The Glaziest Donut Hunt: 7 Best Donut Shops in the Twin Cities

My kids just completed the best “research” of their lives: DONUT TASTING. Sounds brutal, doesn’t it? We bopped around town this week to try and find the Best Donut Shops in the Twin Cities. We break down the deets from each bakery visit in hopes that you will pack up your clan some random morning and start the day with a tasty surprise for your littles! Glazed, cake, maple, sprinkled, off-the-wall? We tried ‘em all. I’m not going to say I’m exhausted, but I am full. My thighs and mid-section are now requesting some much-needed time off. Maybe MinneMama needs to look into researching Zumba classes next…whew.

We did our research and are proud to present to you our Top 7 Favorite Donut Shops in the Twin Cities. Now, raise your sprinkles and let’s make a toast to all the local deliciousness we have to choose from! Eat up, buttercup. You deserve a donut.

GLAM DOLL DONUTS
2605 Nicollet Ave.  |  Minneapolis

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Glam Doll Donuts (@glamdolldonuts)

Hours: 
Monday – Thursday 7am–3pm
Friday – 7am–8pm
Saturday – 8am–8pm
Sunday 8am–4pm

This pink and black vintage donut shop is filled with couches, old school diner furniture, and, oh yeah, incredibly unique donuts! The selection here is #1 in my book, with donuts covered in sriracha, muenster cheese and bacon crumbs. Indoor seating is plentiful and, though Glam Doll is in a pretty busy neighborhood, there is still free street parking available. Prices range, but average about $2-3/donut…and they melt in your mouth. This place is nothing short of amazing when it comes to variety. A+ from this mama!

They also serve coffee and espresso drinks and malts and shakes.

BOGART’S DOUGHNUT CO.
910 W. 36th Street  |  Minneapolis
5003 Excelsior Blvd | St. Louis Park

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bogart’s Doughnut Co. (@bogartsdoughnuts)

Hours (location dependent):
Monday – Thursday 7am-3pm
Friday – 7am-3pm or 4pm
Saturday – 7:30am-3pm or 4pm
Sunday – 7:30am-3pm or 4pm

Bogart’s is a “classic” donut shop, with a wide open door in a quaint, quiet neighborhood and a glass counter filled with raised glazes and traditional chocolates and a staff that loves children and their jobs. After standing in line for a few minutes on a Friday morning (worth it…so worth it), I ordered an entire box at $2/donut, not forgetting to include a few of their well-known brown butter glazed and my personal favorite – Nutella! Street parking is free and there is no indoor seating, but we didn’t mind one bit. They had a bucket of chalk outside so my kids spent 30 minutes coloring on the sidewalk while I sat against the building and simply enjoyed the moment (and my coffee).  The donuts are fresh (they start baking for the day at midnight…no rest for the weary) and they are dog-friendly. Almost nothing makes me happier than walking down the sidewalk with one of their cute little Bogart’s bags in my hand.

They also serve donut holes, cake donut sundaes, soft serve, soft serve donuts, coffee and cold presses.

YO YO DONUTS
5757 Sanibel Dr.  |  Minnetonka

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by YoYo Donuts (@yoyodonuts)

Hours: 
Monday – Saturday 6am–6pm
Sunday 7am–12pm

YoYo is tucked into a shopping strip off of Shady Oak Road and has a big parking lot with plenty of available spots. Their donuts are a fun variety pack of sweetness and are made fresh every morning (which explains why the place smells so good!). YoYo is known for their Bacon Maple donut, which is maple glaze with a strip of bacon on the top, and their apple fritters. A dozen donuts here will run you about $25, and you can choose from S’mores, Dirt & Worms, Espresso, Lemon, Creme Brulee, Red Velvet, and I’ve even seen Fruit Loop – just to name a few. My husband would do almost anything for one of their caramel rolls too. The two things I love the most about YoYo Donuts (excluding the consumption of the actual donut) are A) their plentiful seating and cleanliness, including a couple outdoor tables and B) their lattes and other “fancy”-type coffees available for those mornings when a donut just won’t cut it.

