The best donuts in Berlin – and where to find them
You know the donut long before you've ever eaten one. Homer Simpson turned it into an icon. For decades, that pink frosted donut with sprinkles has been practically glued to his fingers — more symbol than snack, a piece of pop culture that instantly conjures an image.
Then there's the cliché of the donut-loving American cop, which actually has a real origin: in the 1950s, donut shops were often the only places in the US open at night. The night shift had to go somewhere — and so an image was born that's stuck around ever since.
The donut came to Berlin in 1999 with Dunkin' Donuts. Mostly at train stations, between two trains, for people who couldn't think of anything better. It was fine. It wasn't exactly exciting.
Brammibal's — the turning point
In 2015, Bram and Jessica started out in their home kitchen. The goal: finally bring good donuts to Berlin — completely vegan, without anyone regretting it on the first bite. After a year of markets and pop-ups, they opened Europe's first all-vegan donut shop in May 2016, on Maybachufer in Neukölln.
What happened next, nobody quite saw coming. The lines outside were long, wait times of an hour not unusual — for a donut. Let that sink in for a second: standing in line for an hour, for dough with frosting. And it was worth it. No premix, freshly made every day, everything from scratch — you can taste the difference. There are now several locations in Berlin and Hamburg. The standard has held. The lines have gotten shorter.
Atelier Dough — craft, taken seriously
On Glogauer Straße in Kreuzberg, Atelier Dough is a quieter affair. Small café, light wood, and a glass-walled bakery right there in the room — you can watch the team work, which makes the visit feel like something.
Everything is made from organic ingredients, by hand, fresh every day. The selection is intentionally small, and if you show up late, you leave empty-handed — which isn't a gimmick, just the logical consequence of not selling yesterday's batch. The crème brûlée donut with its caramelized sugar crust is my favorite. Very few pastries pull off contrast and craft that precisely — crisp on the outside, creamy inside, just complex enough to stick with you.
Bottom line:
Berlin didn't invent the donut. But the city now has places that show what it's actually capable of. Homer Simpson has known that since 1989. Some things just take a little longer to make it to Germany.
