12. Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery

Mah-Za-Dehr Bakery, Donuts nyc

The name Mah-Ze-Dahr comes from the Urdu word meaning ‘the essence,’ and the essence of this unique bakery is Umber Ahmad, who worked as an investment banker specializing in the global expansion of food brands. Encouraged by a client who sampled her treats, she began baking in a commercial kitchen.

The Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery has been an online delicacy until now, with a shop opening at 28 Greenwich Avenue, between Charles and 10th Streets in the West Village.

Additional donut tasting and reporting by Managing Editor Laura Itzkowitz.