Donuts: the not-so-humble, fattening breakfast food has become a full-on fad. And with a love for our local community and a passion for sweets, some of the Collegian team set out to find the best donuts in our area. With music up loudly and four stores in mind, we trekked all over Lexington and ate a lot of sugar and settled the debate for the most delicious donuts. We evaluated each bakery based on their glazed donuts and at least one kind of specialty donut, and thoroughly discussed flavor, texture and overall quality. Please note: Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts and other chains were not considered in this evaluation.
1. NORTH LIME DONUTS & COFFEE
575 North Limestone, or 3101 Clay’s Mill
For those of you who have been here, you may have guessed this. Our overall favorite was, without a doubt, North Lime. And if you haven’t tried them yet, you need to. North Lime not only has delicious coffee and espresso, but donuts that are unrivaled in quality. They offer unique flavors (maple bacon, anyone?) which change by day or by season (ex: They are currently offering pumpkin cream cheese donuts for fall), as well as some consistent classics like their glazed, which is uniquely square in shape and has a crispness to the glaze. Their donuts are delicious, but dense – you may be tempted to eat too many, but you will be too full to go overboard. You also have the option to sit here and stay a while, as they have plenty of seating. (Also, if you’re feeling particularly unhealthy, you can even get an ice cream sandwich on one of their donuts at Crank & Boom Ice Cream, but that’s another article for another day.)
2. SPALDING’S
760 Winchester Road
This bakery boasts more than just their donuts, but that’s what we evaluated them on — and their donuts are pretty great. In operation since 1929, Spalding’s has a limited selection and sticks to the basics, but what they offer, they do very well. While there is no option to sit and enjoy your pastry, they are affordable and delicious. Their donuts are very light and flaky with a delicate sweetness that awards them, in our opinion, the title of best glazed donuts in Lexington.
3. DOUGHDADDY’S
3325 Lexington Road
This place is surprising — it is located in a gas station, technically in Versailles. As questionable as this is and as scared as we were, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality. Their glazed donut is above-average, and they boast the largest variety of anywhere we went. Their selection includes classics like apple fritters and long johns, as well as unusual but popular flavors such as sour cream (so weird, but surprisingly good). We decided that if cake donuts are your thing, Doughdaddy’s is your place. As an added bonus, you get a free donut with a gas purchase – we’re going to pretend that’s normal. They’re worth trying, if you find yourself on that side of Lexington.
4. DONUT DAYS
185 Southland Drive
We don’t have a whole lot to say about Donut Days. Pretty basic donuts. Nothing exciting. We weren’t impressed. Honestly, we prefer Krispy Kreme over these. (Sorry.)
Final thoughts and lessons learned:
We would also like to give a special shout-out to Boyd’s Orchard; they have some apple cider donuts that are ridiculously good, but you can only get them for a limited time. Also, as you embark on your own donut excursions, keep in mind that many of these shops have strange hours, and close early in the day so check before you leave. But primarily, we would like to advise you to not attempt to duplicate this search in a single day — there is, in fact, such a thing as too much sugar. And we probably won’t eat donuts for at least a month.
Asbury, happy donut eating!
