Alternate titles: ‘Dunkin Donuts vs. Local Donut Shop’ OR ‘The most important blog post I’ve ever written’
Welcome to Heaven, come in…
If you’re been reading this lil ol’ running / eating / random blog for more than a hot minute you might be aware that I’m obsessed with iced coffee.
The thing is, I got obsessed with Dunkin Donuts iced coffee when I lived in Maryland for a minute a few years back. Then, winter hit and I brought my Mexican ass back to SoCal where it belongs. But there were NO Dunkin Donuts in SoCal!??!!?&!%$!!
Until recently that is… specifically this past September. Now my beloved Dunkin is actually just a few miles from my parents’ house! YES!!
So, I’ve been looking forward to this day for years. It took me this long to get a Dunkin coffee because I usually visit them in the afternoon and haven’t been feeling the IC past 3pm as of late.
Anyway.
I finally got my precious Dunkin today!
But wait – there’s more.
Since I talk about Dunkin Donuts non-stop my fam assumed that I liked their donuts. Nope. I don’t really think they have the best donuts actually, which is very sad.
Of course my lil brother didn’t believe me. And since I am watching him today we decided to do a taste test comparison of Dunkin Donuts and my local Donut Shop’s treats.
First, I stopped at my favorite local donut shop and bought a glazed and a cake donut. Then, I hit up DD and got the same.
Four donuts is too many for one person?
I DO-NUT give a fudge.
Dunkin Donuts vs. Local Donut Shop Review Vlog
The results of this very scientific study are in the video review below:
Question: What is your favorite kind of donut?
I share mine in the video!
I was just searching Google on “Dunkin Donuts glazed donut review” ( minus “sandwich” to filter results) and found your page. I actually think DD glazed donuts have improved so much that they are a pretty darn good glazed donut. I don’t get into the other types of donuts that often so it’s glazed for me. Your video was funny by the way.
I’ve never actually been to a Dunkin Donut before since they don’t have any where I live. Glad you’re able to enjoy your beloved iced coffee now though!
You can get Decaf Iced Coffee! I did that a lot while preggers, or if I get one after 3pm. Otherwise I’d be up all night.
I really love Dunkin’ iced coffee, but my prefered coffee is a Philly-area place called Wawa. You fix it however you like it, and i love their Hazelnut and Mocha flavored coffees.
If I’m out of town I will do anything to avoid Starbucks. I haven’t had a coffee I liked there ever, or I have to hit it with a ton of cream/Splenda to hide the bitter taste.
I am a Dunkin’ girl, all the way – it’s pretty much all we had back in Philly and here in Maryland people are all about their Krispy Kreme but I just don’t get it. I will do a lot of unsavory and possibly illegal things for a sour cream Dunkin’ Donut (followed closely by the blueberry cake). My running BFF and I stop by DD every Sunday after our long runs, and got a bonus visit this week after this morning’s 5k.
Thaaank you! DD is not good. Tastes…..paper-y or something. I don’t believe they bake them onsite…I live in MD and DD’s never smell like fresh baking. Their coffee is the hit, though. Many better places to get donuts in the DMV anyway.
This has to be the most important research ever! Gotta bookmark this post!
I like donuts toooo much, so I don’t eat them. One donut would lead to a whole lot of donut and eventually a reenactment of the donut bermuda triangle.
But I have to say that at our local market there is a Spanish donut van that everyone raves about, and I might one day give in and see what all the fuss is about.
I don’t like Dunkin Donuts either! A friend of mine used to work there and they don’t even make them there! They come in frozen from a truck! Yuck! No thanks! That is probably why they don’t taste so fresh!
I thnik DD should colse,the only good thing they have its the coffe,the donuts socks,always the same donuts,we have people from other country,do research and start making good donuts,i want to eat donuts today with my grand kids a bought 12 and my grand kids were so dissapointed even me,they went to the tras,$7.99 in the trash.
My favorite is the chocolate covered glazed from Krispy Kreme…still warm!
Sidecar Donuts in Costa Mesa. The end. No other donuts cross my lips. No other donut is worth the calories. Get over there, Monican…it’s not far from home!
However…when and if I get to the DD whenever they finally decide to open that one in Laguna Hills and the line goes down to less than 50 people, I will absolutely get me some chocolate munchkins. It’s the chocolate dough with the little bit of glaze all in a bite size ball of YUM.
Happy New Year!
have to agree on the sidecar doughnut comment! their doughnuts are seriously the best – and they always have seasonal flavors!
I must go there!!
I hate Dunkin Donut’s donuts, Period. But the Salted Caramel Coolatta is Ah-mazing.
My favorite kind of donut is glazed and for chain shops, Krispy Kreme makes a mean glazed donut. That said, my heart is with our local shop, Lighthouse donuts because guuuuuuuuuuuuurl, they make them fresh daily and I do not lie when I say they are the size of a paper plate. H.E.A.V.E.N.
There is a place call the Donut House in Hayden, Idaho and they make the World’s Best apple fritter, hands down. They are loaded with little chunks of apple pie filling and deep fried to crispy perfection and ohmygoodness now I’m drooling… thanks.
OH, and I don’t eat their doughnuts either.. but their coffee is BOMB.
Yeah yeah!!!
Jealous!! I left NYC to live in lovely San Diego 12 years ago, and it is always my first stop when I head back to visit! They finally opened one dowtown over the summer, but 1) dowtown is just too damn far and 2) it is located inside Embassy Suites and is NOT full service. BOO. So LA beat us to it. But I am holding out hope for 2015!
