VooDoo Doughnut #1 – Portland, OR

4 1/2 Nadas (Not Family Friendly, though)

When I tell people that I have a donut blog they generally react like this: First they laugh or chuckle, then their eyes light up and they ask, “Have you tried (insert donut shop) in (insert town)?” Everyone has a favorite donut shop or a crazy donut experience. I heard of Voodoo Doughnuts from a few people. I had to check it out. It just happened to work out that I was on a tour (the Banyan Tree Family Tour) stopping in Portland for a few days.
Hold on…
OK. I’m back… So Felix, my roommate, unaware that I was typing this right now, called me to the living room to watch a segment on the travel channel. This is crazy… It was on VooDoo Doughnuts!!!! I’m tripping out right now. Ha.
Anyway, I just learned that there are over 6000 different donuts shops in the USA. VooDoo Doughnuts contributes 2 shops to that number and was started by 2 guys named Cat Daddy and Tres…. And they are crazy. Ha. Here’s my experience with their shop.

Vibe of Shop: 4
This shop has a ton of style. They had amazing paintings, a giant donut, and an underlying pink theme. It is very playful. The only problem is that there is no place inside or out to sit and enjoy the donuts. (I actually took my donuts over to Stumptown Coffee shop to eat them.)

Outside Appearance: 5 Nadas
I loved the vintage brick look. I also loved the little nook, hole-in-the-wall look.

Hours: 5 Nadas
24 Hours!!! This donut shop is perfectly located in the downtown section of Portland known to the locals as “the Bar-muda triangle.” Strategically placed in the middle of multiple bars, as they all close, hungry drunks can grab a donut to soak up the alcohol.

Service: 3 Nadas
This is a pretty popular place, so as I ordered, the service was all business. They had cool style though… Somewhat of a Portland city hippie/hipster vibe. Note: Not predominately Asian

Taste of Glaze Donut: 5 Nadas
This donut was delightfully rich, moist, fluffy, and sweet, although overshadowed by all the specialty donuts.

Blueberry Donut? See “Special” below
Coffee: 5 Nadas
In Portland, there is a coffee company called Stumptown Coffee. While in Portland, I visited the Stumptown Annex for a coffee “cupping.” These people take coffee seriously just like how Voodoo Doughtnuts takes donut making seriously. Simply put, the coffee was great.
Special: Beyond the plethora of dirty donut options (ie. Tex-Ass, Cock-N-Balls, the Gay Bar, Vegan Cock, Old Dirty Bastard) this shop had the most creative donuts I have yet seen. Here are some examples:
1. The Voodoo Doll – shaped like a person, covered with chocolate, white frosting draws the face, raspberry filling to imitate blood, and a straight pretzel stabbing the doll in the side…Scarily delicious!
2. Captain My Captain – a raised donut covered in white frosting topped with Captain Crunch Cereal.
3. Bacon Maple Bar – Yes, this donut has real bacon on it! Unfortunately I was unable to taste this donut as they were out of it when I asked. Think about it though, breakfast… Pancakes with maple syrup…Bacon on the side, but the syrup spills off the pancakes and runs all over and around the bacon. This is all that in a donut!
And, yes, they do have simple blueberry donuts.
PS. They sell pink underwear and… they are licensed to legally performing wedding ceremonies in their shop!!! Amazing.

The Original Ferrell’s Donuts – Scotts Valley, CA

3 NadasIn the past 12 years, I have lived all over Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley. As I explored I discovered there were multiple Ferrell’s Donut Shops. I first fell in love with Ferrell’s on Ocean street, then Ferrell’s on Mission Street. Next I found “The Original Ferrell’s” on 17th which jolted my memory that there was another “Original Ferrell’s” in Scotts Valley on Scotts Valley Drive. This was confusing to me because the word “original,” to me, meant the first one, and there can only be one first one.

On this particular morning I was passing through Scotts Valley on my way to play at a Church and I decided it was time to figure this thing out. I asked, “What’s with the word Original in the name?” She told me that years ago, there were 5 affiliated Ferrell’s Donut Shops (2 of them have since gone out of business). 2 more donut shops opened and somehow legally got the business name of Ferrell’s. The owner of the Original 5 shops wanted to separate himself from the fakes, so he changed the name to “The Original Ferrell’s Donuts.” It’s too bad for him that, in my opinion, the copies are better that the original.

Vibe of Shop: 5 Nadas
One of the more cleaner shops I’ve ever been to, it shows that these people take donuts very seriously. Cleanliness equals pride. Unfortunately, pride does not always equal amazing donuts.

Outside Appearance: 4 Nadas
This place tips cuteness scale but… looks aren’t everything. Tucked between auto shops and business offices, I’m not sure I’d like to spend much time hanging out here.

Hours: 1 Nadas
It gets 1 Nada for only being open occasionally. The hours are slim, but it is in Scotts Valley. There’s not much going on in this town.. 7am-12pm 6 days a week or so.

Service: 5 Nadas
First I must point out: Not Asian, a rarity in donut shops. She was very kind and helpful…. Kind of reminded me of grandma.

Taste of Glaze Donut: 2 Nadas
I tasted the donut and was very disappointed. It was dry and not fresh. I came to find out that the donuts are made in another shop and delivered here in the morning. Boo.
Blueberry Donut? Yes! And the kind with delicious blueberry frosting.

Coffee: 3 Nadas
On a rough morning, this stuff will get you going, but I wouldn’t go out of my way just to taste it (which is what I did for this blog. Ha. I just realized that).

Sunshine Donuts – San Luis Obispo, CA

Overall Shop Rating: 4 Nadas

I have been playing music in various bands for about 13 years. For about 8 of those years I have had a friend/fan follow and support my music. At the beginning she was in Junior High, and now, in college, she has helped me promote shows and get musical connections. She has been so good to me so I gave her the name, Sarah Lam Superfan. (I hope she’s not offended).
When Sarah heard that I had a donut blog, she immediately started throwing out names of great donut shops. The one she said I definitely had to check out was called Sunshine Donutes in San Luis Obispo. She said that it is open 24 hours which makes it the perfect place for insomniac college students to get donuts at the wee hours of the night. This reminds me a lot of my love, Ferrell’s Donuts on Ocean in Santa Cruz.

Vibe of Shop: 3 ½ Nadas
It was a normal donut shop, kind of small and slightly cramped inside. I did love the “donut bar” area.

Outside Appearance: 2 Nadas
It was kind of boring. I did visit at night so I didn’t really get to see the surrounding area but there wasn’t anything special that made this shop “pop.”

Hours: 24 Hours

Service: 5 Nadas
The service was great! Maybe Colleen, the lady working, was bored, but after eating my donut I told her about my donut blog and how I would love to see the process in which a donut is made. She invited me to the back and walked me through the whole donut making process. It was so fun! After this night, I committed to making my own donut from scratch!
Taste of Glaze Donut: 4 Nadas
I remember this donut being very tasty and moist, but it didn’t blow my mind like others I have had.

Blueberry Donut… Yes!!!

Coffee: 3 Nadas
It was just average.




Special: They had Apple Sauce donuts. I thought this was a but strange, but I am a huge fan of apple sauce. They tasted good.
Thank you, Colleen, for inspiring me to create a perfectly round fried piece of dough. I will take your direction and implement your wisdom and I will make you proud.