Have you heard of the Mayflower? It was a famous ship full of Pilgrims from England who fled first to the Netherlands and then later to Cape Cod. They landed in 1620 to escape religious persecution. They set up at Plymouth, and their arrival is one of the state’s most popular claims to fame. But where can you buy the best donuts in Massachusetts? Let’s find out together!
Best Donuts in Massachusetts
1. Donna’s Donuts
Officially, this state is known as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. For reference, commonwealth countries are former colonies of the British Empire, so as the spot where English settlers first landed, Massachusetts qualified. The state retains this link to its English roots even though many of the ex-English divorced those ties after the Revolutionary War.
- Name: Donna’s Donuts
- Address: 2106 Main St, Tewksbury, MA, United States, Massachusetts
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/donutman67
- Phone: +1 978-988-0010
- Hours: Mon to Fri – 5 am to 6 pm; Sat – 5 am to 3 pm; Sun – 7 am to 1 pm
In the UK and other parts of the world, people typically spell this word as doughnut, but both are correct. And however you write it, there’s no wrong way to enjoy donuts. But if you swing by Donna’s, you may find some surprising versions of this sweet fried snack. Donna serves specialty donuts like the cheeseburger, meatball sub, or steak and cheese donut. Worth a try!
2. Brother’s Brew Coffee Shop
Chances are you don’t know the religious history of England, so here’s a quick primer. The Catholic Church was initially in charge but in 1534, King Henry VIII wanted his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled so he could remarry. The Pope refused, so the King pulled away from his Catholic roots and started the Church of England aka the Anglican Church.
- Name: Brother’s Brew Coffee Shop
- Address: 27 Main St Rockport, MA, US 01966
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/BrothersBrew/
- Phone: +1 978-546-3775
- Hours: Mon to Sat – 7 am to 3 pm; Sunday – 7 am to 10 am
Let’s step away from religion for a moment and talk about food. Brothers Brew Coffee Shop is a casual Massachusetts eatery with microbrew coffee and delicious donuts. These days, it operates under the umbrella of the Brackett family that owns the Brackett’s Ocean View restaurant. At Brother’s Brew, you can sit at the retro counter or in the back room for breakfast.
3. Demet’s
Anglicans are the third-largest denomination after Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox Church. A faction of Protestants called the Puritans tried to purify the faith and return to its true tenets. Another group, the Pilgrims, felt the church was beyond hope and preferred to go off on their own. The Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower to seek a new homeland and free faith.
- Name: Demet’s
- Address: 199 Mystic Ave. Medford, MA 02155
- Website: http://demets-donuts.letseat.at
- Phone: (781)395-8422
- Hours: Mon to Fri – 5 am to 7 pm; Sat – 5 am to 6 pm; Sun – 6 am to 2 pm
These Pilgrims were pretty old-school, so they’d probably approve of the retro appeal at Demet’s. As the owners love to say, they make their doughnuts at the back and serve at the front. Plus, the last time we visited, they were a cash-only establishment so you won’t be swiping or app-ing here! The red brick walls and massive windows are mainlining nostalgia.
4. Glazy Susan
Initially, 105 pilgrims and 30 crew members landed at Plymouth, but half of them died during that first winter. The Native American Wampanoags helped them settle in, teaching them how to farm, hunt, and survive. This is the story behind the first thanksgiving, a feast shared by 53 settlers and 90 Wampanoags. Unfortunately, later settlers were less friendly.
- Name: Glazy Susan
- Address: 50 Foster Street, Door 15A Worcester, MA 01608
- Website: https://www.glazysusan.com
- Phone: Order Online
- Hours: Thur to Fri – 8 am to 3 pm; Sat to Sun – 9 am to 3 pm
Back to the present day. You may have seen the word Worcestershire on a bottle of seasoning. Or maybe you’re thinking of Worcester in Massachusetts. They’re pronounced woo-stah(-shah) and we’re swinging by for some of the specialty doughnuts at Glazy Susan. Susan and Joe spell theirs with the extra letters and they’ve been in business since 2018. Check them out!
