Doughnut Plant donuts - Does it get better than that?

[GoddessofFood]

I like to hear of the comparisons, if any. I am def. a fan of yeast over cake.

[Slob]

I love the Donut Plant. I don't understand the beatings it takes, but I guess there will always be a backlash when there's a lot of hype.

I love the PB&J donut and the tres leches cake donut. Hell, I love pretty much every one I've tried.

[kathryn]

I think the beatings probably come from people who are expecting something different -- more like Dunkin or more like Krispy Kreme or they don't like yeast-raised donuts or the chewiness bothers them etc. A Donut Plant donut seems pretty unique overall.

[david sprague]

i just find donut plant to be run of the mill....not even close to the quality of peter pan or donut pub at its best. yes, the plant has intruguing flavor combos aplenty. but actual product? fair to pretty good. great? not in a million years.

[a_and_w]

This is a question of preference. I find the artisan offerings at Doughnut Plant to be much tastier than Donut Pub, which is only a notch or two above the chains, imo. Never made it to Peter Pan.

[Motosport]

Donut Plant is my number one choice for a nutricious breakfast of donuts. My favorite id the Peanut Butter and Jelly donut. It's heavenly. On Sundays we buy a few donuts and then head over to see the Hua Mei Bird Garden. I think it is on Christie St. A true NYC moment.

[sjz]

No.

[guttergourmet]

Hail Donut Plant. www.chowhound.com/topics/234569

[shivohum]

Am I the only one not wowed by these donuts? I tried the dulce de leche donut, and it was moist and sweet and pretty tasty, and it's an interesting flavor. I'll give it that. But certainly not incredible. I would take a hot, fresh krispy kreme over it most days, I think (unless I was in the mood for dulce de leche in particular). I just the think the DP donuts are too heavy and cakey and not enough melty-in-your-mouth.

The Vegetarian New Yorker: http://vegny.blogspot.com/

[Striver]

You're not the only one - but we're definitely the minority. :)

[racer x]

I'm with you and Striver. Can't understand the adulation for Donut Plant doughnuts, whether the yeast version or the cake. I actually prefer krispy kreme over Donut Plant - and I'm not much of a krispy kreme fan.

Without question, the best doughnuts to be had in Manhattan are found at Donut Pub on 14th & 7th ave. And if you buy a dozen, the cost is almost reasonable.

[a_and_w]

I like Donut Pub, too. They do a more traditional donut than Donut Plant. Still, it's really nothing special. I find it kind of a sad commentary on the donut scene in Manhattan that Donut Pub one of the top two or three places in the city.

[shivohum]

Yeah, I think the best doughnuts are to be found inside restaurants, like the bomboloni at Stanton Social or at the Dessert Truck. Though really, I'm not sure they're all comparable ;).

The Vegetarian New Yorker: http://vegny.blogspot.com/

[Lau]

i'm in your camp, ill get blasted for this, but as ive said before donut plant lives off a reputation / hype versus being awesome (esp the yeast donuts), its kind of like venieros (although thats more extreme bc that place is terrible, Donut Plant isnt terrible).

I'm a big fan of Donut Pub as well esp b/c its close to where i live. It's fairly traditional and is basically a much better version of Dunkin Donuts, great to stop in when they're fresh and have a donut with a glass of cold milk

[windycity]

Ha! at Veniero's - that place is just small piles of sugar in different colors, minus a refined flavor, which you receive in exchange for cash. The old Payard was cheaper and the flavors were more subtle and refined.

[Lau]

I really think veniero's is awful and i've been there so many times trying to figure out if there was something i'm missing...i rarely pan a place as much as i do veniero's, but i hate when places are terrible, but live off reputations built long long ago

[frankbooth]

as for cake donuts, and not in manhattan, but Coffee An' Donuts in Westport, CT are the cake donuts by which all are measured, imho... doughnut plant's are great, but coffee an' will grease you up for a week... delish... enjoy fb

[moh]

Donut Plant has ruined me for most other donuts. I had been a huge fan of Krispy Kremes previously, but after D.P. forget it. Good thing, because they just closed down the Krispy Kreme in my city. My donut consumption has dropped significantly, since I only get to NYC once in a while.

The new cake donuts are really remarkable. I am still dreaming about the chocolate one. I didn't get to try the dulce de leche! I'll have to go back to NYC soon.

As for the comment about eating them fresh being best: No question. But what's a poor girl to do when she only gets these lovely beasties once or twice a year? Of course, I go into competitive eating mode when I'm at the plant. You can eat a surprising number of donuts when you are very motivated. But I also had to buy some for the next morning, when we were flying back home. Not as good as fresh donuts, but still a real treat while sitting in the airport waiting for your flight...

