10 Of The Best Places To Get ‘Em

Ah the doughnut. A delectable taste sensation that has seen a major resurgence in the capital within recent years. From classic varieties to ‘cronuts’ – a unique spin on the doughnut and croissant – here’s our roundup of where to get the best doughnuts in London. Happy eating!

Donutelier takes inspiration from the intricate craftsmanship of the world’s greatest fashion ateliers to craft the most luxurious doughnuts that London has ever seen. Careful consideration and care goes into each product they put out. There’s an emphasis on using the finest ingredients, with each piece of edible art recognisable by Roladin’s unique, expertly hand-crafted and ornate designs.

They whip up a selection of special doughnuts, designed specifically for the London store, as well as the brand’s signature doughnuts too. While it’s all bloody good food, we’d recommend going straight for the ‘pistachio’ filled with chantilly cream and marbled pistachio, and then topped off with an almond sable, pistachio nibs and dried raspberries. But the ‘Dulcey peanut caramel’ with Dulcey fleur de sel ganache, and the ‘pink royal’, featuring wild berry cream topped with mini strawberry meringues are both pretty out-of-this-world too.

📍You’ll find Donutelier by Roladin at 48-50, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0BB.

🚇 Nearest station is Leicester Square.

In East London, steps away from Cambridge Heath Station and close to the Columbia Road Flower Market, is already a legend of the London bakery scene. It’s there, on Hackney Road, that hungry London denizens will find Greedy Cow Bakes which commands down-the-block lines for their viral Korean milk doughnuts and other decadent baked goodies.

The small, family-run bakery makes every single one of their doughnuts fresh each day, and the flavours range from ‘black forest’, to ‘Kinder Bueno’, ‘tiramisu’, ‘Victoria sponge’, ‘pistachio baklava’, and beyond. The victoria sponge doughnut, for example, resembles a scone with a layer of cream and jam in the middle of two halves of a doughnut. Meanwhile, their S’mores doughnuts come with a whole torched marshmallow perched on top, and their sticky toffee pudding doughnuts come crowned with a chunk of moist sticky toffee pudding. Yum, yum!

📍You’ll find Greedy Cow Bakes at 395 Hackney Road, London, E2 8PP.

🚇 Nearest station is Cambridge Heath.

3. Knead A Little Love

Knead a Little Love is a bakery born out of the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 which specialises in vegan doughnuts and delectable desserts too. Run by two sisters, Jess and Becca, they opened up their doors at 253 Bethnal Green Road, East London in June of 2022 – and they really haven’t looked back since.

Everything here is handmade on site by a small and dedicated team headed up by Le Cordon Bleu trained Pastry Chef – and younger sister – Jess. All their products are available in-store at the bakery as well as online. They’ve won rave reviews since opening, so don’t miss out on paying them a visit whenever you’re in East London!

📍You’ll find Knead A Little Love at 253 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 6AH.

If you’re looking for the best doughnuts in London, then you can be assured that this place really has it all. Since creating the world’s first sourdough doughnuts back in 2014, they’ve been perfecting their craft, striving to make the most delicious, luxury doughnuts in the whole of the capital and around the world.

Classical flavours on offer here include the cinnamon roll, the dark chocolate truffle and the tongan vanilla bean glaze, but don’t miss out on their specials either such as the Sri Lankan cinnamon sugar and the peanut butter and blackcurrant compote. In other words, it’s basically all absolutely bangin’ – don’t miss out on paying them a visit!

📍You’ll find Crosstown Doughnuts at various different locations in London. You can find out more here.

When it comes to delicious baking, the only proper direction really is Bread Ahead. Getting your hands on a Bread Ahead doughnut is, admittedly, something of a quest. They’ve got eighth locations dotted around town – the original of which is in Borough Market – but those doughnuts tend to disappear rather quickly so you’ll need to be quick to get them!

While all the flavours sold here are pretty much out of this world, we’d go for the blackcurrant mascarpone cheesecake, pistachio or coconut specials – they’re bloody fantastic! They’ve also got doughnut-making workshops here, so you can really put your skills to the test!

📍You’ll find Bread Ahead at various different locations in London. You can find out more here.

6. Doughnut Time

Now these bad boys first burst onto the scene back in Australia, where they garnered a significant fan base. They then moved over to Blighty and opened their first outpost in Shaftesbury Avenue, and have since opened numerous more.

They’ve got everything here from gluten-free goodies to a classic six-pack box with varieties including the ‘D’Oh Nut’ – a pink glaze donut topped with sprinkles and the ‘Love at First Bite’ – a signature Nutella filled doughnut dusted with cinnamon sugar.

📍You’ll find Doughnut Time at various different locations in London. You can find out more here.

7. Urban Legend

Another one of the best places for doughnuts in London, Urban Legend is based in the rather insalubrious entrance of Clapham Junction. The name of the game here is to create doughnuts with less fat, sugar and calories than any others out there.

They’ve actually only got 150-200 calories per donut, so this is a great place to come if you’re wanting to keep the calories down! Flavours here include mint choc chip, banoffee pie and passion fruity – so you’re onto a winner with this one.

📍You’ll find Urban Legend at Unit 1, Clapham Junction Station, St. John’s Hill, London, SW11 1RU.

🚇 Nearest station is Clapham Junction.

8. Longboys

A bit of a different one here. Longboys is all about long doughnuts and patisseries with some surprisingly-flavoured twists. Handmade with love, their finger doughnuts are made with a lighter brioche base and fresh fillings too. They’re not too sweet here – which is always a winner in our books – and they’ve also got an array of vegan, dairy-free and nut-free options too.

They’re based in King’s Cross and Boxpark in Wembley, so you’ve got two options if you’re wanting to try one of these bad boys!

📍You’ll find Longboys at Unit 16, Bagley Walk Arches, Coal Drops Yard, N1C 4DH and at 18 Olympic Way, Wembley Park, HA9 0JT.

🚇 Nearest stations are King’s Cross St. Pancras and Wembley Park.

9. St. John – Bakery Arch

Based on Bermondsey’s Druid Street, this great spot is one of the best places in town for doughnuts, and they’re pretty bloomin’ popular it has to be said. They’re only available on Fridays to Sundays, and the delicious and pillowy texture is well worth queuing round the block for.

Flavours here are relatively simple – such as your classic raspberry jam and chocolate fillings – but boy are they good. You’ll find it easy to see why they’ve earned themselves a Michelin Star… They’ve also got another outpost in Spitalfields if you’d rather head there.

📍You’ll find St. John – Bakery Arch at 72 Druid Street, London, SE1 2HQ.

🚇 Nearest station is London Bridge.

10. Rinkoff Bakery

Rounding off this list of the best places for doughnuts in London is Rinkoff Bakery – a fantastic spot in Whitechapel which specialises in ‘cronuts’ – a mixture of a croissant and doughnut which is quite frankly bloody delicious.

The flavours here include custard, salted caramel and chocolate fudge, and the croissant pastry is ‘fried like a donut to give extra height and a layered effect’. Trust us – you’ll want to try one of these ones!

📍You’ll find Rinkoff Bakery at 224 Jubilee Street, London, E1 3BS and at 79 Vallance Road, London, E1 5BS.

🚇 Nearest stations are Stepney Green and Whitechapel.

So there you have it – a roundup of the best places to get doughnuts in London. So when you’re looking for that real fix of all these delightful goodies, then you know exactly where to head!