10 Best Donut Shops in Boston (2026 Guide)

Boston consumes more donuts per capita than any other city in America. Let that sink in. In a country obsessed with fried dough, the city that gave us the Boston cream pie (which inspired the Boston cream donut) leads the pack. Dunkin' was born here, but the best donuts in Greater Boston come from the independent shops — family-owned institutions, innovative chef-driven pop-ups, and the new wave of mochi donut specialists.

Here are the 10 best donut shops in the Boston metro area.

Browse all [Boston donut shops](/us/massachusetts/boston) or explore more across [Massachusetts](/us/massachusetts).

1. Sofra Bakery — West Cambridge

Address: 1 Belmont Street, Cambridge

Hours: Tue-Sun 8am-7pm, Closed Monday

Price: $4-6 per donut

Decorated pastry chef Maura Kilpatrick co-owns this Cambridge bakery with Oleana's Ana Sortun, creating masterful Middle Eastern-inspired weekend donuts that are unlike anything else in Boston. The iconic Persian spice brioche donut rolls in sweet, floral warming flavors of cinnamon, rose petal, black pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, and coriander. The tahini-brown butter specialty features rich brown-butter creme and milk chocolate-sesame ganache.

What to order: The tahini-brown butter donut is the must-try — milk chocolate-sesame ganache is extraordinary. The Persian spice brioche is equally stunning. Both typically sell out by noon.

Pro tip: Weekend-only donuts. Get there early — the tahini-brown butter sells out fast. Won Best of Boston 2019 for good reason.

2. The Broadway — South Boston

Address: 726 East Broadway, South Boston

Hours: Sat-Sun 9am-3pm (or sell out), weekdays regular menu

Price: $4-6 per donut

The Broadway transforms into a donut destination every weekend with an inspired selection of photogenic treats featuring creative flavor combinations. This South Boston restaurant offers unique options like house-made Cosmic Brownie, brown-butter maple bacon, and Cap'n Crunch-topped strawberry shortcake donuts. For an extra $5, you can opt for boozy pairings piped directly into the donut.

What to order: The Cosmic Brownie donut is the signature. Brown-butter maple bacon is excellent. The boozy pairing option — like Fluffernutter with Frangelico-butterscotch pipette — is a unique experience.

Pro tip: Weekend only, 9am-3pm or until sold out. The boozy pairings ($5 extra) are worth it. This is a full restaurant with a weekend donut program.

3. Pon de Joy — Somerville/Multiple Locations

Address: 1157 Broadway, Somerville (Teele Square)

Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-9pm

Price: $2-3 per donut

Pon de Joy is at the forefront of Boston's ultra-chewy, colorful mochi donut trend. Connected to Allston's Kimchipapi Kitchen, this local company has expanded to multiple standalone locations throughout Greater Boston. Their signature mochi donuts feature fun weekly rotating flavors like mango Tajin, black sesame, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch with distinctive chewy textures.

What to order: Mango Tajin mochi donuts are the signature. Black sesame and Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavors are excellent. Weekly rotating flavors keep things fresh.

Pro tip: Multiple Greater Boston locations. Featured by Boston Magazine as the leader in the mochi donut trend. Korean-style — expect a completely different texture from traditional donuts.

4. Gail Ann Coffee Shop — Arlington

Address: 10 Medford Street, Arlington

Hours: Mon-Fri 5:30am-3pm, Sat 6am-3pm, Sun 6am-2pm

Price: $2-3 per donut

Visiting this decades-old Arlington bakeshop is like stepping back in time, where regulars sit reading the paper and friendly staff serves fresh crullers with genuine smiles. The signature Boston cream long john features a huge yeasted treat filled with thick vanilla custard and iced with rich chocolate. Won Best of Boston in 1999 and has not changed a thing.

What to order: The Boston cream long john is the must-try — thick vanilla custard and rich chocolate icing. Classic crullers are excellent. Honey dipped is a solid everyday choice.

Pro tip: Best of Boston winner 1999. An authentic throwback experience — this is what a donut shop felt like 40 years ago, in the best way.

5. Linda's Donuts — Jamaica Plain

Address: 389 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain

Hours: Mon-Fri 5am-3pm, Sat 5am-2pm, Sun 6am-2pm

Price: $1-2 per donut

The definition of a classic mom-and-pop Boston donut shop. Linda's in Jamaica Plain embodies everything great about neighborhood donut culture — consistently excellent honey dipped, chocolate frosted, and jelly donuts in a no-frills corner shop. Beyond donuts, they serve delicious breakfast sandwiches, making it a complete neighborhood breakfast destination.

What to order: Honey dipped is the standard. Chocolate frosted and jelly donuts are consistently excellent. Breakfast sandwiches turn this into a one-stop morning spot.

Pro tip: This is JP's neighborhood donut shop — no pretension, just excellent donuts at fair prices since 1978.

