Graffiti Donuts & Coffee

Donuts made after you order them

Graffiti Donuts & Coffee makes its donuts to order, and that single decision shapes the visit. Nothing sits in a tray waiting to be chosen; the donut is finished once you have asked for it, so the wait is short and what you carry away is warm. The menu stays inside that one idea: donuts first, then coffee and espresso to drink, then ice cream, including donuts served with ice cream on top. There is no bread, no viennoiserie, no sandwich board and no savory counter, and the shop is better for the restraint.

A courtyard shop, not a dining room

The shop sits in the courtyard of Bayside Land in downtown Bar Harbor, directly behind Testa’s Bar & Grill and a block back from the waterfront. It is take-out only, with no seating at all, so the order is collected and eaten somewhere else: on the walk down to the water, on a bench, or on the way to a boat. That makes it a stop rather than a destination, and it folds neatly into a loop of the downtown blocks. Being set back from the main storefronts also keeps the line calmer than the location suggests.

Order a donut, then decide how far to take it

Start with a plain order from the donut list, because the made-to-order donut is the whole concept and the clearest reason to come. Add coffee or espresso if you want the standard pairing and a reason to slow the walk down. Push it into dessert by taking a donut topped with ice cream, which is the richest thing the counter builds and the version that turns an afternoon snack into the last course of the day. Since everything is finished on request, order what you actually want rather than what is left in the case, because there is no case. Keep the order small: it is at its best within a few minutes of leaving the courtyard.