Recommendations for the best Jerusalem Sufganiyot.

If you live in Jerusalem you have probably already sampled a few of Jerusalem’s delicious sufganiyot,  but if you are visiting and need some guidance, here is my selection of the best Jerusalem sufganiyot. As always, these are just my personal opinions and taste.

I will continue to taste Sufganiyot around Jerusalem in the name of research, so follow me on Instagram or Facebook for more updates. Places on my hit list include Talbiye Patisserie, and the meat donuts from Goldy’s.

Debbest Jerusalem Sufganiyot 

Here are my pick of the best sufganiyot in Jerusalem, based on experience from this year, and previous years:

• Haba Bakery on the corner of Machane Yehuda Street and HaAfarsek Street sells the best Sfinj I have tried so far. They are light and fluffy with a crunchy outside. They do sell other donuts which are all parev so the fillings are not the best but the dough itself is good. Haba has several stalls all over the shuk but I have only seen the Sfinj at this stall.

• Gagou de Paris (Mehadrin) on King George has stepped up its game in the last few years and its selection of French baked goods is impressive. I had the Pistachio & White Chocolate sufganiyah this year which was delicious, but have also enjoyed other flavors in previous years.

• Gourmandises (Mehadrin) does not have a pop-up this year but you can see their full Hanukkah catalog on WhatsApp for delivery. I like the European style of dough and each donut has a good dough-to-filling ratio. Flavors this year include Chestnut  Cream (one of my favorites in the past), Chocolate, Crème Brûlée, Lemon Meringue, Malabi, Pistachio, Pretzel, Salted Caramel, and White Chocolate & Coconut (NIS 16 each). In addition this year they have two flavors of New York Rolls aka Cronuts – Chocolate and Pistachio (NIS 30 each).

• La Patissiere (Mehadrin) has branches in Ramot, Rehavia & Givat Shaul. The donuts are nicely decorated,  generously filled, and have a French-style dough.  I have tried the Pistachio, Coffee, and Chocolate and they were all very well flavored and the filling has a rich and silky texture. As well as the classic jam and dulce de leche (NIS 7), flavors include Lemon Meringue, Coffee, Chocolate, Paris Brest (hazelnut cream), Pistachio (NIS 12), Wild Berries with Vanilla Ganache & Marmalade & St Honore (caramelized eclair & creme patissier) ( NIS 14). 

• Neeman Bakery makes the best sufganiyot of all the chain bakeries. The classic Moroccan Sfinj is always my favorite at Neeman, but the other donuts are also very good with simple quality flavors. Flavors this year include Oreo Cookies, Pistachio, Dulce de Leche, Kinder Bueno, Mekupelet, Raspberry & White Chocolate, Chocolate Glaze, and more. They have also added a min waffle cone with extra filling to some of the sufganiyot.

Credit Gil Aviram

Credit Gil Aviram

Other Jerusalem Sufganiyot 

• Boutique Central (Badatz Beit Yosef) makes brioche-like baked donuts and last year they have introduced a Sufganiya Cake, similar to a pull-apart bun cake, with each bun with a different filling. Fillings include jam, Nutella, pistachio cream, vanilla, caramel, and lemon.

• English Cake (Mehadrin) has a good selection of flavors and I decided to try them again after reading good reports, but it was obvious that they were massed produced and not freshly baked.

• Lehem Tomer also makes baked donuts, they are nice but not as good as other places.

Debbest Sufganiyot Tasting Tips

• Stick to simple classic donuts (jam and dulce de leche) from places with a high turnover and good quality fillings (cheap places often use cheap fillings).
• Many gourmet donuts look better than they taste. They are often prepared in a different location and delivered to various outlets so are not as fresh as those prepared on site.
• It is best to stick to independent bakeries, rather than chains, as they tend to have the best baked goods,  in general, and especially for sufganiyot.
• For the most variety in one area go to Shuk Machane Yehuda.

Free-From Sufganiyot

• Vegan Sufganiyot – traditional Sfinj are vegan and incredibly delicious! I like the Sfinj at  Haba Bakery in the Shuk, Neeman and, Burekas Ima (Badatz) in Talpiot makes them fresh on the spot.
• Gluten-Free Sufganiyot – Ben Ami, Kazze, Amit Barkat Patisserie, and Gluless.
• Baked Sufganiyot –Teller Bakery (very bread like), David Laor, Lehem Tomer, and Boutique Central (Badatz Beit Yosef) sell baked donuts, which are similar to brioche.  Fika Bakery in Tel Aviv makes incredible baked donuts but are not delivering to Jerusalem this year.

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