Vancouver BC
It’s no secret.
I like a good doughnut.
We even did a Doughnut tour while in Toronto last summer. Read about it here
Not Tim Hortons. (You know they don’t fry them in store anymore right?)
Not Dunkin Donuts. (Sorry my US friends)
Not Honey’s (too greasy every time I’ve gone)
Donuteria – Closed. (Not a fan of the guy who owned it anyways)
Doughnut Love – I thought it was ok but not great.
Krispy Kreme – I’ll eat but not driving to Delta for them.
Duffins – I haven’t had the craving for fried chicken at 3am but if I do I’ll certainly give it a go.
The list of doughnut shops I will frequent readily include:
Cafe du Monde – There are few things better than a freshly made beignet. However, New Orleans is a bit far to go just for a doughnut. Should you find yourself there though make sure you try it!
Yum Gourmet doughnuts – When it first opened not too far from my house I wasn’t the biggest fan. But they have since worked out the kinks and make some pretty decent varieties.
Cartems – This is a pretty creative doughnut shop. With flavours like Chocolate Blueberry Basil and Cucumber Watermelon they reach out to the foodie in me. To date my favorite doughnut shop in Vancouver. (They have regular flavours too)
Well I’ve added one more to that list.
Mello donuts
Mello was rated by a Yelp survey as the #1 donut shop in Canada. In fact we have 9 of the top 25 right here on the Wet Coast. Who knew we were so blessed? And why have I not heard about this place before? They’ve been around since 2019!
Well doesn’t matter, I know about it now.
We got three today.
First thing: they aren’t cheap. About $5 each. Me personally? I’m not afraid to spend $$$s on great food. But that price may scare some people off. But IKHO they are totally worth it.
First up – Strawberries and cream
Yes those are chunks of real strawberries and it’s filled with a marscapone cream and dusted with granulated sugar. The cream was light and fluffy and suited the strawberries so well. With that much cream a lot of donuts get very heavy and rich. This was exactly the opposite.
Next up – Lemon Curd
They make the lemon curd in house, which pleases me to no end. I make lemon curd myself and I appreciate the difference it makes in flavour.
Lastly we had the Tiramisu.
One bite into this and you can imagine yourself digging in to a tiramisu at a nice Italian restaurant.
Coffee and chocolate flavors come through in a chocolate mascarpone cream and it’s dusted with cocoa.
Pretty amazing job at capturing the flavors of one of the world’s better desserts.
Of the three that we tried today I put strawberries and cream first, lemon curd second and tiramisu third. But all we’re excellent.
I’ve always considered Cartem’s the best donuts in Vancouver. But yeah, I think Mello is a bit better.
Donuts:
Strawberries and cream 10/10
Lemon curd 9/10
Tiramisu 8/10
I think my next challenge might be a side by side comparison. But I’ll be back to Mello soon
Visit Mello