Exploring Cincinnati For One Day
Some of the best travel advice I could give anyone is to just go travel to new cities, new states, new countries, etc. You just never know what you may find and what you may like. Don’t knock it until you try it. With that said, I recently made a trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit my friend and we decided to take a day trip down to Cincinnati. First time I have been to either one of these areas. I am a huge baseball fan and would like to visit every baseball stadium so it was a no-brainer road trip to go see a Reds game. And, I really enjoy visiting new cities. I had a great time and it seems like an up and coming destination to me. There is a lot to do in Cincinnati. This trip was very built around what I enjoy - food, donuts, beer, and baseball. And, there is only so much time in the day to do all the things. I just wanted to share my trip and give some love to Cincy as a fun place to visit. I will add some additional popular things to do as options as well for everyone. There is definitely something for all.
The trip down to Cincinnati from Columbus is about an hour and 45 minutes. I learned Ohio is really, really flat. Cincinnati is a pretty large city so having a car was helpful to get around to some places before the baseball game. Our first pit stops were breweries. It was almost 90 degrees and we were parched. The first stop was MadTree Brewing. They had a huge facility and a wood fire pizza restaurant inside. Tons of beer options and non-beer options. Definitely one of the big beer companies in the state.
Our next stop was to Esoteric Brewing. This one was off the beaten path a bit in Paramount Square, a much smaller space. Pretty eclectic vibes inside.
The last brewery we visited was Rhinegeist Brewery, which had the most hype per my research. This was my favorite by far and the best beer in my opinion. They have a massive space as well in a former pre-prohibition bottling plant located in Cincinnati's historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. They have cornhole, ping pong, TVs, and even a rooftop space.
Other breweries to check out: Sonder Brewing, West Side Brewing, Brink Brewing Company, Humble Monk Brewing Co, Woodburn Brewing, Streetside Brewery.
After this, we made our way Downtown to our hotel to check in. Fortunately, this was about a 10 min walk to Great American Ball Park since we were running late. For the 2023 baseball season, there have been changes to the game to make it go by faster. This game lasted only about 2 hours and 45 minutes and it was high scoring. Typically, when I go to a new ballpark I like to walk around a lot, get some food, and watch 4-5 innings maybe. The stadium was absolutely packed and the lines were crazy. Given we got there late, I didn’t have too much time to walk around or get a bite to eat. We had great seats and the game was really good and competitive so we watched most of the game. Awesome fans I must say. Really fun environment (since the Reds are doing well). And, from what I saw a really cool stadium that I would like to come back to.
After the game we retreated back to the hotel to cool down and decide on dinner. With the Reds stadium Downtown, there is quite a bit to do around the area. There are lots of restaurants within walking distance. And, we did not feel like getting the car and driving. We decided to go to Nada, a pretty good Mexican gourmet cuisine spot.Very vibrant space with outdoor seating off the street. I believe this is a small chain in Ohio. We could tell a lot of places were busy after the game but we actually were seated pretty quickly.
On the way back to the hotel, we saw the famous Graeter’s Ice Cream founded in Cincinnati. I heard a lot about this ice cream shop. The line was insanely long at night. And, my buddy mentioned there was one down the street from his house in Columbus so we did that instead. But, if you are only in Cincinnati, I would highly recommend it as your late night dessert option. It was really great ice cream. I was overwhelmed as usual deciding on options but I went with Butter Pecan and Cookie Dough. Random opposite selections I know, that’s just my style.
We had limited time so I didn’t get to try as many food options as I would like. Everyone says to get Skyline Chili but it was 90 degrees. Maybe next time. However, here are some other options that were on my list I did get to try: Maplewood Kitchen and Bar, Mazuntae Taqueria, The Eagle,Incline Public House, Moerlein Lager House, Taste of Belgium, Eli's BBQ, Crown Republic.
