I must confess I'm a fan and I was over the moon when - a couple of years ago - news reached me…read morethat DD finally opened their first branches in NRW (after Berlin, where it already operated for some time). I know DD from the US and when spending time over there it tends to be THE place for my morning coffee fix... because... there is no life before coffee! There is a DD always close by, when on the east coast -- in cities, on highways, at gas stations... You get the idea. It's just too tempting for me.
I am a regular customer of their branch at Düsseldorf HBF - along with the one in Mülheim/Forum and Essen HBF. All three offer a wide selection of fresh (filled or non filled-) donuts, muffins and brownies, bagels and take away coffee. As a rule of thumb: The earlier you get there, the more choices you'll have and the fresher the donuts. As I matter of fact, I found that to be the case with many good donut stores.
You can also buy grinded, packed coffee which comes in Hazelnut, Vanilla flavor and regular black coffee.
The bagels are fantastic as well, and are actually pretty close to what I know from the US. I usually buy them on their own and add toppings, however their prepared bagels are very tasty as well. I can also recommend their coffee. Delicious with a shot of cinnamon flavor during winter or, if in doubt, give the classic french vanilla a shot (the Tim Hortons way ;-) ).
So let's talk donuts. I'm not talking about what German bakery chains claim to be a 'donut' or whatever their weird understanding of a 'donut' is. Here's the problem: They're way off. Trust me on this, whatever those bakeries refer to as a donut is about as much of a donut as Fanta is made of fresh oranges. And no - donuts don't necessary feature a hole. Donuts come in all forms and shapes but are mostly round and either filled (basically, the pastry, Germans refer to as a 'Berliner' could be considered a donut) or just frosted with a hole.
Dunkin Donuts are pretty tasty, and - ironically - better than their American counterpart. Or maybe I've just been to the wrong DD-stores in the US, who knows. In general the donuts sold in stores over here taste fresher (and there is nothing better, than a fresh donut) and have a lot more icing on top, so thumbs up!
That makes them pretty sweet though, but hey; that's how donuts are supposed to be. So if you don't have a sweet tooth, you might find them a little on the sticky side, however that shouldn't deter you to at least give them a shot.
The selection of donuts (and munchkins) that you can buy all year is huge and include classics like the Boston Cream, Maple Syrup and Blueberry Crunch (which is a blueberry jam filled donut with crunch icing on top - yum!)... As well as seasonal offerings, some of which are re-occuring annually, like the delicious lemon curd filled summer donut which I can only recommend or my favorite Gingerbread Apricot winter donut.
Staff is generally friendly, even when it's busy and people are queuing. They usually know what each donut tastes like and what it's made of and try to help with the tough decision of what to put into your precious box.
I tend to buy a box of six on Fridays (because it's how we celebrate 'Fast Food Friday'), which will also make them cheaper. Buying them on their own is definitely more pricey. Lucky you, if you got one of those 10% off cards. The downside of buying in bulk however is, that you should try to eat them within the next day - because as already mentioned: Donuts are best enjoyed fresh. The fresher, the better. That concerns all 'real' donuts by the way and has nothing to do with the quality of a certain joint.
Still all is not lost if you find them to dry: Just pop them in the microwave for about 5 seconds and enjoy. Important: Never refrigerate.
In a nutshell:
+ Probably the best Donuts and Bagels in this neck of the woods
+ When fresh: soft & mellow
+ Lots of icing
+ Huge selection
+ For when you get the munchies
- A bit pricey if bought on their own
