NC is home to two of the South’s best doughnut shops, Southern Living says
If you’ve got a sweet tooth for a classic doughnut, you may want to treat yourself at two North Carolina bakeries that have been named one of the best in the region.
Southern Living released a list of the top doughnut shops in the South from “one-shop wonders” to “multi-location favorites.”
Among the best of the best serving the delicious deep-fried dessert, two in North Carolina made the list: Hole Doughnuts and The Salty Donut.
Hole Doughnuts
Location: 168 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806
“You can watch your order go from being a pile of dough to a crisp, rustic round at this cozy cabin in West Asheville. It’s the unreproducible texture (created by a higher protein ratio in the flour) that makes the doughnuts here so special,” Southern Living says.
“Don’t be discouraged if you see a line going out the door. The wait will be easily forgiven once you have a steaming hot, just-pulled-from-the-fryer pastry in hand. And because the flavors are simple and balanced rather than cloyingly sweet, you won’t have a problem eating three or four.”
The beloved bakery, located in Asheville, has been serving up its classic “crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside” doughnuts for nearly 10 years.
Year-round, Hole Doughnuts offers multiple flavors — vanilla glazed, toasted almond sesame cinnamon and cinnamon sugar — along with weekly seasonal flavors.
The Salty Donut
Location: 1515 S Tryon St #105, Charlotte, NC 28203
The Salty Donut, located in Charlotte (and soon Plaza Midwood and Ballantyne!), also made the list.
As detailed in the report, “a family of serial entrepreneurs are the masterminds behind The Salty Donut”: Owner Amanda Pizarro, her husband and her brother took The Salty Donut from a pop-up in a vintage camper to a brand with over 15 locations.
“Together, the three continue to dream up new flavors and improvements for this burgeoning business that Danny [Pizarro, chief marketing officer] describes as more than just a doughnut shop. ‘We really do prioritize community above all else,’ he says. ‘We’ve launched running clubs and sponsored yoga classes, basically just doing things that bring people together and allow them to enjoy a treat afterward,’” Southern Living’s report says.
From classic icings to unique toppings, the doughnut shop has a wide variety of flavors on its ever-evolving menu, including brown butter and salt, strawberry shortcake and mini key lime pie doughnuts, plus other baked goods like cherry pie pop tarts and cinnamon crunch cookies.
You can find a full Southern Living’s full list of the best doughnut shops in the South online at www.southernliving.com.
This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 11:20 AM.
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