First off, let me set straight my take on the spelling of ‘Donut’:

Donut /ˈdōˌnət/ : small fried cake of sweetened dough, typically in the shape of a ball or ring, pretending to be an actual Doughnut.

Now that we have that out out of the way, Shanghai is a barren wasteland for Doughnuts. Sure, its got some places that sell ‘Donuts’: bread like product with butter or pork inside and topped with rock-hard a chocolate like substance, which causes untold gastronomic grief. Things best avoided.

There used to be a Mister Donut (note the spelling) which is America’s take on Doughnut wanna-be’s, and equally horrific here. But they have long since closed.

There also used to be Krispy Kremes, the nearest thing to real Doughnuts. But aside from the half-dozen listings in Shanghai, none exist here anymore. I’ve been to all the locations and found nothing.

The only one remaining is Dunkin’ Donuts, which sit somewhere between Mister Donut and Krispy Kreme. They’re not real Doughnuts, but better than Donuts.

So that’s what I venture out for every few months: Dunkin’ Donuts for a small taste of back-home (thanks, Covid)

At 15¥ each or ($2.30), they are not cheap. But you can get a box of 6 for 52¥ ($1.35/each), which lessens the pain. Selection is very limited and they are not that fresh. I think only 2 stores remain in Shanghai now. One is 6 subway stops and 2 lines away, and the other is in the HongQiao airport.

For true, authentic Doughnuts, there is only one place: Lamar’s – if you don’t have one, you don’t know what you’re missing. Its a small regional business that I doubt will ever make it to Shanghai. So, Dunkin’ it is for the foreseeable future.