Salem's newest donut shop, Dude Donut City, here to satisfy local sugar cravings

Salem is definitely a donut city.

Salem loves old school shops like King's and Daynight; the solid supermarket offerings at Roth's Fresh Markets; autumnal apple cider doughnuts at E.Z. Orchards and Bauman's; and creative newcomers Bigwig, Dough Hook and Bearscat. 

Perhaps you've already noticed Dude Donut City, Salem's newest doughnut destination. Driving up Lancaster, not far from Home Depot and Kelly's Lighting Center, it's hard to miss the bakery's sunshine yellow facade and cheerfully cartoony sign. 

The new bakery represents a collective effort from the Singh family; couple Inderjit Singh and Harender Kour; Inderjit's brother Talwinder Singh Dhaliwal, brother-in-law Gurjit Singh, and cousins Mindy Kaur and Sahijpreet Singh. 

They have a long history in bakeries. Gurjit was the head baker at Salem's Daynight Donuts for five years. Inderjit previously owned a bakery in Monmouth and Talwinder worked at a bakery in California. 

The Singh family also owns several Stop-N-Save stores in Salem, Albany, Scio, Sublimity, Stayton, Mill City and Aumsville.

Dude Donut City is open 24 hours, seven days each week, so the family members are working in shifts to keep the doughnuts coming. 

The menu is made up of 65 classics; maple bars, French crullers, Boston cremes, buttermilk bars, chocolate with sprinkles, coconut cream, and so forth. There are doughnut holes, too, and massive apple and blueberry fritters.

Though the cafe space includes a seating area indoors, it's closed for the moment. Guests can still walk in and order a dozen to go from the counter. 

In addition to doughnuts, the bakery offers a full menu of coffee drinks and a small selection of savory breakfast items including biscuits and gravy and breakfast sandwiches. 

Dude Donut City opened on Monday, May 18, a month after the family had originally planned, delayed due to coronavirus concerns. 

Instead of hosting a grand opening celebration, the Singh family is donating 200 donuts twice weekly to Salem Hospital for a month as a thank you to healthcare workers.

That's a lot of doughnuts, for sure, but a donut city like Salem can handle it. 

Emily Teel is the Food & Drink Editor at the Statesman Journal. Contact her at eteel@statesmanjournal.com, or via Facebook or Twitter. See what she's cooking this week on Instagram: @emily_teel 

If you go: Dude Donut City

• Where: 3997 Carson Drive Suite 110 
• Phone: (971) 599-5630
• Information: www.facebook.com/Dude-Donut-City