Voodoo Doughnut: Portland, OR

I ventured out to Oregon last weekend to visit Meg and Danielle and also do a leg in the Pole, Pedal, Paddle with Liz and her high school friends. Meg and Danielle picked me up from the airport, and since they're such good friends, they took me right to Voodoo Doughnuts (Too) in North East Portland.

Now Voodoo Doughnuts is not your typical doughnut shop. The building is bright pink and tucked away on the corner of a weird intersection (you can view pictures here). The atmosphere and staff reminded me of the Hard Times Cafe in Minneapolis - the space is a little dingy with unique decor and punk music playing. The staff had tattoos and piercings and don't want to stereotype too much, but it would not surprise me if they all ride around on fixed gear bikes. It's a cool place. My favorite piece of decor would have to be the coffin chair sitting next to the Guns N Roses pinball machine.

The Donuts

We ordered the following:

• The Zit
• Apple Fritter (vegan)
• Standard glazed
• Banana cake
• Mango Tango
• Rice krispies concoction (also had a creative name I forgot)

Glazed

The standard glazed was airy, yet still had substance. The sweetness factor was just right. It was good, but not memorable.

Cream Filled

The Zit and the Mango Tango comprise the cream filled category. The Zit was raspberry cream with raspberry frosting and fine, sugar sprinkles. The Zit was Meg's favorite. Danielle thoroughly enjoyed the mango cream. Personally, I've never been a fan of cream filled donuts, but they were both decent.

The Apple Fritter (Vegan)

The apple fritter was the star of the show - it was amazing. What really impressed me were the very large chunks of apple and also the fact that the glaze had no offensive greasy aftertaste. Danielle was actually the one who pointed out the lack of unpleasant aftertaste. This one came close to the old Super John's apple fritters from when I was a kid.

The Rest

The banana cake donut was not terribly impressive. It was good, but nothing really stood out. Meg was quite disappointed.

The rice krispie concoction consisted of a regular glazed donut with chocolate frosting and Rice Krispies and peanut butter drizzled on top. It was certainly interesting and tasty, but it's probably not something I would order again. We were all kind of "meh" about it.

The Final Verdict

While overall, the flavor of the Voodoo Doughnuts was nothing exceptional, they make up for it and more with creativity and atmosphere. It's the kind of place you go for the entire experience, not just the food. Well maybe you go for the t-shirts, too. Because the magic is in the hole.