At Osaka Dot Com we’ve written about bagels, bread and other baked breakfast bites -but now it’s time to include my other favorite treat: donuts! Growing up I only knew massively popular Japanese chain Mister Donut – which actually started in America! During my time living stateside I grew to love this delicious dessert -eating 2 different types for breakfast with my morning coffee.
Although they’ve really started to trend here, the Japanese ones tend to be less sweet and some even have a chewy mochi-like texture. These may include the “cake donut” -made without yeast (called “old-fashioned” at Mister Donut.) Other local flavors include matcha or sweet azuki red bean. But when I evaluate a shop I always choose the basic order to make my judgement -I don’t need any bells or whistles to distract me.
But recent arrivals like Krispy Kreme, an American donut chain, are just as sugary as those back in the US. Other varieties include traditional European like custard filled donuts (with no hole!.) Not to be confused with jelly donuts which I never see in Japan! (my illustration below.)
So what delicious offerings are in Osaka? I rated the best 5 in “Japan’s Kitchen!”
Table of Contents
#5 MISTER DONUT
While Mister Donut isn’t specifically an Osaka staple it’s still worth mentioning because it has a massive presence here! For all my friends visiting Japan I always make sure to recommend it because it’s a great introduction to Japan’s take on this scrumptious snack.
For my day taste-testing at Misudo (its shortened nickname) I started by buying my four favorite donuts! The ones I purchased were as follows (going from bottom to top):
#1 Pondelin plain (162 yen.) This is my best choice!, it has a mochi mochi chewiness! I definitely recommend trying this if you only had to pick one! The originator of the “chewy donuts revolution” -it’s a quintessential Japanese classic! You can even break the little balls on it off to make your own donut holes! I like the Old Fashioned donut just as much but didn’t get one today.
#2 was French Crueller (162 yen.) This was very fluffy with whipped cream inside -light and delicious! I was reminded of my American friend who visited recently and tried Mister Donut for the first time saying they were so light it was like “eating air.” She loved the twisted shape as well!
#3 Chocolate (162 yen.) This glaze is unique because its shiny, thin, lightly sweet and goes great with coffee. There’s also a double chocolate flavor too but I like this one because it’s simpler. I have a great memory of sneaking into Misudo and buying this on the way home from school!
#4 Angel Cream (172 yen.) I’d never tried this before, but I wanted to eat (another) cream donut at Mister Donut since they’re so popular these days (not to be confused with custard but cream.) It wasn’t super sweet and that’s what I loved about it! Mister Donut makes treats that appeal to Japanese tastes: small size, light sugar, and not heavy. We prefer these to the oily types like you might find at Krispy Kreme. You could eat all 4 of these donuts in one sitting and have no digestive issues! That being said Krispy Kreme seems to be doing well in Japan -so somebody’s eating them!
If you dont know what to order just get the assorted “Pop” with the donut holes of every flavor so you can see what you like! (See below.)
Since we’re talking about Donut chains I’ll also talk about Krispy Kreme as well. A friend of mine, an Osaka local, said she tried a bite from the American chain and wasn’t able to finish it because it was too sweet! I thought it worth mentioning that besides the classic “original glazed donut” they also have Japanese only flavors! Some of these include a dough that includes rice (“kome”) that is “mochi mochi” like Misudo. (Perhaps they’re trying to compete here??)
I caught a few snaps of their Christmas offerings which included snowmen, reindeer, and Santa. Besides the taste and texture, another way to distinguish American donuts is their generous use of sprinkles as you can see here!
#4 HANAUTA DONUTS – Northern Osaka
Open Tues – Sun 9am-6pm. Closed on Mon. Nearest station: Osaka Metro, Awaza Station
Hanauta Donuts is a small independantly run corner shop near Utsubo Park. On the warm day I visited people were picnicking and enjoying the Fall weather . It reminded me of NY’s central park. Utsubo is much smaller and runs through interesting neighborhoods filled with trendy cafes and restaurants. The designer buildings poking out of the green trees towered above us like friendly giants. I hadn’t seen such a cool and fashionable area like this in Osaka! The shop was down a side street removed from the main area.
