Two reporters visited local bakeries to determine who they thought had the best doughnuts around. They considered price, flavor, service and atmosphere.
Sugar Shack by Matthew Hampton
Delectable doughnuts and even more mouthwatering prices can be found at Bayside Bakery.
After making a change in venue earlier this year, Bayside Bakery moved to the east entrance of the Pony Village Mall. However, the immense quality in food has stayed the same, while also providing an inviting atmosphere, and the prices got me excited to take a big bite into this review.
Since Bayside opened in 2010, I have always been impressed by the delectable food quality. From jelly-filled to chocolate-sprinkled to glazed, all the doughnuts I tasted were excellent. Ever since the first time I went there I have been a huge fan of their doughnuts. Along with the quality, the variety is also excellent. There were a lot of different kinds to choose from, and they had a large batch of fresh fried dough upon my arrival. Maybe I got lucky, but it was nice to see. I have never been disappointed in the taste of a doughnut at Bayside and this time was no different. The iced cake doughnut was not too heavy or greasy, but a perfect consistency, and the sweet icing and crunchy sprinkles made for a beautiful combination.
The original store, close to Les Schwab in North Bend, was a very inviting place in town when it opened. With the new property in the east entrance of Pony Village, however, they have more room to work and this new location is definitely a good fit for them. The location has held many restaurants previously, but Bayside opened with a new facelift to the interior with modern, comfortable amenities that look great and create a very inviting, clean environment. The people who served me were also very pleasant and helpful.
One thing that definitely caught my attention when visiting Bayside was the awesome deal they had in which I got a dozen doughnuts for $6.95! I was able to choose twelve different tasty morsels which got me very excited. The only other places in town that have a price close to this are missing the quality found at Bayside, while other locations cost over twice as much for a dozen doughnuts.
Personally, I have always enjoyed the cake doughnuts there the most, and in a close second, I also love the maple bars they serve. I can’t think of anything bad during my trips there, as I know what to expect on arrival: variety, excellent taste and pricing that makes me smile. But that’s just me. Go check out Bayside Bakery yourself, at Pony Village in North Bend.
Bayside Bakery by Jake Miles
Doughnuts, power rings, fried dough or whatever you might call them, we can all agree they are delicious. Needless to say I was pretty pumped to write this review, not only to inform the public on a great doughnut shop, but also to eat some tasty doughnuts. So without further ado, I present to you, my review on Coos Bay’s Sugar Shack.
When I think of the Sugar Shack bakery, I think of a life-size ginger bread house, and though this is not what I found to be true, there is no complaining here. It is warm and cozy on the inside with subtle decorations hanging on the walls, all directing one’s eyes to the glorious selection of doughnuts. But hey, who really cares about the atmosphere as long as it can dish out some incredible doughnuts, and that’s exactly what the Sugar Shack does.
In the end, all anybody really cares about is the selection of doughnuts, and that’s where the Sugar Shack hits a home run. When customers walk in the shop their eyes are immediately drawn to a huge glass container at the front of the shop, filled with just about every doughnut, pastry and cookie one can imagine. Coming in, I was looking for a couple of things, including the maple/chocolate bar, bear claw, apple fritter, something with cinnamon on it, a cake doughnut, some fruit filling, some cream filling and lastly, something exotic that maybe I had never seen before. Needless to say, I was blown away with all my requirements being met, along with a crazy, delicious maple-bacon bar which had a salty-sweet taste that required me to go back for round two.
If my review has not got you in your car to go pick up a dozen doughnuts from the Sugar Shack yet, then I recommend trying the Big-Foot. The large cousin to the bear claw, this thing is a monster and may take two people to finish. Half chocolate, half maple, lined with white frosting and filled with cream, in the shape of . . . a big foot. Although this beast may take more than one person to finish, everyone needs to try it.
When my trip to the Sugar Shack ended, I had paid $14 for a dozen doughnuts. I thought long and hard about how to review this, and concluded that although the price may be a little stiff, the quality is there and it all depends on how willing one is to pay for the best batch of doughnuts around.
