At Voodoo Doughnuts, abnormal is the norm!
How It All Started
What do Playboy, Sunset Magazine, The Tonight Show & Tom Green all have in common? Not much except that they’ve all featured Voodoo Doughnut on their platforms. Not an insignificant little fact, when you’re dealing with an establishment that took off practically overnight. And all kinds of publicity like this came after just four weeks of them getting started. Getting out of the corporate world the two owners, Tres and Catdaddy respectively decided to open up a mom and pop-like business. Doughnuts seemed like a good way to go considering it was an inexpensive and delicious way to satisfy customers. And they were right.
Established in 2003, Voodoo Doughnut has been bringing the dark themed realm that is Portland to customers’ taste buds ever since. If you’ve ever wanted to know what the sweet blood of a voodoo doll really tastes like, then try their signature doughnut which is filled with raspberry jam! As I began to draw said doughnut to my mouth one of them advised me that if I wanted to put a curse on someone, I could do so using the little pretzel that was jabbed into its heart.
And while they’ve gained a great deal of notoriety and popularity over the past 15 years, opening several locations across the country, they’ve stayed true to their beginnings. Their flagship location which is in downtown Portland (the birthplace of Voodoo), is still in its humble state. With nearly no seating (just a couple of stools near the window), the whole doughnut shop is smaller than that of a standard studio apartment. There are literally more doughnuts in the back of the shop than there are people able to squeeze inside!
Delish Doughnuts
Delicious is not a strong enough word for what their doughnuts are, though. They’ve ingeniously designed some of the most flavorful wonders that I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. Their Memphis Mafia was my personal favorite. More than likely named by Tres, who is a Tennessee native, the Memphis Mafia contains enough calories to give you a stroke after 2-3 bites. The oversized fritter has chocolate, peanut butter, more chocolate glaze over that, peanuts, and what appeared to be chocolate chips. I don’t know. I couldn’t remember anything after they revived me from my sugar shock!
Another one to definitely try, while it may seem benign considering all the specialty doughnuts they have there, is the classic glazed. That is by far one of the most delicious in my opinion, because of the way it melts in your mouth. Their newer item The Guava Colada is a little vacation waiting to dock in your mouth. With guava, vanilla frosting and coconut on top you will feel like you’re on a tropical island. Especially with the little umbrella.
Don’t listen to me though. Listen to the public. Apparently the most popular item they have there is The Bacon Maple – and it’s exactly what you think it is. It’s a maple doughnut with bacon on top. Yeah, I’m serious. And yes, it actually works. The salt and sweet flavor combination is a surprisingly great way to start your day – if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to take the time to cook bacon and throw maple syrup over it! But that’s pretty much what it tastes like!
But it’s not just the doughnuts that they’ve marketed. They now have their very own record label, can perform legal marriage ceremonies, and well… let’s just say it: they’re a novelty. If you’re looking for a fun place to get some custom-made doughnuts, have a few laughs at the craziness that is their interior design, and really familiarize yourself with the cliché atmosphere that is Portland, then Voodoo is the place for you! Just make sure when you visit, you let them know Lisa sent you!
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