Taj T.
Yelp
Fresh, fluffy, and without the pretentiousness or gimmicks of certain starry or spooky spots in Portland (if you know, then you know), Coco Donuts is several steps above your average donut but falls short of being essential or exemplary.
The beauty of biting into a Coco Donut is what you DON'T notice: there's no fried flavor, there's little resistance biting into their raised donuts. Obviously, these donuts are FRESH. The dough tastes like it was prepared today and fried recently. Even the color of each donut - a light golden brown - reveals that it hasn't had time to sit around and accumulate a lot of old, oily color. I didn't know it was possible to eat a donut and not feel gross, but Coco Donuts are actually refreshing!
The flavors, however, need some work. The "Lavender", the only unique option in the box I got, was not potent enough. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was just purple colored sugar frosting.
The "Apple Fritter" might have been just a fritter, since I didn't find any chunks of apple in mine at all. A very beautifully designed fritter though, a criss crossed ball that looked like it was woven.
The WINNERS, I'd say, are the "cinnamon roll" and the "glazed twist". Where Coco Donuts shines is being the most basic so that maximum attention is drawn to their fresh dough and frying techniques.