When it comes to Vancouver, there's "hole" lot to love when it comes to one of our favourite treats: donuts.
Now you can taste your way around town on a new Underground Donut Tour that will lead you on a curated eating journey to some beloved local donut shops. And before you go (dough)nuts about the spelling, we're going with "donut" here because that's how the tour is branded, and the spelling varies between the U.S. and Canadian standards from shop to shop.
The two-hour, four-stop guided walking tours launched Friday, August 12, and operate multiple times a day on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Where do you go on the Underground Donut Tour?
The Vancouver Underground Donut Tour begins at Breka, the city's popular local 24-hour bakery chain known for its fresh-baked donuts. Guests then make their way on foot through downtown, making a couple of key stops in between before wrapping up at Cartems, one of Vancouver's favourite modern donut shops.
Tour organizers have already made some tweaks to the tour stops since launch; they've swapped out a stop at Tim Hortons with a visit to one of the city's newest coffee shops that also happens to serve donuts from one of Vancouver's favourite old-school shops, Lee's Donuts from Granville Island.
To maximize the energy of your sugar rush and keep you moving between stops, the tour takes a more leisurely route, pausing to point out some highlights in local history and architecture, which is a fun bonus. The guides also know some background info about each shop: Did you know the founder of Cartems thought up the modern donut shop in a dream, down to the name? Or that some of the original German bakers from Breka's early years still have ties to the popular 24-hour bakery chain?
Undoubtedly, however, the best part of the tour is the donuts, and there are lots (and lots) of them to try. Odds are high you'll go home with some leftovers - unless you are a living legend who really does have a whole stomach free and ready to eat a staggering quantity of the iconic pastry. From cream-filled to classic cake donuts, there are tons of types of the treat to try while you're on the tour.
The Underground Donut Tour has been running for seven years in cities like Chicago, Portland, Boston, Seattle, London, Dublin and several more in the United States. The Vancouver tour marks the company's first foray into Canada - a country that really loves its donuts (or doughnuts, if you prefer that spelling).
"Vancouver has always been on our list of cities we wanted to open. It's truly one of the most beautiful cities in North America and when we saw the incredible selection and styles of donuts available, everything just clicked. We're so excited to open our first tour in Canada," said Jeff Woelker, founder of the Underground Donut Tour, in a media release.
Tickets are $40 for adults and $25 for kids 10 and under. Reserve your spot online via the Underground Donut Tour's website.
We checked out the tour recently, have a look at what you'll experience:
@vancouverisawesome Epic guided donut crawl, yes please. 🍩 @UndergroundDonutTouru#forkingawesomem#vancouverbcb#donutst#foodtourur ♬ 2 Be Loved (Am I Ready) - Lizzo
