cartems donuterie

after sandwiches at finch’s we wandered down the street to cartems donunterie, they recently (not really, but in my head) moved down to pender street and i had been wanting to try them since their days as a pop up shop. what we ate  (going clockwise, starting with thebaconone)  canadian whiskeybacon– whiskey! bacon! maple! o, canada! this was the first time i’ve had abacondonut where i feel like thebaconlegitimately made it better instead of just being a gimmick the earl grey – an earl grey infused donut, topped with an earl grey glaze and rose petals. this donut was amazingly moist and the flavours were spot on. it was my favourite! the dark knight – chocolate cake donut topped with brownies and nuts. a chocolate lovers dream! apple pie stuffie – i’m convinced there was around half an apple shoved into this! unlike what you would expect in a stuffed donut there were actual huge chunks of apple in here. i couldn’t get over it! unfortunately i felt the apple filling wasn’t sweet

right in the middle of the downtown east side, you’ll find this donut pop-up shop. the hype for this store has been amazing. you really have to follow them on twitter @cartemsdonuts for operation hours and statuses. it’s not uncommon for them to sell out of the most popular flavours within hours. and it’s not uncommon for people to wait 20 minutes in line for a donut. ah, but these are not ordinary donuts, these treats are handmade daily using one local ingredients. the donuts are then fried in organic coconut oil for extra flavour. they also come in vegan and gluten free varieties. their flavours are also unique. take for instance their best seller, the london fog donut –  a cake donut lightly infused with earl grey tea and topped with an earl grey glaze. or their maplebaconbourbon, which really should be tried to be believed, and yes,that is realbaconpieces on top of the donut. now locally-sourced quality ingredients equal a better quality product that costs more. a dozen donuts

other than lucky’s, i think of cartem s when the topic of donuts arises. even though lucky’s is considered to be a “side project” of 49th parallel, they still produce some pretty solid donuts, like the pillowy tiramisu ! this then begs the question… lucky’s or cartems? after chatting over some subs at finch’s , sharonmhfung and i strolled into cartems as it was along our way. there’s a pretty wide variety of donuts – more than lucky’s, i think. after minutes of debating between apple pie or london fog, a kind stranger helped me settled on the latter. the whiskeybaconsounded pretty good too… next time perhaps :) the london fog stuffie ($3) had a light cake texture, with an airy and slightly spongey vanilla bean cream filling. the cake itself was infused with earl grey tea, as was the glaze, yet the tea flavour remained quite mild. while i can’t really compare cartems to lucky’s head-to-head since i’ve eaten different donuts at both places, i’ll say that i currently prefer cartems. i f

these donuts will make you regret any other overfried super sugary sorry excuse of a loop of dough you have the misfortune to punish your palate with. thebacondonut comes in first place closely followed by the salted caramel one. you owe it to yourself to try this place.

a donut shop that homer simpson would be proud of - if he was a vegan hipster from vancouver. a little on the more pricey range for a half dozen, but the donuts always taste freshly baked. so trust me when i say that not only are they worth the price and trip to go get them, you're also not going to want to leave with just one donut in hand. the flavour combinations they have are so quirky, your initial thought would be, "does that even work on a donut?" it does. their special donut on this particular visit was a "rootbeer float" flavoured donut (yes, i said that right). i shared this with a friend and we were amazed how they made it taste like you were literally drinking the exact thing! the cakey donut had a hint of the rootbeer essence and little marshmellow toppings tasted like vanilla ice cream on top of the float. i recommend trying the honey parmesan for any sweet and salty lovers, and the london fog stuffie tastes just like my favorite drink from starbucks. the main reason for me to try this place was the curiousity behind the canadian whiskybacondonut .. and man, it was as good as i have imagined. a good balance with the sweetness of the maple glaze and the saltiness of the little chopped bits of double smokedbaconon top. you can't really taste the whisky aspect of it alcohol-wise, rather, it adds to the sweetness and makes the flavor wholesome.

pictured: triple chocolate threat, salted caramel, london fog, earl grey, honey parmesan, rootbeer float - coconut topping is german cake and pink glaze is strawberry love

such a cute place! they really have some interesting flavors.... i had thebaconone, just because i wanted to try something different. it was.... interesting! staff were fun and recommended some more for my friends. not sure if i'd order on the daily as it is $$ but people should try it out once!!!

it's hard to find a bad doughnut these days with every city filled with specialty doughnut shops.  cartems was some of the best i've ever had probably because of the whiskeybaconon top of mine.  i find that addingbaconto many things is really never a bad thing.  the four of us tried three doughnuts all together- the canadian whiskey bacon, the salted caramel, and the classic.  my husband and i each had a coffee to pair with our doughnut.  we should have got another doughnut because our boys tried to eat ours, too.  trying to get two boys to share one doughnut was a bad idea.  but you live and you learn.  it's always fun and tasty trying the different foods when you're traveling and vancouver is filled with awesome food!

cartems is truly a wonderful spot. bright, open, minimalist; sparsely decorated with beautiful accented decor and a magnificent wooden table as the centerpiece. the coffee is hot, the donuts are fresh and delicious. try something a little different like a whiskey andbacondonut.

this joint is trouble!!! i ate these doughnuts at breakfast, lunch, and dinner when i first tried cartems and opted for a dozen. the plain glazed andbaconare my favorite 😋

i'm not surprised these donut shops are popping up everywhere. i had the whiskey maplebaconand still remeber how delicious thay donut was. it's fun trying their different creations and always somehow come back for a seco

tried the whiskeybacondonut and the pumpkin cheesecake donut and both were not very good. thebacondonut tasted as though the donut was not properly drained of oil after frying - so the predominant flavour was of oil. the pumpkin cheesecake donut was an absolute mess. the bottom of the donut was a wet and soggy mess! the filling also tasted as a bit sour too, as though it was a bit off. i would not recommend cartems donuterie.

cartem's founded the creative donut scene in vancouver with flavours, such as earl grey, whiskeybaconand honey parmesan, but where they really shine is when they with their classic flavours, like cinnamon sugar. keeping it good by keeping it simple, just like mom.

bought a dozen for the first time yesterday! cut into quarters for a dinner party dessert and oh my what fun we had tasting all the different flavours! everyone had their own favourite! the salted caramel was amazing and the whiskeybaconto die for! worth every penny. we'll be back for sure!

tried a bunch of their donuts! love their earl grey.. coconut one.. the maplebaconand their stuffed cheese cake donut.. the area is a bit sketchy so i do find it troubling to ever want to come back for these tasty bites.. they are also a bit pricey for donuts if you buy them individually..

so yummy! bought half a dozen for $15, which is pretty expensive to be honest. upon tasting the first, then confirmed by the second, it's worth it. it's definiely a treat, since they're expensive, but worth the money, even a single at $3. the maple walnut was very spongey and soft, not too sweet. the burbonbaconwas a nice cake donut. firm on the outside and very soft, melt-in-your-mouth inside. the whole donut tasted smokey. thebaconon top added a nice salty contrast to the sweetness of the donut. i'm excited for the other four waiting!