Portland’s Voodoo Doughnuts sells off-the-wall treats and performs completely legal weddings.
No matter what time you visit Portland, Oregon’s Voodoo Doughnuts, chances are you’ll find a line of people wrapped around the block, waiting to take home a pink pastry box filled with crazy creations.
Whether it’s the offbeat doughnuts, the shamanic decor or simply black magic that draws such huge crowds, this daring sweet shop has certainly cast a powerful spell over an otherwise health-conscious city.
The founders of Voodoo Doughnuts never had a problem going against that grain. “We opened right in the middle of the anti-carb craze,” said owner Kenneth “Cat Daddy” Pogson. “But everyone needs a treat now and then. We figured if we are in the drinking district, those people wouldn’t mind a little sugar too.”
That sugar comes in the form of doughnuts topped with strips of bacon, Tang, or cereal pieces, each with its own creative (and sometimes naughty) name like “Miami Vice Berry” or “Tangfastic.” True to Portland tradition, vegan doughnuts can also be bought alongside the cake- and raised-dough offerings.
If you love your significant other as much as you love doughnuts, you can also be legally married at any of Voodoo’s three doughnut shops ( in addition to its famous downtown location, Voodoo has expanded to the city’s northeast and further south in Eugene, Oregon). The doughnut masters performed nearly 60 weddings last year alone. Depending on the location, wedding packages cost $200 or $300, and always include coffee and doughnuts. If you’re an out-of-towner, $5,000 will buy you the wedding rites as well as airfare, hotel accommodations and a tour of the Rose City.
The original shop in downtown Portland recently underwent renovations to improve working conditions and make the long line move faster. The grand re-opening celebration on 9 July at 2 pm will feature live music and plenty of Voodoo’s signature snacks.