Dom's Donuts

Maddie LaKind  

“Citgo, how may I help you?” the phone attendant asked on the other line. My heart sank. “Wait…this isn’t Krispy Kreme?”

How could it be? Was the Internet lying? No Krispy Kremes in Ypsilanti?

This was how it all began—my week of donut-dom. I don’t know exactly what cosmic force or foodie god brought these fried gems back into my life after nearly a year without, but for some reason, I had donuts on the brain. Desperately craving a classic, Krispy Kreme original glazed variety, I tirelessly scoured the Internet in search of a drive-thru or gas station that would carry these little pillows of donut heaven. To my shock and excitement, such a place existed a mere 10 minutes away in Ypsilanti. My life was made, and I was prepared to drop everything and make the trip.

Given the meager amount of Krispy Kreme drive-thrus still in existence, I called ahead just to make sure the place was actually functional. To my overwhelming disappointment, the Internet led me way way awry to, of all places, a Citgo gas station; #fail.

While initially disappointed, I saw this moment as a sign that my Krispy Kreme journey was not meant to be, and that maybe there was an even better donut out there waiting to be discovered. Tapping into my locavore mentality, I set out to leave the conventional, every day Krispy Kreme behind and seek out a real deal, Michigan donut dive.

With this goal in mind, I consulted my go-to string of online food/travel guides—Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Urbanspoon—to help me track down a spot. Following a lengthy investigation, I finally stumbled upon something promising: Dom Bakeries, a 24-hr drive-thru donut shop/bakery in Ypsilanti.

My adventure to Dom’s began on an early Friday morning last week with a quick drive east on Washtenaw and two very hungry, foodie friends in tow. Upon arrival, we knew that this place would be the real deal. The shop looks as if it has remained nearly the same since its opening, with an overwhelmingly beige, 70’s style interior, dotted with a few tables, a couple of drink coolers, and case upon case of baked treats. Now, unlike the current gourmet donut shops sprouting up around the country, Dom’s remains true to its roots: no frills, no pretension, no fancy ingredients or techniques, just awesome donuts that will take you straight back to childhood.

After a thorough perusal of Dom’s selection, we settled on an apple fritter and custard filled long john to share. Armed with steaming cups of coffee, we wasted no time and laid all of the donuts out before us and began picking away.

My first instinct drew me to the apple fritter (per the recommendation of most online reviews), which, if you’ve never seen or had one, translates to a heaping messy mound of fried dough, studded with tiny bits of stewed apples and ribbons of cinnamon, all coated in a light layer of sugar glaze. While fritters aren’t normally my go to donut pick, this one changed my perspective. Dense yet light, sweet but not too sweet, and slightly fruity, warm from the apples and cinnamon—this donut is a simple delight in its purest form.

Although the fritter definitely impressed, the real star of breakfast went to the custard long john—an ethereally fluffy donut filled with velvety, not-too-sweet custard, and topped with a layer of milk chocolate. As more of a light donut kind of girl (in the age-old light vs. cake donut debate), this one hit the spot, filling that classic donut flavor profile without weighing me down.

Given our ferocious appetites, we plowed through our selection in less than fifteen minutes and headed back to Ann Arbor full, caffeinated, and sugar buzzed—the best way to start a weekend.

Now I know that most people have no desire to make a drive all the way out to Ypsilanti just for a donut. However, after confirmation from both of my friends and our very satisfied stomachs, we all agreed these ones were definitely worth a trip. If not for the donuts themselves, Dom’s will provide you an old school charm, vast selection, and crazy cheap prices—24 hrs a day to boot!

Dom Bakeries 1305 Washtenaw Ave Ypsilanti, MI 48197