Of course, a trip to a new city would not be complete without seeking a donut shop, preferably the highest rated if possible. On the way back to Columbus, we stopped at Holtman’s Donuts. They had a great selection of donuts from the classics to cronuts to gourmet toppings. This donut shop has been around since 1960 and definitely seemed like a staple for Cincinnati. We got there mid-morning and I could tell the early crowd took a dent in their selections. I went with the apple fritter, oreo red velvet, chocolate sprinkle, maple frosted, chocolate glazed (cake), and my buddy wanted to try the cinnamon cronut. The fritter was really tasty. The red velvet was my favorite. It was vanilla frosting (not cream cheese) with oreo crumbles on a red velvet cake donut that was super moist. It was awesome. I highly recommend it and it’s actually across the street from MadTree Brewing, which we didn’t realize until we looked across the street eating donuts by the car!
All in all, I thought Cincinnati was a great experience. We had very limited time and I would definitely go back to experience more of the city. Downtown is great if checking out the baseball game or football game, as I did see the Bengals stadium nearby off the highway. Aside from what I have shared, here are some other activities to do for all that are popular: Newport Aquarium, Sawyer Point & Yeatman’s Cove, Fountain Square, Findlay Market, Over the Rhine Food Tour, Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Contemporary Arts Center, Contemporary Arts Center, Jungle Jim’s, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Riverwalk, Roebling Suspension Bridge.
HIKING FOR DONUTS
A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.
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Colorado Road Trippin’ for Donuts
In my years of traveling, Colorado has been my favorite state to visit for the food, the beer, and the outdoors/hiking. I still have barely scrapped the surface. On my third visit this spring, I drove over 1000 miles and visited 7 cities. My prior trips did not consist of too much donut research. Hence, there were many donut shop visits along the way on this trip. This is not a best of list by any means. There are lots of donut shops in Colorado. In this post, I will be sharing my experiences of the donut shops I visited during my trip. SPOILER ALERT, Colorado has some great donuts shops.
Voodoo Donuts Denver, CO
The first stop off the plane was Voodoo Donuts. The popularity of this donut shop makes it a must try. Once you walk in, you see and feel how different this is than a standard donut shop. There is a hip and fun vibe going on. There’s a big selection of unique flavors and types of donuts. They are known for a raspberry filled donut shaped and decorated like a Voodoo Doll and their wittiness. The crazy options I chose were the Chuckles, chocolate frosting dipped in hot chocolate cocoa powder with peanuts and caramel and chocolate drizzle, and the ODB, chocolate frosting with Oreo cookies and peanut butter. In addition, I had to the get the Voodoo Doll, Plain Glazed, Double Chocolate Cake, and Maple Bar.
City Donuts, Denver, CO
City Donuts has a few locations spread out through Colorado near the Denver area. This was your standard old school donut shop. The customer service was fantastic. The person working went into detail on how their donuts were made and the history of the company. Appreciated it because it gave me time to decide what I wanted. Unfortunately, I was pretty full from breakfast but I settled on the Maple Glaze and Chocolate Frosted with sprinkles. Super fluffy and tasted homemade. Pretty big sized donut as well. And, they hooked me up with some free donut holes. The bag the donuts came in was a great touch.
Amy’s Donuts, Colorado Springs, CO
The stand out donut shop in Colorado Springs has to be Amy’s Donuts. This shop had my head on a swivel. Not even over exaggerating, there were over 50 different flavor combinations. To narrow it down was a tough task. They covered the basics but then went over the top with wild toppings and flavor combinations like Almond Banana Caramel, Butterfinger, and Maple Bacon Fudge. The final decision was the Maple Turtle, Reese’s Pieces, Nutella Crumb, Bizmallow Caramel, and S’mores. And, a Raspberry filled glazed bar to complete the spectrum of donuts. They will pipe in the jelly fresh when you order. Big fan of that. The verdict, the Maple Turtle was amazing as it sounds.
