Donut Trail

A Taste Trail: five stops, three neighbourhoods, zero regrets.

📍 Esquimalt to Cook Street🚩 5 stops🚗 Drive or transit, half a day$ to $$ for the full trail

The route at a glance

1. Esquimalt Bake Shop — start west and start strong
2. Friends & Family Bake — the sleeper hit of the trail
3. Yonni’s Doughnuts — the one everyone tells you about
4. Farnhouse Victoria — the wildcard worth the detour
5. Empire Donuts, Cook Street Village — the classic closer

The stops:

1. Esquimalt Bake Shop

~10 min stop

There’s no better place to start than the Esquimalt Bake Shop. The second you walk through the door, you’re hit with that unmistakable smell of a real baker, fresh bread, warm pastry, sugar, butter, and whatever has just come out of the oven.

The cases are packed with golden donuts, flaky pastries, tarts, cookies, squares and savoury baking, all made fresh and sitting there making it nearly impossible to leave with only what you came in for. It’s old-school in the best possible way: nothing overly fancy, nothing trying too hard, just really good baking at prices that still feel refreshingly reasonable.

But what makes it feel especially Esquimalt is the people behind the counter. Hong and Cam have been baking here since 1992, and after more than 30 years, they know their regulars, remember their orders and have created the kind of neighbourhood bakery that feels less like a business and more like part of the community.

My Order: 🍎Apple Fritter, Sprinkle Donut, 🥓Bacon Maple Donut (Fridays only!)

2. Friends & Family Bake

~10 min stop

Friends & Family Bake isn’t your traditional bakery like some of the other stops on this list and that’s exactly why you need to go.

This locally owned Filipino bakeshop is serving up authentic Filipino breads and pastries alongside more familiar Western baked goods, and what’s coming out of their ovens is out-of-this-world good. Think pillowy-soft breads, rich fillings, buttery pastries and the kind of baking where you go in curious about one thing and somehow leave carrying an entire box.

There’s also a lot of heart behind this little bakery. Friends & Family grew through word of mouth, with friends and members of the community helping spread the word and support the business along the way. That sense of community is still baked into what they do today, with a portion of their proceeds supporting Zoe Children’s Home Foundation and children in the Philippines.

My Order: Ube Cream Cheese Ensaymada

3. Yonni’s Doughnuts

~ min stop

If your idea of a bakery stop involves something fried, glazed and preferably still ridiculously fresh, Yonnis Doughnuts needs to be on the list.

Part of the Discovery Coffee family, Yonnis makes its doughnuts from scratch every morning at their Discovery Street bakery doughs, glazes, fillings and toppings included. No mixes, no unnecessary additives, just really good ingredients and recipes they’ve spent years perfecting.

The result? Big, fluffy, gloriously sticky doughnuts ranging from old-school favourites like crullers, fritters and vanilla-glazed rings to monthly creations and seasonal flavours that give you a very convenient excuse to keep coming back. Everything is made fresh before being sent out to Discovery Coffee locations around Victoria each morning.

Order: Honey Cruller or Smores

4. Farmhouse Victoria

~20 min stop

Farmhouse Victoria might be known as a cozy spot for coffee and breakfast, but we’re here to talk about the donuts, because they deserve their own moment obviously.

These are the kind of donuts that immediately catch your eye in the case: big, fluffy, generously topped and very difficult to walk past when you only came in for coffee. They lean into fun flavours and indulgent toppings, making them feel a little more over-the-top than your classic neighbourhood donut, in the best possible way.

Order: Anything with sprinkles

5. Empire Donuts, Cook Street Village

~15 min stop

If you like your donuts a little weird, wonderfully creative and piled with personality, Empire Donuts is your stop.

This is not the place for boring donuts. Empire has built a loyal Victoria following with big, fluffy donuts, playful flavours and toppings that range from nostalgic classics to combinations you probably wouldn’t think to put on a donut, but absolutely work. The selection changes, there’s always something tempting in the case, and choosing just one is usually the hardest part.

It’s fun, unapologetically indulgent and exactly the kind of local donut shop that makes you want to order a box “to share” knowing full well that sharing was never really part of the plan.

Order: Cookie Dough Caramel

The trail starts in Esquimalt and works its way through Victoria before ending in Cook Street Village, so it’s easiest to tackle by car, with a quick stop at each location. Give yourself around 20–30 minutes of total driving time, not including your very necessary donut-eating stops.

Parking is generally easiest in Esquimalt, while downtown stops may require a little more patience with street or parkade parking. Once you’re in the downtown core, consider parking once and walking between nearby stops before hopping back in the car for Cook Street Village.

Prefer transit? You can absolutely turn this into a donut-fuelled transit adventure. BC Transit connects Esquimalt, downtown and Cook Street Village, although you’ll want to give yourself a little more time between stops.

And honestly, don’t rush it. Half the fun is grabbing your donuts, exploring the neighbourhoods along the way and discovering a few new favourite corners of Victoria between bites.