All You Need to Know About Sufganiyot in Jerusalem.

Doughnut, Donut, Suganiah and Sufganiyah are all words for the same thing. Whether you speak British, American, Hebrish or Ivrit, at the end of the day, it is a fried dough dessert and for the purpose of this article, I will use the word donuts as it is shorter and easier to write than sufganiyot.

Just to complicate matters, my favorite donut to eat on Hanukah is Sfinj, which is a Moroccan ring donut with no toppings or filling but if it is fresh and made well, it is one of the most delicious things in the world! Sfinj does not contain egg so they are also vegan-friendly.

Much as I would love to, it was not possible to taste everything, so instead, I am providing information on where to buy donuts in Jerusalem, with a few recommendations based on personal experience.

Until a few years ago, a classic donut in Israel was jam-filled and bakeries slowly started being more adventurous with Caramel (Dulce de Leche or Ribat Halav) or Chocolate fillings.

Roladin changed all that with their creative selection of toppings and a few years ago, they also introduced pipettes of liquid to insert into the donuts before eating them. Over the years, other bakeries have introduced their own selection of gourmet donuts and there are now so many options to choose from, it is hard to know where to start.

In case you dont want to read the whole post, here are some top tips:

• Vegan Sufaniyot- traditional sfinj are vegan and incredibly delicious! Apparently Burekas Ima (Badatz) in Talpiot make them fresh on the spot.
• Gluten-free Sufganiyot – Ben Ami on Emek and Village Green
• Baked Sufganiyot – Teller Bakery serve baked donuts, which are similar to brioche

Classic Sufganiyot in Jerusalem

• Boutique Central, National (Badatz Beit Yosef) – Dulche de Leche (brioche texture).
• Duvdevan Bakery, Shuk & Talpiot – Jam, Chocolate glaze, Plain glaze, Cream-filled (NIS 6).
• Duvshanit, Katamon & Shuk – Jam, Sfinj, Dulce de leche, Custard.
• Gagou de Paris (Mehadrin), City Center – Jam or Dulche de Leche (NIS 6).
• Giveret Burekas (Mrs Burekas), Shuk – Jam, Chocolate Glaze (NIS 6 for one or NIS 10 for two).
• Grand Cafe  – Jam, Chocolate & Tahina
• Haba Bakery (Mehadrin/Badatz), Shuk – (not the coffee shop but the small bakeries around the shuk, hechsher varies in each one) – Jam, Dulce de leche & Vanilla Chocolate Mix.

• Kaldaron, Shuk – Jam or Sfinj (NIS 10 for four).

• Magdaniat Pe’er, Shuk – Jam, Dulce de leche or Vanilla, (NIS 5 or five for NIS 20).
• Marzipan (Mehadrin), Shuk – various colored of iced donuts (NIS 5).
• Nehama Bakery, branches across Jerusalem – selection of simple flavors.
• Teller Bakery, Agripas – Custard, Jam (homemade), Chocolate and Dulce de Leche (NIS 8)

Gourmet Sufganiyot in Jerusalem

• Ben Ami, Emek Refaim – Baked Brioche (NIS 6), Gluten Free Jam, Lemon Crème, Vanilla Chocolate, Caramel (NIS 15), Mascarpone, Caramel, Vanilla, Hazelnut Meringue, Chocolate Zebra & Lemon Meringue (NIS 12-16).

• Café Kadosh, City Center – Crème Cassis, Turkish Bride (chestnut cream & crème caramel), Chocolate Cronut with Nougat Cream, Strawberry and Crème Patissiere Cronut.
• English Cake (Mehadrin), National – Oreo, Nutella, Chocolate Glaze, Cheese Crumble.
• Gourmandises by Yoel (Mehadrin), Kikar Hamusica – Jam, Chocolate, Pistachio, Nougat, Candied Apple (Pomme d’Amour), Chestnut, Lemon, Caramel and Creme Patissiere (NIS 7-15).
• Neeman Bakery (Mehadrin), National – Jam, Sfinj, Belgian White Chocolate, Chocolate/Coconut, Crumbleinah, Sesame, Halva and Éclair Shape (NIS 6-10).
• Roladin, National – Banoffee Pecan, Pistachio and Oreo range in price from NIS 10-14, a full menu of Roladin Sufganiyot 2019.

• Trattoria Haba (Mehadrin), Shuk – Jam or Dulce de Leche (NIS 6, or 5+1); Halva White Chocolate, Mango Caramel, Cheesecake with strawberry jam, White Chocolate Mascarpone (NIS 12).

Taster’s Tips

• English Cake – tried the dulce de leche with some milk chocolate drizzle. It was OK but nothing special.
• Gourmandises by Yoel – I liked the European style cake-like dough and each donut had the right balance of filling and topping. We all loved the Chestnut flavor the best and I liked the Candied apple and my friends loved the Lemon and Nougat – full review of Gourmandises.

• Teller Bakery – the baked version is healthier but tastes more like a brioche than a donut. The homemade jam is delicious and there was plenty of filling. They sell out very early so haven’t managed to try any other flavors.
• Trattoria Haba – the gourmet donuts are beautifully decorated but the dough was a bit under-cooked and the toppings were hard to eat.

• Café Kadosh – one of the only places that make cronuts in Jerusalem and in the past they have been delicious, but be warned that they can run out and do not bother eating at the cafe, take away is best.
• Haba Bakery (Mehadrin/Badatz), Shuk – the filling wasn’t great but the dough was super fresh and delicious
• Neeman Bakery – the Sfinj was the best, but the other donuts were also very good, with nice dough and the toppings were not too sickly sweet. Our favorite flavor was the Chocolate Glaze topped with a wafer filled with coconut cream (in the photo below).

Summary & Poll

• Stick to classic donuts from places with a high turnover but good quality filling (cheap places use cheap filling).
• Most gourmet donuts look nicer than they taste and they are often prepared in advance so not as fresh.
• For the best selection in one area go to Shuk Machaene Yehuda.
• My favorites so far are the Sfinj from Neeman and Chestnut donut from Gourmandises.

While this does not include all the bakeries in Jerusalem, I hope that it provides some ideas of where to go and what to try. I will also keep updating the prices and information as I find more but please comment below to let me know where you have tasted good donuts!

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