Better-Maid Donut

It’s open again! Same great donuts as always (and a lot brighter inside!?), glad to see a good guy was able to make it back!

Please please please come back soon! A few months ago a van actually drove THROUGH the store front. No one killed, but some injuries. We miss the donuts and the amazing owner and staff! Come back soon!

This place is so Pittsburgh. Great donuts, cheap price. They definitely put the money into the fryer. Get there early, there will be a line. Cash only. Don’t worry about the newspaper on the floor, just enjoy the fried goodness.
Not even a car plowing through the building can stop these donuts.

I think this place is a gem in Pittsburgh that I never knew about until the last few years. Don’t expect a super fancy shop. Don’t expect all kinds of crazy flavored donuts. They have a few basic types that they make and they do them exceptionally well.
You must get here early for the best selection as they drag in the sign and close the doors after the last donut is sold each morning — and that could be between 8−9a.m. on some days.
Their little building was probably once surrounded by many other structures. The neighborhood, as is the case all over Pittsburgh, has probably seen better days too. But you step through the door and it kind of takes you back in time before the mega grocery stores and when there were little shops for each type of trade.
I’d say give it a try, take them home, sit down and have a Better-​Maid Donut with a nice cup of tea!

First one in the store on a snowy and cold Saturday morning. Twelve people behind me. The donuts are so good that it made up for his late opening at 7:15 AM. Folks were friendly and cheerful and clearly take pride in the donuts (and the trippy experience) this little shack of a store offers you.

By far the best cake donuts in Pittsburgh. I will never again go to Dunkin Donuts after trying Better-​Maid. Since Ken sells out every day (and in an hour or so), you are assured of always getting baked goods that are only hours old. In fact, if you show up when he opens at 6 (7 on weekends) some of the donuts are still warm!

A while back my Mom bought some donuts from here and they were really stale by the next day. She called and mentioned something about it to them and they didn’t even seem to care. I like to try and support local business but with an attitude like they showed I have no use for them. Doesn’t seem to be any real set hours so you never know when they will be open.

So many better places! Giant eagles are even better, but not as limited! Only category this place wins is in donut holes! Every donut at this place is a basic cake donut covered in different colored jimies! Try the place is crafton big/​fat daddys

Remarkable donuts baked old school. The donuts are fresh and made mostly by hand. Make sure you arrive early, they sometimes sell out quickly.

Best donuts on the east coast. Yeah, I said it.
As fancy as Voo-​Doo doughnuts in Portland Oregon? No.
Huge line around the block like Voo-​Doo? No. Just a steady stream of neighborhood regulars who stop by to pick up doughnuts before starting out their day in earnest.
It’s a good thing this store is a little out of the way, otherwise there would be no doughnuts left for me :)

The old fashioned sour cream… bavarian filled… glazed and cake… OMG so good. Seriously, all of them! This little shop is right in the middle of a neighborhood. I can only imagine the temptations of living so close to the intoxicating smells that waft out of there each morning.
We got there about 5 minutes before 7, thinking they would open at 7. There were already 3 people in line. The doors finally opened up about 10 minutes after 7, I guess you can’t rush something so wonderful. A dozen tasty gems were carefully chosen… better give us a dozen doughnut holes too! Every last bite was terrific.
Pittsburg, I hope you realize how lucky you are!

Believe the great reviews! This is a gem of a place. Traditional recipes, traditional Pittsburgh hospitality. The hours, location, and owner add to its charm. But if its just donuts you’re after, you won’t find better anywhere. Thank you to the owner for keeping traditions alive!

Today at work, a number of white boxes appeared without anyone noticing who had left them there. White cardboard boxes in the A.M. can only mean… donuts!
«Whoa! Darren’s gonna eat ‘em all!»
«Hey, I have to properly evaluate them, y’know?»
«Oh yeah, that site you write for. Whelp, is it?»
Guffaws echoed throughout the warehouse’s arenose, cracked concrete walls and wooden beams enrobed with ancient cobwebs.
Before opening one of the boxes, I noticed the name and location of the business stamped on it. Abruptly, I realized that an opportunity to review this West End legend had just landed in my lap. Better-​Maid Donuts was featured on our local PBS station in a segment produced by Pittsburgh documentarian Rick «Guy Fieri, I AM YOUR FATHER» Sebak.
Skip to the 2:00 mark…
To confess, ring-​shaped cake donuts are boring to me. I NEVER buy them.
However, B-MD’s take on this type of donut is revelatory. With an outer layer as crispy and penetrable as a hush puppy or English muffin and interiors as sugared and as frangible, texturally fleeting, and amorphous as cotton candy, these donuts bury those which come from vending machines in cellophane, which might be why I had been prejudiced against them in the past. While they still are not my favorite kind of donut, after eating a few (sugar, chocolate icing, and glazed), it was obvious that the good people of Crafton/​Elliot (which is it???) are not insane or lacking in taste.
And that’s all I had. Honest.
P. S. Better-Maid’s hours, from what I have heard and read, are very flexible and depend on how fast everything sells out. According to a months-​old Post-​Gazette piece on this tin-​roofed shack of a shop by Anya Sostek, «Better-​Maid opens at 6 a.m. Wednesday through Friday and closes whenever owner Ken Smith sells out — sometimes as early as 8 a.m.» Talk about exclusive. The bohemians should be all over this one like a vintage concert t-​shirt.