Montrose Donuts and Deli, Montrose, CO
The perfect hiking for donuts location. Located 15 minutes outside of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, you must visit Montrose Donuts and Deli. When I walked in, I was delighted to see all the options. They had bear claws, old fashion, cake, yeast, cinnamon bun, bow tie, cruller, French cruller, fritter, bars, and filled donuts along with muffins and more baked goods. And, a glazed buttermilk bar. What?!? I had to try this. Best donut of the trip. Tasted like a delicious and sugary glazed biscuit. Along with the glazed buttermilk bar, I also tried the chocolate cake sprinkle, bow tie glazed, blueberry glaze cake, cinnamon crumb, old fashion maple, and cinnamon crumb glaze fritter. The donuts were all pretty delicious. Highly recommend for your hiking for donut needs.
OMG Donuts, Arvada, CO
Located in a small plaza driving through Arvada, I found myself at OMG Donuts. This is another small business, old school shop cranking out the classics. Very friendly. I got there late afternoon and they still had some good options. I went with the Plain Glazed, Double Chocolate Cake, Maple Bar, Chocolate Frosted and Red Velvet. The red velvet cake stood out to me for some reason and that was the best decision I made. One of the best cake donuts I have EVER had. Wow, super moist and the flavor was on point. The chocolate cake was good also, super chocolaty almost like eating a chocolate cake. The yeast donuts were fluffy and light. This was a great donut shop find.
HIKING FOR DONUTS
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every change I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search City or State here.
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Best places to get donuts in St. Louis
The best places to get donuts in St. Louis.
Let me start off saying….St. Louis donuts exceeded my expectations. In my research, I noticed there were a lot more donuts in the St. Louis area than I anticipated. Donuts were a large part of my trip but I also had to juggle exploring, hiking, and trying the local food as well. This post is to capture my thoughts on the donut shops I did visit. There were a few donut shops I hoped to stop by but I ran out of time. I can’t for sure say who the best was. What I can tell you is that St. Louis has amazing donuts.
I saw this sign a mile away.
Most donut shops in St. Louis are old school. They don’t offer crazy toppings and stick to the basics such as glazed, frosted, and jelly fillings. I found most shops did open early and close by early afternoon. So, you better get there early. Be sure to check shop hours. They make donuts fresh in the morning. Once they run out, they are done for the day. While it is challenging to get there in a timely fashion to get your fill of donuts, I appreciate the old school mindset. What stood out to me the most was that the actual donut was so amazing and fresh. Even after sitting in the car a few hours, they still tasted awesome. They weren’t the most Instagram worthy or fancy but I would choose them over most donuts I have had.
Truth Vincent Van DOughnuts.
Pharaohs Donuts
The first donut shop I checked out was Pharaoh Donuts. They are located in the downtown area of St. Louis. My girlfriend and I stayed downtown just for one night so this was our first stop in the morning. We arrived mid-morning and they were already out of some donuts. Walking up to the donut case, I was overwhelmed as usual. I had to make my selections count. I appreciate the patience of the staff. I noticed a donut that I know to be a maple bar from the Northeast. The poor guy kept saying Long John and explaining that it had caramel frosting. I just kept saying maple bar. My girlfriend just kept shaking her head with embarrassment. Donut excitement got to me.
We purchased 4 donuts and walked over to the Gateway Arch. I got the Long John, chocolate glazed (cake), coffee crumb (cake), and a raspberry filled glazed donut. The donuts cost about $1.50 each. Not bad at all. On this day, I did not expect to have one of the best donuts in my life. The Long John was amazing. The donut was perfect and chewy. The caramel frosting was dynamite and not overly sweet. Nichole isn’t a huge donut fan (ironic) but this donut had her fighting for bites with me. The perfect donut hands down. I dare you to tell me otherwise. The chocolate cake was awesome. The cake base was almost gooey because the delicious glaze was soaking into the fresh made donut. The raspberry filled donut was great. Perfect amount of filling and the donut itself was very good. The coffee cake was my least favorite but still very good. As my first donut experience in St. Louis, I didn’t know how this could get better.
the best donut in st. Louis. Caramel frosted long John.
Yes, this is real. this is not a background photo. the arch makes a great donut pic.
