The humble doughnut has many guises. Whether it's piping-hot and jam-filled eaten while standing out in the cold watching the footy, glazed varieties with sprinkles on top devoured when you were a kid, or the thick, soft cinnamon sugar doughnuts bought from regional bakeries out of the city, these rings of fried dough remind a lot of us of the good ol' times.

Lately, Sydney's been serving up some extra delicious varieties at bakeries and restaurants all around town. From the piped Spanish style dipped in chocolate, to Zonuts, to custard filled and dusted with a snowfall of icing sugar, we road test a few of our favourites:

Milk Bar by Cafe Ish

“We make a variation of our hamburger bun, deep fry it and then fill it with goodness,” says head chef and owner Josh Nicholls of his raspberry jam doughnuts. On occasion, they also whip up monkey’s balls - doughnuts filled with jam and banana custard, covered in chocolate dusting. “You’ll need to follow us on Twitter for that one,” says Nicholls.

105 Regent Street, Redfern

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The Royal Hotel

“I think doughnuts remind a lot of us of our childhood,” says head chef Manish Shrestha of his crisp, Spanish-style cinnamon doughnuts. “My daughter always asks me to cook them for her at home, so I thought, why not put them on the menu?” Deep-fried until golden brown, these finger doughnuts are rolled in a house-made cinnamon sugar mixture and served alongside a melted chocolate and cream dipping sauce.

156 Norton Street, Leichhardt

Via Napoli

This Italian restaurant serves panzarotti - pastries made with sweet pizza-style dough that’s folded, then deep-fried, filled with Nutella and covered in icing sugar. “It’s a traditional dessert,” says pizza chef and owner Luigi Esposito. “You’ll find it a lot in the little streets of Naples.”

3/141 Longueville Road, Lane Cove

Fratelli Paradiso

For $3.50 you can pick up a fluffy bomboloni, an Italian-style fried doughnut filled with light vanilla bean custard, dusted in icing sugar and finish with a dollop of custard on top. These and their plain doughnuts are baked fresh every morning.

12-16 Challis Avenue, Potts Point

Glick’s

All sorts of flavoured fondants are used to ice Glick’s ring doughnuts. Choose from strawberry, coffee, chocolate or caramel. “During Hannukah we come out with a lot of different flavours,” says Baruch Kluwgant, general manager for Glick’s New South Wales. “They’re fried, as all good doughnuts should be!”

99 Hall Street, Bondi Beach

Flour & Stone

The end of the week is the time to find two delicious doughnuts at this cafe and bakery. “We use a berry compote instead of a jam, so it’s not as sweet and has more whole fruit in it,” says owner and master baker Nadine Ingram. The compote is piped into the doughnut along with custard, and they offer a version filled with ricotta and house-made lemon curd.

53 Riley Street, Woolloomooloo

The Cook and Baker

New Zealand natives and co-owners Cherie Bevan and Tass Tauroa were keen to create a doughnut reminiscent of their childhood. “Growing up we had these amazing soft doughnuts with fresh cream and jam,” says Bevan. The result is a brioche donut filled with house-made raspberry jam and vanilla custard lightened with whipped cream. “We have people waiting for them in the morning. They’ve become our signature – we’re very proud of our doughnuts!”

238 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction

Adriano Zumbo

Sydney went mad for Adriano Zumbo’s take on the croissant-doughnut lovechild – the zonut – and the flavours keep on coming. “So far we’ve had apple crumble, chocolate, popcorn, mango sticky rice, piña colada and strawberries and cream,” says Zumbo, who’s continuing to sell them from his The Star and Rozelle outlets. This week, it’s peach melba zonuts on the menu.

114 Terry Street, Rozelle, and Shop 1, Cafe Court, The Star/80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont