Hole Doughnuts
Review! Asheville, North Carolina // dessert // local & quality
The ELEVATOR PITCH
This place will always have a special place in my heart because it inspired the last trip with my then-close-guy-friend, Sean, before we began the dating-engaged-marriage journey together. And since then, it’s the first thing I recommend to Asheville-goers, and always the thing I need to get when I visit the city myself.
As a picky doughnut consumer (view my SammyS Berliner Donuts review for soapbox), I was extremely surprised to find myself always being down for a trip to Hole Doughnuts (it’s THAT good!). Their down-to-earth-ness can be seen from their humble brick-n-mortar, to the open kitchen where you can see the dough being cut, fried, and seasoned fresh (so open, you could walk up to the fryer easily), to the simple menu that always offers 3 classic flavors with one seasonal doughnut.
The actual doughnut itself is beautifully misshapen—each one will look a little different—challenging the norm of the perfect round ring. The Bite is an addicting textural experience: the exterior has a crisp and crackle that’s lighter and thinner than a chocolate shell on ice cream, the interior is airy and melt-in-mouth like a buttery version of the puff (choux) of a cream puff. Nothing really can compare.
Hole Doughnuts is totally that underdog that ends up winning the playoffs against the big-name Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’, and Tim Hortons franchises, dropping jaws and making headline news.
the RÉSUMÉ
address // 168 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806
operations // Wednesday - Sunday, 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM; Monday - Tuesday, CLOSED.
logistics // they have a small-to-medium parking lot right in front of the store front, so if you get lucky you could get a spot. However, more often than not you will need to find parking along the street since they are so popular.
vibes // Not a lot of dining-in space, but they supplement with a couple of picnic tables outside. The open kitchen creates a homey atmosphere, like you’re over at grandmother’s house and she’s frying doughnuts fresh for breakfast!
amenities //
public restroom available (no changing table)
no public WiFi (but also, the space isn’t conducive for working)
menu //
beverages ($2.00 - $4.25):
Penny Cup Coffee Co. coffee (drip + nitro)
organic orange juice
Farm to Home Milk (organic, non-homogenized, grass-fed, whole fat) milk & chocolate milk
doughnuts (single: $2.75; 1/2 dozen: $15; dozen: $30): Vanilla Glazed, Toasted Almond Sesame Cinnamon, Cinnamon Sugar, weekly seasonal flavor
The recipe uses Lindley Mills organic stone ground flour, unrefined organic cane sugar, sea salt, cage free eggs and whole butter, + are fried in non-GMO rice bran oil.
recs // all of the flavors are wonderful, but my favorite is the Almond Sesame Cinnamon. The crunch + flavor are subtle, delicate; you can’t find it anywhere else!
site // Hole Doughnuts
~ cath!!
Yum!!!
Love the ≡ c a r n a g e ≡ haha