The Great Omaha Donut Tour | Recommendations and Map

Have you ever wondered, “Where is the best donut in Omaha”? This Omaha couple did, but they didn’t stop at simply wondering. They decided to find that unrivaled donut.

Joe and Rachel Mattia set out early on Joe’s 33rd birthday on The Great Omaha Donut Tour of 2020.

I mean, what better way to spend your birthday in the year of the quarantine than sampling TEN of the best donut shops in Omaha?

FIRST STOP

1726 N 126th Street, Omaha, NE 68154

Joe: “I got a Cotton Candy donut, and Rachel went with a Lemon Pie kind. Delicious! The cotton candy tasted delicious. It had real cotton candy on top. Hurts Donut was unique. It had the vibe of a punky coffee joint (music was loud even when we got there at 5 am). But the options were ENDLESS, which reflected their hours of operation. They don’t close! It was pretty darn good. And honestly, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t as tired and the music was not as loud. It was kind of a turn-off. But as far as price, variety, and flavor go, I’m definitely going back. ”

Each Hurts Donut location is independently owned and operated. Hurts Donuts Co. Omaha is owned by Omaha native Lindsey Jochim. They provide oversized specialty donuts designed to “break all the rules with their uniform-free toppings and amped up flavors.”

SECOND STOP

15825 West Maple Road, Omaha, NE 68116

Joe: “Rachel chose the pink Vanilla Raised donut, and I got the S’mores donut, which is their donut of the month! Square Donut had the worst donut we got and probably one of the best, lol. I got the s’mores donut, which was super disappointing since I love s’mores. The atmosphere was great. Rachel loved the decor! However, Rachel’s donut was superb! It was like a strawberry glazed or something, but it was incredibly delicious and rivaled all the other donuts we got.”

Square Donut is a local shop serving…well…square donuts. The donuts are hand-crafted and come in a variety of traditional and specialty flavors.

THIRD STOP

17202 Audry Street, Omaha, NE 68136

Joe: “I got a white fluffed-filled chocolate long john, and Rachel went with a chocolate-covered Bavarian cream-filled Bizmark. Both are super good! Lots of filling in mine! LaMar’s Donuts was really good. It truly was delicious. I think because the thing was loaded with filling! Most times, you get a little bit of filling, but this thing had legit mass to it. It was great, and it tasted awesome. ”

Lamars Donut is a national donut shop originating in Kansas City, MO, in 1933. Today, Lamars has franchises in five different states. Their menu features many traditional and specialty donuts, bars, bizmarks, knots, fritters, cinnamon rolls, and coffee.

FOURTH STOP

17676 Welch Plaza #7, Omaha, NE 68135

Joe: “Got my cinnamon roll fix with white frosting, and Rachel got their Maple-Raised donut. Both are delicious. Not a big maple fan, but I liked this one.”

Sunrize Donuts has been family-owned for over 30 years. They offer more than 50 varieties of doughnuts made from scratch daily. A staff member makes fresh dough every morning. Fifty percent of the dough is hand mixed, and fifty percent is mixed with an automatic mixer. Cutting, pinning, rising, frying, and finishing is all done by hand.

FIFTH STOP

16827 Q Street, Omaha, NE 68135

Joe: “We were both excited about this one. Dapper makes mini donuts to order right in front of your eyes. We got 6 total, half birthday cake (duh) and half fluffernutter. Super warm, soft, and tasty! Very pleased. Dapper Doughnut was unique in that the donuts are all the size of, I’d say, a larger donut hole, but they are “mini donuts.” They make them order, and you get to watch them being made. You purchase them in amounts of 6. They had a very doughy taste since they were hot and fresh, which is different from your typical sort of dry pastry from an off the shelf donut. We both liked it and want to go back.”

The Dapper Doughnut is locally owned. Their doughnuts are “cake-style,” which means they are “light, moist, and slightly crunchy.” Doughnuts are made fresh to order and are 100% customizable. Traditional and specialty flavors available. The Dapper Doughnut also offers various hot and cold drinks, including lattes, hot chocolate, and milkshakes (even a doughnut milkshake).

SIXTH STOP

13807 P Street, Omaha, NE 68137

Joe: “This is your classic mom and pop shop. They were super friendly! Rachel got a Rosebud (raspberry cinnamon roll), and I got a powdered sugar raspberry filled donut. Massive flavor! I was most surprised by Donut Haven because it’s nothing to shout about on the outside. But the friendly staff was as much of a treat as the delicious raspberry-filled powdered sugar donut. And the price was excellent.”

