By now it’s clear that the donut craze isn’t going anywhere. Unlike previous sweet trends that came and went as quickly as they were devoured, the donut has proven to have legs in Rhode Island. This shouldn’t be surprising – we love our donuts. Allie’s has been the first name in Ocean State donuts for decades, cooking up the quintessential complement to coffee, not to mention their famous donut cakes. Payne’s Donuts on Block Island has similarly been keeping its guests fueled for the beach for more than 50 years.
But it’s the more recent, artisan donut trend that has dominated our Instagram feeds for the last few years that seems to be taking the state’s donut tradition to new heights. PVDonuts and Knead Doughnuts, both in Providence, have earned national recognition – Thrillist has raved about PVDonuts’ mad scientist creations like the Pizza and Thanksgiving donuts; Travel and Leisure named Knead the best donut in the state – and have a devoted fan base since setting up shop. Both have recently embarked on expansion plans, with Knead opening a second location and PVDonuts growing within its current space to accommodate a larger kitchen and cafe area for customers. Dave’s Coffee, known for their coffee milk syrups and locally roasted beans, naturally embraced donuts and brought a gluten-free perspective to the small-batch baked donuts at their Providence and Charlestown locations. Eli’s Kitchen in Warren approaches donuts the same way they do their lunch and dinner menu, putting meticulous and innovative twists on comfort food. Their donuts show up Thursdays through Sundays with a bunch of inventive flavors.
Another way to reinvent the wheel-shaped treat? Literally make it not a wheel. 4corners Coffee in Warwick brings the same attention to quality and wild varieties as the shops above but manages to stand out from the crowd thanks to one fundamental yet simple difference: their donuts, as their name suggests, are all squares. New England Homemade Donuts, which opened earlier this year in Portsmouth, keeps things deliciously old school, complete with the classic trifecta of donut holes, bear claws, and a drive-thru.
This is hardly a complete roster of the donut dynamos in Rhode Island, but you get the picture. There’s a donut for everyone in this state, as well there should be. Donuts, and food in general, are a great equalizer, a means to coming together to share in joyful moment of quiet, face stuffing contentment. It doesn’t matter if you’re in it for the from-scratch brioche or the cakey, double glazed and sprinkled, everyone’s equal when they’re standing over a dozen donuts.
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