Dough Ev

Dough EV took over the room that used to be The Root Cellar on Dundas Street, and the shop doesn't pretend that history is nothing. Owner Tara Davies built the place around donuts made fresh on site every day: every batch of dough is hand-cut, the toppings are made in-house, and the flavour list runs seasonal and modern alongside the old-school stuff. Honey crullers, Boston cream, and a pumpkin pie donut filled with pie filling and finished with vanilla whipped cream show the range. Vegan options are in the case daily, and preorders go through the website.

The coffee side is run with the same intent. Rabbit Hole Coffee Roasters supplies the house beans, a rotating guest roaster keeps the single-origin lineup moving, and the program's stated aim is to pull the gatekeeping out of good coffee. Espresso and batch brew anchor the list, with matcha lattes and loose leaf tea for the non-coffee crowd, plus a sandwich menu that runs past the pastry case. Cronuts only appear Friday through Sunday, there's an 11-inch XL donut for a crowd, and donut cakes need 48 hours' notice.

The filled donuts are a high point, with the cream tucked inside a light, fluffy dough. The lineup shifts with the seasons, so a favourite can vanish for a while. Meanwhile the shop has settled into a gathering role in OEV, the kind of place where someone lingers with a book, a laptop, or a kid in tow. Honey Dip upstairs runs the shows and events in the same building.