6. Twin Donuts — Inman Square, Cambridge

Address: 1147 Cambridge Street, Cambridge

Hours: Mon-Fri 5:30am-6pm, Sat-Sun 6am-5pm

Price: $1-2 per donut

Twin Donuts has been a steadfast presence in Inman Square for decades, serving Cambridge residents with reliable classic donuts and friendly service. This family-owned shop specializes in traditional American donuts with their signature "twin" varieties. The double chocolate and paired glazed donuts represent comfort food excellence.

What to order: Double chocolate is the signature. Glazed twins and Boston cream are excellent. Classic, reliable, no surprises — exactly what you want from a neighborhood shop.

Pro tip: One of Cambridge's longest-running independent donut shops. Inman Square parking can be tricky — consider walking or biking.

7. Lionheart Confections — Pop-Up (Greater Boston)

Address: Various pop-up locations (check Instagram @lionheartconfections)

Hours: Check Instagram for current schedule

Price: $4-6 per donut

After years creating playful desserts for prestigious Boston restaurants like Yvonne's, Chickadee, and Ledger, pastry chef Kate Holowchik launched her exciting pop-up operation focusing on over-the-top donut creations. She appears regularly at area breweries and cafes, offering banana split sundae donuts, chocolate chip cookie dough donuts, and even Choco-Taco-inspired donuts.

What to order: The banana split sundae donut is the showstopper. Chocolate chip cookie dough and Choco-Taco-inspired donuts are creative and delicious.

Pro tip: Follow @lionheartconfections on Instagram for current pop-up locations. She appears regularly at Cafe Reynard at Idle Hands brewery. These are special-occasion donuts — worth tracking down.

8. Mochinut Boston — BU Area

Address: 736 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

Hours: Daily 11am-9pm

Price: $2-3 per donut

Mochinut Boston brings the popular Korean mochi donut trend to the area with signature rice flour-based donuts featuring unique chewy textures and Asian-inspired flavors. Located near Boston University, the distinctive flower-shaped donuts offer a completely different texture experience. Paired with Korean bubble teas for the full experience.

What to order: Rice flour mochi donuts in rotating Korean-inspired flavors. Bubble tea pairings are a must. The flower-shaped donuts are visually stunning.

Pro tip: Located near BU — popular with the college crowd. Part of the national Mochinut franchise but the Boston location is solid. DoorDash, UberEats, and Grubhub delivery available.

9. Ruby Donuts — Ayer

Address: 105 Main Street, Ayer

Hours: Mon-Fri 5am-2pm, Sat-Sun 6am-2pm

Price: $1-2 per donut

Consistently praised by Reddit's Boston food community as having the best classic donuts in the region, Ruby Donuts in Ayer is worth the drive from Boston. This family-owned shop has mastered the fundamentals — creating consistently excellent glazed donuts, apple fritters, and honey-dipped varieties that represent the gold standard for classic American donuts.

What to order: Classic glazed is the benchmark. Apple fritters and honey dipped are consistently excellent. Simple, traditional, and perfectly executed.

Pro tip: Worth the drive from Boston. Consistently rated #1 classic donuts by the Boston Reddit food community. Downtown Ayer municipal parking is available.

10. Spoke Wine Bar — Davis Square, Somerville

Address: 89 Holland Street, Somerville

Hours: Mon-Thu 5pm-midnight, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am, Sun 5pm-midnight

Price: $3-4 per donut

The most unexpected donut on this list. Spoke Wine Bar in Davis Square features one constant on their ever-changing seasonal menu: umami-packed sunchoke donuts made with XO gouda and powdered leeks. These crispy savory treats challenge everything you think a donut should be, perfectly paired with a glass of red wine.

What to order: The sunchoke donuts with XO gouda are the must-try — savory, umami-packed, and utterly unique. This is the only savory donut worth seeking out in Greater Boston.

Pro tip: This is a wine bar that happens to serve incredible savory donuts — not a donut shop. Evening hours only. The combination of savory donuts and wine is a killer pairing.

The Boston Donut Scene

Boston's donut identity is built on two pillars: deep neighborhood loyalty and the willingness to experiment. You will find Bostonians fiercely devoted to their corner donut shop — the one they have visited since childhood — while simultaneously seeking out the latest mochi donut pop-up or chef-driven weekend special.

For the ultimate Boston donut crawl, start at Linda's in JP for the classic experience, head to Sofra in Cambridge for the weekend tahini-brown butter, stop at Pon de Joy in Somerville for mochi donuts, and end at Spoke Wine Bar in Davis Square for savory sunchoke donuts with wine. You will have covered the full spectrum of what makes Boston's donut scene so special.

Find all Boston area donut shops on [NearbyDonuts.com](/us/massachusetts/boston) and explore the full [Massachusetts directory](/us/massachusetts).