The wiggly, squiggly-shaped doughnuts at Dutch Door Donuts in Healdsburg aren’t likely to win any beauty contests. Looking more like a flat tire than a perfect circle, these fried-to-order sweet treats may lack camera-readiness, but they make up for it with flavor and personality.
First announced in February, the highly anticipated local opening of the Carmel-based doughnut shop was delayed due to the installation of a sprinkler system – work that spanned weeks and extended into the street, necessitating the dismantling of nearby Duke’s outdoor parklet.
With the wait finally over, dozens of locals lined up early Saturday morning for a first taste of the perfectly imperfect treats, topped with glazes like chocolate, brown butter, vanilla bean and blackberry. There’s also cinnamon sugar or chocolate-dusted doughnuts, as well as fresh beignets, along with a variety of coffee and espresso drinks. A Gravenstein apple cider glaze is among the seasonal flavors worth a special trip.
The doughnuts are hand-formed and fried to order, requiring a bit of patience. But, as with many good things, the wait is worth it. The dough hits the hot oil only after you order, arriving warm, squishy and ready to be dipped in coffee. Visitors can watch the process unfold at the rear of the narrow café, which once housed Scopa restaurant.
Dutch Door Donuts was founded in 2021 by a group of friends living in Carmel. Co-owners Jill Schlenker and Victoria Bunch have partnered with Kirstin Ducommun to expand the business to Healdsburg. Chef Tucker Bunch, who has since moved on, developed some of the original recipes.
Schlenker said she and Ducommun plan to expand the menu with savory offerings, including a fried chicken and hot honey-topped doughnut, as well as beignets with caviar, crème fraîche and chives.
Prices range from $5 to $5.50 per doughnut. Beignets are $4.25 each. Families with kids may want to keep an eye out for a fairy door hidden near the entrance – one of several tucked into shops and restaurants around Healdsburg Plaza.
To find Dutch Door Donuts, look for the bright orange door just off the Healdsburg Plaza at 109A Plaza St., Healdsburg. 707-473-8283, dutchdoordonuts.com
You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.