5. Henry’s Fine Foods
The Wampanoags (Wôpanâak) that traditionally inhabit the area around Cape Cod were called the Muhsachuweesee, Moswetuset, or Muswachasut. Massachusett is an anglicized version of their tribal name. It means ‘close the Great Hill’ and refers to the Great Blue Hills of the south that overlook the Boston Harbour. Boston is the capital city of Massachusetts.
- Name: Henry’s Fine Foods
- Address: 588 Cabot St. Beverly, MA 01915
- Website: http://henrysfinefoods.com
- Phone: 978-922-3885
- Hours: 7 am to 7 pm daily
You don’t always want the formality of walking into a Boston coffee shop to make an order. Sometimes, you just want a fuss-free dozen from the corner store. Or you could go to a grocery store like Henry’s Fine Foods. They opened in 1941 and their bakery has some of the finest doughnuts in Massachusetts. And they have hot soup to warm you on the way home.
6. Basic Batch Donuts
Massachusetts was traditionally a trading port with fisheries and farming playing a big role. The Industrial Revolution changed the state’s focus toward manufacturing, but the economy suffered as business interests moved inland. Fortunately, the 1980s Massachusetts Miracle created a boom in finance and technology that slashed unemployment rates from 12% to 3%.
- Name: Basic Batch Donuts
- Address: 206 East Main Street, Milford, Massachusetts 01757, United States
- Website: https://basicbatchdonuts.com
- Phone: Order Online
- Hours: Wed to Fri – 6 am to 1 pm; Sat to Sun – 7 am to 1 pm
Miracles aside, let’s get back to basics. More to the point, let’s talk about Basic Batch Donuts. They make fresh yeast dough every day, and while their menu has a few regulars, you can also experiment with their rotating flavors. These are changed once a month. And they make cake-style doughnuts as well, so there’s a wide variety for the pleasure of your palate.
7. Ziggy’s & Sons Donuts
A less positive aspect of Massachusetts history is the Salem Witch Trials. Being a largely religious community, around 200 people – mostly women – were accused of witchcraft from February 1692 to May 1693. Of the 30 people who were declared guilty, 14 women and 5 men were hanged, one man was pressed to death, and others died in prison. It was mass hysteria.
- Name: Ziggy’s & Sons Donuts
- Address: 2 Essex St Salem, MA, US 01970
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/ZiggysDonuts/
- Phone: (978) 744-9605
- Hours: Monday to Friday – 6.30 am to 3 pm
Accusations of witchcraft were often driven by personal vendettas, in-fighting, and suspicion, so let’s shift gears and look at a more positive side of Salem. Specifically, we’re thinking of Ziggy’s & Sons Donuts. Apart from fried and baked doughnuts, they serve double-layered cakes, jam-filled croissants, and frosted cinnamon rolls. They’re so good it’s almost magic!
8. The Broadway
Massachusetts is a state with delightful contradictions. It began as a conservative religious commune that accused non-conformists and free thinkers of witchcraft but was later the first US state to sanction same-sex marriage (2004). The state also invented two of the most popular American sports. They created basketball in Springfield and volleyball in Holyoke.
- Name: The Broadway
- Address: 726 E. Broadway, Boston, MA 02127
- Website: https://www.thebroadwaysouthboston.com/
- Phone: (617) 307-6480
- Hours: Mon to Fri – 11 am to 1 am; Sat & Sun – 9 am to 1 am
The witch trials were a public spectacle caused by internal tension and family feuds. So instead of escalating petty disputes to such dangerous heights, visit The Broadway and draw the right kind of attention with their Instagram-worthy donuts. And yes, it’s in the Boston Beer Garden, so if you order coffee and doughnuts, you’ll get it Irish with a donut skewer!
9. Blackbird Doughnuts
During the Civil War, Massachusetts was a free state and supported the Union. Earlier, during the American Revolutionary War, Boston played a crucial strategic role, and some still refer to the city as the Cradle of Liberty. American ‘monarchies’ like the Kennedy family and the Adams family (not the Addams family!) have ancestral origins in Massachusetts.
