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Donuts of Portland

Earlier this month, my sister and I visited the city of Portland in Oregon for their Tulip festival at Woodburn.  Of the trips that we’ve went throughout the years, I think I've gained the most weight on this trip.  Why wouldn’t I when the food in Portland is amazing!   On this post, I will be focusing on doughnuts or donuts!  Three days in Portland, three days of donuts.

Day 1:  Voodoo Doughnuts
After we got our rental car, we drove straight to Voodoo Doughnuts for to-go breakfast on our way to Woodburn for the Tulip festival.  Ever since Anthony Bourdain featured this doughnut place, Voodoo Doughnuts became a famous tourist destination with long lines.  There are two Portland locations and we went to the NE Davis location. 

We ordered a snickerdoodle, Portland cream, butterfinger and a raspberry with chocolate sprinkles.  For the four donuts in a pink box, the total came down to $8.70.  Cash only please!  The verdict… it’s like Crispy Crème with unusual combinations as toppings or fillings.

Day 2:  Pip’s Original Doughnuts & Chai
Another favorite local doughnut destination is Pip’s Original Doughnuts & Chai located at 4759 NE Fremont St.  Rain or shine, the line is long.  Since I’m a Chai fan, I was looking forward to the drink rather than the doughnut.  I made a mistake ordering one type of chai drink and should have ordered the chai taster set.  I was disappointed with the taste of the chai drink and feel like it’s more thai tea than Indian Chai.

For the doughnuts, they have 6 flavors at that time with 1 flavor which is seasonal.  You can order 4, 6, 8 or 12 with a maximum of 4 dozen.  You might think that’s too much but it’s bite size doughnut so you won’t feel guilty ordering more.  Since we were visiting, we decided to order 12 to taste all 6 flavors each.  The verdict… the banana custard was ok, the cinnamon sugar was just fine, the Dirty Wu was different but good, Nutella with cinnamon sugar and sea salt was ok, the honey and sea salt was forgettable and the maple bacon was the best!

Day 3:  Blue Star Donuts
On our last day in Portland, we decided to just relax and enjoy the city.   After a hearty meal at Tasty & Sons recommended by a local lady, we decided to head to their Mississippi location before heading to the airport.  The doughnuts are $3 to $4.75 each.  The person manning the store at that time gave us some freebies when we bought a box of doughnuts each.   We tried the crème brulee (photo on the right) and the blueberry bourbon basil.  I can’t give you a decent verdict since we were quite full at that time and the flavors were not registering in our palate any longer.  For the ones we did buy to share, my favorite was the earl grey.  Their doughnuts are quite different from Pip’s and Voodoo.  I can definitely say it’s way better than Crispy Crème. 

You can buy Blue Star donuts at the airport but the choices might be limited due to smaller storage area.   One good thing about PDX airport, prices downtown and prices at the airport are the same! 

So if you’re in Portland, do try all three doughnut places and let me know which one you like the best!  Makes me want to make my own doughnut.
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