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The day of the doughnut

A peek at some offerings from District Donuts, the latest hot arrival in Baton Rouge—just in time for National Doughnut Day on June 2


On Sunday mornings, the line stretches all the way to the back of the restaurant.

Diners wait at District Donuts’ flagship Magazine Street location in New Orleans, craning their necks to see which of its doughnuts are still left at the front counter. Those of us who frequent the restaurant from Baton Rouge have been asking staff the same question for years: “When are you ever going to come to Baton Rouge?”

The workers would usually laugh and offer a “someday” or “we’re thinking about it.”

But now, District Donuts Baton Rouge is finally a reality. As of press time, the restaurant, which also serves sliders and coffee, was scheduled to open in late May inside Towne Center.

In anticipation of its opening, we passed a selection of District’s doughnuts around our office and got some awed reactions. “This,” several of our staffers proclaimed, “is not a doughnut. This is like a cake. This is like, gourmet.”

The doughnuts are made entirely in-house, from the pastry cream fillings to the garnishes such as crumbled Oreos, blondies and chocolate chip cookies. A rotating selection of 10 different doughnuts is offered each day. The daily doughnut lineup is posted on its Instagram, @districtdonuts, each morning. (Pictured are nine of the doughnuts that were available on the day of our shoot.)

Each District location has an open kitchen and rustic, industrial finishes. Other than those commonalities, though, each design uniquely caters to its community, says co-owner Aaron Vogel. For Baton Rouge, the team is focusing on creating a family-friendly environment with patio seating and reclaimed wood finishes, including a 23-foot communal table constructed out of 200-year-old pine beams taken from a French Quarter location.

And if we had to guess, Sunday mornings will see long lines in Baton Rouge, too. districtdonuts.com

Hover over each donut below to see some of the creations offered at District Donuts:


In other doughnut news

District Donuts is not the only new option you’ll have on the holiday this year. Baton Rouge’s own Tiger Deaux-nuts (5162 Government St.) is unveiling its full remodel June 2, complete with a modern renovation, menu relaunch and extended hours. Across town, the brand-new Batch 13 (4957 Essen Lane, attached to Copeland’s of New Orleans) will be serving up its “bonuts.” Imagine what you’d get if a doughnut, biscuit and beignet had a baby, and you have the bonut, which comes in flavors such as apple cinnamon, blueberry citrus and chocolate chipotle bacon varieties. Find both restaurants on Facebook for details.


This article was originally published in the June 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.