Apr 29

Apr 29 Best Of: Donut Shops in Miami

Are you a donut lover? Well I am! Miami is always late to the party when it comes to food trends but I'm so happy that the city has finally joined the donut craze. Some months ago I actually had to travel to get my donut fix but now our city offers some cool and delicious options. Check out my favorite donut shops in Miami, plus my others favs for those of you living in/traveling to New York and L.A.

1. THE SALTY DONUT

By far, my favorite donut pop-up shop. Like they say, they are "bringing craft donuts to Miami". Their best seller is the maple bacon donut. Yes, bacon + donut = heaven. The guava and cheese and the oreo donuts are also a must-try. They also have spiked donut holes and gluten free options. Until they open their store (probably in Spring 2016) they'll be serving donuts in a vintage trailer located in a very cozy outdoor (and dog-friendly) spot in Wynwood. Open from Friday to Sunday, they make small batches to maintain freshness so make sure you get there early - because let me tell you - they've created quite the buzz and lines get crazy. If you do get there later and the line is insane, I promise you these mouthwatering donuts are worth the wait.

2. ELLA POP UP CAFE

Ella is a beautiful cafe in the Design District. The place is owned by Michael Schwartz, the chef of Michael's Genuine. Their daily donuts are my favorite on the menu and every day they have a different flavor. Banana toffee, churro donut, vanilla bean icing and toffee, maple and chocolate, praliné and chocolate, and so on. They are probably the most original donuts you'll find in Miami. Since they don't have a fixed donut menu, you never know what you'll get but I'm telling you: All of them are amazing. Check out their Instagram and try not to salivate. And, if you are not in the mood for a donut, try the ham and cheese croissant with buttermilk dressing.

3. DOUGHNUT PLANT

If you are planning on visiting New York, your first breakfast stop has to be Doughnut Plant. Doughnut Plant was started in the apartment of it's owner Mark Israel in 1994, but once he became famous he opened the first of what became many shops.

They only use top notch ingredients. You need to try the jelly filled donuts. These donuts are square so that the jelly spreads through every corner. Amongst the seasonal flavors they also have the staples such as the crème brûlée with brown sugar glaze on top, the carrot cake - or my favorite - the super moist tres leches! When you try them you'll think "OMG where have you been all my life?" and you'll start begging your friends to come back from their NY trips with some.

4. DOMINIQUE ANSEL

Located in Soho, this french pastisserie is a temptation. Dominique Ansel, a Boulud protegé, is flying solo now and boy he's made quite a few amazing original creations: The cronut, cookie shots, and frozen s'mores. Within 4 months of its opening, it was awarded Time Out New York's "Best New Bakery of 2012" and it's Zagat 2013's highest ranked bakery.

Donuts aren't the only reason to visit this bakery. Plus, cronuts sell fast and cookie shots are only served after 3pm. I tried the cow-fe au lait, a donut with café au lait flavor and it was very tasty.

5. FANTASTIC DONUTS

I'm so happy for the day I came across a super cute picture of a donut on Instagram. Immediately, I looked them up and found out they were in L.A. Luckily, I had to go there for work two weeks after my discovery and their shop was my first stop. Now, let me tell you something... their shop is probably not what you would expect. It's a very humble place located in Korea Town. And, their donuts are the cutest thing ever. You'll probably buy one of each and then you won't be able to eat them because you'll feel guilty about eating so much cuteness!