Doughnuts have been a huge thing here in Portland and I have become very determined to try every place here. My favorite donut currently is the glazed buttermilk donut at Blue Star Donuts but I also have a great love for the sugared donut from a tiny little old fashioned place in town.
When it comes to Dunkin, I love their chocolate crème filled donut. They don’t always have it but it’s so good when they do! As far as the best goes though, I vote for the Peter Pan bakery in Brooklyn. Best I have had. I think.
Apparently donuts are a big thing here in Chicago, so when we moved here I spent the first month trying out 5 different donut places. As of right now my favorite is an apple cider one, but they are always changing flavors, so who knows. There’s a DD right outside my building, but with all the local flavor selections I don’t even consider it for picking up donuts.
I’m a Florida girl living in Northern California and I was shocked to find there are no DD’s here. But that’s about to change. I love Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, and yet, I don’t even regularly drink coffee! Thank you for this investigative journalism.
I love the double chocolate donut at Dunkin…but I also agree that they don’t have the best donuts. We have little breakfast places all over the place here in NC and their donuts are sooooo much better. Thanks for your thorough research 😉
I really like jelly doughnuts, but I don’t get them very often.
I used to LOOOOVVVEEE donuts when I was little. Like eat multiple in one sitting when I was 8 kind of love. Then when I was 11, I thought I was grown and ordered 4 donuts. A chocolate bar, a sprinkle donut (hello, the best kind), a glazed one and 3 donut holes (I count all 3 as one donut haha). Result? Sick beyond belief. I didn’t eat another (or even want) one for about 10 years. But then I was living in Germany and we were in Berlin and there was a Dunkin Donuts. I had heard about it’s magical powers from others before, but had never lived where there was one (hello California!), so we all went in and bought a donut and coffee (I also didn’t drink coffee then either. What kind of alternate universe is this?!)
Then I moved back to CA and was sad – for some reason, we’d get DD commercials randomly and it was just plain mean (like when they used to play Sonic commercials when they knew perfectly well that it was a million miles to the nearest one). A few years ago, a friend told me they built a DD on Camp Pendleton, which just seemed mean and super inclusive haha.
Now I’m back and in Northern CA and the closest DD is about a 2 hour drive (with no traffic, which basically is never) away. Even more rude? In our stocking stuffer grab bag of gift cards, I pulled a DD one. Our bosses are based in Boston and have DD year-round and know full well that we love it in SF but don’t have one. DOUBLE RUDE
First of all, you hair looks amazing!!!
My fave all time donut has to be krispy kreme, soooo good.
I live in md and the dd is everywhere. Not a huge fan. I personally like the donuts from wawa although I’m not a huge donut fan. I prefer the cinnamon fritters from the local grocery stores!
Have you ever been to Randy’s donuts in Westchester in West LA? (Just off the 405, north of the 105.) I think they are the BEST donuts – they just taste handmade, like old fashioned and crafted with love. Plus there is a giant donut on the roof of the building. And it has a drive through. What’s not to love?
I won’t go to DD based on principle alone- they moved in across the street from a hardworking mom-and-pop place in my hometown. I’m all for progress, but it was a total dick-move.
I loooooove crullers, though!
I really, really like, nay, love donuts and therefore using my amazing willpower only have them a few times a year. Sounds counterintuitive, but I would otherwise be a blimp.
That said, I love the elusive (at least around these parts) French cruller w/chocolate icing. Yum.
haha that video was hilarious. best donut ever is the chocolate covered glaze with the eclair cream inside. DYYYYNOMITE. i’ll even take store brand on those bad boys.
I’ve never been much for donuts but when ever I get that donut craving I seem to go for the jelly filled one. I also love Dunkin Donuts…I lived in the East Coast one summer and just fell in love with it.
Sour cream glazed from Tim Hortons. Canadian in the house.
We have a Dunford Donuts in Utah and I love them, every time I am in West Jordan we stop by to pick up a few!
As a New Englander, within close proximity to Boston, I would like to declare that there is no other donut that matters except for Dunkins. (Unless you count The Holy Donut in Portland Maine, but that is a one-off specialty kind of place.)
Boston Cream
As a kid, my favourite donut was the Hawaiian donut. you know, the one with al the sprinkles?
There are two Dunkin Donuts within an hour radius here in southern MD, but there’s a local place who has way better donuts made freshly onsite! You used to be able to watch them make the donuts before they moved to a bigger location. But DD does have some pretty delicious iced coffee, and turkey sausage sandwiches… which I now want (x2).
aaaaand now I want a donut… dang it! 🙂
Ok, so we have DD here in Tennessee…but I MISS Coffee Bean and Peet’s from SoCal! Coffee Bean for hot coffee, and Peet’s for iced… and I like classic glazed donuts. I mean, I enjoy others as well, but if there are options I typically go for glazed.
My grandpa’s and uncle both owned donut shops until they retired. So they’re kind of in my blood. I love local shops but you have to be careful because some get them frozen and don’t make them at the shop. Homemade are the best.
so how was the cake comparison?
I actually don’t like their donuts, because I always feel a lard layer in my mouth.
The donut shop won that one too. DD just seems older, more dense and less moist.
I love blueberry glazed cake donuts from dunkin actually.
But here in NYC we have some specialty donut places like donut plant and they have awesome pistachio donuts.
I’m glad u have access to your fave iced coffee and I love how passionate u are about the subject. Heaven is exactly what you picture it. Fluffy white powered donuts…not clouds. Lol.
My local place has a blueberry cake, but not all the time. Next taste test I’ll do that one!