Dutch Door Donuts  is on the middle level of the 3 story Carmel Plaza.  They are a small place with seating at a counter, tables or you can find seats around the shopping center.  Named for the Dutch doors you see on so many of the Carmel shops, it wanted to honor the charm of the city.  Each yeast donut is cut and shaped by hand and fried after you order it.  They are light and airy inside with a fabulous crisp to the exterior.  There were a number of containers with the toppings and the hot donut goes in and then is placed in a box ready for pick up.  After we placed  and paid for our order we snagged a counter seat to watch the action.  They offered a good range of options that apparently change with the seasons.  They offer a selection of of coffee drinks as well as water and a few soft drinks to go with your hot donuts.  It’s a fun place to sit and have a snack but more importantly the donuts are delicious.  Don’t miss this one when in Carmel.

Set-up

Food

We tried 3 flavors and all were good.  (left to right) Salted browned butter had a touch of salt in the runny glaze.  It was quite good, but I’d probably opt for the other two – they are simply classics and hard to beat.  Cinnamon sugar also had a bit of nutmeg in the mix and was fantastic. The vanilla glaze was a classic and flecked with vanilla bean.  It was the ultimate glazed donut.