Back Door Donuts - Oak Bluffs

Never open! Perhaps you should consider changing your business hours to "whenever we feel like it"?

I've been visiting every summer for over a decade now, and Back Door Donuts used to be one of the highlights of my trip. However, when they removed the Charlie donut (which was a delightful mix of donut and ice cream) from the menu, it felt like a sign of things to come. The place has transformed from a beloved local gem into something that feels more like a franchise. The menu and recipes have changed, along with the branding and the wait times. In the past, waiting in line was well worth it, but now, while it still holds a sense of nostalgia for a quick stop when it's not busy, I'm not convinced it lives up to the hype anymore. If you’ve never been before, it might be worth checking out once, but be prepared to wait up to an hour for what I’d consider just an average donut.

As someone who takes donuts very seriously, I have to admit I'm not a fan of what Dunkin' Donuts serves. I truly appreciate and support small donut shops. On my way home from dinner, I stopped by Back Door and tried their hot apple fritters and a glazed old-fashioned donut. In hindsight, I wish I had saved them for the morning. The old-fashioned donut was fantastic, but I prefer my fritters to have a crunchy glaze coating a moist center, and unfortunately, that wasn't the case here. Additionally, I found the taste of the oil off-putting, as it left a strange aftertaste. I recommend visiting Back Door, but keep in mind that it's more about the experience than just the donuts themselves.

When you walk into a donut shop on a weekend morning and find it empty, that's usually not a great sign. On the positive side, the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. I ordered a dozen donuts, and one of the employees went to the back to fetch some hot, fresh ones for me. Unfortunately, the donuts were excessively priced at $45 for a dozen, plus they even asked for a tip. To make matters worse, the donuts were dry and lacked flavor, leaving me completely disappointed. We won’t be returning.

I had heard the hype behind these donuts and since I was attending a Sox game I figured I'd give this place a shot afterwards. We preordered a few different ones to try for pickup. Upon arrival, we noticed a long line. Fortunately the preorder got us to the front and we got our donuts right away. Unfortunately, they were one of the worst donuts I've had as of recent. They were stale and lacked flavor. I ended up throwing them out. Maybe they had a bad day or these were sitting around for an extended period of time but I will not returning to find out since Boston has a number of better options.