And the Best Donuts in Everett are…
Editor’s note: Originally published November 11, 2020. Republished March 23, 2023
I’m willing to bet that you, from the comfort of your cozy couch, think that an afternoon of donut taste testing sounds great. But trust me when I tell you that as the first round of judging finishes up, both your body and brain rebel at the sugar overload. Others might balk at the challenge, but my team of resolute donut eaters didn’t back down—no, they gamely stuffed in bite after bite, and after much scholarly discourse on the fluffiness, shine, and importance of high-quality chocolate, they reached decisions. Very important decisions.
Donut worry, be happy sign at O’s Donuts // Ilana O’Neal
The Nitty-gritty Details
7 designated judges (friends and fam in our Quarantine Bubble)
6 donut shops (all within Everett city limits)
3 set flavors of donut, 1 wild card “Buyers choice” flavor
1 keeper of the chaos and rulebook (me)
The donuts: who, what, when, why?
The donuts judged were from Henry’s, O’s Donuts, Tyler’s Donut House, Safeway, Despi Delite Bakery, and QFC/Top Pot Doughnuts. The only true criteria for the selection of shops was that they were open when we went to buy donuts (Sunday AM between 9-11 AM) and that they had enough of the designated flavor of donuts to suit our needs. We’d planned to also include Karl’s and a few others but either they weren’t open or didn’t have the donuts we needed at the time we arrived.
The flavors judged were agreed upon in advance and selected due to an internet search that reported three donut flavors as the country’s favorites: Glazed, Boston Crème, and Old Fashioned. The final donut choice was left up to the purchaser, whichever donut caught their fancy.
Examples of the donut flavors judged. Donuts from O’s Donuts // Rob O’Neal
The judges
Audrey Weir tasting the Wild Card donut flight // Erica Weir
Our esteemed judging panel consisted of local Everett community members ranging in age from 13 to approximately 50. If you ever plan to host your own donut taste test/voting extravaganza hear this one piece of advice: stock the field with teens. Teenagers far and away outperform adults when it comes to sustained donut-eating ability.
The judging itself
As a basic principle of integrity, the test was “blind”. While I allowed a subsection of the judges to glance over the wares before we began the formal process, I took pains to keep secret which donut came from which shop throughout. Judging started with one flavor of donut arrayed in bite-sized pieces on a grid for every judge. The sole factor donuts would be judged upon was deliciousness. Once they’d tasted the offerings, they ranked them in order of favorite to least. Never knowing which donut came from which shop.
Sound easy? It isn’t. Caveat that “deliciousness” is clearly one of those “beauty is the eye of the beholder” deals. Deliciousness was defined only by individual judge’s taste buds. If you’ve got a better idea for judging, by all means, do your own test and report in. Live in Everett would love to hear all about your test and resulting winners.
Donuts on display at Despi Delite Bakery // Anna Winquist
The winners are in-Drum roll, please…
Glazed
First: Tyler’s Donut House
Second: It’s a tie! Henry’s Donuts and O’s Donuts
Third: Despi Delite Bakery
Boston Crème
First: Henry’s Donuts
Second: QFC (Top Pot Doughnuts)
Third: O’s Donuts
Old Fashioned
First: Tyler’s Donut House
Second: Despi Delite Bakery
Third: Henry’s Donuts
Wild Card
First: Henry’s Donuts
Second: QFC (Top Pot Doughnuts)
Third: Tyler’s Donut House
Best overall donuts: Tie! Henry’s and Tyler’s split 1st place wins down the middle. North Everett’s Henry’s took top place for the North and Tyler’s for the South. Congrats!
Of course, since the deliciousness of the donut is in the belly of the beholder, and since our judging field was limited to 7, you may not want to take our word for it. We invite you to embrace the donut challenge. Try them all! But a word of advice: Get to the shops early. Donuts are big business in Everett, you’ll be surprised how quickly those beautiful glass cases empty out on a sleepy Sunday morning.
Henry’s Donuts
2515 Broadway
Everett, WA 98201
Tyler’s Donut House
11108 Evergreen Way # D
Everett, WA 98204
Despi Delite Bakery
3713 Broadway
Everett, WA 98201
O Donuts
520 128th St SW #7
Everett, WA 98204
Safeway
4128 Rucker Ave
Everett, WA 98201
QFC
2615 Broadway
Everett, WA 98201
The Live in Everett team did a Tyler’s vs. Henry’s throwdown last year. Take a look to see who won.
Tammy lives and works in Everett, WA with a disgraceful pitskunk named Samhain the Druid, three professional shrew killers, two strange children, and a lawyer to keep them all out of trouble.