Donuts Drive In
The Donuts Drive In is a classic, well known donut shop off Route 66 in St. Louis. They are open 5am to Midnight on Friday and Saturdays. The shop is located in the Lindenwood Park area of St. Louis. We were driving looking to try Ted Drewes but the line was way too long. Lucky for me, the Donut Drive-In was right down the road. I saw all the lights lit up from afar. There were a few cars but then out of nowhere there was a 10pm crowd for donuts. They couldn’t even fit everyone in. All the donuts were standard (glazed, frosted, apple fritter etc) with a specialty donuts. Nothing fancy. And, completely fresh. They had racks and racks of fresh donuts ready to go. I went with a vanilla frosted, glazed bow-tie, plain glazed, chocolate frosted cruller, Blueberry cake, and Maple walnut. This costs about $6 for a half dozen, very inexpensive. We actually saved them for after our hike the next day. We tore down that box. Every donut was phenomenal and satisfying. The consistency to each donut was extraordinary. The yeast dough was exceptional. The cake batter donuts were moist and chewy. I could eat a box of these every week. I don’t recall a collection of donuts from one place that made me so happy. Again, nothing extravagant. No need for crazy toppings. Just a shop that knows to how make a bangin’ donut. Go there!
I’m ready for donuts.
World’s Fair Donuts
Another great, local donut shop is World’s Fair Donuts. This is a small mom and pop in the Southwest Garden area. This is a very crowded area with little parking. We went there a few hours before it closed and they had barely any donuts left. Rookie move. I can tell they were very similar to the Donut Drive-In as far as options. The only two types left they had was plain glaze and a strawberry filled glazed donut. They only took cash and each donut was only 60 cents! I was like this can’t be real. That’s too cheap. We took our two donuts and enjoyed them on the ride back to our hotel. Again, the yeast donut was so good. Almost like a krispy kreme type donut but less sweet. St. Louis has the yeast donut down.
donut selfie
Now, that’s old school.
Vincent Van Doughnut
The last stop on our St. Louis donut tour was Vincent Van Doughnut. There was a location only a half mile from our hotel in the Forest Park district. The other location can be found in Clayton. This shop was way different from the others. More gourmet and trendier style of donut. Not only that but they make square shaped, yeast raised donuts. And, they are pretty big. They do offer cake base donuts in the standard shape as well as vegan and gluten-free options and even other desserts and pastries. The woman behind the counter suggested the cookies & cream which consists of Cheesecake glaze and topped with scratch-made chocolate streusel, cheesecake, and ganache stripes. The french toast was the most popular, with Maple and Cinnamon glaze topped with pecans and walnuts and a dusting of powdered sugar. I went with those as well as the chocolate frosted with peanut butter. All of those were the yeast base. I wanted to try a cake base one, so I got the blueberry glaze. This shop was pricier than the rest I visited. Averaging about $3 per donut. My favorites were the cookies & cream and the french toast. I thought they were good donuts. I only tried these 4 but I didn’t have the same excitement eating them as the donuts I mentioned earlier. I like more gluttony than the next guy but the donuts were a little too big. Each donut had a different texture, one was perfect and one was too chewy. They didn’t taste as fresh. There was a higher dough to topping ratio. With big donuts, that can be too much. The consistency wasn’t similar to the other donuts I had. And, the cake batter blueberry was crumbly and forgettable. The flavors were there but the donut itself could be better.
The Donut Reviews
I left St. Louis a changed man. Yeah, I love the big, fancy, crazy topping donuts. After visiting St. Louis, I have a better appreciation for the simple donuts. Every great donut shop or bakery should be able to make a basic glazed donut taste amazing. You don’t need pop tarts, candy bars, cookies, or pancakes to make a donut taste good. But if you make an awesome donut and add that crazy stuff, I’m in! Don’t sleep on St. Louis donuts. If I ever make it back there, I can’t wait to try more donut shops.
Pharoah Donuts: 4.5 out of 5
Donut Drive-In: 5 out of 5
World’s Fair Donuts: 4 out of 5
Vincent Van Doughnuts: 3.5 out of 5
HIKING FOR DONUTS
A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.
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Tastease, Hartford, CT
If you want to know where to find delicious mini donuts in CT, check out my latest blog!
