Blackbird Doughnuts hatched with a tiny space on Tremont Street in Boston (ironically, situated between a series of fitness centers) and now has shops in Fenway, Harvard Square, Newton Centre, and elsewhere, including the downtown food hall High Street Place. Owned by the folks behind South End spots Banyan Bar + Refuge and Sally’s Sandwiches, a madcap influence is evident in some of the more curious flavors in the rotating selection of doughnuts, such as Everything Bagel and nostalgic riffs on cider doughnuts. Brioche and cake doughnuts are on the menu—try the vanilla bean-glazed signatures side-by-side—as well as doughnut ice cream sandwiches. The original shop now shares space with Sally’s Sandwiches—and you can bet Blackbird Doughnuts are one of the breakfast sandwich bread choices.

Union Square Donuts began as a popular vendor at local farmers markets, and now has an artisan doughnut empire with two locations in Somerville, one in Brookline, and stalls at The Boston Public Market and Time Out Market food halls. Substantially sized yet somehow airy and fluffy, Union Square Donuts fashioned a core roster of flavors including Maple Bacon, Brown Butter Hazelnut Crunch, and Sea Salt Whiskey Caramel (made with Bully Boy whiskey). Seasonal flavors include Vietnamese Coffee, Orange Creamsicle, and traditional cake-style Apple Cider Donuts. One or two vegan varieties are always on offer, and USD also sells coffee, doughnut holes, and rotating other brioche baked goods like cinnamon rolls.

Clear Flour Bread bakery may have built its reputation on European-style breads and pastries, but the class-act joint in Brookline also bakes off a hand-cut doughnuts each day. The single subtle flavor of Black Currant is a fitting match for the renowned bakery’s rustic ethos: A light, fluffy baked doughnut speckled with tangy dried currant and encrusted with just enough sugar. If you want a fresh version of this decidedly lighter treat, drop by around 8:30 or 9 a.m.—it usually sells out by 1 p.m.

Going out for Sunday brunch may bring to mind Mimosas or a Bloody Mary (just us?), but if there’s ever a reason to skip boozy brunch in favor of fast-casual, it’s the Sunday-only doughnuts at Flour Bakery + Cafe. Fluffy, tender pillows rolled in sugar and filled with vanilla pastry cream or house-made raspberry jam, these doughnuts are worth going into town for. No surprise, coming from James Beard Award-winning baker Joanne Chang—luckily, there are nine locations of this beloved bakery from Back Bay to Cambridge, the Seaport, and more.