America's 12 Best Donut Shops Slideshow

German immigrant Joseph Dinkel opened this Chicago institution in 1922, and it's remained in the family ever since. It's changed very little in the past 90 years, and their non-donut baked goods are legendary in their own right. But you haven't truly experienced Dinkel's until you've tasted their handmade donuts. While they've jumped on the maple-bacon bandwagon, you're best off sticking with the classics: try the chocolate cake donut and try to not to weep. 

This hole-in the wall donut shop has been in business for 60 years, and the giant donut on its roof has become as much of a Los Angeles landmark as the Hollywood sign. It's not just a gimmick, though: Randy's has some seriously delicious donuts. Try the buttermilk one.

Probably the most famous donut shop in the country at the moment, this tiny, quirky donut stand is never without a line, and customers are rewarded for their patience with some of the most outlandish donut creations in existence. Voodoo Doughnut's Portland Cream has been named the city's official donut by the mayor, and the Captain My Captain, topped with vanilla frosting and Cap'n Crunch, is the perfect exercise in both simplicity and brilliance. There are currently two other outposts, but nothing beats a visit to the original.

While not an easy place to score your doughnuts at (they're closed Sundays and Mondays, and only open for an hour or so on the days that they are open), once you've made your precious purchase it's nearly impossible to not leave The Doughnut Vault a very happy camper. The menu is gigantic, but narrow down your options to the cake donuts, which are surprisingly light and fresh. From there your best bet is to keep it simple; a light coating of cinnamon and sugar should be all you need to change your opinion of cake donuts forever. 

When there's only one item on the menu and lines to get in at all hours of the day and night, you know you've come to the right place. It also happens to be one of the most famous places in all of New Orleans. No trip to the Crescent City is complete until you've sampled Café du Monde's beignets, fresh out of the fryer, topped with a heap of powdered sugar and washed down with a cup of their chicory coffee. A word of advice: don't breathe in while taking a bite, or else you'll end up coughing and getting powdered sugar all over everything (and everyone) around you.

Vegan and organic might not be two words you associate with world-class donuts, but Mighty-O's are the best ones out there that meet those criteria. These perfect little rings of dough and sugar are egg-, dairy-, and cholesterol-free, and come in standout flavors including lemon poppy, French toast, and "good ol-glazed."

Pastry chef Kamal Grant is a donut genius-at-work in this charming Atlanta donut shop, and his creations are some of the most original in the country. It's nearly impossible to not walk out of Sublime Doughnuts without four or five of his trademark donuts, in varieties like fresh strawberries and cream, Oreo ice cream "burger," s'mores, and salted caramel balsamic. 

While pastry chef Richard Capizzi is no longer a part of Bouchon, chef Thomas Keller's wildly popular mini-chain of bakeries, he created donuts that stand up to the Keller name and don't disappoint. Although the treats are only available on the weekends, these surprisingly casual spots feature delicate brioche donuts and ones filled with fresh, seasonal preserves.

The unique orange-yellow yeast-risen donut that put Round Rock on the map gets is color from the high-quality fresh eggs that go into it. The recipes and ovens used to create these rings of perfection haven't changed since the 1920s, and they sell for only $0.59 apiece. Forego the "Texas Size" giant for the classic plain glazed. 

This no-frills donut stand in the front of a barbecue shop is as simple as it gets, and that approach makes for some of the best donuts ever created. While their "Big Dat," which is about the size of your head, will keep the tourists taking photos for years to come, a bite of Dat Donut's handmade plain glazed will send you into a state of quiet contemplation.

This little shop, nestled into a cozy corner of Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, is quietly turning out what, in our opinion, are the best donuts being produced in the country right now. The owners of Dough stick to yeast as opposed to cake donuts, and it's a recipe that they've perfected. The key is freshness, and freshly fried donuts are near-constantly being brought out of the kitchen. The offerings are continuously changing, but never cease to surprise. Passion fruit, hibiscus, earl grey, lemon poppy, blood orange, chocolate glazed... you might just have to return a few times before your cravings for these donuts will be satisfied. But they most likely never will be.

This bakery essentially singlehandedly started the specialty donut boom thats gripping the nation. Donuts have been a part of owner Mark Isreals family for more than 100 years, and in 1994 he opened The Doughnut Plant using that same recipe his grandfather used. By building on that classic recipe, hes made a name for himself and his bakery, and hes also created a few now-legendary inventions, like the square jelly-filled, peanut butter and jelly (left), and tres leches donuts.