Five North Carolina doughnut shops rank among the nation’s best. Why fans crave them

Simone Jasper
·2 min read
27

Whether you like your doughnuts topped with glaze or filled with jelly, you might just find your new favorite treat in North Carolina.

That’s because the state is home to five of the nation’s best places to go for the sweets, according to results the restaurant review website Yelp shared May 25.

The North Carolina businesses that made the list of “Top 100 US Donut Shops” include:

The shops earned national recognition after Yelp said it studied doughnut-related businesses and “ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews” that customers left from January 2022 to March 2023.

The results were shared ahead of National Doughnut Day, which falls on June 2 this year. While some national chains are celebrating the occasion with special offers, local businesses were fan favorites on Yelp’s list.

What makes the NC shops special?

Of the North Carolina spots that landed on the national list, Hole Doughnuts in the mountain town of Asheville was the highest ranking at No. 2. Yelp gave the business a nod for focusing on four flavors, including one that rotates each week.

“We like to keep things as simple as possible, [and] get the donut perfect each time,” Ryan Martin, who makes the treats with his wife Hallee Hirsh, told Yelp.

Also making the list were Superior Bakery in Fayetteville and Baker’s Dozen on Buck Jones Road in Raleigh, which several Yelp users said served treats that were warm and fresh.

To the west, customers couldn’t get enough of OMG Donuts & Bakery in Concord — near Charlotte — and HenDough Chicken & Donuts in the mountain town of Hendersonville. Many took to Yelp to say the shops sold doughnuts that were soft and filled with tasty flavors.

While North Carolina shops rank among the nation’s best places to get doughnuts, the honors don’t end there. The state also is home to businesses that dish out some of the most creative treats, Yelp said.

On a separate list of the top 25 “most unique” doughnuts in the U.S. and Canada, Yelp highlighted the seasonal Earl Grey flavor at Dough-Joe’s Doughnuts & Coffee in Winston-Salem. For those looking to indulge, the list also includes “Are You Snickering,” a doughnut topped with chocolate sauce and candy bar pieces from Donut I Love You in Charlotte.

Overall, the top-ranking doughnut shop in the country was Rocklin Donuts & Cinnamon, located outside of Sacramento, California.

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