If you a) love donuts, b) need some guidance on where to find the best donuts, or c) have been deprived your entire life and think that the donuts at Dunkin' Donuts are actually good, then you've come to the right place.
Northern Jersey has a few main donut hotspots that all specialize in something slightly different, so I thought I'd showcase the few that I've visited. But first, a couple of disclaimers: 1. I prefer cake donuts over yeast donuts, so that dictates my opinions here, and 2. These aren't ranked in order, but I've saved the best two places for last.
Montclair Bread Company
I will admit that I went here over two years ago, so my memory is a bit foggy on this one. However, from what I do remember, Montclair Bread Company is a cute shop with a pretty decent variety of donuts to choose from in addition to their many breads and pastries.
They mainly offer yeast donuts, which is a turn-off for me, but definitely an advantage for those who prefer their lighter, flakier texture. Despite not being a fan of yeast donuts myself, I did think they were executed well. They were fresh, flavorful, and light years better than a Dunkin' donut, and that's all that matters.
Pictured here are the Nutella, maple bacon, and cinnamon glazed donuts we ordered (we couldn't have possibly chosen any less colorful donuts). They cinnamon donut more closely resembled a cinnamon roll than a donut, but that didn't make it any less delicious. The Nutella donut had an appropriate amount of filling that didn't take away from the flavor of the actual dough. I don't remember much about the maple bacon since it wasn't mine, but hey, there's bacon on it so I'm sure it was good.
Demarest Farms
Okay, I know this doesn't really count as a donut shop, but apple cider donuts in the fall are an absolute must, and this is my favorite place to get them. It's kind of a bummer that they aren't served hot, but that doesn't change how delicious they are or my choice to eat five of them at once.
I always go for the powdered, but cinnamon sugar ones are equally awesome and fluffy. And for those of you who like all the happiness sucked out of your lives, there are plain ones too.
Glaze Donuts
Now it's time to enter the big leagues. Glaze donuts specializes in artisan donuts, including everything from Reese's, Oreo, and Ring Ding to cannoli, strawberry buttermilk, and the notorious Italian Rainbow. I know I'm gonna break some hearts by saying this, but the Italian Rainbow donut is not my thing. Yes it's beautiful, but I just don't like jelly in my donuts, especially, not jelly combined with chocolate and other flavors.
That being said, Glaze clearly has a boatload of other reasons to appear on this list of my favorite donut shops. I've made it clear that I'm a cake donut lover, and they have tons of them. My personal favorites are the Twix and Reese's, but some other surprising favorites are the Mint Oreo and the strawberry buttermilk. Both their chocolate and vanilla cake bases are on point, so they just can't go wrong with anything they choose to top or stuff it with. And don't worry if cake donuts aren't your thing, because they they have tons of yeast donuts, cronuts, doughnishes.....the list goes on.
One of the best things about Glaze is that the menu is constantly rotating. Each location has a different array of donuts every day that make an appearance at random. At first, this annoyed the hell out of me, because I would go in really excited about a particular donut and it wouldn't end up being there. However, this ends up being a blessing in disguise because it forces me to try a new donut every time I go that I wouldn't otherwise try and 99% of the time this new donut becomes my new favorite. Glaze also has seasonal menus with some special creations that are not to be missed, like the pumpkin cream cheese cake donut. Moral of the story is Glaze has it all.
Broad Street Dough Company
It doesn't get much better than fresh, made-to-order cake donuts, so Broad Street holds a special place in my heart. Despite all the slightly outrageous daily specials done here that initially caught my attention and brought me into the store, I honestly prefer to stick with the basics here, a.k.a. the vanilla glazed with sprinkles.
Don't get me wrong, the specials are pretty good, but the donuts themselves are so delicious that you don't need all the extra toppings. This is especially since these outrageous specials are also outrageously priced. Honestly, everything here is a little overpriced, so you have to be careful before just ordering a dozen donuts. It adds up fast.
I will say that the churro bites are worth getting if you're looking to break up the endless line of donuts you're shoveling down with a different variation of fried dough. You've already committed yourself to gaining 5 pounds just by walking in the door, so why not right?