Plus, major bonus should it apply to you: This is the only peanut/tree nut free donut & ice cream joint in all of the Twin Cities!

They also serve ice cream and a “donut breakfast sandwich” (try at your own risk lol).

A BAKER’S WIFE PASTRY SHOP
4200 28th Ave. S  |  Minneapolis

Hours: 
Every day – 6am-6pm

If pastries were a game, A Baker’s Wife would probably be in the lead. Every piece of sugary or carbohydratey goodness I’ve ever had here has been drool-worthy. I pulled up to this one solo (free street parking) while my kids were at daycare and quickly realized this hole-in-the-wall corner shop with an old sign, beat-up awning and cluttered decor was a bakery for the ages. Walking in smelled like heaven if heaven is lined in kneaded bread (which I hope it is). Known for their American Tea Cakes, I had to try one! There are no words for this pastry, unless “iwantthistobemymealmorningnoonandnightfortherestofmylife” were a word. I bought my kids sprinkle donuts and my husband their also-famous cinnamon sugar donuts – all were wonderful as well.

They also sell bars, cookies, cakes, cinnamon rolls (if you’re lucky), other pastry items (even bread), and plain coffee.

MEL-O-GLAZE BAKERY
4800 28th Ave S  |  Minneapolis

Hours: 
Monday – Friday 7:30am–6pm
Saturday – Sunday 7:30am–6pm

Six blocks south of A Baker’s Wife sits Mel-O-Glaze Bakery, alone on a corner at a busier intersection, but free street parking is still available without a problem. And it’s a good thing because I don’t know what I would’ve done if I couldn’t find a spot to park to try Minnesota’s “Most Awarded Donut Shop.” It’s a big space with few tables, but they still pack a punch with their famous glazed donuts and plethora of sprinkle options. At about $2/donut, the glazed were delicious, and they have some great gluten-free options as well. Their cinnamon rolls, donut holes and XXL pink Homer-Simpson-esque donut the size of your head – plus the fact that they’ve been around for nearly 60 years – are reason enough to keep me coming back.

They also sell coffee and espresso drinks, long johns, baklava, gluten-free items, cakes and dog treats!

FUNNER BROTHERS
2570 Hillsboro Ave. N  |  Golden Valley

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Funner Brothers Donut Company (@funnerbrothers)

Hours:
Closed Monday
Tuesday-Sunday – 6am-11am

Funner Brothers is easy to overlook. It sits quietly in a strip mall between a liquor store and a Thai restaurant right off Hwy 169. The parking lot is usually quiet, but there can be a weekend-morning line pouring out of this tiny glass door of this fun-looking and bubbly glass business space. The donuts served here are quite possibly the most sinful of baked goods to ever enter the metro area. Our family tends to make morning trips here (before 11am – their hours are pretty limited) and sit in our car with a box of a dozen and eat. them. all. Family of 5 + 12 donuts = …..eh, whatever. The math doesn’t matter. They’re just SO GOOD. Try their giant donut holes, any of their bismarks, their cream cheese danish and yes, their raised donuts (every kind. not joking). This is the donut shop that keeps us coming back regularly. There’s just something special about it. Maybe it’s the smell. Or the fact that the donuts melt in your mouth. Or both. Yeah, probably both.

I tried very hard to hit all the best bakeshops in the metro area, but that is simply an unrealistic task for one person. Here is a list of some that didn’t receive a visit, but still deserve a shout-out:

• Angel Food Bakery, St. Louis Park
• Amish Annies (food truck)
• Sssdude Nuts Donut Trap (food truck)
• Mojo Monkey, St. Paul
• Hans Bakery, Anoka
• Puffy Cream Donuts, Eagan
• Duck Donuts, Woodbury
• Sunrise Doughnuts, Bloomington
• Denny’s 5th Avenue Bakery, Bloomington
• Hi-Quality Bakery, Cannon Falls
• Hanisch Bakery, Red Wing
• Stan’s Donuts, Chicago (just cuz)

What did I miss? Any hole-in-the-wall favorites? Share your secrets….ya know, for research…