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Home › Donut Guides › Best Holiday Donuts & Baked Goods in Boston
Best Holiday Donuts & Baked Goods in Boston
Boston gets festive fast, from North End bakeries piling up struffoli to donut shops frying sufganiyot and gingerbread rings. Here are the holiday treats we send friends to, grouped by neighborhood so you can plan your route.
By the Underground Donut Tour team · Updated November 2026
Looking for year-round favorites? See our Best Donut Shops in Boston guide.
Want to taste the best of Boston with a guide? See our Boston food tours.
DOWNTOWN / FINANCIAL DISTRICT
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Kane's Donuts
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Boston's donut OG has been frying since 1955, and the downtown shop is where our holiday tour kicks off. Come Hanukkah, pillowy sufganiyot burst with black raspberry jam under a snowfall of powdered sugar. The creme brulee donut is a year-round must.
Donut Tour Recommends: Sufganiyot (Hanukkah)
DOWNTOWN / FINANCIAL DISTRICT
Bakey
Bakey's laminated babka swirls come in chocolate, cinnamon and pistachio, and Hanukkah brings kosher sufganiyot to the lineup. A whole babka makes a crowd-pleasing holiday gift.
Donut Tour Recommends: Pistachio Babka
FANEUIL HALL / GOVERNMENT CENTER
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Union Square Donuts
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These brioche donuts are a Boston legend, and Hanukkah brings sufganiyot in flavors like halva honey pistachio and Nutella cream. Sea salt bourbon caramel and seasonal specials round out a box worth sharing. Find them inside Boston Public Market.
Donut Tour Recommends: Sufganiyot (Hanukkah)
FANEUIL HALL / GOVERNMENT CENTER
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Red Apple Farm
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Follow the scent of cinnamon sugar to this orchard stand, where mini cider donuts come out warm all day. A half dozen is the perfect snack while browsing the market's holiday stalls, and the seasonal pies make easy host gifts.
Donut Tour Recommends: Warm Mini Cider Donuts
NORTH END
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Bova's Bakery
This family bakery has been open around the clock for a century, and its struffoli are a North End Christmas classic. Expect sticky honey-coated dough balls, cannoli and festive butter cookies. It's the sweet last stop on our holiday tour.
Donut Tour Recommends: Struffoli (Christmas)
NORTH END
Mike's Pastry
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Mike's is famous for its cannoli, and in December the counter fills with honey-drenched struffoli. Italian cookie trays make great stocking stuffers, and you'll leave with one of the iconic boxes tied in string.
Donut Tour Recommends: Struffoli (December)
NORTH END
Modern Pastry Shop
Modern is the North End's go-to for handmade torrone, a chewy almond nougat that's a Christmas must in Italian homes. Honey Florentines and chocolate-dipped cookies fill holiday trays, and the ricotta cannoli are filled to order.
Donut Tour Recommends: Housemade Torrone
NORTH END
Caffe Vittoria
Boston's first Italian cafe, opened in 1929, does holiday biscotti right, from almond anisette to chocolate-dipped. Dunk one in a cappuccino under the vintage espresso machines after a night of North End lights.
Donut Tour Recommends: Christmas Biscotti
BEACON HILL
Tatte Bakery & Cafe
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Tatte's holiday collection features a spiced gingerbread tile and a pull-apart cinnamon roll wreath. Honey cakes and bright pastries round out the holiday table, and the Charles Street cafe is pure winter coziness.
Donut Tour Recommends: Cinnamon Roll Wreath (seasonal)
BACK BAY
L.A. Burdick
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Burdick's rich drinking chocolate is a winter ritual, and the holiday season brings Christmas stollen to the counter. The hand-piped chocolate mice are tiny, adorable and perfect for stockings.
Donut Tour Recommends: Christmas Stollen
CHINATOWN
● Asian-owned
Top Bread
For Lunar New Year, this Chinatown bakery stocks festive specialties alongside its everyday buns and cakes. Portuguese egg tarts and soft milk buns are crowd favorites.
Donut Tour Recommends: Lunar New Year Specialties
SEAPORT
● Asian-owned ● Women-owned
Flour Bakery + Cafe
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Joanne Chang's beloved bakery rolls out a holiday menu that has starred a bright lemon buche de Noel. Spiced old-fashioned gingerbread and the famous sticky buns make cold mornings worth it. Preorder for Christmas Eve pickup.
Donut Tour Recommends: Old-Fashioned Gingerbread
HARVARD SQUARE, CAMBRIDGE
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● Women-owned
Blackbird Doughnuts
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Blackbird's brioche and cake doughnuts go full holiday mode with gingerbread cake rings spiced with ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. In December, jam-filled sufganiyot six-packs fly out the door.
Donut Tour Recommends: Gingerbread Cake Doughnut (seasonal)
WEST CAMBRIDGE
● Women-owned
Sofra Bakery & Cafe
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Sofra brings Middle Eastern spice to holiday baking, with a sesame caramel pumpkin pie and warm molasses cookies. On weekends, the Persian spice brioche doughnut is a must.
Donut Tour Recommends: Persian Spice Brioche Doughnut
BROOKLINE
Kupel's Bakery
This kosher bakery has been a Coolidge Corner fixture since 1978 and fries sufganiyot by the thousands every Hanukkah. Rugelach fills the case year-round. Go early before the jelly donuts sell out.
Donut Tour Recommends: Sufganiyot (Hanukkah)
BROOKLINE
Clear Flour Bread
This tucked-away bakery turns out some of the area's best crusty breads and buttery croissants. The holiday table gets seasonal tarts and pumpkin pave. Expect a line, and know it's worth it.
Donut Tour Recommends: Pumpkin Pave (seasonal)
Taste Boston's best on one walk
Skip the guesswork. Our guides pick the best of the best at each stop, with stories along the way.
Historic Boston Holiday & Delicious Donut Tour →
Historic Downtown Boston: Delicious Donut Tour →
Historic Harvard Square Delicious Donut Tour →
Boston Donut FAQ
Are these holiday spots ranked?
No. Every bakery and donut shop here is one we would happily send a friend to, so we list them by neighborhood instead of ranking them.
Is there a holiday donut tour in Boston?
Yes. Our Historic Boston Holiday & Delicious Donut Tour visits Kane's Donuts, Boston Public Market and Bova's Bakery in the North End, with holiday history along the way. Lineups can vary by day and season.
When can I find these holiday treats?
Most holiday specials show up from late November through New Year's, with sufganiyot around Hanukkah and Italian Christmas sweets in December. Menus change every season, so check before you go.
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