No hocus pocus, just delicious donuts. A Seattle area guide to authentic shops

With all of the excitement and social media buzz over Voodoo Doughnuts opening their first Seattle shop in Capitol Hill this week, here’s an appreciation post for your local, independent donut shop quietly pumping out the best donuts that opens early and closes when the donuts run out.

The best donut you’ve ever had was made in a Kirkland strip mall around 3 a.m. by a guy named Mike. The donut (a plain, unglazed cake for this reporter, please) is warm and fresh out of the fryer. Soft on the inside with just the right amount of crisp fried dough on the outside. Perfect.

The shop is not bright, pink, or flashy. It’s a hole in the wall with a faded sign. Their social media, unlike their donuts, is a little stale. And that’s a good thing! That means they’re too busy getting up before dawn to make the best damn donuts possible. They don’t have time for Instagram.

The donuts are not gimmicky. They are not covered in bacon strips or Oreo bits or any other toppings waiting to dazzle your foodie friends online.

These are working donuts, not show donuts. No bullshit donuts. At Mike’s Countryside Donut House in Kirkland, you’ll find a glass case with tidy rows of perfectly made classics. Boston Cream, glazed twists, apple fritters, bear claws. These are fried but not too dense and oily. The glaze is just right, not too sweet that it overpowers the fresh dough.

These are simple donuts and as Anthony Bourdain said, “good food is very often, even most often, simple food.”

Countryside regulars show up around 6 in the morning, often with a newspaper tucked under their arm and a small dog at the end of a leash. They hang out in the corner booth and discuss local high school sports and which gas stations in town have the best prices.

During the pandemic when customers couldn’t stay inside the shop, somebody brought camp chairs and a propane heater to keep the daily tradition alive out in the parking lot.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I love local brands like Top Pot, Mighty-O, Dough Joy, and the others. These are delicious, fresh donuts made by good people. But these shops can sometimes feel more like hip cafes: not open until 6 or 7 (way too late for this early bird) and the prices are a bit higher than at my favorite, tiny shops.

Mike often sells out his entire case by 11 — even earlier on Sundays — and that’s it. When the white wire racks are empty, Mike closes up shop for the day. He’ll be back in the middle of the night to do it all over again.

You probably have a donut shop like this in your neighborhood. If you’re trying to find one, here are some tips:

• They open at 5 or earlier.
• They might have an espresso machine but it doesn’t work. Look for black drip coffee in styrofoam cups next to a jug of Coffee-Mate nondairy creamer.
• They do not have a website and their only social media presence is a Facebook post from 2011.

Here are some of my favorites:

Dockside Donuts - Tacoma

I used to stop here before getting on the train but the Amtrak station has moved, so now I make a special trip down Puyallup Avenue just for the donuts.

Donut House - Anacortes

OK, this one is in a bright purplish house but we’ll allow it because they were doing it before it was cool. I have walked the 4.5 miles from the Anacortes Ferry Terminal to Donut House and it’s always worth it.

Countryside Donut House - Kirkland

Get there early, grab a booth, chat with the regulars, and fill up that tip jar. I once hosted a pirate radio show from one of those red vinyl booths. Mike and the other customers didn’t give a hoot I was broadcasting from the corner.

Family Donut Shop - Northgate

A must-stop before getting on the light rail in Northgate. Family Donut does serve some fancy treats with bacon bits and sprinkles, but they’re open at 5 a.m. and close at 2 in the afternoon. That’s a real donut shop.

King Donuts - Rainier Valley

A South Seattle staple. The laundry machines are long gone, but King offers great espresso and treats just a couple blocks from Lake Washington. Their donuts are especially tall, fluffy, and light which means you can have more than one.