Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
David Livingstone’s Shaving Mirror
Thailand’s hot, humid climate meant that customers wanted an alternative to hot tea.
ChaTraMue
Rumbling Bridge
Rumbling Bridge
‘Oh, It’s You, Welcome!’
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Oregon Portland Voodoo Doughnut and Wedding Chapel
Gastro Obscura

Voodoo Doughnut and Wedding Chapel

The magic's in the hole!

Portland, Oregon

Added By
Sarah Brumble
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Voodoo Doughnuts   Fairy Princess Lolly / Atlas Obscura User
Best donuts in the City of Roses!   Fairy Princess Lolly / Atlas Obscura User
Giant ceiling art with sprinkles   Fairy Princess Lolly / Atlas Obscura User
  Taterchips / Atlas Obscura User
  cait7911 / Atlas Obscura User
  cait7911 / Atlas Obscura User
  cait7911 / Atlas Obscura User
Stained Glass of VooDoo Doughnuts  
  jerrianncrow / Atlas Obscura User
Twisted Candlebra Chandelier   Fairy Princess Lolly / Atlas Obscura User
Fresh baked and available 24 hours a day.   Bess Sadler
  jerrianncrow / Atlas Obscura User
  jyackabonis / Atlas Obscura User
January 2020   ccesare / Atlas Obscura User
  jyackabonis / Atlas Obscura User
  zharlita03 / Atlas Obscura User
6/4/2023   mmwoodruff / Atlas Obscura User
Voodoo Doughnuts sign   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Old Town location   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Sign   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
  cait7911 / Atlas Obscura User
  cait7911 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The notorious doughnut shop was founded by Kenneth "Cat Daddy" Pogson and Tres Shannon to fill a void in Portland's late night dining scene. Apparently there was a spiritual void as well as the two gentlemen also preside over Voodoo's numerous weddings. That's right: while the doughnuts are the main attraction, committing to eternal love is also an option thanks to several legally-binding wedding and commitment ceremony packages, replete with in-house refreshments.

The tiny storefront in Old Town is decorated with velvet paintings and newspaper clippings of minor stars and public figures', lit by the one and only Cruller Chandelier of Life. In a city brimming with oddities, it's the doughnuts that really distinguish Voodoo from the rest of the field. Popular flavors include Cap'n Crunch (raised doughnut, vanilla icing, and Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries), Ol' Dirty Bastard (chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate icing, Oreo cookie crumbles, and peanut butter drizzled on top), the Bacon Maple Bar (take a traditional maple bar and, yes, add bacon), and the eponymous doughnut consisting of a gingerbread-man shaped doughnut covered in chocolate icing and punctured by pretzels, from whose wounds ooze raspberry filling.

The Voodoo ran into some trouble when they were confronted by the Food and Drug Administration after selling Nyquil glazed donut and the Vanilla Pepto Crushed Tums donuts to wrecked party-goers.

"With the Pepto doughnut, I honestly thought if you had that shot of tequila you shouldn’t have at 2:00 a.m., and then you got sugar, bread, Pepto, and Tums, you’d either feel better or puke your a** off and then feel better because you got it out of your system. So it was a win-win either way,” reasoned Pogson.

In addition to doubling as a wedding chapel, secular events are regularly held at the shops to enhance the communal doughnut loving. Back in the day, the store offered free Swahili lessons to visitors before the evening rush. These days, at midnight on the first Friday of every month, Voodoo holds a doughnut eating contest.

One of these very contest provided the basis for the oft-attempted "Tex-Ass Challenge" in which a participant attempts to eat the Tex-Ass doughnut (an enormous glazed doughnut equal to six of the regular doughnuts) in under 90 seconds amidst an alternately cheering or heckling crowd; rarely do folks succeed, but winnings include the price of the Tex-Ass and some hefty bragging rights. Just say the word and a (somewhat) friendly doughnut staff-member will set festivities in motion.

