The sweet treat which has taken over our instagram feeds, afternoon snacking and replaced the traditional cake at special occasions – the doughnut. We have rounded up the five top doughnuts in London you need to try…

Our obsession with doughnuts – and the reason for our difficulty picking the five best for our list of top doughnuts in London begins over a decade ago, back in the 90s. Oh the 90s. Gone are the days when a doughnut was a 12 for £2 snack from a funfair that you begged your mum for, along with about a kilo of candy floss that she’d understandably regret an hour later when you were bouncing off the walls. Although, we’ll admit we reminisce for those doughnuts at times, the ones that were warm – melted in your mouth almost instantly and were bathed in cinnamon sugar – like mini fried dumplings of happiness – we revelled in these morsels and adored every bite.

Fast forward to 2018 and doughnuts have taken a different turn and become the latest Instagram accessory. The original Doughnut Time in Australia, went pretty quickly from a tiny counter in Sydney’s Topshop to an international sensation that now boasts over 230k instagram followers internationally, and collabs with some of the biggest influencers around. They’re named after cult movie lines and characters, filled with favourite spreads and they’ve pretty much become as creative as you can imagine – I’m not sure what’s next, but one thing’s for sure – London has lost it’s mind over Doughnuts and it doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon.

But where are the top doughnuts in London? And what ones are all insta hype but no delivery? Here at Seen in The City, we’ve rounded up the best five doughnuts that the capital has to offer and if you make it to the end of this article without drooling, well done…

Bellatwix Lestrange @ Doughnut Time

It wouldn’t be a top doughnuts in London list without an addition from Doughnut Time, one of the main culprits behind London’s doughnut filled craze of 2018. Through all the constant winners and instagram worthy treats they serve up – the current winner is obvious, meet Bellatwix Lestrange. Combining Harry Potter with a doughnut was always going to be a winner, but the Bellatwix boasts a chocolate glaze on their signature dough, is topped with a biscuit crumb, chocolate flakes a caramel drizzle and yep – an actual twix. It’s basically the thing of all your gooey, caramel, chocolate covered dreams and it’s bloody wonderful.

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Dulche de YES PLEASE @ Vicky’s Doughnuts

We don’t remember what our lives were like before we were introduced to the godly substance of dulche de leche, but it must have been incredibly bland. The Argentinian spread, which is basically the king of all variations of caramel – is centre stage in this delight from Vicky’s Doughnuts with salted caramel glaze, a biscuit crumb and yes, the king of all biscuits – the Biscoff.

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Sea Salt Caramel Banana @ CrossTown

We were a Crosstown fan from the moment we stepped in and were greeted by a neon sign which read ‘Be a Doughnut in a world full of Cupcakes.’ Crosstown is understated, a change from the other Doughnut joints popping up around the city and pandering to the trend of being ‘instagram friendly’ as much as they can. It’s aesthetically pleasing, affordable and damn tasty – and those are all things we can get on board with. This one is a winner. and a sure entry on our list of top doughnuts in London. Chocolate sourdough, homemade banana custard, sea salt, caramel and chocolate soil – if only it went towards our five a day.

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The Zebra @ Dum Dum

The Cronut – but make it chocolate but not. The Zebra is a triumph on the London Doughnut scene, flaky layers of croissant dough (regular and chocolate croissants) meet a solid doughnut form, filled with a chocolate buttercream and topped with chocolate flakes – it’s so good you may never be able to be satisfied by a normal baked good that doesn’t transcend the boundaries of bakeries as we know them again.

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Oreo Cheesecake Crodough @ Rinkoff’s Bakery

Another Croissant / Doughnut hyrid – but this one holds it’s own and with good reason and a must on our list of top doughnuts in London. The crodough is injected with a creamy, Oreo cheesecake filling and crushed Oreos are sprinkled on top. It’s the most decandent of treats – but one that is incredible and may leave you so satisfied your life may be forever changed.

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So the only question remains – which one of our top Doughnuts in London are you trying first? Let us know in the comments below…