Ly’s Donuts

I went to get an espresso and the man started the shots before starting the milk. That could not be more wrong. I walked out before paying and I won’t be back. The latte would’ve been the worst.

The people there were nice and the apple fritter was bigger than my face. Yasss. Worth.

A 24 hour donut shop that is closed. Really? I came from the eastside and there’s a hand written «closed til 5» note on the door with all these donuts sitting there — assume they will pass off these stale donuts too as fresh. Sigh.

Came in at 1 am for a late night donut craving with my partner. The man behind the counter patiently waited while we made our order and handed us a bag full of some of the most excellent donuts I’ve ever had outside of Pennsylvania. The apple fritter tasted strongly of apple, it’s hard, crisp shell giving way to an almost savory inside. The maple old fashioned was smokey perfection. The munchkins (holes) were doughy and wonderful with excellent texture abd a charming glaze. Highly recommended despite its humble exterior!

I work near by and stop in once or twice a week for a donut. I’ve learned to go around 7 am, which seems to be the time a fresh batch comes out. If you’re lucky enough to get one fresh and still warm then you are in for a treat! One of the best donuts I’ve ever tasted. Now if you go when they’ve been sitting out for a while, then yeah. It’s just a regular old donut, nothing special. Ive had the twisty glazed, maple bacon, and chocolate coconut. All incredible if fresh! Also they tend to throw in a free donut hole sometimes! And I like free donut holes…

Ly’s has been here for years, and is open ²⁴⁄₇. Which, for those 0200 donut-​craving after-​party runs is a blessing.
Ly is a friendly and attentive server, and has a generally pretty stable staff-​help, though he ends up working most shifts himself.
The donuts are among the best in the city (they are very sweet), and reasonably priced for fried dough.

Had 2 chocolate bars, very good dough, super soft on inside and a little crunchy on the outside, but had a small taste of old oil. The older gentleman who served was friendly.

You want a donut at 2am and a mocha made with Hershey’s syrup? Sometimes I do! Ly’s isn’t gonna powder your bottom and make you feel special, they’re gonna sell you a donut. I can’t knock what they do, if you’re too cool to go to a shop like this then wait until some other fancy shop opens that day. They’re good at what they do.

«Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.»
Ly’s is more than just a donut. It’s an experience, an experience worth experiencing. From the moment my flesh touched the haunting aromas of the copious amounts of FRESHLY made donuts unleashed from the crystal-​esque display case, to the kind eyes of Mr. Ly swiping my debit card tenderly with his hard-​working fingers, I knew in the cockles of my heart that this was where I was supposed to be. This was my chance.
If the initial feelings weren’t enough, I calmly slipped the fresh D between my lips and shuddered in instant bliss. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.
You will not be disappointed in Ly’s Donuts. The middle class worker, the entrepreneur, the stay at home mom, all can enjoy the joys a Ly Donut can bestow. 5 out of 5.

Nothing good to say about this place.
To start off, my cinnamon roll was *crunchy* and tasted like well-​used oil. When I licked my fingers after taking a bite of the donut, there was a distinct savory/​spicy flavor… something that does not go with the sweetness of donuts.
The young man helping us, apparently wasn’t doing a *perfect* enough job for the woman running the store. She came out and repeated everything we had already communicated to him (even though he spoke better English than her and appeared to understand us fine). She was extremely condescending and insulting to the boy, and you could visibly see him shrinking at each biting word. She rejected everything he did, insisting that she do it after he had not met her expectations. As she was verbally abusing this young man, she kept adding *free/​unwanted* donut holes to our bag, in what felt like, an attempt to appease our experience in her store.
What should have taken 2 mins, took about 10 mins.
Never going back!
Oh, and P. S. parking sucks.

I love mom and pop donut shops like this one because it reminds me of childhood. This place missed the mark. I have been here twice. First time, I got 2 donuts for both my wife and I to share. I thought they where a bit average. I came back again yesterday to grab a few for my coworkers. A coworker took a bite and threw the remainder away. This is the same coworker that ate half a box of birthday donuts from top pot. She stated the donut tasted old and half consisted of maple. I felt my chocolate bar was greasy, stale and missing an adequate amount of chocolate. Fry your donuts in new grease. I live a few blocks away and my wife feared I would come here often. No need to worry, I’ll avoid the donuts here.

I always feel guilty after eating donuts, but I’ve never felt more guilty after eating at Lys. The entire place is extremely unappealing from the walk up to the walk out. Wasn’t much of a variety for a donut shop and I couldn’t help but feel they’ve been sitting there for awhile. I even got the vibe that the guy behind the counter wanted out. I picked out a glazed and a maple bar, which seemed like it came in two separate pieces. Overall, grim experience.
It was cheap, though, but probably the right price.

