Dutch Door Donuts

"Update- 10/10/25 - I went back a second time and had a completely different experience ☹️ what a bummer. My donut had scant toppings. Worth the trip. Yes, you wait a minute for your incredibly fresh, warm, delightful doughnut. Yes, It is worth the wait. Bring a friend so you can each order something different and share. Walk towards the back of the store and you can see how the magic happens."

"Located on the upper level of Carmel Plaza are some upper level donuts courtesy of Dutch Door Donuts. Getting here is pretty easy, parking in general in the area is a bit difficult to find so be prepared to walk to the plaza. The exterior is very sleek and inviting, modern but not giving it a corporate feel that we see in a lot of newer donut shops. The inside was very clean, again sleek, and there was a surprisingly good amount of seating. Their menu is smaller, always a good sign in a donut shop to be honest. They focus on donuts but also offer beignets and a diverse option of coffee, again, always a good sign when a donut shop focuses on just donuts and coffee. The donuts on display look very good and the donuts are cooked to order. We ordered the vanilla bean glaze but they offer chocolate glaze, cinnamon sugar, etc. Ordering is quick and you can watch them prep your order upfront which is nice to watch since you can see that they don’t just pull it out of somewhere and warm it up. Since they’re made to order it can take a few minutes but be patient because they’re worth it. Once we got ours and had a chance to eat it we were very impressed. The glaze is sugary but not overly sweet. The donut itself is light and bready, probably because it’s yeast risen. A very well balanced flavor and didn’t leave us feeling like we needed to do an hour of crossfit or ask God to forgive our gluttony afterwards. This place is honestly better than Carmel Plaza, and that’s not a knock on the plaza as a whole but this place is definitely good enough to be on Ocean Ave itself and not hidden on the second floor. If we’re ever back in the area, we will without a doubt be back. We’d also be buying way more than just the vanilla bean glaze, and you should too."

"We were in Carmel for the weekend, and my daughter had been begging for donuts so we decided to stop by Dutch Door Donuts. It was a great little find! They offer just a handful of flavors, all made fresh to order. We tried the Salted Brown Butter and two seasonal options: Cheesecake and Strawberry Basil. Each donut had a soft texture, and while the glaze didn’t quite stick (we ended up using a fork!), the flavors made it totally worth it. The Strawberry Basil in particular was a fun, unexpected combo that really worked. We also grabbed a latte and a cappuccino. Nothing to write home about, but a nice complement to the donuts. If you’re in the area and looking for a sweet treat, Dutch Door is definitely worth a stop, especially if you’re into creative flavor pairings and fresh-made donuts."