This Donut Shop's Glazing Window Is Hard To Walk Away From

When the red, neon light is glowing at Krispy Kreme, customers know that it's time for fresh, hot donuts, and with independent donut shops popping up on every corner as the pastry rises in popularity, the chain is getting a run for its money. All it takes is one positive review going viral on social media for a small, local donut shop to become an international sensation overnight. Although Bernie Beigne in Montreal, Canada, rose to fame before going viral for its glazing window videos on the internet, racking up a few hundred thousand views certainly hasn't hurt.

Bernie Beigne specializes in old-school donuts with a modern twist, taking influence from Jewish and Greek bakeries of the past. At the front of the shop, passersby are captivated by a larger-than-life window where employees line up dozens of donuts for real-time glazing. Guests get a bit of a show watching the piping hot pastries take a bath in the sticky-sweet glaze, which is all part of the shop's plan to demonstrate its daily, made-fresh routine. Behind the employee scooping mounds of dripping glaze onto fresh donuts in front of the crowds, other donuts are baking in hot oil, primed to become one of the most popular types of donuts.

We might already know where to find the best donuts in the U.S., but Bernie Beigne might just take the cake (or should we say "donut") for Canada. Opened in 2021 by father and son John and Dean Giannarakis, along with their friend George Giannopoulos, this small shop has steadily grown into a household name. Community has always been important to Bernie Beigne's owners, hence why they opened the shop with affordable pastry prices and a name that pays homage to their home.

When it comes to Bernie Beigne's menu, there's always the classic glazed donuts hanging in the window, or there's a sprawling selection of unique options, too. Think Willy Wonka meets Peeta Mellark. Froot Loop coated donuts, peanut butter and jelly donuts, Boston cream or chocolate-covered donuts, donuts covered with Kit Kats, Oreos, M&M's, maple bacon, rainbow sprinkles, and much more are available. The shop puts out specially themed donuts for the holidays, such as the collection for Easter, which included a donut topped with a macaroon and a donut decorated with chocolate eggs. At one point, there was even a donut stuffed with an entire Twix bar, coated in chocolate, and decorated with whipped cream and more Twix pieces.

If a visit to Montreal isn't in the cards anytime soon, you can always make glazed donuts at home. But Bernie Beigne's glazing window is just something you have to see to believe.