Doughnut Love might be the best kept doughnut secret in Metro Vancouver.

Blink and you’ll miss it: next to a gas station in a nondescript modern strip mall on an endless stretch of Coquitlam suburbia, Doughnut Love doesn’t scream out for attention.

But watch the lineup of cars quickly going in and out of the parking lot on a weekend. Then step inside to the store, and look through the window to the kitchen as they churn out 20 different types of doughnuts on a neverending loop.

Then try some of them. You’ll quickly realize that, while only three years old, Doughnut Love might be the best kept doughnut secret in Metro Vancouver.

What impressed us the most? Probably the diversity, quality and uniqueness of the flavours. Doughnut Love does fritters and old fashions, cake and yeast-based doughnuts, gluten friendly and vegan, all at a fairly high quality. And they’re done in interesting flavours with fresh ingredients: an Eggnog Brûlée or a Coconut Cream Cheese, a Hibiscus or a Lemon Poppyseed. Some things are fairly standard (Apple Fritter anyone?) and some things are over-the-top decadent (there’s currently a “Turtles Old Fashioned” covered in caramel and candied pecans).

Prices tend to hover around four dollars, but when you consider the size and freshness, it certainly feels fair.

If we had a complaint, it would be that these are almost uniformly heavy doughnuts: thick in flavour and texture, particularly the yeast-based ones. Getting through more than one would be a chore, and if you covet simplicity, you might find Doughnut Love’s extensive selection a bit lacking.

For the rest of us? We’ve found our new favourite place to load up when we head to the Tri-Cities on the weekend for a Sasamat/Buntzen Lake adventure or Port Moody brewery crawl.

And we’ll eat them with love.