Here is a photo from our most recent trip to NYC. Some of our group had been unable to join us for our early morning donut feast, so I bought a box for them to eat later. This is us near Union Square, divvying up the donuts on a random street corner. People thought we were nuts, but who cares! These donuts are worth it...

[moh]

technical difficulty. trying agaian with the photo

[financialdistrictresident]

I walked by the Doughnut Plant yesterday but they were closed. It's been awhile since I had one of their pear doughnuts. Their doughnuts are so fresh when you bite into them they melt and disappear. IMO they are designed to be consumed immediately and never the next day. As compared to Dunkin Doughnuts (sometime I just crave a Boston Cream with chocolate frosting) or Krispy Creme's thicker, processed, gloppy, yeasty?, variety.

[Stuffed Monkey]

They are closed on Mondays.

[Miss Needle]

For years I've always disliked Donut Plant because I thought their donuts were greasy, heavy and like lead. And I also couldn't stand Mark Israel on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. However, I realized that I never tried his cake donuts. So a few weeks ago, I did stop by and had a few bites of their dulce de leche and chocolate cake donuts. Really tender and moist and soooo good. I wanted to hate them but I couldn't. Cake all the way for me. And I'm a peson who generally prefers yeast over cake.

[roze]

Me too! I thought peole were crazy when I tried his yeast donuts. I found them so big and doughy. Then I tried the Dulce de Leche cake donut and I was in love!!!

[Renguin]

this is good to know. i've only had the yeast and was like eh. i'll make a point in going for the cake.

[a_and_w]

I strongly agree. I actually like the yeast donuts, too, but the cake donut is the way to go at Donut Plant.

[marckenton]

Wow! You took the words right out of my mouth. I'm actually in Tokyo now, and the local Starbucks have started carrying Doughnut Plant cake doughnuts, so I thought I'd give them a try. I really wanted to hate it because of the Throwdown episode, but I have to admit, it was amazing. Not too greasy, and yet it melted in my mouth. The flavor (apple cinnamon) was really strong, too. By far my favorite has been the green tea (do they carry that in NY?). It wasn't too sweet, and just had a really distinct and unusual taste.

I've also tried white chocolate and orange flavors -- the cake parts were actually great, but the icings were too sweet. They tasted good, but I'm not sure I would've been able to guess the flavors of the doughnuts if I hadn't ordered them myself. I've seen other reviews that complain about the sweetness of the doughnuts, so I don't think I'm alone. I'm going to try some of the chocolate ones next, so hopefully they won't be as sweet.

[Miss Needle]

The chocolate isn't very sweet. So I think you'll like it.

[JSHAFT78]

I don't think a comparison exists. I really like the Donut Pub on West 14th, but it's no Doughnut Plant. As an aside, Doughnut Plant opened a shop in Tokyo, Japan and my friend who lives in Japan went there upon my suggestion and said the lines were over an hour and half long. I think they were charging like 500 yen for a donut too, which is around 4 bucks...

[TipsyMcStagger]

There's actually ten locations in Tokyo and one in Seoul.

Tipsy

[Polecat]

Just checked their website. Very interesting. Up until now, the omnipresent donut shop in Japan has been the Mister Donut chain. Am wondering whether DP will eventually get around to their own version of the Curry Donut?

As to the original topic, I've had some good donuts at DP, but - to date - the chocoloate cake donut that I tried at Peter Pan in Greenpoint remains my NYC benchmark.
P.

[chompchomp]

I second the Peter Pan emotion. I actually brought an overflowing box of donut holes to work today to tremendous praise. God love those donuts for keeping me a little soft...

[racer x]

Ok. I went on a field trip and tried Peter Pan donuts today. Unfortunately, they didn't have any chocolate cake donuts. Instead, I had a chocolate-frosted, a sugar-covered, and a Bavarian creme. They were all good, but really no competition for Donut Pub versions. The Peter Pan donuts were just better versions of what you would get from Dunkin Donuts. (And better than those Donut Plant monstrosities.) I have to agree with a_and_w about the "sad commentary on the donut scene."

Have you Peter Pan fans been to Donut Pub? (Who travels outside of their own neighborhood for donuts?)

[wleatherette]

i've been to donut pub, and i think that peter pan is better. i STRONGLY disagree with the idea that pp's product is just a better version of dunkin donuts, but different strokes etc.

[racer x]

Since this thread has been resurrected, I'm obliged to acknowledge that in the year since my March 24 post, I have been converted to being an avid fan of Peter Pan donuts. (I still think Donut Pub's chocolate rings are superior though.)