- Name: Blackbird Doughnuts
- Address: 100 High Street Boston, MA 02110
- Website: https://www.blackbirddoughnuts.com
- Phone: 617.482.9000
- Hours: Mon to Fri – 7 am to 4 pm; Sat – 9 am to 4 pm
It’s not just political legacies that feel at home in Maine, though we’ll name-drop one more. A local doughnut shop was once visited by Bill Clinton, and he liked it so much he sent a thank-you note. And entertainment royals like Adele (Adkins) are fans too, so try something sweet at Blackbird Doughnuts. They have multiple outlets in Boston so find the one closest to you!
10. Mass Hole Donuts
The state of Massachusetts is an undisputed academic capital being the base for Harvard, Cambridge, and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). And while early settlers got along with the locals, they still harmed them inadvertently. As many as 90% of the Native American population died of England-borne diseases like smallpox, influenza, and measles.
- Name: Mass Hole Donuts
- Address: 2 Lake Street Arlington, Massachusetts
- Website: https://www.massholedonuts.com
- Phone: (617) 744-3018
- Hours: Weekends – 8 am to 2 pm
Speaking of illness, tons of eateries didn’t make it through the COVID years, and the Holyoke outlet of the Whole Donut Café is currently closed. You can still swing by Mass Hole Donuts, but they only serve the holes, not the whole. And yes, both puns are intended. The donut holes at Mass Hole are named after local landmarks like Newberry Street and Churro Truro.
11. Jumbo Donuts
Interestingly, Massachusetts was the first US state to both initiate and abolish slavery. And education has always been important to its residents. In 1852, they were the first state to pass laws that enforced compulsory schooling. Today, their public schools are among the best performers in the nation. John Adams is acknowledged as the Atlas of Independence.
- Name: Jumbo Donuts
- Address: 1115 Providence Rd, Whitinsville, MA
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/jumbodonuts1/
- Phone: +1 508-234-4252
- Hours: 5 am to 5 pm daily
From a spot that only serves donut holes on its rotating menu, let’s go to a place where everything is yuge! Jumbo Donuts has two Massachusetts outlets in Whitinsville. They have both regular and specialty donuts, and you can find their two top gourmet flavors every day – Fruity Pebbles and Maple bacon. Try their biscoff cookie batter donuts too – they’re divine!
12. Donut Dip
Massachusetts was also the first state to put a black man in the Senate. The year was 1966 and the political pioneer’s name was Edward Brooke. Apart from the Kennedys and the Adams, other politicians with ties to the state include Speakers Tip O’Neill and John W. McCormack. And the 41st US President George H. W. Bush was born in Massachusetts.
- Name: Donut Dip
- Address: 1305 Riverdale Street West Springfield, MA 01089
- Website: https://donutdip.com
- Phone: 413-733-9604
- Hours: 3 am to 9.45 p daily
Whether you prefer George Dubyah or George Aych, you’ll love the tasty treats at Donut Dip. The shop opened in 1957 and is still going strong. And they open from 3 am to 3 pm on New Year’s Eve, Christmas Eve, and the 4th of July. Try their bellybuster donuts in regular or XL, or seasonal treats served with in-house coffee blends or home-brewed unsweetened ice tea.
13. Rocco’s Doughnut Company
Despite its sometimes contradictory statutes, Massachusetts has always seen itself as a progressive state. It boasts great thinkers and philosophers and has long been a hub for activism and abolitionism, but also transcendentalism and temperance. So it makes sense that in 2016, the state-supported Question 4 aka the legalization of recreational marijuana.
- Name: Rocco’s Doughnut Company
- Address: 238 Millbury Ave Millbury, Massachusetts 01527
- Website: https://roccosdonuts.square.site
- Phone: (508) 917-6608
- Hours: Thursday to Sunday – 7 am to 1 pm
If you regularly enjoy the holy herb, you’ll know it comes with a hankering for greasy sweets, and doughnuts are the perfect fix for munchies. So check the calendar and if it’s a weekend, swing by any Rocco’s outlet and grab a mystery box of doughnut delights. They only open between Thursday and Sunday though, and you need a designated pilot for the drive-thru!
What’s your favorite spot for donuts in Massachusetts? Give us directions in the comments!
