New treats on the Hill, courtesy of District Doughnut.
Lately our fair neighborhood (and greater city) has been a breeding ground for baked-good fads, trends, and experimentation. Some fads have succeeded and others have paved the way for new ideas. We’ve got pioneers and purveyors of cupcakes, pop tarts, macarons, and now gourmet doughnuts with the arrival of District Doughnut on 8th Street SE. The small shop offers new takes on classic doughnut favorites as well as creative, gourmet varieties that may soon become favorites.
You can read the entire backstory on how District Doughnut came to be on their website, but in summary an early-age love affair with doughnuts brought two school friends together (Juan Pablo and Greg). When they met Christine – a graphic designer turned pastry chef – and sampled her signature brown butter doughnut, they knew they had hit on something special. They also knew they needed to share it with the world.
After exhausting, extensive, and very trying research on my part (kidding of course – I ate doughnuts for the love of Tommy Wells), I can tell you the doughnuts offered are light, not greasy at all, soft, chewy, and delicious. The brown butter doughnut, while perhaps a bit plain for some, is tender on the inside with a crisp, sweet outer layer. The vanilla bean powdered sugar tastes like the classic. The pumpkin spice was possibly my least favorite, though it could be better paired with warm cider. It was spiced well and not too sweet, but not what I was looking for in a doughnut. Instead, I will take the mocha crunch varietal– a whole dozen of, please. You don’t need the coffee to go with this treat, since it’s in the dough or coating and sprinkled with chocolate crunch on top.
Speaking of coffee, it’s available as well from new DC roaster Compass Coffee. The drip blend is delicious and can be topped off with cream or almond milk. Regular and chocolate milk are also available to pair with your doughy selections.
My one (perhaps only) complaint: at $2.50 to $2.75 a doughnut, the prices are a little steep for the size creation you get. This is definitely a place to get a treat with coffee on the run, but I cannot see trying to feed my entire office on doughnut day from this establishment. Experiencing Voodoo Doughnut in Portland earlier this year and paying almost $5 for one doughnut was a different experience; those treats were the size of my head and kept me full for days.
District Doughnut changes its flavor offerings daily with a rotating array of about 8 to 9 varieties. Their web menu notes what is available each day, with more flavors coming soon including gluten-free types. You can also pre-order large requests through the website.
District Doughnut is located at 749 8th Street SE, across from the Marine Barracks. They are open Wednesday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.