Order Up

THE RAW POWER, audacity, and verve of Voodoo Doughnut
essentially eclipse the rest of Portland’s doughnut shop community.
This is not to say the attention garnered by the perennial media
darlings is undeserved—the Memphis Mafia, with its thousands of
mouth-watering calories, is still the stuff of my fevered dreams. But
the thing about a doughnut eclipse—besides it being the most
delicious eclipse—is that the hole in the center always allows
some light through. Beginning at Voodoo’s closest satellite, the
Mercury staff followed that light, and this is what we found.
PATRICK ALAN COLEMAN

Voodoo Doughnut Too
1501 NE Davis
daily 6 am-3 am

Don’t worry, Voodoo aficionados—the nearly year-old second
location is holding its own with plenty of charm to spare, using the
same timeless and inventive Voodoo Doughnut recipes you’ll find at the
downtown location (even the grease was transported via coffin to the
new location). But what the bubblegum-pink location has going for it is
space; this is the Voodoo to go to if you want to sit down and hang out
while eating your Portland Creme. Pinball, foosball, and an assortment
of mismatched chairs and couches are on hand, with the added benefit of
outdoor seating. A lovely bit of foodie kitsch in a cool mid-century
wrapper. MOLLY GEORGETTA

Staccato Gelato
232 NE 28th
Mon-Thurs 11 am-10 pm, Fri-Sat 8 am-11 pm, Sun 8 am-9 pm
Doughnuts made Fri-Sun only

Staccato Gelato is renowned for their innovative and addictive
homemade gelato flavors, and their doughnuts are no different—the
selection ranges from cardamom to “Prince of Darkness.” Eschewing
over-the-top flavor combos, Staccato’s doughnuts are subtle and their
texture refreshingly ungreasy. The ginger chocolate and cardamom
doughnuts are the tops—sweet behind a soft spice, they’re a
curious but not overwhelming treat. Staccato tends to sell out of the
best flavors quickly, so it’s worth waking up early to make sure no
grubby-fingered children snag all their delicious crullers. SARAH
MIRK

Annie’s Donuts
3449 NE 72nd
Mon-Thurs 5 am-10 pm, Sat-Sun 5 am-5 pm

Annie’s Donuts is classic. Located out in distant Roseway on a
thoroughly unsexy stretch of Sandy, the store seems to be beyond the
reach of the hip influences of Portland’s downtown doughnuts. There are
no vegan options here or low-fat choices or saccharine experiments.
Annie’s doughnuts are unpretentious—heavy and sugary and a good
match with black coffee. Their best seller (according to the counter
help) is the no-frills plain glazed raised doughnut. That seems to
match the clientele: Monday morning, old men in suspenders leaned on
occupied retro yellow tables. For a lighter, more digestible snack, opt
for the applesauce and devil’s food cake doughnuts. SM

Moody’s Donuts
2511 SE Belmont (behind the Rocking Frog Café)
Sat-Sun 9 am-2 pm

While one school of thought views the doughnut as a blank canvas, a
vehicle for Cap’n Crunch and anatomical allusions, another favors the
simpler purity of an unadorned ring of fried dough. At weekend doughnut
stand Moody’s, each doughnut is made to order (in a contraption the
stand’s owner affectionately calls a “dough-bot”) and unceremoniously
dunked in your choice of toppings—chocolate or vanilla glaze,
cinnamon, or powdered sugar. Made with a rice flour blend that gives
them a springy, non-greasy consistency, these are best hot, with a cup
of coffee from the abutting Rocking Frog Café. ALISON
HALLETT

Delicious Donuts
12 SE Grand
Mon-Fri 5-11 am, Sat 6 am-until they run out of doughnuts

I was pretty sure Delicious Donuts was a front. Located next to the
sketchy Plaid Pantry on Grand and Burnside, Delicious Donuts’
façade seemed too low rent and generic to not be hiding
something. And hiding something it is: DELICIOUS DONUTS, just like the
name says. Delicious Donuts boasts all the usual suspects (plus a
blueberry doughnut that tastes like a deep-fried blueberry muffin, and
is thus my new favorite food). The doughnuts are cheap, sweet, dense,
and satisfying, and service is super friendly. With doughnuts this
good, I don’t even care if they’re hiding smuggled exotic
species in the walk-in. ERIK HENRIKSEN

ACME Doughnuts
2929 SE Powell
Mon-Fri 6 am-3 pm, Sat-Sun 8 am-1 pm

For Southeast Portland commuters, this cool gem on Powell will
surely become a much-needed stop between the stresses of home and work.
The color palate is as eye opening as the doughnuts, which run the
gamut from raised to cake to filled, with any number of interesting
toppings. Acme has dialed back the sweetness to let the moist dough
have a say beneath flavors like mint and chocolate with a hint of
citrus, or a plain glaze that’s bright without being cloying. The
doughnuts are still being conceived and developed, but from the outset,
the future looks promising. PAC

Web Only Update

Tonalli’s Doughnuts & Cream
2805 NE Alberta
8037 N Lombard
Mon-Sun, 7 am-Midnight

Alongside ice cream, Tonalli’s offers every kind of donut under the sun—cake, raised, glazed, old fashioned, bear claws, maple bars, and more. Some of the standard varieties can be a little dry and crumbly, so go for their buttermilk specialty. The buttermilk donuts are just the slightest bit gooey inside, a shapeless, creamy supernova of dough. Tonalli’s also offers a jumbo-sized honey roll topped maple frosting, which is even more decadent than it sounds. The Alberta storefront has been a neighborhood mainstay for years, and a second location opened in April in an unassuming storefront in St. John’s. They’ve been serving donuts made at the Alberta store, but fired up the deep fryer this week to begin making their own. NED LANNAMANN