It has been a while, but it is time for more donut reviews!! I recently tried a new donut shop sort of close by. Nichole and I had a Derby de Mayo party and bringing 36 delicious mini donuts was the only way to go. I heard quite a bit of good things about Tastease, located in Hartford, CT on the Parkville side of town. I dragged myself out of bed at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning just to make sure I got some donuts. They have shorter hours so I assumed the earlier you get there, the better.
We made our way into the donut shop and we were the first customers! All the donuts to choose from, waiting just for me. Tastease is known for mini donuts. They have a plethora of options. All the toppings, glazes, fillings, and flavors are pre-made when you get there. And, of course I had individually selected each donut and asked 5 questions about each one.
The woman working that morning was super friendly. She randomly gave us a donut to try and it was by far the best one, chocolate donut with chocolate frosting with raspberry filling. I was really excited to try the rest. And midway I realized there was a line forming behind me. And, Nichole told me to pick up the pace but I'm the worst with donut decisions. We got there at the right time. Nichole bought a coffee which came with a free donut. She chose the vanilla cake donut with caramel frosting and chocolate drizzle with a marshmallow in the center , also pretty good.
Everyone at the party enjoyed them. I tried to have as many as I could. All the ones I had I liked. I could have had like 20. They are the perfect size. They aren't overly sweet. And, the cakey texture was delish. All the different donut cake flavors worked well. Again, the chocolate raspberry was the best. The coffee cake flavored were really good and the maple too. They had a German chocolate cake one that wasn't too bad either.
The type of donuts they make are:
Vanilla cake donut
Chocolate cake donut
Blueberry
Cherry
Red velvet
Orange
Dirty donut ( tastes like candy)
Glazed
Cinnamon sugar
Apple
The toppings that you will find on them:
Chocolate Chip
Cookie Dough
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Fruit Loops
M&Ms
Mini Lucky Marshmallow
Rainbow Sprinkles
Raspberry Jelly
Toasted Coconut
Coconut
German Chocolate
Oreo
Carmel Crunch
Lemon
The donuts definitely exceeded my expectations. I drove by this location probably multiple times. Who knew what I was missing? Seriously, why didn't anyone tell me? And, I heard they make a pretty good cuban sandwich. I will be back because I have at least 30 more flavors combinations to try. Big thumbs up here.
HIKING FOR DONUTS
A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.
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How you Doughin'?
First blog post of 2018. And, this one is about my donut adventures in NYC. There are so many options. Which donut shop did I choose?!?
(say title in heavy new york accent) Starting the blog in 2018 where I left off in 2017, #donutsforlife. After Christmas, Nichole and I decided to take a trip into New York City for the day. We had a lot of plans for the day. One of those was trying out a new donut shop. I did my usual research to find the best donuts in the city. The one shop that stood out to me that would be relatively close to where we would be was Dough. There are multiple locations and seems like Brooklyn is their home base. We spent most of our time in the Flatiron District and there was a location on West 19th street. The shop was trendy and what I expected to see in NYC. The shop was small and cozy with seating by the window and one long table for seating that could fit potentially 10 people. The donut making area in the back seemed pretty large. Good donut eating vibe.
As for the donuts, they were pretty damn good. Nichole is not as big of a donut fan as I am and she said, “whoa, these are like the best donuts we tried.” And, I agree with that. If you didn’t read my final post of 2017, why?? You should! Click here, it’s donutiliciously good. I felt this was one of the better donuts I have tried. They are yeast based and offered a brioche type dough. They were large donuts, above average than what you see most places. The consistency was good and they were kind of chewy to me. The donut itself tasted great. They had the basic stuff like cinnamon sugar, plain glazed, chocolate sprinkles etc. There were quite the flavor offerings and combinations as you would expect from this artisanal style donut shop. They had flavors such as hibiscus to blood orange to dulce de leche to horchata. I didn’t get that crazy. I only limited myself to trying four.....
The Donut Lineup:
1)Café Au Lait - roasted coffee glaze and crunchy pecan topping
2)Toasted Coconut - Coconut glaze topped with toasted coconut flakes
3)Mocha Almond Crunch - Rich glaze made with bittersweet Vintage Plantation chocolate and roasted coffee, topped with a crunchy almond streusel
4)Cinnamon Sugar – self-explanatory, had to try a simple flavor.
