From classic glazed to more whimsical styles, here’s where to get doughnuts down the Shore
“They hit a little different when you’re at your special place down the Shore.”
Chris O’Hara opened a doughnut shop near his family’s pancake restaurant in Ocean City, serving sweet, pillowy doughnuts for late breakfasts or afternoon snacks at the beach. Every summer growing up, O’Hara worked at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House and always thought he’d end up expanding the pancake empire. But after about eight years in financial services, he opened Nauti Donuts on Asbury Avenue to complement the block’s existing family-friendly businesses, like his family’s pancake house and Aunt Betty’s Ice Cream Shack.
Doughnuts at the Shore are a fun grab-and-go option, O’Hara said, especially for days when the whole family doesn’t want a sit-down meal — you can just send mom or dad for treats and coffees to enjoy before, during, or after the beach.
For Matthew Kuttler, doughnut shops are all about tradition. Just as his Sea Isle City spot, Maryanne Pastry Shoppe, has been “passed down through generations, so have the traditions of people coming in and starting their mornings by having something that is a true classic.”
“They hit a little different when you’re at your special place down the Shore,” O’Hara said.
Whether you’re searching for classic glazed, colorful cereal-coated, or an ice cream-topped version (at Nauti Donuts), you’ll find plenty of flavors to choose from at the Jersey Shore.
🍩 Where to find classic doughnuts
For glazed, chocolate, Boston cream, or vanilla iced doughnuts, Madison’s Bakery & Coffee Shop has you covered. Find 15 flavors of doughnuts for $1.85 at any of three Cape May locations. In Sea Isle City, Maryanne Pastry Shoppe is all about serving hot, fresh yeast-raised doughnuts, for $1.75 each. Try best-sellers like the powdered sugar vanilla cream doughnut or the cinnamon bun-shaped Bismark. There are also cake doughnuts, like chocolate with vanilla icing.
Why can’t a bread and cheese shop be your spot for doughnuts too? Stone Harbor’s Bread and Cheese Cupboard has plenty of $2 glazed, iced, and sprinkled classic flavors, and blueberry and sour cream cake doughnuts. Kohler’s Bakery in Avalon is another spot for $2 doughnuts. Order traditional cake doughnuts topped with chocolate or vanilla icing and rainbow sprinkles; yeast-raised dough twists dipped in chocolate or vanilla icing; or cinnamon sugar-coated doughnuts oozing with raspberry or strawberry fruit filling.
Madison’s Bakery & Coffee Shop:📍Multiple locations, 📞 609-305-4641, 🌐 madisonsbakerynj.com
Maryanne Pastry Shoppe:📍108 44th St., Sea Isle City, 📞 609-263-3814, 🕒 Sunday to Wednesday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Thursday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., 🌐 maryannepastryshoppenj.com
The Bread and Cheese Cupboard:📍246 96th St., Stone Harbor, 📞 609-368-1135, 🕒 Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday to Sunday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., 🌐 breadandcheesecupboard.com
Kohler's Bakery:📍2709 Dune Dr., Avalon, 📞 609-967-3694, 🕒 Friday to Monday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., 🌐 kohlersbakery.com
🍩 Where to find creative, nontraditional doughnuts
Duck Donuts gets fruity with its $22.95 Popsicle Box (available till Labor Day), featuring a dozen key lime, blueberry, strawberry, and other fruit icing flavors. The national chain has locations in Sea Isle City and Avalon with various options, including savory doughnut sandwiches. At the Chubby Unicorn Donut Shop in Bayville, doughnuts range in colors from strawberry shortcake pink to Fruity Pebbles rainbow. Doughnuts go for $2 per regular doughnut (a dozen for $21.75) and $2.65 per specialty (a dozen for $27), plus frozen yogurt is offered at noon ($6.27 to $7.25). Over in Toms River, Uncle Dood’s Donuts tops its vanilla-spiced cake doughnut with a cherry cola-flavor icing. There’s also the Sour Puss with passion fruit icing, lemon snap cookie crumble, and French Balls with maple icing and Cinnamon Toast Crunch minis. Get a box of nine doughnuts for $13.
Duck Donuts:📍33 42nd St., Sea Isle City and 3246 Dune Dr., Avalon, 📞 609-478-3206 and 609-830-3202, 🕒 Monday to Sunday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. (May to August), 🌐 duckdonuts.com
Chubby Unicorn Donut Shop:📍271 Atlantic City Blvd, Bayville, 📞 732-998-8785, 🕒 Monday to Sunday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., 🌐 chubbyunicorndonuts.com
Uncle Dood's Donuts:📍 4 Robbins St., Toms River, 📞 609-462-3517, 🕒 Tuesday to Sunday 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 🌐 facebook.com
🍩 Where to find over-the-top doughnuts
Pop by Nauti Donuts in Ocean City to create a Johnny Tsunami for $7.49— your choice of doughnut topped with vanilla ice cream, rainbow jimmies, powdered sugar, and a drizzle of hot fudge , or choose one of the Nauti Dozen offerings, such as one with strawberry icing coated with Fruity Pebbles and marshmallow drizzle. You can also create your own for $2.59, with glazes like strawberry and blueberry, fun toppings like rainbow jimmies and M&Ms, and drizzles like peanut butter and marshmallow.
Check out another ice cream doughnut creation called the Glazer in North Wildwood, Sea Isle, and Ocean City. The Fractured Prune heat-seals ice cream between two doughnuts for a hot-pressed doughnut ice cream sandwich complete with glazes and toppings for $8.95. Flavors include S’mores with vanilla ice cream, chocolate drizzle, graham crackers, and marshmallows, and Thin Mint with mint chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate drizzle, and Andes mints. Consider pairing your Glazer with a signature cold brew.
Citrus fiends might try the Fractured Prune’s lemonade doughnut with lemon glaze or the Creamsicle with orange glaze. Get two cake doughnuts for $5 or a dozen for $23.95.
Nauti Donuts:📍2133 Asbury Ave., Ocean City, 📞 609-938-2253, 🕒 Monday to Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., 🌐 nautidonuts.com
Fractured Prune:📍Multiple locations, 🌐 fracturedprune.com