Donut Haven is a family-owned breakfast shop offering donuts, fritters, rolls, and other breakfast items like biscuits and gravy. They are famous for their “Texas donut,” which is 4 times larger than a traditional raised donut.

SEVENTH STOP

14840 Evans Street, Omaha NE 68116
OR
2905 South 120th Street, Omaha, NE 68144

Joe: “A classic. I got a freakin’ dessert hot dog lookin’ long john thing, and Rachel got a nice chocolate sprinkle donut. Of course, they are fantastic.”

Winchell’s Donut House is a national chain based in California. Winchell’s provides a huge variety of donuts, bagels, muffins, croissants, rolls, breakfast sandwiches, and specialty drinks.

EIGHTH STOP

707 South 72nd Street, Omaha, NE 68114
OR
2715 South 120th Street, Omaha, NE 68144

Joe: “After nearly getting hit by a Karen in a Cadillac, we made it across the lot to Krispy Kreme. Rachel got a strawberry-glazed, and I got a powdered sugar strawberry filled donut. Amazing!”

Krispy Kreme is a national donut chain offering traditional and specialty donuts and drinks. Inside, customers can watch the doughnuts traveling along a conveyor belt as they are cut, fried, and glazed.

NINTH STOP

1708 South 10th Street, Omaha, NE 68108

Joe: “We took a bite out of south Omaha at Olsen’s. Super old school vibe with a sweet little old lady behind the counter. Rachel got a cream cheese danish and a glazed donut. I got a cinnamon roll. They were so fresh and delicious! Really good glazed donut!”

Olson’s Bake Shop is a small, family-run bakery. They offer various baked items, including doughnuts, cookies, cakes, bars, bread, brittle, and kolache.

TENTH STOP

502 North 16th Street, Omaha, NE 68102

Joe: “I’ve been here given the proximity to Creighton, but Rachel hasn’t. Super good baked goods! Rachel got a blueberry crumble raised donut, and I went with cookies and creme one. Wow, so good! Petit’s ended up being our favorite place in terms of flavor.”

Pettit’s Pastry has been an Omaha based, family-owned pastry shop for over 65 years.

HEADED HOME

Joe: “We are done! I couldn’t get into Sweet Magnolias since they are only doing online ordering and curbside pickup. I think we did a good job, though! Time to head home and think about our life choices.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Unfortunately, there is only so much time, energy, and stomach space in a day. Here are some other local donut shops that did not make the 2020 tour. But will we see additions tO the tour in years to come? Only time will tell.

Bob’s Donuts – 3824 Farnam Street, Omaha, NE 68131

• Bob’s offers a variety of artisan donuts, breakfast sandwiches, coffee drinks, as well as fried chicken.

Ditmars Orchard and Vineyard – 19475 222th Street, Council Bluffs, Iowa 51503

• Ditmars offers freshly made apple cider donuts, a fall favorite around the Omaha metro.

Sweet Magnolia’s Bake Shop – 813 North 40th Street, Omaha, NE 68131

• Sweet Magnolia’s is a locally-owned boutique bakery in the historic Joslyn Castle neighborhood. Sweet Magnolias offers a huge variety of breakfast items, including donuts, scones, coffee cake, rolls, knots, buns, danish, and quiche. They also offer other treats, including brownies, cupcakes, macarons, cookies, bars, pies, and treats for special occasions such as wedding cakes.

The Uptown Bakery – 2229 Thurston Circle, Bellevue, NE 68005

• Uptown Bakery offers made-from-scratch donuts, buns, and rolls on Fridays and Saturday mornings from 6:00 am until noon.

Jones Bros. Cupcakes – 2121 South 67th Street, Omaha, NE 68106 / 2615 South 180th Street, Omaha, NE 68130 / 10000 California Street Suite 6570, Omaha, NE 68114

• Jones Bros. Cupcakes is a locally owned cupcake shop that appeared on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. Jones Bros. also offers a variety of breakfast items, lunch items, treats, and beverages.

Dunkin’ Donuts – multiple locations across Omaha

• Dunkin’ Donuts is a national donut chain offering drive though or counter served donuts and coffee.