Loving to explore and uncover the Portland doughnut scene, I happened to learn about Pip's Original Doughnuts while trying to familiarize myself with our neighborhood. Known for their fresh mini doughnuts, which come in a number of interesting daily flavors, I thought "what's the harm in trying them, since they're so tiny!"
Atmosphere:
Situated in the Beaumont Wilshire neighborhood in Portland, there's plenty to discover in the lively strip of businesses where Pip's is located. It feels like a nice little community with young families and young professionals, and I'd like to explore it more in the coming weeks.
Pip's itself is a small storefront, but definitely big enough to seat at least 30 or so people. On a typical rainy Portland day during which I came in, it was bursting with people who were both in line for doughnuts and others sitting inside enjoying coffee, chai and the aforementioned doughnuts. Everyone seemed happy and smiley and the atmosphere was casual, fun and hospitable. Although I took my treats to go, it would've been lovely to come by with Dan or with friends to sit for a while and soak in the infectious atmosphere. Next time, I'll do just that.
Doughnuts:
You'll notice the flavors of the day written out on their menu board, which is modest and not overwhelming. There are a few staple everyday flavors and others are daily specials. Both sound enticing and delicious.
I chose three flavors and doubled up on each one including their signature cinnamon sugar, the honey sea salt as well as the honey, sea salt & Nutella. Loving to watch these beauties be created on the spot, they're fried to order and piped through a special mold that drops the fresh batter right into the hot oil. The toppings are added immediately after so they remain super fresh and delicious.
Out of the three aforementioned flavors, the Nutella special was my favorite, as I'm a sucker for a hazelnut, chocolate spread. I loved the sea salt in this combination as well because it provided a little morsel of savoriness with all that desserty goodness. Dan agreed with me, but especially appreciated the airiness of the dough and the way it stayed perfectly crispy on the outside.
Service and Cost:
Given Pip's popularity, you have to be prepared to wait in line for your doughnuts but this wasn't an issue for me, as it allowed me to soak in the atmosphere. I loved listening to the indie music mix they had on and the way in which the orders were called out to happy customers. Overall, the vibe is infectious and comfortable, making you want to return soon.
The doughnuts and the coffee (and chai) are fairly priced at $2.95 for 4 doughnuts all the way through $6.95 for a dozen. I noticed that the hot cocoa and the coffee are well priced too ranging from $1.25 - $4.25.
3 Mmmms
Pip's Original Doughnuts - 4759 NE Fremont Street, Portland OR 97213
503.206.8692
facebook.com/pipsoriginal
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