Case Study 005: Honey Jar Yogurt

Site Name:      Honey Jar Yogurt

Site Location: 13810 NE Sandy Blvd

                        Portland, OR 97230

Field Recording: Honey Jar Yogurt by Mog Bog

Honey Jar Yogurt (AKA Honey Jar Cafe, Honey Jar Donuts) is a bit of a hike from the inner city, but it's worth the trip. Honey Jar offers a little bit for everyone, with Thai food, frozen yogurt, hamburgers, and (most importantly) doughnuts on the menu. So far, the field team has sampled the doughnuts and Thai food and can report with confidence that both are excellent.

Figure 1. Site Exterior (North Side)

Figure 2. Site Exterior (East Side)

Honey Jar seems to be a neighborhood hot spot, with a good mix of people. On any given trip you might find a herd of old ladies on a doughnut mission, a young couple arguing over Thai food, or a family stopping by for a post-soccer game fro-yo. Honey Jar is an odd crossroads on the outskirts of Portland proper.

Honey Jar appears to be run entirely by a Thai family (complete with toddlers running around the place showing off their toys to unsuspecting customers). They are exceedingly nice, even staying open a little late for a last-minute Thai food run made by the field team on a certain Saturday trip to Ikea. That said, they often close early. If you're planning a trip any time past 3 or 4 in the afternoon, call ahead (503.254.2135).

Figure 3. Site Interior

Our first trip to Honey Jar was strictly business: doughnuts only. Lorna got the chocolate and coconut covered cake doughnut. Lorna reported the doughnut was pretty standard, not too dense and fairly moist. It wasn't exceptional, but it was solid. She also had a Boston Creme. She reported that this was pretty killer.

Figure 4. Lorna's Samples

Josh sampled an apple fritter. He found it to be light and crispy with very little glaze. The doughnut was exceptionally light and he claimed that he could have eaten two more easily. This claim remains unsubstantiated.

Figure 5. Josh's Sample

In sum, though Honey Jar is not a true doughnut shop it deserves recognition for managing to produce above average doughnuts while juggling just about every other type of food you could desire. So make the trip and support this funny little place. Oh, did we mention they have this awesome mural?

Figure 6. Doughnut Shrine