Press PLAY below to hear Emilia’s review in full

I’ll apologise in advance for getting you onto this, I’m about to put you onto your newest obsession. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’ve most likely already got an affinity for doughnuts, but these doughnuts are NEXT LEVEL.

The Oakleigh Doughnut Co. is at 36 Portman Street in Oakleigh, but it’s not just in Oakleigh – they’re taking over Melbourne. In early 2021 they opened their second location in South Yarra — across from the Prahran Market — and they’re set to open their third store in Bridge Road, Richmond in a matter of weeks.

It was all started by two brothers who spent their childhood eating their Yiayia’s sweets, then grew up hoping they could recreate the same joy for others. You can taste the Greek heritage in a number of these doughnuts, which I love. Their MO is to make the freshest doughnuts in Melbourne, they cook in small batches to ensure this. They’re staff were so helpful as it can be a bit overwhelming if it’s your first visit. 

I went on a Sunday to their Oakleigh store and a Sunday in Oakleigh really sums it up. The market was on, and Eaton mall was bustling like Ios in summer, if you dodge the waiters carrying out plates of gyros and saganaki to the outdoor seating and head toward the Woolies you’ll find yourself at The Oakleigh Doughnut Co — or TODCO — as you’ll see it plastered on the top of their stores. 

The first thing you’ll see is the rows of doughnuts, 26 kinds to choose from. They’ve split them into sections so you can find one right to your liking; you’ve got yeast-raised doughnuts, cake doughnuts, vegan doughnuts, choux pastry doughnuts and gluten free doughnuts. Raised doughnuts are those extra fluffy, often filled doughnuts – think custard filled, but you can also get them in the OG glazed, or there’s plenty in a fully loaded style. The cake doughnuts are sightly denser; these are your cinnamon doughnuts or Homer-style chocolate and sprinkles. The vegan doughnuts are all in the yeast-raised style, the gluten free are more of a brownie in doughnut form and the choux pastry in the pastry eclairs are made from.

Whether you’re someone who likes just a bit of doughnut with their icing or would rather choose a classic, there’s something for everyone. You can buy 1 for $4.90 and 6 for $27.

I love that they incorporate the culture and flavours they grew up with into their doughnuts, like the doughloumba — choux pastry, but with a Greek twist! They use the technique and flavours of a tulumba, which is crispy deep-fried pastry soaked in sugar syrup. Then they have the galakdough which is mimicking the flavours of another dessert, galaktoboureko which is a Greek custard pie, their doughnut version of it has a mini syringe filled with cinnamon sugar syrup, custard filling and topped with filo. Lastly, the bakladough, which is based on baklava; it’s a vanilla cake doughnut topped with pistachio and walnut and filo pastry.

This joint is credit to Melbourne’s melting pot! 

So, I ordered 16 of the 26 doughnuts to try and made the smart decision to enlist the help of my family and friends for this one. Here’s our top six picks — three classics and three new takes on doughnuts

• Cinnamon sugar – super fresh, light, not too sweet
• Nutella Snow – my mum said, “I don’t particularly even like Nutella or doughnuts”
• Raspberry Jam – Dad said it brought memories back of when he was in school, and the hot jam would stick to his lips
• Galakdough – love a cultural mash up, they don’t scrimp on the custard at all
• Life’s a Picnic – sweet and salty done perfectly
• Cookies and Cream – not for the faint hearted but a crowd favourite

The Oakleigh Doughnut Co: TODCO
36 Portman Street, Oakleigh AND 187 Commercial Road, South Yarra
todco.com.au