Who doesn’t love donuts? Universally appropriate for any time of day, the donut is celebratory, delicious and adorned with sprinkles! Oh, but there’s so much more…. Not only is the donut a multi-layered vessel of flavor and texture, but now it’s a vessel for creative flavors and pairings! And in true Asheville fashion, we’re keeping it creative, weird and delicious. Dive into Asheville’s donut culture and celebrate the donut with these Date Nights for Donut Lovers!
Geraldine’s Bakery
Located in North Asheville, Geraldine’s Bakery is a family owned and operated bakery that delivers scratch-made pastries, danishes, New York style egg sandwiches, donuts and coffee. Their daily scratch-made doughnuts are only one dollar and come in many alluring flavors like Rockin Chocolate, Maple Bacon, Magical Mystery, Cotton Candy Crunch and more. On the weekends, they feature the Big E. That’s an oversized maple-glazed and bacon topped donut stuff with egg, sausage, and cheese. But really, you can make a doughnut a breakfast sandwich. Talk about sweet and savory, this hits it out of the park! www.garaldinesbakeryavl.com
Duck’s Donuts
Duck’s Donuts offers warm, fresh and made-to-order donuts that you can customize yourself. It begins with their signature vanilla cake donut, made when you order. Next, you pick your coating from a variety of glazes, such as the maple, cinnamon sugar and even blueberry. Pick from a variety of toppings like graham crackers, bacon or shredded coconut. Then finish it with a drizzle like hot fudge or salted caramel. The combinations are endless and the warm donut brings it all together for a sweet, melted fushion of flavor with every bite. They do feature donuts that rotate with the season like the Pumpkin Donut: a pumpkin donut with graham cracker and marshmallow drizzle. Paying tribute to the classic pumpkin pie. And, the sweat and savory Maple Icing Donut with chopped Bacon. And don’t forget to add some nuts for a crunch! www.duckdonuts.com
Vortex Doughnuts
Likely the most featured donut haven in Asheville is Vortex Doughnuts. Located on the South Slope of downtown, Vortex offers scratch-made doughnuts daily, as well as a full espresso bar, serving 1000 Faces Coffee. With a commitment to sourcing local, organic and gmo-free ingredients, their focus is on quality with every doughnut. Maybe freshness and quality aren’t what you think of when you’re jones-ing for a doughnut, but you can taste the difference. They are made a couple of different ways: vegan, yeast and cake. The flavors and glazes rotate, with more traditional flavors year round. With many collaborations with Asheville area restaurants, you may have seen Vortex around. But do yourself a favor and go to Vortex Doughnuts to experience the fresh, local taste of an Asheville doughnut. Vortex Doughnuts
Hole Doughnuts
In West Asheville, there’s the sweetest little doughnut shop called Hole Doughnuts. Each doughnut is made-to-order and served to you piping hot. Pull up a front row seat while hand rolled, yeast doughnuts are made before your eyes in their open kitchen. Their doughnuts are full of texture: crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They serve local coffee, Penny Cup Coffee Co, as the perfect accompaniment to their delicious doughnuts. The cafe also features a local potter, Candice Hensley’s mugs. Hole doesn’t do all the frills and toppings, but what they do manage is to evoke a deep satisfaction for the simple things, a perfectly made doughnut with a perfect cup of coffee. www.hole-doughnuts.com
The Hop Ice Cream
Specializing in quality homemade dairy and vegan ice cream and sorbet, The Hop Ice Cream Cafe is an Asheville staple. With three Asheville locations, they host many regular events and have built a community around ice cream. In addition to ice cream, The Hop has regular donut ice cream sandwich nights where they creatively pair ice cream and donuts. They also serve locally roasted, organic fair-trade coffee and espresso. Combine the cool ice cream sandwich with a warm cup of joe and you’ve got yourself a heavenly match. For a schedule of their donut ice cream sandwich events, check out their Facebook page. For a full list of flavors, visit their website www.thehopicecreamcafe.com
HenDough Chicken & Donuts
Just south of Asheville, Hendough Chicken & Donuts charms you with sweet and savory. Located in a 1930’s era home with sunny outdoor seating, this is perfect for casual dining with a donut twist. Serving handmade donuts, coffee, fried chicken and sandwiches, this is a perfect breakfast or lunch date! Order their chicken sandwich with a griddle-toasted donut bun and get ready to indulge. Or maybe you want all the sweet and go for the Nutella Crunch donut that has a Nutella glaze with chocolate cookie bits on top. It’s to die for. If ya gotta go, then death by chocolate seems like a good way to go. www.hendough.com
DoughP Doughnuts
This fun, casual cafe is located in the Jackson Building downtown, below the French Broad Chocolate Lounge. They serve breakfast, coffee, and lunch. But the real draw (if you ask any donut lover), is their handmade yeast-raised doughnuts by its sister company DoughP Doughnuts. With unique donuts flavors like the “Here Piggy Piggy, ” a pork belly glaze, with house-made pork rind sugar and topped with togarashi spice, you never know what you’ll find! This is why we love this spot as a casual donut or coffee date! They serve Hatchet Coffee beans, both hot and cold brews, as well as Chai from AppalaChai. www.theundergroundcafe828.com
“Graveyard field” with Boojum Brewery blueberry coffee porter.“ And “Candied Habanero” with a habanero glaze and candied habanero.
Have heard of Hole and Vortex and even gone to The Hop’s Donut Sandwich night, but didn’t realize there were all these other places in the area. I’ll have to get busy checking these out! 🙂