My favorite was the Mocha Almond Crunch and Cinnamon sugar. The toasted coconut was lacking flavor but the donut itself is so good I didn’t care. I ate all four, leftover donuts for breakfast. Not ashamed at all. I would definitely go back and try more flavors. They had a Nutella filled one I have donut regrets about. They were sort of pricey, but one donut is very filling. I don’t mind paying for it. All in all, this one of the better donut shops I have been to. Check it out if you are in NYC and looking for a sweet treat.
Bonus Coverage:
Now, you know I sneaked in a second donut tasting. We were in Bryant Park and noticed there was a Doughnuttery truck serving mini donuts. I wasn’t passing that up. They had a lot intriguing flavors. They fried the mini donuts then tossed them in a sugary goodness. However, both flavors we got tasted nothing like the flavors we ordered. They were still pretty tasty but I didn’t Rosemary, Cornmeal & Fig or Vanilla, Lavender & Pistacho.
HIKING FOR DONUTS
A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.
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Cronuts gone country!
More donut travels! This time I hunted down the most popular donut in Nashville. Check out the blog for my review.
As I do in most my travels, I seek for THEE donut spot in the area. When researching on Nashville, there will was only one spot that continually popped up. That would be Five Daughters Bakery. I was definitely intrigued as their specialty was a croissant donut, or cronuts. And, some of the donuts had filling throughout the inside. They called this type of donut the “100 Layer Donut”. This particular donut is 100 layers rolled in sugar, filled with cream, and topped with a glaze. When we were inside the shop, we overheard the workers explaining to a customer that it takes up to three days to make this creation. In addition to this, they also have paleo style donuts free of sugars/gluten/grains and vegan donuts that avoid animal products. They don’t stop at donuts. They have other pastry options and cupcakes. However, this is about them donuts.
Based on my research, this seemed like a very popular donut shop. Luckily, they have 3 locations in Nashville in the 12 South, Franklin, and East Nashville areas. I figured they would be busy and have line since it was Labor Day weekend. I didn’t think they would run of out donuts! This happened. Two times. I can’t blame them. What I did find out is they have a main location that bakes all the donuts and ships them to the other two locations that morning. Thus, they aren’t 100% fresh and what they get is what they get. They stay open until they run out of donuts. There was no way I was leaving without trying these. We were for 0 for 2 in the 12 South location. Unfortunately for Nichole, I re-arranged our last day so we try one more time at the East Nashville location before our flight. Third time was the charm. The shop was cool and trendy as expected. Located in a small plaza. All the décor fit the personality of the shop. The employees were nice as I stood dumbfounded in my decision.
They were pretty big donuts and I wanted to get a feel for what they had to offer. I had to be selective and four was the max I think I could eat minus Nichole’s occasional nibble. I wanted to try a glaze, one with a fun topping, and a filled version.
The first one I chomped onto was the Maple Glaze. The glaze wasn’t overly sweet. It was just good. The donut was moist and flaky due to the croissant batter. Next up was the cookie dough. Oh boy, this was gluttonous. The cookie dough filling was awesome. This was my favorite for sure. The last donut was the coconut crème. The coconut was toasted, and to me, it had a funny taste. It was interesting to see how the crème was inside through the layers of the donut. This wasn’t too sweet either. This was first true cronut experience and I am not sure what I think. I am a basic yeast dough kinda guy. Against my better judgement, there were paleo donuts that looked editable but probably not worth trying. However, one sounded good enough to try so we did. It was the blueberry cake. This wasn’t for us. We can only blame ourselves…for trying something healthier.
As mentioned, we did try the 12 South Location but they ran out both days. This was in a very popular area and was a cool location. I could see why they ran out. The 12 South area in general is awesome. I thought the shop there was super cool. Here are some pics.
HIKING FOR DONUTS
A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.
