Shanghai has (kind of) been starved for donuts. That is, until 2023. We might have lost Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ (both came and left), but there are plenty of bakeries and cafes picking up the gauntlet, serving up some “designer donuts” for the masses.
From baked and filled to fried and icing dusted, here are the best donuts in Shanghai.
Written by Coquina Restrepo & Rachel Gouk
Sloppy Gin
Address: No.104, 425 Yanping Lu
Tel: 18049966504
Hours: Daily, 9am-7pm
Contrary to its name, Sloppy Gin not a gin bar. This small cafe and bakery on Nanchang Lu opened in January 2023, owned and operated by barista and self-taught baker Gin. His latest obsession? Donuts. Gin’s recipe uses a hyper-fermented dough, rotating flavors often with the help of pastry chef Zoe. Donut flavors tend to be a bit experimental.
This season’s citrus-forward flavors include the Pina Colada (¥23), made with coconut cream and pineapple chunks, and Lime Cheesecake (¥25), a triangular donut with key lime cheesecake filling.
The fan favorite and best seller is the Strawberry Milkshake (¥20).
TonTon
Address: 176-178 Yongkang Lu 永康路176-178号
Tel: 13916611018
Hours: Daily, 10am-6:30pm
From the team behind Mavis comes TonTon, a bakery and sandwichery on Yongkang Lu. It just opened this week, serving up delightfully sinful pastries alongside fresh baked breads and belt-buster sandwiches.
Donuts are made fresh daily, baked and then lightly fried, dusted with sugar. Fluffy, airy donuts with silky, creamy fillings. Six fillings currently available, which include pistachio and cherry, passion fruit and lemon, chocolate ganache, vanilla and orange, lychee and rose, and vanilla custard. Donuts are ¥22, except for the pistachio and cherry (¥28).
Toasty by O’Mills
Address: 135 Yanping Lu 延平路135号
Tel: 62308068
Hours: Daily, 8am-10pm
O’Mills added donuts to their inventory of delicious baked goods early 2023 with the launch of Toasty by O’Mills on Yanping Lu. Their donuts are made with 72-hour fermented sourdough, giving them a fluffy, almost bread-like texture. The donuts also have more filling-to-donut ratio compared to the others on the list.
Donuts are sugar-dusted, available in three flavors: vanilla bean (¥21), chocolate (¥25), and strawberry (¥23). The donuts are available daily, but best get them early in the morning, fresh out of the oven and before they run out.
Egg
Address: 12 Xiangyang Bei Lu 襄阳北路12号
Tel: 17717380150
Hours: Daily, 8am-6:30pm
Long-standing café Egg is diving into the wild world of donuts, launching an on-going weekend event “Donut Drop” to highlight the pastry. In addition to Egg’s own flavors of donuts, they’re hosting with everyone from chefs to “friends of Egg” for limited, all-new flavors every weekend.
Egg’s donuts can be a tad cakey (but that’s because they use cake dough for the base) and are fried to finish. Previous house flavors include kinako-sugar, peach-shiso cream-filled, pink lemonade pistachio, ube, dragon fruit glazed, miso chocolate, and more. Every Saturday and Sunday from 9am until sold out. Donuts are ¥20-28.
Crush Wine Bistro (Closed)
Address: 819 Shaanxi Bei Lu 陕西北路819号
Tel: 62199005
Hours: Tue-Fri, 5pm-1am; Sat-Sun, 11:30am-4:30pm (brunch), 4:30pm-1am
Not only does Crush serve up an excellent brunch at good value—¥198 for two dishes plus options for free-flow—they also do gourmet donuts as part of the weekend brunchtime menu.
The Cinnamon Sugar Brioche Donuts (¥78) are inspired by donuts from Dahlia Lounge in Seattle, a city that has its own cult of donuts. These airy and fluffy donuts are fried to order, dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon alongside melt-in-your-mouth donut holes. Comes with whipped vanilla mascarpone cream and strawberry jam. It is a classic American donut made majestic.
The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai
Address 1/F, 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu 南京西路1376号1层
Tel: 62797166
Hours: Daily, 8am-8pm
For donuts on-the-go, The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai also makes them fresh daily, available at The Gift Shop. Silky smooth pastry cream in a light, airy donut.
Five flavors available: pandan, yuzu, raspberry, chocolate ganache, and tiramisu. Donuts are ¥28 a piece or a box of four for ¥78.
Editor’s Note: While Tim Horton’s donuts have been known to be good in its home country, the ones at Shanghai’s Tim’s are pretty dismal. Additionally, Woody Baker is another venue that does designer donuts, however, I couldn’t get to it, due to the high demand! There’s usually a queue at Woody Baker, and donuts tend to sell out early.
