Seattle: Daily Dozen Doughnut Company

Doughnuts are the new darlings of the sweets world, and Daily Dozen Doughnut Company in Pike Place Market makes some darling little doughnuts — about 2-inches across, actually.

Fresh doughnuts are made right before your eyes with a Doughnut Robot Mark II machine plopping dough into hot grease, then flipped out with a conveyor belt. The doughnut production is a show, but not as charming as the doughnut wrangler and order taker who tosses your order of doughnuts one by one into the air, catching them in a paper bag before passing the grease stained bag over the counter. Tip for the theatrics, but also because of the guilt you'll feel after reading the tip jar plastered with "God knows when you don't tip."
Plain, cinnamon, powdered, and chocolate with sprinkles are the only doughnuts on offer. We went with the very reasonably priced ($2.97) assorted half dozen, which actually included seven doughnuts. Hooray for baker's half dozens, if that exists? (You really should tip.)

While people have written up and down about how awesome these doughnuts are, they really are just average. If you've had a mini doughnut fresh from a vat of oil at a fair or flea market, you've had these doughnuts before. Good, for sure, but when isn't a hot doughnut good? As a tourist, I'd say save room in your stomach for other eats (crumpets and piroshkis) that are far better. As a local, if you're in the area and have a hankering for hot 'nuts, do it!

Daily Dozen Doughnut Company
Pike Place Market
93 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
206-467-7769