I’ve driven by this place many times but assumed it went out of business long ago… Boy was I wrong! They just sell out of donuts and lock their doors before I’m even awake!
Today, success! An early meeting had me driving by and the OPEN sign was on. I quickly pulled over and went in to discover trays and trays of donuts! I ordered a chocolate frosted French cruller, chocolate frosted cake donut, and a cinnamon sugar cake donut. They were all delicious but the cinnamon sugar was hands down AMAZING and YUMMY.
If you love fresh cake donuts that are cooked to perfection, get up early and stop at Better-​Maid Donut Company.

Heaven in a donut! This place is a hidden gem.
They are closed Monday and Tuesday. They open at 6am on weekdays and 7am on weekends. Get there early! Once they sell out, they close. Weekends the line will be out the door at 7 am!
You just have to try them! I can’t say enough about how amazing these donuts are!

Best doughnut holes in the world! This place is a gem. My Mom used to load up on their doughnut holes for my sleepovers and volleyball tournaments when I was a kid and everybody loves them. I was just back in the Burgh, visiting from Hawaii, and woke up one morning at 8:30 am. OH NO — was I too late?! My Dad and I rushed to Better Maid and were relieved to see the «open» sign still on. We enjoyed the doughnut holes all weekend long, with coffee for breakfast and at random throughout the day.
Do you think they’ll start shipping to Hawaii?

This tiny pink building might house the best donuts in this city. Be there early because by nine or a little after they shut the doors. I’m not all about those airy donuts that collapse after the first bite… no, give me a cake donut like those Dunkin’ Sticks that Dolly Madison makes! And this place has the BEST cake donuts you’ll ever have. Crispy edges and sweet icing that snaps when you take a bite. Dunk that in a cup of french roast coffee and enjoy that flavor!
They aren’t the healthiest breakfast, wait, they aren’t healthy at all but sometimes you need to indulge in a little bad food, and what better bad food than a home made donut? Just run an extra mile or so on the morning jog.

Every neighborhood in Pittsburgh probably has a non-​chain donut spot that is considered one of their best kept secrets and local treasure. Well this is easily that for the greater West End area of Pittsburgh. And I’m pretty sure that they would rank up there against any other neighborhood’s best donut effort as well.
Speaking of which, if someone would like to organize some sort of tournament to decide the the dominant donut producers in the Three Rivers area, I would gladly volunteer my expertise as a judge and set aside my love for Better-​Maid in order to conduct myself with the impartiality and professional one would expect from a regional donut judge. For serious.
The donuts themselves are the more traditional style cake donuts, with a moist and crumbly inside, slight crunchy outside. They are amazing and need to be experienced.
The only knock on this place is that if you don’t get there early, they tend to sell out occaisonally. Also, they are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. But when the worst thing you can say about a place is that it’s products are too in demand and not available as often as you like, you’re clearly dealing with something pretty great.
I’ve brought their donuts to over 20 offices and, other than dieters threatening to kill me, nearly every person has woven a tapestry of superlatives explaining how much they love them. If you find yourself having to buy popularity with donuts, picking up some Better-​Maid is a surefire way to win over anyone who enjoys deliciousness in the morning.

Important Update — Closed on Monday & Tuesday — found out the hard way…
Grew up in Pittsburgh. Never knew about this place. Stopped by after doing a Unilocal search. Donuts are yummy. Love cake donuts with crunchy outside. Donuts here are very tasty. Small place, clean and sanitary. Parking was easy on the street in front. This is in a residential neighborhood and not in the business district. I will visit again — SOON!!!

This is a guest review from my wife Jodi, who grew up within walking distance of the Little Pink Doughnut Shop and came here often on her way to school and on weekends.
«Best doughnuts created by man. I’m totally thinking about flapping my wings up to Pittsburgh right now at 2am to get some donuts. Super-​delicious.
They usually only have doughnuts until about 8 in the morning and they are SO DELICIOUS! I used to get my lazy ass up at 6am to walk here and get some doughnuts, which is saying something because I like to sleep until 1pm. I’d be like, ‘Oh, it’s a day ending in Y, I need to get my ass to the little pink doughnut shop.‘
The doughnuts are so good I got the school bus driver to stop. I offered to buy him one if he’d just stop long enough for me to go in, and he totally did.
Go get some! Why are you still reading?»