Daylight Donuts — Restaurant in Raleigh

Listen. I don't know you and you don't know me, but I DO know that there's a donut for you (yeah, YOU personally) at Daylight Donuts. We don't need to have an intimate emotional connection in order for me to know that (not unless you want one), because the donut selection here is so huge that practically every taste is covered. We went on a busy Saturday morning, and the employees deftly handled the line even as I, blacked out in a state of decision paralysis, became an obstacle to efficient crowdflow.

There are classic glazed, frosted, and old-fashioned donuts in a variety flavor profiles: Sweet! Chocolatey! Fruity! Spiced! There are donuts filled with custards and creams and jellies - for most of the filled donuts, you can choose whether the outside shell is glazed, frosted, or dusted in powdered sugar. There are donuts with fun toppings like Oreos, sprinkles, and coconut. There are donut-adjacent pastries, like fritters and turnovers. There are donuts shaped like non-donut objects. There's even a menu of muffins with rotating daily flavors! All of these things are totally nut free and safe for friends with allergies.

These are yeast donuts, so the texture and sweetness are somewhere between bread and cake. They're a little denser than the airy/hollow donuts you'll find at a chain shop, which in my opinion makes for a more satisfying bite. I come from Chicago, City of Donuts, and feel qualified to say with certainty that Daylight Donuts nailed the yeast donut - flavorful but not cloyingly sweet. A donut with body, yet not too heavy. Artful.

I got a chocolate-frosted donut with coconut. My companions got a powdered Bavarian cream and an apple fritter. All of them were fantastic, and there was enough cream in the Bavarian that I was able to sample it without depriving my donut buddy of his rightful share. The apple taste in the fritter was subtle, so as not to overpower the sweetness of the bread. We brought our donuts home and warmed the fritter up a bit before eating it, which I would definitely recommend doing as it brought out the warm notes of cinnamon flavor beautifully.

All in all, Daylight Donuts is everything you would hope for in a donut shop. The Holey Grail, if you will. These folks know what they're doing, and I would definitely recommend dropping by to support this...

Hands-down best doughnuts in the Triangle, anyone claiming otherwise isn't being objective. Our favorites are the blueberry cake and mini cinnamon rolls. They also make spectacular muffins that will blissfully ruin your diet (the cranberry-orange SOUNDS kind of healthy, but it's practically a dessert cake to die for). Their danishes, fritters, donut holes, and all of their other treats are wonderful as well. Order a day ahead of time minimum, because a huge amount of their daily creations will be sold out if you arrive late, and may not be ready yet if you arrive too early. If you're looking for spur of the moment treats though, stop in -and if they don't have your favorite, try something else. I doubt you'll manage to find something bad.

Oh, they also have coffee I guess. (Sorry, thinking...

I really enjoyed the donuts at Daylight. I love that their name fits their business hours. Opening as early as 5 a.m ! The donuts are made fresh. Very fresh, fluffy and delicious flavors. I visited today to order a dozen to share with a group as a token of appreciation during breakfast. This place was very busy with many ordering their treats and taking them to go. There is plenty of seating inside which is great. Customer service was fast and friendly. I decided on the Old Fashioned, Sour Cream, Chocolate Frosted, Lemon, Apple Crumb, Glazed and Cake flavors. My favorite is the Sour Cream ! So moist !!!!! So delicious. I also enjoyed the Old Fashioned as well. I was looking forward to a French Crueller but learned that they no longer make those. I can’t wait to return and try their...