[UPDATE October 2021: Destination Donuts has closed its North Market stall and moved to 3519 N. High St. in Clintonville. Read all about their new shop here!]
Destination Donuts (Facebook / T: @destdonut / IG: @destinationdonut)
50 Spruce St. (inside North Market) (map it!) Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 525-0878
Open Sun & Mon, 10a-5p; Tues-Sat, 9a-7p
Vegetarian/vegan/gluten free? Y/Y/N
Visited: Friday, October 2, 2015 at 11:00 a.m.
Let’s face it, Columbus: when it comes to donuts, we’ve got it good. Old school, new school. Traditional, funky. We are well covered. I’ve said this before, but every corner of the city has at least one good donut shop, from Schneider’s in Westerville to Resch’s on the west side to Lil Donut Factory in Hilliard.
Oddly enough, the North Market – a showcase for our city’s culinary prowess – was devoid of donuts for a long time. That is, until Heather Morris from Destination Donuts started doing pop-ups like this one. She had a regular presence there and in a handful of coffee shops, but this spring she took up permanent residence there.
And as you can see, the results are glorious. Personally, I think Destination Donuts is perfect fit for the market. Heather is creative enough to keep up with other innovators in the market, but traditional enough to appeal to a broad crowd (consider that the market caters to a lot of convention center traffic).
Never had a Destination Donut? Time to find one. Most of Heather’s are yeast-raised, and they’re big. One can easily feed a couple people. It should be noted that she regularly creates vegan donuts as well.
You’ll see recurring flavors like the apricot pistachio or peaches and creme, and usually a berry or floral flavor. I honestly haven’t had a bad donut at Destination, although my favorites have been ones like the blackberry cardamom or lemon blueberry.
And while she appeals to vegan donut-lovers, she certainly caters to the meat-lovers, too.
You can find Heather’s space near the southwest corner of the market, across from Taste of Belgium and Katzinger’s.
While Destination tends to feature full-sized donuts, you’ll still find little mountains of “nibblers,” which are still larger than the average donut hole. On my most recent visit they served these excellent pumpkin spice nibblers.
So next time you’re strolling through the market, stop to smell the donuts.
And then buy a few.
You can also find Heather’s donuts in other shops and markets like The Market Italian Village, Luck Bros, One Line Coffee, Hills Market, and more. Keep up with their locations here.
