case, one of its most delectable menu items is frequently - and tragically - overlooked: the moist and mouth-watering doughnuts which sit off to the side of its pastry menu. Woodlea produces three signature flavors which have early risers coming back again and again: Regular, Apple Fritter and Bismark. What Woodlea lacks in variety, it makes up in quality. Very few locations prepare doughnuts with the skill represented by Woodlea, and this is what makes these items a regular part of the breakfast routine for local customers.

Related: Best Macarons In Baltimore

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