Answering the Age-Old Question: I'm Donut?
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Like many big cities, Tokyo is full of food trends. You walk around, and sometimes you see a huge line of people standing around outside. What are they waiting for? you ask impolitely. In Florence, they’re waiting on a big sandwich. In Seoul, maybe it’s North Korean food. In Los Angeles, it’s a hot dog with chili all over it. In Tokyo, it’s usually ramen, though in our neighborhood, the line is for exquisite Mexican tacos.
Japanese people care about the presentation of food more than anywhere else I’ve been. How food looks is what matters to them. There’s a million cafes that serve garbage food, but Japanese women love eating at them because the food looks cute and is served in a specific way for them to take their little Instagram photos. That’s why I normally stay away from standard cafes in Japan and instead patronize snobbish espresso establishments, and why I’m skeptical of trendy food shops. However, there’s one that’s always cought our eye.
Eriko works in Omotesando, and there’s a donut spot near there called I’m donut? You saw that correctly: the shop, or the food within, is facing an existential crisis. It does not know if it is, in fact, donut. We would like to help it solve this conundrum, but every time we pass by, there’s a huge long line. They’ve caused a sensation with their donuts. How can a donut be so interesting as to warrant waiting in line during a Japanese winter? We always wondered. The place is so popular it’s spawned several locations.
After a quick stop at Butter Butler, we went to Omotesando/Harajuku to meet up with some friends from America this past Wednesday (these friends included the person who designs my book covers so check out her art website please), and found ourselves with plenty of time to spare since they were running late at TeamLab. This gave us a chance to finally try the mysterious treat that is or is not donut.
The I’m donut? stand in Harajuku
The Harajuku location, predictably, had a super long line that stretched down the block. Only the people at the front of the line were allowed at the counter to make their purchase, with everyone else back on the sidewalk. As we passed, we saw that there was a sign for an I’m donut? cafe on the second floor. See that little signboard? I asked Eriko if it said whether the line was for the cafe or just to-go orders. She tried to read it and couldn’t tell. Then a lady who worked there walked up to us and informed us that yes, if you are eating at the cafe, you can take the elevator upstairs without waiting in the line. I’m not sure if the people in line knew that, but we now knew it, so we avoided the line and took the elevator up to the cafe.
The I’m donut? upstairs cafe in Harajuku
The cafe, like the stand below, is pretty tiny. There’s a row of what I guess could be called tables and some things that I guess could be called seats, but they are built for tiny mice, not full-size Greggs. There was one open when we arrived, so we were able to order and sit right away. But after that, each group that arrived was forced to wait until someone got up. This was much faster than waiting in line downstairs, and I have a feeling many of the people waiting in the cold were unaware they could come upstairs and try the donuts right away.
There are quite a few flavors of maybe-donuts to choose from, though a couple were already sold out by the time we got there. They also have juice, tea, and coffee. You are NOT allowed to get donuts to go - if you want to take your donuts with you, then you have to wait in the line downstairs. I wanted to get four donuts, but only ordered three, and for that I called myself a good boy. We scrunched into the tiny seats by the tiny table and tried out our haul.
The prosciutto donut at I’m donut?
Sadly, there was no gabagool donut.
The prosciutto donut is exactly what it sounds like. The prosciutto isn’t really incorporated in any way - they just grabbed a donut, peeled some prosciutto off a pack, and lumped it on top. The sample on the counter had looked as though the donut would be glazed, but it wasn’t.
The prosciutto tasted like store-bought prosciutto, and the donut tasted like bread. There wasn’t a lot of sweetness to counteract the salty. It could have used a maple topping, or anything, really, to keep it from being so dry. Definitely a novelty that they didn’t put much heart into. So far, we didn’t see a reason to wait for an hour in the cold for this. But we would soon understand.
The plain donut at I’m donut?
Nothing plain about this plain donut.
The plain donut had a dusting of sugar on top, and was very springy - it was even, dare I say, “mochi mochi.” Upon taking a bite, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia for the tiny donuts that come 12 to a bag from a booth at the Buffalo County Fair. If you ever went to the fair as a youth and tried those little donuts, this will bring those memories back. It’s like a revved-up version of those classic sugary treats.
The inside was a marvel. As I said, it was bouncy, but also has some solid consistency to it. Some donuts, like Krispy Kreme, just disappear when they get into your mouth, while others are so cakey that you can choke on them if you take too big a bite. This was moist yet full, thick yet smooth, devilish yet holy. We loved this one. I would eat ten million of them. In short, we got it. We understood exactly why people wait for these. They’re popular for a reason.
The strawberry chocolate raw French cruller at I’m donut?
Legend has it that if you try all the different types of donuts, you BECOME a donut (hence the eatery’s name).
Our last choice looked like a familiar Japanese ring donut. The strawberry flavor was present, and it was quite sugary. We enjoyed the taste, but it simply couldn’t compete with the plain one. It seems like they’ve made a name for themselves through their signature donuts, and feel the need to offer other kinds like prosciutto and strawberry, but the same level of care hasn’t been put into those. This strawberry one was better than most chewy ring donuts I’ve had in Japan, but if I ever go back, I’m not going to bother with any flavors other than plain. In fact, I tried to get six more to take with us and share with the friends we were meeting up with, but was told I could only order donuts if I was going to eat them there, and I definitely wasn’t waiting in that freezing line.
One odd thing about sitting upstairs, beyond the strict rules and the smallness of the pen we were all kept in, was that no one was talking. It was completely silent. People just ate their donuts, drank their coffee, and left. It definitely isn’t a cafe atmopsphere. If there were no line downstairs, that would be better than eating in the cafe, but since there is a line downstairs, you’re better off coming upstairs. Sadly, no one was getting that message, because when we went back down, we saw the same long line, which surely contained folks planning to eat their donuts right away who had no clue they could go upstairs and get out of the cold.
The verdict: is I’m donut? worth your time?
If you’re going to be in Harajuku or any of the other places where I’m donut? can be found, you should definitely stop in and give them a try. As for waiting an hour for them in the freezing cold, I’m not sure about that. But since the Harajuku location had this cafe, we took advantage, and we’re glad we did. In fact, next time we walk by, if the line is short or the cafe open, I’m going to go back and try more of those plain donuts, since they may be the best donuts I’ve had since I moved to Japan. Maybe. Maybebaby.
Where is I’m donut? in Tokyo?
Address: 〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya, Jingumae, 1 Chome−14−24 1F・2F
Website: I’m donut? bakery
Hours: 10am-8pm
In addition to the Harajuku shop, there is also an Omotesando branch, a Shibuya location, and one in Nakameguro. I imagine they’re all just as popular as the one we went to, so expect a line. We can definitely vouch for the fact that the cafe portion of the Harajuku location was a quick experience, so maybe try that one and you might get lucky like we did. Enjoy your donuts. Get the plain ones.
