SEATTLE — Seattle’s food scene is full of hidden gems, and one tour is combining two local favorites: donuts and city history.
The Seattle Underground Donut Tour takes guests on a two-hour walking tour through the city, making stops at several local bakeries while sharing stories about Seattle’s past.
“The Seattle Underground Donut Tour is a two-hour sweet treat walking food tour sprinkled with local sights and history,” tour guide Deb Harrick said.
KIRO 7 joined a tour on Wednesday morning, which started at a Seattle staple: Top Pot Doughnuts’ flagship store.
For Top Pot founder Mark Klebeck, the tour gives both visitors and locals a chance to experience what makes the shop special.
“When we have visitors coming in from out of town or even just locals that are on this doughnut tour, I think the thing that’s just really exciting is that they need to come in and try our hand-forged doughnuts; they have our coffee, which we roast proudly, and it’s just something as a part of the whole experience,” Klebeck said.
Guests spend the morning sampling a variety of donuts while making their way through the city.
According to Deb Harrick, who manages the tour, the appeal of a donut-focused tour goes beyond the pastries themselves.
“Fried dough has been in every culture throughout history,” Harrick said. “I think donuts are one of those things that you go out for, right? So it always brings a memory.”
The second stop on the tour for us was Doce. From there, participants headed to the Amazon Spheres to enjoy their treats before continuing on to another Seattle favorite, Dahlia Bakery.
“We go to the Dahlia Bakery and Tom Douglas’s restaurant, been around a really long time,” Harrick said. “We want to support local businesses. I mean, that’s kind of the heart and soul of Seattle.”
The Seattle Underground Donut Tour has been operating in the city since 2018, introducing visitors to local businesses while highlighting Seattle’s history and landmarks along the way.
For visitors like Lisa Sprague of Michigan, the experience offered more than just a chance to try new donuts.
“I visited a lot of businesses I definitely would not have gone out of my way to visit and had some amazing donuts,” Sprague said. “And learned a ton about Seattle history, learned a lot about the Pike Place Market.”
The tour’s final stop is Daily Dozen Doughnut Company in Pike Place Market, where the sweet journey through Seattle comes to an end.
For donut lovers and visitors looking to explore the city, the tour offers a taste of Seattle’s local flavors, history, and small businesses all in one walk. For more information about the tour, click here.