Here is our selection of amazing doughnut places in the Maltese Islands! There were times we saw a craze for macaroons, whilst other times people were raving about cupcakes. It is doughnuts however, that are a staple which never seem to go out of fashion, especially here in Malta.
A doughnut is nostalgia, a deep, childish pleasure you just never grow out of. The original strawberry jam filled ones were not much to look at, but they were the real deal. One doughy ball covered in sugar which would make your fingers sticky. In secondary school we used to eat the dough and leave the jam-filled part for one last, glorious bite.
Doughnuts are consumed every day of the year, but Doughnut Day is celebrated on the 1st June for a special reason. It was started in 1938 in the United States, as a fundraiser for Chicago’s Salvation Army to help those in need during the Great Depression and honour World War I soldiers.
Delicious chocolate filled doughnut from Zwiit Cravings Cafe
As legend has it, the first doughnuts were balls of fried dough with nuts in the middle, granting them their very literal namesake. Of course ‘doughnut’ was the original spelling whereas ‘donut’ was a later abbreviation introduced in the 20th century to make the word easier to spell and market.
Like everything else, doughnuts have evolved. The simple jam filled doughnuts are just one example of a whole range of types. In most cases, filled donuts are yeast-raised donuts injected with cream, curd, or jelly.
Great doughnuts from Crust Bakery Bar Bistro
The airy nature of yeast donuts provides space for fillings to occupy, and their light consistencies nicely contrast thick custards and sugary fruit fillings. These days are very generously filled most of the time, with outlets competing with each other on who glazes and tops up doughnuts the most creatively.
A yeast doughnut, is of course made with yeasted dough, and usually resembles something similar to a brioche. It’s puffy and light, maybe a little chewy, and has little or no sweetness unless glazed or filled with creamy sweetness.
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Of course some are fluffier than others. The reason is often that the dough is ‘underproofed‘ – meaning it hasn’t produced enough carbon dioxide gasses which give the dough its volume and openness, because it has not been given enough time to do so.
The ring shaped frosted ones, which can be either yeast or cake, are potentially the most picturesque of all. The latter is more American in its nature, and is mostly associated with dunking in coffee, making you feel as if you are eating tiramisu.
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Whilst the rest of the world debates which one is better, we can safely say that the yeast doughnut is much more popular on the Maltese Islands than the cake one.
So, what is your preference? Do you always go for the classic doughnuts or perhaps the modern trendy ones? Have you searched for some great doughnut recipe and tried it yourself?
Doughnuts from Donut Empire
In any case, on the occasion of doughnut day, we give you our top 5 doughnut places (in no particular order) on the Maltese Islands.
Commando Restaurant
We recently added Commando Restaurant to our small list of favourite doughnut places. Why? We had visited the Michelin guide restaurant before. The place is located in Misraħ Iz-Żjara tal-Papa, in the picturesque village of Mellieha. When booking, we were unsure which ones to get, so we ended up getting all of them!
Amazing brioche doughnuts from Commando Restaurant in Mellieha
Jon’s favourite was the Red Berry one. The filling tasted as homemade and genuine as they get. A very strong berry taste with just enough sweetness. My (Charlene) favourite was the pistachio – get ready for a bold, dense pistachio flavour!
These brioche doughnuts were light and fluffy. Not too large, but large enough to satisfy your craving. Also, Commando Restaurant certainly does not skimp on the filling. All six had a very generous amount of filling, making each bite very enjoyable.
Tad-Doughnuts, Qormi
One of the iconic places on the Maltese Islands to get your doughnut fix. Head over to the outer areas of Qormi – Triq Correa to be precise – in the San Bastjan area and you’ll be guided by a sweet pastry smell from this little corner shop.
They not only have the classic strawberry, chocolate and cream filled ones, which will transport you back to your childhood days. In addition, Tad- Doughnuts in Qormi offer a variety of glazed and filled doughnuts that will cater for all sweet tooths. Apart from the traditional, we also suggest the chocolate orange one which is quite enjoyable.
Tad-Doughnuts in Qormi
Crust Bar Bakery Bistro
Anyone who follows us knows we are very fond of Crust Bakery Bar Bistro and their range of doughnuts. There are very few (if any) we haven’t tried.
What we like the most is that the dough has the perfect balance of light and fluffy, whilst still chewy enough to make each bite count. Add to that great tasting fillings and you are in for a winner.
Top doughnuts from Crust Bakery Bar Bistro
Their recent Figolli one with frangipan filling was one of the best doughnuts we ever tasted. Other OMGFoodMalta favourites would be pistachio, ricotta and salted caramel doughnuts.
Crust Bar Bakery Bistro is located in Mensija Street, San Ġiljan, for those very few of you who haven’t been there yet. In recent times they proudly displayed a banner stating ‘Best Doughnuts in Town’. Quite a statement, but one we feel they lived up to!
Donut Empire
Donut Empire is located in Triq L-Isqof Labini, Birkirkara, just off Naxxar Road and is Malta’s 24/7 dedicated shop. They offer a wide selection of yeast-raised American style doughnuts that guests can enjoy whilst sitting in flashy surroundings featuring neon lights and bright pink booths.
Ice cream filled doughnuts from Donut Empire
We visited them soon after they opened their doors, and a few more times since then to taste their admittedly wide selection of flavours. Among the ones that stood out for us were the Baileys & Coffee and Ferrero Rocher ones. Worth a mention were also the Pina Colada and Salted Caramel and Banana ones. They recently introduced their ice cream filled ones just in time for summer!
Zwiit Cravings Cafe
We finish off with a major sweet tooth kick. Zwiit Cravings Cafe has been on the Islands for some time now and offer a variety of items such as waffles, churros and pancakes and much more. No wonder they called it ‘Cravings Cafe’.
Quite a selection of doughnuts from Zwiit Cravings Cafe
Located on Sliema’s Tower Road, just before you enter the Balluta Area, Zwiit Cravings Cafe is the real deal. It was their doughnuts that impressed us the most. All four doughnuts we bought tasted amazing. We were impressed by the vast variety of toppings you can choose from.
We actually had to stop ourselves from finishing a whole box at one go! The pistachio option is our strong recommendation. They do however, also have a ‘build your own’ concept, as well as their cakes which look great.
So, which place is your favourite? What is your favourite type of doughnut and filling? Any place we missed and you think we should include in our list? Let us know and we will happily try it out!