They offered “old-fashioned” non-yeast donuts which are crumbly, harder and go great with coffee! With the location so conveniently near the park I was ready to set out a blanket and enjoy the scenery while devouring doughy delights. Since they go great with cold black tea, I recommend the “wakocha” drink made with Japanese leaves sold at a nearby vending machine for 100 yen!
Hanauta had a number of interesting flavors and types of donuts including cinnamon sugar (many Japanese don’t like the spice so this was rare.) I also saw orange, potato (in a donut??), walnuts, kabocha pumpkin, and sweet bean. They definitely win the contest for most unusual flavors! The price was also cheapest as well with the plain donut going for 150 yen. Also points can be given for great location since it’s within walking distance of a beautiful park -you can enjoy a nice nibble with no noxious cars whizzing by. As it’s less crowded than Osaka Castle Park, I highly recommend it!
I ended up buying cinnamon sugar and plain flavored donuts:
Plain – 150 yen
Cinnamon sugar 160 yen.
They were small cake donuts and very cheap! With a simple and natural taste. they reminded me of the ones from Mister Donut except with a more home-made and natural flavor! I wondered if it was just one guy making them all by himself! hand crafted ookies were available too! I can’t wait to go back and try more!
#3 PIECE OF BAKE – Umeda
Open 11:00am – 10:30pm everyday. Near Hankyu Umeda Station.
Piece of Bake is located in Hankyu San Ban Gai a food court in Umeda Station city. I love non-holled donuts -which are a more traditional European style about the size of a softball. I have started to see them all around Osaka too, the best part is the delicious custard (as opposed to cream.)
I am very particular about how the filling is made -as I learned to make it from scratch with my 95 year old grandmother. I’ve had issues with the taste from mass-produced donuts so I tend to prefer the homemade types. Real custard cream is very simple: egg yolk, sugar, milk (or cream), and vanilla essence. Anything else that has added ingredients like preservatives or fillers I can tell immediately. It has an after taste that I hate. I always judge a bakery based on the taste of their custard cream -so I was looking forward to trying Piece of Bake!
When I visited and ordered their standard donut I was pleasantly surprised that the filling tasted great! It had an easy delicate milky taste. I understood why there’s always a long line here and it earned them a #3 spot on my list! They also have Japanese-flavored cream donuts too: kuro mitsu kinako flavor, red bean cream, and matcha, too. I’ll have to try some of these next time. I also recommend coming here for take out or bringing to your friends -it’s a great gift!
Since I have become obsessed with mochi mochi chewiness in a donut (thanks to Misudo) I was so impressed that the donuts here that texture too! It wasn’t as strong but it was still there and it made me glad that they could still achieve it in a cream donut!
I didn’t expect such a fantastic donut in a regular run of the mill food court but it was surprisingly good! I’m sure there will be some new seasonal flavors depending on what time you go! (For example, fall may have some Japanese sweet potato flavor or chestnuts!)
#2. KITAHAMA DONUTS
Open 9:30am – 2:30pm, open until 3pm on Sundays, closed Saturdays.
Kitahama Donuts is located in the Yodoyabashi business district a 15 min or so walk from Umeda station city where I started. The shop is very small but they’re particular about using the finest ingredients including special eggs with a very orange yolk from Kyoto. They share a building with a curry place too so it might be worth getting a donut dessert after Indian food (although I didn’t try the latter!) Their cute exterior stood out to me when I got there in addition to the fact that they make the donuts in house! The reviews were very positive too so I was excited to check it out.
One thing I have to mention is that after I visited Kitahama revamped their donut recipe and the donuts I reviewed here are different from their new offerings. The mochi textured donuts were replaced by a less chewy alternative which I discovered during my next visit. I hope that they continue making the original recipe in the future, but I had to demote them from first place for discontinuing what was my favorite donut of all!
