Sometimes, you just crave baked/fried, chewy, gooey goodness in the shape of a circle with a hole inside… yup. You want a doughnut. While Hong Kong may not be known for its doughnuts (we no longer even have a Krispy Kreme!), if you know where to find it, we do have some hidden gems. So whether you are craving one filled with goodness or just a regular glaze, here is the list of our favourite doughnut spots!
Nuts Donut Shop — Central
Nuts Donut Shop was founded by your neighbourhood “nuts” guy, Matt Ibarra, an architect by training but a home chef by heart. Since the pandemic and the birth of his child, he decided to follow his passion and thus founded one of our new favourite doughnut shops! Priding themselves to be the FIRST true doughnut shop in the city, they hand roll the dough and cut each one individually – no two will be the same! Nuts offers yeast doughnuts as well as denser cake doughnuts. And with an option to do custom doughnuts, along with flavours ranging from salted caramel iced and chocolate custard-filled to innovations like blueberry basil & bourbon, all your tastes will be satisfied!
Nuts Donut Shop, UG/F, 21 Elgin St, Central (entrance off Peel Street) | +852 9065 2873
Hole Foods — Central
Another home bakery that has blown up is Hole Foods. Starting from their Instagram store, where their weekly drops would sell out in minutes, they now have their very own physical location. They are still pre-order only, and you will find a new signature flavour every weekend. Some past favourites have included lemon glazed, maple bacon & maple glaze, boston cream and matcha custard. Also, you HAVE to try their doughnut holes, the perfect little bite-sized goodies that also ensure there is no wastage!
Hole Foods, 203, 2/F, Conwell House, 34-38 Stanley St, Central | +852 9684 7770
J.Co Donuts & Coffee — Multiple locations
Everyone knows that the best accompaniment to doughnuts is coffee, and no one does it better than the Asian franchise, J.Co. The Indonesian-born brand now has locations across Singapore, Philippines and Hong Kong! For just HK$16, you can try a doughnut from their wide flavour selection: tiramisu, oreology, heaven berry and yin & yang. AND, they also have the Instagram famous cronut – combining our two favourite goodies – croissants and doughnuts. And don’t miss out on their coffees whether you’re looking for a regular latte or something sweet like their Frappes. A treat for all!
Central: Shop B, G/F, Haleson Building, No. 1 Jubilee St, Central
Wan Chai: Shop 1 & Shop 2 Ground Floor 55, Hennessy Rd, Wan Chai | +852 6982 8282
Mong Kok: Shop 1 & 2, Righteous Building, 585 Nathan Rd, Mong Kok
Dough Bros — Multiple locations
You’ve probably already tried their pizzas, as they do after all make the best handrolled sourdough pizzas in town. But to top that, Dough Bros offer another indulgence – doughnuts! They don’t have the traditional hole but their freshly made doughnuts are filled – with happiness and satisfaction – just as you will be when you try it. They have recently expanded their original fillings, which were jam, custard and Nutella, to also include apricot, blueberry and apple pie. If you are wanting to try them all, as we usually do, you can order a six pack for one each!
Locations around Hong Kong including Central, Kennedy Town, Quarry Bay | +852 2398 9042
Bakehouse — Soho, Wan Chai
Reminiscent of neighbourhood coffee and bakery shops in Europe, Bakehouse was founded by acclaimed baker, Grégoire Michaud. Combining his Swiss upbringing with his love for Hong Kong, he opened the first shop in Wan Chai and has expanded since, serving fresh sourdough, fine pastries and friendly smiles! Sourcing the best ingredients from Australia and France, they are best known for their sourdough egg tarts, but you also have to try their doughnuts! Filled with the best Chocolate Hazelnut, Vanilla Custard, Raspberry Jam and Matcha Cream, you can’t go wrong with Bakehouse.
Wan Chai: 14 Tai Wong St East, Wan Chai
Soho: 5 Staunton St, Central | [email protected]
Pane e Latte — Stanley
A lazy day watching the sea, reading a book, sipping coffee and enjoying a doughnut… what could be better! To make this dream come true, head over the Pane e Latte in Stanley. Inspired by a traditional Italian bakery, they provide high quality baked goods, where you can enjoy everything from breakfast to aperitivo. You won’t find the traditional doughnuts with the hole in the middle, instead you will get an even more decadent dessert: the sweet bombolini, an Italian filled doughnut. While flavours change on a daily basis, you can usually find vanilla, chocolate, salty caramel and milk tea fillings.
Pane e Latte, 25 Stanley Market Rd, Stanley | +852 2337 7221
Le Dessert — Admiralty, Tsim Sha Tsui
Inspired by the generous French pastry tradition where dessert is not just a type of dish but also a moment – one that is shared with friends and family – Le Dessert is a new hot spot in town. From their fluffy, scrumptious pavlovas to their dessert in a jar, all their creations are exceptional, but of course, we love their doughnuts! They only have one flavour, but that’s all they need. The French Donut is freshly baked and filled with vanilla custard and homemade strawberry puree – classic yet unbeatable!
Pacific Place: Shop 200E, Level 2, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty | +852 5182 7069
Harbour City: Harbour City, 3/F, 3-27 Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tai O Bakery (大澳餅店) — Tai O
For a local take on the doughnut dessert, head to Tai O and find this hole in the wall shop which you won’t have any issues locating because there will always be a long line! Having been around for over 30 years, they are now well-known for their golden brown Sugar Donuts or “Sa Yong” (沙翁). This crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, light and fluffy as a cloud, dessert is pulled fresh out of the fryer and covered in granulated sugar – absolute perfection! It might be a hike to get there, but definitely worth the travel.
Tai O Bakery, 66 Kat Hing St, Tai O | +852 2985 8621
Dough by Design — Online
Started due to lack of travel because of the pandemic (specifically, to Tokyo to get super fluffy and delicate textured doughnuts and LA to get large doughnuts in amazing flavours), Dough by Design has combined their favourite elements and created large and fluffy doughnuts! They’re on a break right now, but when they’re back you can pre-order a box of three with revolving flavours each month. In the past they’ve started with the classics; glazed, sugar, cinnamon and chocolate, and since experimented with flavours including s’mores, Ferrero Rocher, caramel apple, dark chocolate raspberry and maple bacon.
www.doughbydesignhk.com | Instagram
Buttery Factory — Online
If you are looking to celebrate, but with doughnuts, Buttery Factory is your go-to! Not only do they have some truly incredible options on the menu, they also do custom doughnuts for your birthday, Christmas or truly any celebration. Their Christmas Donut tree is to die for, and can even be customized if you’re looking for a special theme such as Iron Man or Barbie. And in terms of the doughnuts itself, they are decadent and packed with flavour. Some favourites include the matcha glazed doughnuts with Kit-Kat toppings, the lemon earl grey and the chocolate pretzel.
Buttery Factory, Connaught West, Sai Wan | Order through Facebook page or +852 6696 3826
Header image credits: Tu Trinh via Unsplash
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