Voodoo Doughnut is not a Portland restaurant and it's not a place for a meal. BUT! It's a wonderful place to entertain your mouth and something that deserved my attention. Voodoo is, without a single doubt, uniquely Portland Oregon. And, yes, that is Weird Al in the photo above.
Take a look my video. You may want to have the kids leave the room. Some of the doughnut names mentioned are a little off-color, shall we say.
Walking into the small shop at SW 3rd and Burnside, the first thing that strikes you is how small the place it. The walls are a Pepto-Bismol shade of pink with all sorts of decorations to keep you amused. Next, you’ll discover some of the strangest doughnut creations you're going to ever find, circling in their ever-moving showcase. Let's go down the list of some of their most interesting offerings:
Grape Ape is a raised vanilla doughnut with grape powder on it
Dirt is covered with a vanilla glaze and crushed Oreo cookie
Arnold Palmer is a cake doughnut covered with lemon and tea powder
Butter Fingering consists of Devils food, vanilla, and crushed Butterfinger candy bar
Neapolitan is a chocolate doughnut with vanilla frosting and strawberry Quick powder
Triple Chocolate Penetration is a chocolate doughnut, chocolate glaze, and cocoa-puffs
Voodoo Doughnut is their famous voodoo doll doughnut. You have to see this one! ;)
No Name is a doughnut made up of chocolate Rice Krispies and peanut butter on it.
Now, one of my favorites and the one creation that put Voodoo Doughnut on the map is the Bacon Maple Bar. It consists of 2 strips of crispy bacon on a maple bar. It's actually really good! Think of it as a breakfast where the maple syrup from your pancakes has seeped over onto your bacon. Can you taste it? There you have a Bacon Maple Bar! I make it a habit to go to Voodoo every other week or so for a yummy pastry.
The official doughnut of Portland, the Portland Creme, is a creation of Voodoo Doughnut. It was born out of Portland history when the two founders of the city flipped a coin to decide the name. They both wanted it named after their home town. It was 1845 and one came from Portland, Maine and the other from Boston, Mass. This fun factoid was romanticized by the Portland Creme. It is like a Boston Creme with the exception of two frosting eyes and a tongue made of filling.
Weird donuts are not the only thing you'll get here. Wanna tie the knot with your significant other? They have you covered. The owners offer legal weddings right there on the premises with different packages to choose from.
The first Friday of every month at midnight, Voodoo rolls a table out onto the sidewalk in preparation of their Doughnut Eating Contest. How many of these puffy pastries can you down in the time allotted? Isn't it something you've always wanted to find out? Of course it is! ;)
*IMPORTANT* Bring cash with you. They do not accept fantastic plastic. You'd hate to get to the front of the long lines only to be turned away. There is an ATM available for your convenience (avoid the ATM fees and bring your own dead presidents).
Voodoo Doughnut is open 24 hours a day (do they ever sleep? It makes me think of the dreary-eyes Dunkin Donuts guy in the old commercials: "Time to make the donuts!") and is easy to find at 22 SW 3rd Avenue in Downtown Portland. They also have two other locations. The other Portland store is aptly named Voodoo Doughnut Too, at 1501 NE Davis. Finally, there is their newest shop in Eugene at 20 East Broadway. This first is the original and usually the one featured in magazines and on TV, including Food Network and The Travel Channel.
Watch the Voodoo Doughnut documentary, "Gimme Doughnut." Parental Discretion is advised. Just sayin.....
The first Friday of every month at midnight, Voodoo rolls a table out onto the sidewalk in preparation of their Doughnut Eating Contest. How many of these puffy pastries can you down in the time allotted? Isn't it something you've always wanted to find out? Of course it is! ;)