Discover Boro Park’s Sweetest Donut Spots!

By Y.M. Lowy

Chanukah is here, and with it comes the sweet aroma of donuts filling the streets of Boro Park. 

This Chanukah season, BoroPark24 is bringing the magic of Boro Park’s donut scene to you with a video tour of the neighborhood’s most delicious donut shops.

Each year, local bakeries outdo themselves, crafting elaborate donuts in every flavor imaginable, from classic jelly-filled to trendy creations topped with lotus, cheesecake, acai, and more!

Did you know the largest donut ever made weighed over 1.7 tons? Created in Illinois in 1993, this massive treat measured an incredible 16 feet in diameter! And donuts have even made it to outer space - in 2018, astronauts aboard the International Space Station celebrated National Donut Day with a specially made zero-gravity donut snack.

But have you ever wondered why donuts have holes? Legend has it that in 1847, a sailor named Hanson Gregory solved a common problem with fried dough—it wasn’t cooking evenly in the middle. His solution? Poke a hole in the center. What started as a practical fix turned into the iconic donut shape we know and love today.

Donuts themselves, however, go back much further. Dutch settlers in America were already frying up “olykoeks” (oily cakes) in the 1600s.

So, as you light the menorah this Chanukah, just eat the donut, laugh a little, savor the sweetness, and enjoy the hole experience!