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Feelin' Glazed: Must-Try Donuts in Beacon, NY's Hudson Valley
Indulge in the best donuts Beacon, NY has to offer with our 'Feelin' Glazed' guide. Discover the Hudson Valley's sweetest treats and pair them with a stroll through Beacon’s vibrant local scene.
Recommendation: Glazed Over Donuts
Where: Beacon, NY - Hudson Valley
Info: I would anticipate a wait as you are getting completely customized donuts. The lines go quick and it will be worth the wait!
There is an outside area to sit during the warmer months.
front of the donut shop
What to expect
As you will see throughout my blog, I am definitely TEAM DONUT….for life. I hope to find as many donut spots as possible. And, just by chance, I came across a little gem in Beacon, NY called Glazed Over Donuts. I can’t take all the credit on the find. My girlfriend’s parents live nearby and she heard about the opening of this shop. A couple months after the opening, we made our first visit. This is a very unique donut shop and a great donut experience. It is located on Main Street in a popular, trendy downtown area near many shops and restaurants. This is a great spot if you’re looking for Beacon weekend foodie spots. The shop is small but is very welcoming. Everyone who works there is really friendly. There is an outside area with tables and chairs for the warmer months. Two concepts make this donut shop really special. First, you can craft your own donut how you want it. When you walk in, you go right to the counter and pick up one of the clipboards that give you a checklist of options. You can choose from one glaze, one topping, and one drizzle for each donut. There are 8 glazes, 13 toppings, and 9 drizzles. I would suggest looking ahead at the options because once you are there, you will want everything (unless that’s just me). Additionally, they have a donut of the day that features toppings not included on their typical menu. The other cool thing about Glazed Over is your donuts are made fresh to order and you can watch the entire donut making process through a glass window. You can see the batter being dropped into oil through the machine they use. Then you can watch the employees customizing your donuts. I think this is awesome. As a donut connoisseur, I am always curious to see the donut process. With that said, I would anticipate a wait as you are getting completely customized donuts. The lines go quick and is worth the wait.
#sundaesunday
Signature Donuts You Have To Try
Now, for the donuts. They make one type of donut. The base is a cake donut. They do not have any filled donut options, i.e. jelly or boston cream. They are smaller donuts, but not minis. I am more of a gluttonous guy and lean toward the crazier, larger specialty donuts but there is a place for simpler and smaller sized donuts. I think they hit it out of the park. Especially given all the options you have. Anything from Nutella glaze to peanut butter chips to Oreos to bacon to pretzels to raspberry/strawberry drizzles. I can easily suck down three of them and try out multiples options. And, they are pretty cheap. You can leave with a half dozen for less than $9. On my last visit, I went with the donut of the day, Apple Cinnamon Toast Crunch Donut. This consisted of vanilla glaze, chocolate chips, caramel drizzle, and of course apple cinnamon toast cereal. I ordered three. I was asked to mention on behalf of a coffee enthusiast I know, they have good coffee options here as well. And, recently they have added a Sundae on Sundays, #SundaeSunday they refer to on Instagram. This replaces the donut of the day. The idea is an ice cream sundae with a donut at the bottom, very clever. And for the social media lovers, their Instagram is straight fire. Check it out @glazed_over_donuts. They are extremely creative. Every time I am in the area, I try to make a stop in. I have enjoyed all the donuts I've had so far and that is double digits at this point…..donut judge me! Get it?
Click here to check out their website for current flavors! Glazed Over Donuts
Pair Your Sweet Tooth with Beacon Adventures
Donut + Adventure Pairings
Grab a coffee and donut before your hike to Mount Beacon for sweeping views of the Hudson Valley!
Check out my post on Denning’s Point - Long Dock Park to learn more about heading to the Beacon waterfront.
Or heading further North? Check out my post on hiking in the Adirondacks.
HIKING FOR DONUTS
A blog for the outdoors foodie enthusiast
Hi, I’m Mark. I live in Connecticut. I take new trips every chance I get. A good trip has a great hike, great food, and something fun to do. My goal is to search out new trips and share them to inspire others to try something new and exciting.
If you are looking for posts in a particular place, search by city or state here.
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