When I ordered the plain sugar donut here (240 yen) I immediately noticed they were small but fat, so much so that their little hole in the center disappeared. As little as they were, they were thick and heavy -but somehow fluffy. I took one bite and the chewiness I’d been searching for was 150% there -this was my favorite donut! I was floored. That extra chewy dough must have made it a slightly heavier donut -I wish I had bought 20 of them!
Other flavors include maple vanilla, cinnamon, coconut milk, okinawa sugar, and okinawa sugar kinako. At the small table outside I saw two women enjoying an afternoon snack and shrieking with delight at the deliciousness. The owner was very friendly which I appreciated. Since the shop closes early I recommend coming as early as possible.
I was definitely coming back here, but there was a fantastic coffee shop nearby which sold homemade donuts I was dying to check out..
#1 HIRAOKA COFFEE (with home made donuts!) – Yodobashi
Open Monday 11am – 2:30pm, Tues 10:30am-5:30pm, all other days 10am – 5:30pm.
Surrounded by office buildings, Hiraoka Coffee is an old classic coffee shop from over 100 years ago (1921) that makes homemade donuts and fresh roasted coffee.
This place is such a staple that it pops right up when you Google “Osaka popular donuts.” That being said it’s not crowded and is relatively hidden! I’ve gone to many “kissaten” (retro style coffee shops) in Japan but I haven’t seen any that make homemade donuts! The architecture of the building and the menu were both unique and it had a homey interior. It was an amazing find!
When I saw “100 year donuts” on the menu it caught my eye. (My first question was the expiration date??) It turned out it was a reference to the recipe, unchanged since 1921! I was excited to try it! Inside it smelled of freshly roasted java and the few tables in the tiny room were populated with local customers. The owner was friendly and said she worked with local artisans who crafted the menu items not made in house. For example, they were sold a homemade rhubarb jam grown by farmers in Nagano. In addition to that, there were baked goods made by a patisserie in Ashiya, Hyogo.
I was able to taste test the jam and it had a taste like ume cherries that I loved and reminded me of the pies in America. But I had never seen rhubarb here in Japan! The taste was only lightly sweet and it goes well with bread!
I was surprised to see that they hold events as well, this week’s included a young woman who roasted fresh coffee using premium beans on Tuesdays! There was a thriving local community here!
But getting back to the donuts. Made fresh every morning, they were in a big stack on the counter. I brought the donuts and a single serving of their original coffee to enjoy at home the next day for breakfast.
The Showa-style Japanese “old-fashioned” type cake donuts were slightly hard -the kind that go well with coffee. Not too sweet, they were understated and almost like a sweet crumbly bread.
It made a great contrast to the newer chewy types I’d mentioned before. I’d never tastes another donut in Japan quite like it. When you eat it, you feel like you’re traveling back in time to an Osaka from long ago! How could we not give the #1 rank to a coffee shop that is the epitome of THE Osaka Donut and the center of a vibrant kissaten community!
Honorable Mention: DONUTS CAMP
Northern Osaka area. Opening time can cary, check their Instagram for more info https://www.instagram.com/donut_camp
I first tried Donuts Camp during an even at Misono Building but their home location is in Minato Ku Osaka. These donuts were my favorite mochi mochi type and delicious and I think they deserve a top rating on the list. However, since I wasn’t able to make it to the store so I can’t review them properly. That being said their set of plain and sugar donuts were small, deliciously chewy, and reasonably priced. I bought them to go and when I munched on them back home I wished I had bought two sets! Made with love and home made flavor, go check them out!
Conclusion
Even if some of the shops in my list appeal to Japanese local tastes, I still want foreign visitors to experience our unique take on donuts. One of the best ways to experience a new culture is through your tongue (and sprinkles!) Let’s spread donut culture in Japan! The revolution has only just started!
