Top Pot Doughnuts

I stopped by this Top Pot location because it was on the walk back from the ferry terminal to the parking garage. Stay on the pedestrian walkway bridge and you will hit the front door. It was later in the evening so there weren’t too many options left. I got the salted caramel cake donut and it was good. I’ll have to try other flavors the next time I’m in town to believe the hype.

This place is busy and had less donut options in the afternoon. It does get crowded at around 6 am due to the ferry traffic of people going to and from the terminal. This location is unique and has large windows for people watching. Pick up a cup of coffee with that donut and you won’t regret it.

Great spot for an Americano and a treat. Close to the great ferry wheel. Quiet place to spend a weekend but I’m sure it’s rocking on the weekdays based on the location. Get the 16 oz. coffee, it’s the same price as 12 oz. Doughnut was a ok, but good selections here.

Fiancé and I decided to give this place a shot over our daily Starbucks for coffee based off the reviews and convenience to our building… sadly, we were extremely disappointed.
Great service, terrible coffee. Fiancé had the glazed cinnamon twist, the donut was just okay, nothing mind blowing…
A ton of grinds at the bottom of both of ours coffees, extremely gritty. Sorry Top Pot– we’ll make that extra walk around the corner to Starbucks for now on…

My old fashioned donut was great. I mean they always are, but here the dough was somehow even richer. Which is wild considering donuts are just fried bread.

Pretty standard donut today. Wasn’t a huge selection in the late afternoon when I stopped in, so I got I think a raspberry donut. It was okay, a little dryish, didn’t seem fresh, but not gross. Friendly staff, cool location, place seemed pretty clean. I pass by here once every few weeks on my way to an appointment and will likely stop by here and there, but nothing mind blowing going on.

So delicious. I’m transitioning away from Starbucks and into Top Pot. I love this location. I take the ferry in (for now, moving to the hill next month) and everyone here is polite. I am far from talkative in the mornings, but even with my awkward quietness, the girls behind the counter are still super friendly. It doesn’t take me long to get my drip coffee and sometimes a doughnut, which is not the case when you go to Starbucks half a block up. So over it and the service there gets worse each day, how did I not make the switch sooner?! Thank you top pot for being so awesome.

Beautiful location and views, oh and need I say that Top Pot brews the best coffee? And then there are the donuts…

A Seattle institution, and in such a great location. Make it easy on yourself and the rest of the line – get a dozen to bring into the office. Things can be a little pricey, but supporting a local business and staff feels like the right thing to do. Lines almost out the door on Friday AMs are the norm, but it tends to be a lot thinner on the rest of the weekdays.
Highly recommend.

At the bottom of my friends building this place packs in good coffee and amazing doughnuts! Plus it’s off of the ferry dock access so you can swing by as you head in or out.
16 oz americano an 12 oz are the same price, hit up those 4 free ounces!

Standard fare doughnuts… didn’t taste like they were made fresh at this particular location, they’re probably delivered.

Nothing special. I asked what is popular, and the worker recommended an old-​fashioned glazed donut. It cost over $ 2, totally not worth it. I’d skip it.

What an excellent location for a coffee (and doughnut) shop. It’s tempting to stop by on every ferry commute!
The maple bars are excellent (they have an extensive selection of doughnuts, so it was difficult to choose), and the coffee okay. What is best about Top Pot is the ambiance: with its large windows and brick building backdrop, it’s the perfect setting for working or getting lost in a good book.

There is only a single time in life in which I have not regretted eating two donuts in one sitting. And this was it. How do I put into words the sweet freshness and creaminess of these donuts? The perfectly glazed old fashioned and the Easter donut live on in my heart forever. Oh my gosh, these are not your everyday donuts. I would say that I wish that they’d open a shop in LA, but if that were to happen, I’d almost instantly develop diabetes. Any semblance of self control I had before walking into a Top Pot is long gone once I’m at the register. I don’t know what kind of donut snob you’d have to be to give this anything less than 5 stars.

Great lattes just over the pedestrian bridge from the ferry. Doesn’t hurt that two bearded hotties were working the counter.

Descriptive phrase: solid donut shop.
I wanted to try the local donut fare while in Seattle, and Top Pot Doughnuts seems to be the biggest in the area. We went to this small satellite location late on a Tuesday to find that they only had 2 donuts left. Le boo.
Coming back the next morning they were full with around 10 different varieties. I expected some really unique types, but they were all pretty standard. My iced and cinnamon-​sugar donuts were definitely good, but at around $ 5.50 for 3, I will either head somewhere cheaper or more unique next time.