In 2008, Voodoo expanded to a second location on the east side of the Willamette River (which bisects Portland's city center). Unlike the original, Voodoo Too has ample parking, seating space, and a bubble hockey game to divert patrons 21 hours of every day. The original location is open 24/7, though the shop's interior may be closed during low-traffic hours, whence customers belly-up to the adjacent 'doughnut window' on the building's exterior to be served drive-thru style.

There’s a third location at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles, which serves many of the same doughnuts sans the velvet paintings .

Should the Voodoo experience have made a lasting impression, visitors are encouraged to purchase the various memorabilia for sale in the shops. After all, who doesn't need a pair of pink briefs with "Good things come in pink boxes" scrawled over one's rear?

Related Tags

Rites And Rituals Unique Restaurants & Bars Sacred Spaces Food Restaurants Donuts Weddings

Know Before You Go

To reach the original location, walk two blocks west from the Skidmore Fountain stop of the Red or Blue line Max station. Ample bus service are located on Southwest 5th and 6th Avenues; take the stop nearest to Burnside and walk either one or two blocks East to find the shop between the Paris Theater and Berbati's Pan. Voodoo Too is located at:1501 NE Davis St. Portland, ORAnother tip: there is usually a line, but it goes quickly. Give yourself time for the visit.

Community Contributors

Added By

littlebrumble

Edited By

oliviastavely, BelleAurore, SamM, KylaSBriggs...

  • oliviastavely
  • BelleAurore
  • SamM
  • KylaSBriggs
  • mmwoodruff
  • jerrianncrow
  • Fairy Princess Lolly
  • ccesare
  • Taterchips
  • cait7911
  • jyackabonis
  • Jason Michael Walker
  • zharlita03

Published

December 10, 2009

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Oregon Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff, By Harriet Baskas
  • http://voodoodoughnut.com
  • http://www.believermag.com/issues/200608/?read=doughnut_voodoo
  • Personal experiencd
Voodoo Doughnut and Wedding Chapel
22 SW 3rd Avenue
Portland, Oregon, 97204
United States
45.522721, -122.6732
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Portland's Shanghai Tunnels

Portland, Oregon

miles away

'The Naked Cyclist'

Portland, Oregon

miles away

The Green Man of Portland

Portland, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Portland

Portland

Oregon

Places 61
Stories 12

Nearby Places

Portland's Shanghai Tunnels

Portland, Oregon

miles away

'The Naked Cyclist'

Portland, Oregon

miles away

The Green Man of Portland

Portland, Oregon

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Portland

Portland

Oregon

Places 61
Stories 12

Related Places

  • These meat substitutes come close to the real thing.

    Queens, New York

    Bodhi Village

    Get to know the plant-based fare of Chinese Buddhist monks.

  • Kurdish cuisine shares some dishes, like meat kebabs, with other Middle Eastern cuisines.

    Tokyo, Japan

    Mesopotamia

    The only Kurdish restaurant in Japan invites you to learn and feast.

  • Fried, meat-filled khuushuur pastries with two kinds of chilled salad.

    Morton Grove, Illinois

    Mazalae Mongolian Restaurant

    Just outside Chicago, one of the few traditional Mongolian restaurants in the U.S. serves a misunderstood cuisine.

  • Seattle, Washington

    Tai Tung

    The city's oldest Chinese restaurant offers local history and seriously good food.

  • Aged duck served with seasonal and preserved vegetables.

    Tsaghkunk, Armenia

    Tsaghkunk Restaurant

    This modern tandoor eatery was once a canteen for Soviet farmers.

  • The tortillas come in a rainbow of colors.

    Tlacolula de Matamoros, Mexico

    Criollito

    This Oaxacan restaurant serves native corn and Indigenous recipes.

  • Milos, Greece

    Sirocco

    This "volcanic all-day restaurant" is right on the beach.

  • Silver Lake, Oregon

    Cowboy Dinner Tree

    Eat like a "buckaroo" at this remote restaurant.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.