Yes, have tried all the popular and not-​so popular donut shops throughout Seattle. Without question (IMHO), Ly’s is the best I’ve consumed thus far.
Sure, the customer service may seem a little spotty during my six visits over the past year. It’s never too bad, but the real highlight is the donuts! Boy oh boy… I’m telling you flat out these things are pretty darn tasty and «consistent». My hometown of Kansas City has some mighty fine donuts, as does my other favorite city; Portland, Oregon. But as far as Seattle goes, you should give Ly’s a try.
Here’s the breakdown:
1) Donuts have that outer crunch, yet soft and sometimes moist on the inside
2) Not overly sweet with too much icing or glaze (which I hate too much! Here’s looking at you Top Pot)
3) Nice variety
4) Quick, no fuss service
5) In-​house roasted coffee and espresso based drinks (not the best, but not bad)
6) Be aware that a 50 cent surcharge is added for credit/​debit cards
7) Donuts will be a little stale during different times (evening)
8) Parking access can flat out suck on occasion (hey, it’s 45^th street)
Anyhow, count me in as a big fan of Ly’s. Owners (I assume) will chat when the place isn’t too busy. can get a little surly with folks, but not bad people in general.

Popped in here dying to use the restroom… was halted by a petite woman who demanded whether or not I would purchase something first… upon convincing her that I would she grudgingly unlocked the restroom for me.
Tip: You must make a bona fide showing of intention to purchase an item, prior to using the restroom.
Ok, so the donut matron wasn’t all that approachable initially, but she warmed up when she watched me dig for my cash… maybe she gets a lot of troublemakers? Who knows…
Donuts were of course, poppin.

We walked in and were instantly hit with this overwhelming… donut… madness. Our «inquiry,» turned to.“wait… how much is a half dozen?”… then.“wait…one dozen please.“
Two grown women… pointing and giggling like certain 6 year-​olds I’ve seen watching… that singy movie with the girl that turns everything to ice. They ALL looked so GOOD!
Anyway.Great service. (They even threw in an extra one… AND IT WAS MAGIC!!!) Wonderful surprise. Can’t wait to go back.

Came in around 11 pm one night because the place is open ²⁴⁄₇. There was an older Asian lady napping on a chair behind the counter, but awoke as I stepped closer to the table. She was patient while I made my choices; didn’t seemed to be annoyed by the fact that I woke her up. The donuts themselves weren’t extraordinary, but what can I expect when I decide to pick up a batch at 11 pm on a weeknight? What gave this place 4 stars is that the sneaky Asian lady snuck in 4 little munchkin donuts while I wasn’t looking. Such a kind gesture will always be noted. I will be visiting again in the future!

There’s no place around U-​district more reliable than Ly’s. It’s open ²⁴⁄₇ which is awesome, and Mr. Ly the owner is super nice and often gives you extra donuts. Pretty small place, but it’s still good for studying.

I wanted to bring in doughnuts to work the next morning and Unilocaled the best places to go for doughnuts. I knew that Top Pot was a favorite but there wasn’t one near my place, that was open after 9pm.
Ly’s doughnut shop was within walking distance so I decided to try them out. Definitely one of the best decisions I’ve made in my college life.
I bought a dozen of various doughnuts and the owner gave me two extra at no charge! :)
The total was around $ 14 which is very reasonable for the quality of their doughnuts– which isn’t overpriced like Top Pot’s.
Will be visiting again soon!
Also, did I mention? THIS PLACE IS OPEN ²⁴⁄₇! (Bad for my wallet when I have late night cravings haha).

Their doughnuts are better than the grocery store ones but I do not prefer them to the other doughnut shops I’ve been to in Seattle. I was surprised at how dense their cake doughnuts were. The layer of frosting was surprisingly thick, approximately 0.5 cm in height.
The store itself is quite small and very basic. There was a bum loitering just outside the store during my visit. There is a small free surface lot for the business in this lot but the spaces are very crammed and difficult to navigate even with a small vehicle. The ingress/​egress for the lot is dangerous, it is on a major thoroughfare with intersections on either side of the lot entrance having heavy traffic at all hours of the day.
I do not recommend Ly’s but if you’re in the area and have a desperate doughnut craving at 2am, this place is open 24-​hours.

1:30am. Stopped by for doughnuts. Trekked through the rain for these noms. Pretty good trek!
Got the maple bar, a chocolate cake with coconut flakes, a custard topped doughnut, a lemon «traditional,» and received an additional, complimentary glazed doughnut. (Big free doughnut!)
The maple bar was not of the best quality — wouldn’t get it again. Overdone, thick, dry, and the glaze color is much darker than I am used to seeing. The taste almost seemed infused with a bit of incense. maybe that’s just me.
The custard one was also quite dry and thick. The custard was strange! It stuck to its spot on the doughnut, like gum. It was interesting.
The lemon traditional was crunchy and decent as a doughnut. Wouldn’t mind getting that again. The complimentary doughnut was good — would get that. But the best had to be the chocolate one with coconut. It was moist, just the right amount of sweet; a very good doughnut!
The total for the four doughnuts was $ 5.37. Slightly on the pricier side of doughnuts despite the quality, but it isn’t easy being a 24 hour doughnut place. The odd hours bring strange people to their door — like myself.