Donuts for the People! Popular is the Place

Every town has its famous donut place. Popular Donuts is the place for donuts in Walla Walla. It's, well, popular. Locals stream in to claim their dozens – you have to come early to get the bacon maple bars.

"Make it good, or don't make it!" That's John Peck's secret to success. As of December 2018, he and his wife, Samantha Bun, will have owned Popular Donuts, 706 West Alder St., for 20 years.

John first made donuts as a side job 1983 in Dallas, Texas. In 1986, he moved to California to work in the iconic Winchell’s Donut House. Like many who have come to live here, he fled the big city and found his home. He purchased Popular Donuts from a friend, who had a few shops of the same name in California. This shop is the last to bear the Popular Donuts name.

John said the best-selling items are the ham and cheese croissants, apple and cherry turnovers, apple fritters, maple bars, and, of course, the bacon maple bars.

The donuts are seriously good – a perfect mixture of crispy and fluffy and sweet. "We use good ingredients and make them fresh every day," John said. "This is all I’ve done for the last 35 years!"