How I heard of this place: It was nearly a decade ago when I was first introduced to Top Pot by a good friend and café-​frequenter, who not only enjoyed their donuts and coffee, but was overly enthusiastic about free wi-​fi (a big deal at the time!).
Type of cuisine: Traditionally, Top Pot was focused on doughnuts and coffee; they offer tea, Italian sodas, other bottled sodas, salads & sandwiches from Mike’s Deli. And now, they have also boast house-​made ice creams. Come for a sweet breakfast, stay for lunch, and take a dessert home for post-​dinner enjoyment!
Ambiance: Cozy and warm, with books for all ages lining the walls, floor to ceiling. Light colored wooden furniture with classic 1950s fonts on menus and signs. Spacious and seemingly more-​so due to the high ceilings that house more seating in the loft (indoor balcony space) and well-​lit through the floor-​to-​ceiling windows that face 5^th Avenue. Come to study, share coffee and conversation with a friend, meet up with your book club, or pack up and take away a dozen donuts for your colleagues! The establishment is comfortable and easy-​going enough to support any number of activities.
What I ordered: Throughout the years, I have sampled most every Top Pot doughnut — from the Valley Girl Lemon to the chocolate rainbow, from the apple fritter to the maple and chocolate bars, from the pink feather boa to the lemon old fashioned to the Bavarian cream and the bullseye. On this spontaneous visit, my husband and I shared two doughnuts and indulged with two shared beverages. The blended mocha and the large hot chocolate helped us wash down the Salted Caramel Old Fashioned doughnut and, one of my all-​time favorites — the Bavarian Cream.
On a visit to the newest Top Pot location, the day it opened, Tuesday, April 29, 2014: Having walked by the day before and noticed the Grand Opening sign, I knew that it would be the perfect spot at which to start our day! I took my husband and parents-​in-​law across the pedestrian foot bridge, from the Ferry Terminal to Top Pot to enjoy a little treat before our ride to Bainbridge Island. We were delighted at the open floor plan, the extremely tall ceilings and windows on all sides! I was especially delighted to see a good friend, still working for the company and generous beyond measure. She offered each of us anything we wished to have, on the house! Yay for grand openings and getting in within the first six hours! We made our selections, graciously served to us by Adam, the new store’s manager, and made our way to our seats to indulge!
What I loved: The baristas take coffee seriously. Great care and attention are paid to the timing of pulled shots, the temperature of the milk and the fancy designs that are made each customer’s coffee order. I love the sweetness of the blended mocha, even on a blustery, cold, winter’s day. But it’s the doughnuts that really keep us coming back for more!
Why I loved it: The coffee is consistently fresh and served with guaranteed quality. The teas are loose-​leaf, ordered locally and brewed to order (from Market Spice). The staff friendly and interested in knowing their customers, the regulars and newbies!
Cost: Average for coffee beverages ($ 3-​$ 4.50) and specialty pastries ($ 2-​$ 3 per doughnut)

Top Pot’s product and experience is good, but it’s not great … in any way, except for this store’s unique location and its tech-​y modern digs. Since Marion and other Seattle avenues perpendicular to the waterfront on Elliott Bay descend precipitously, rather than continuing that downward trek, a flat walkway splits off that takes you directly over and across to the WSF ferry terminal. That’s cool. As for Top Pot, that makes for a captive audience of people trampling this elevated sidewalk — hordes of ferry riders and let’s not forget the smokers at the base of office buildings, both in its own highrise above it and the other highrises around it. Cops won’t find parking at this one so easily.
Again, the donuts at Top Pot were good but they were no better than those at chains such as DD, Tim Horton’s, and even local Heavenly Donuts in Portland. They just weren’t. In fact, I expected them to be moister and more flavorful. Also, they weren’t expensive, but they weren’t cheap. It wasn’t even crowded, being a weekend afternoon, and the service was perfunctory and almost robotic.
So, in the end, we can have expectations based on word of mouth and Unilocal,and they are confirmed. We can also have these very same expectations and either be slightly let down or let down in a big way. I’d say I was slightly let down.
I’m still snacking on some donuts I bought at Heavenly Donuts in sleepy Gladstone OR a few days ago and they have held up quite well. I’m going to go with 3 stars for Top Pot and am indifferent about returning if in the Seattle area.

Came in Saturday, June 21. Was greeted by two staff employees. Considering I was from out of town, they had a lot of patience; I took awhile to pick a dozen donuts. The donuts smelled fresh and the store was so clean! I loved Bavarian crème donut! I’ll be taking these back to San Diego, CA.

The 16^th store of this famous local doughnut chain doesn’t miss a mark with its identity as a chic, modern doughnut shop with excellent «hand-​forged» doughnuts and high quality, sustainable coffee. The store itself is located on the elevated walkway that connects the ferry terminal to the intersection of 1^st Ave and Marion. It can also be accessed by stairs from Western Ave, which is probably your best bet for parking.
This store doesn’t have a kitchen so I assume they get all their doughnuts from the flagship store up on 5^th Ave, but this doesn’t take away from the freshness they strive for. Their maple bar has notoriety thanks to Golden Tate, but I find myself enjoying the large variety of cake doughnuts they offer. My absolute favorite is the maple frosted cake doughnut. Pair it with a cup of el presidente coffee and I’m ready for that 35 minute ferry ride to Bainbridge!
As a daily ferry commuter, this place will undoubtedly earn a lot of my business.