Food Finds - Dutch Monkey Doughnuts

Cuteness abounds at the OTP doughnut shop with impressive desserts

Cuteness abounds at Dutch Monkey Doughnuts. Coral walls with round chalkboard decals promote the daily specials, and shabby chic blonde wood tables with white accents add a feminine vibe to the OTP doughnut shop. However, all the well-thought-out design elements are overshadowed by the display case, where the real magic lives. Various platters and cake stands are crammed full of fried-dough creations marked with little handwritten signs that illustrate why this isn’t your average doughnut shop.

Owners Arpana Satyu and Martin Burge both hail from less-than-humble culinary origins. Satyu, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, worked at the notable Manhattan mainstays Mesa Grill, Craft Restaurant, and Fiamma Trattoria & Bar. Burge, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, spent much of his career at Gotham Bar and Grill, Fresh (his own restaurant) and Vento, where he met Satyu. The pair moved to Atlanta in 2007 and their doughnut journey started shortly after.

Satyu and Burge’s impressive collective culinary experience shows itself in each of the playful gourmet doughnuts they hand-roll daily. The Tiger Tails - a twisted beauty of glazed and chocolate doughnut doughs - are so big (about 16 inches give or take an inch), they cannot fit in the natural cardboard box stamped with the Monkey’s mascot that looks like it jumped straight out of a Japanese schoolgirl’s sticker book. The Buttered Maple Bacon is so sinful you’ll feel guilty for days, but the shame is worth it. A standard doughnut wrapped in sweet, smoky bacon is slathered with maple syrup and soft butter when ordered.

The signature doughnut, the Dutch Monkey, overflows with banana cream; this raised yeast ball of fun is coated in dark chocolate before being drizzled with white glaze. Cake doughnut fans will be happy to find the old-fashioned, dense delights: Look for the Key lime-infused cake doughnut encrusted with shredded coconut.

Blocks of cocoa impaled with a straw go into cups and are dissolved with steaming milk for a fun take on hot chocolate. Coffee drinks made with Counter Culture beans contrast the sweetness of the doughnuts and give you a reason to hang out. Make use of the free Wi-Fi while eating your way through the seemingly endless array of beautiful doughnuts made with care.