I've joked about the donut wars going on in Avon, Indiana as my life has taken me through Hendricks and Putnam counties quite a bit lately. Avon has at least four donut shops within 1-2 miles of each other - Parlor, Dunkin, Pana, and Carl's. Of these, Carl's is clearly the "local" shop. It has the look and feel of a gathering place. While the others do offer sit-down dining, especially Parlor, Carl's feels like a smalltown donut joint with its simple but pleasant decor, lower pricing, and comfortable but pleasing service. Carl's Donuts & Bakery is a locally owned donut shop (Pana is also locally owned, though a growing chain). Carl's also doubles as a cafe and also serves other breakfast items alongside its donuts. The major plus to this approach for a guy like me is that fountain drinks are available including iced tea. I'm constantly dismayed how hard it is to get iced tea in donut shops. I was dismayed to read Jen F's review noting poor customer service as my experience was quite the opposite with customer service being a key strength. The basics: Carl's is located in what looks like a small office complex with a mix of retail and personal service type businesses. It's toward the back. There's some accessible parking and appropriate curb cuts. There's a double entry with glass doors that were pretty easy to manage. As you enter, a dining area is directly to the front of you and to the right side. To the left is the ordering area - I think I goofed up at entry - you begin toward the back and then exit out the front path. I went in through the front, though there wasn't a line and no one said anything. The employees asked if I was ordering breakfast or donuts. I typically get 2-3 donuts and a drink. I stuck with this plan, however, given the comfy atmosphere opted to dine in. I haven't had much time to rest recently and it was nice to sit down. I felt a little out of place (everyone else was clearly local), though everyone was friendly. I ordered chocolate covered yeast donuts and a fountain unsweetened iced tea. They offer discounts, it seems to military, teachers, and first responders. The donuts had a slightly thicker yeast than some that lean toward fluffy. These were more substantial. The chocolate reminded me of Titus Bakery. The iced tea was great - no clue on brand. I could have stuck with two donuts instead of three and been satisfied. The service was a top feature here for me. They were friendly, helpful, and patient as I figured things out. I watched them easily serve a group of senior males gathering in one corner (pouring coffee, etc.). Carl's does not have a drive-thru. Their Facebook indicates they offer curbside pick-up. In future visits, I'd likely experiment with donuts. This particular chocolate is not a favorite for me. I enjoyed it, but I'd easily experiment. There's no doubt I'd return for the service. At a time when I've recently lost my last family member, it was nice to be in a comfortable, welcoming, and warm environment. It did my spirit good. I would also love to return to enjoy a meal here. Carl's wasn't packed, but it was steady throughout my visit and it's clear that Avon loves its donuts and it loves its smalltown gathering spaces. read more

Carl's is a locally-owned combination cafe and donut shop located in a little strip mall in Avon. The donuts are no secret as we followed a line of cars into the parking lot on a Sunday morning. There was a line of people waiting patiently to select their donuts when we walked in. There were many cases filled with fresh donuts, fritters, danish, turnovers and more. Two clerk were assisting customers, most of whom were buying several dozen donuts. I got a glazed donut and my husband got an apple fritter. The fritter was bigger than his head. My glazed donut was a cake donut. It was light with a perfect glaze. The apple fritter was like a coffee cake with lots of apples and a glazed topping. He shared the fritter with our granddaughters. There was plenty to go around. The cafe serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have daily meal specials. The lady in line ahead of us said the pork tenderloin is the best in town. Pork tenderloin is only served Monday-Thursday. We'll have to come back. They have about 20 tables for eat-in dining. There is a unisex restroom. Stop #4 of the donut trail will require a return visit. read more

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Went to Carl's to try their Breaded Pork Tenderloin (BPT). Had no expectations going in but was hopeful. Was surprised with what I was served. It was very good. It had a good meat to breading ratio, was big, but not pounded paper thin to be the size of a plate. Bun was a brioche type bun. Topped with lettuce, tomato, and pickle. Unfortunately even though I asked for no mayo and I was told all condiments were on the table, it was served with Mayo on it. Scraped that off and added mustard myself as a good BPT should be eaten. Also had the onion rings which were absolutely stellar. My dining partner had the grilled tenderloin and reported it to be good. Inside it's a donut shop that is making good use of the space and serving other food. The service was interesting. The young lady (yes that makes me feel old) taking orders seemed fairly well versed but quickly overwhelmed at times, the cook seemed to know his stuff, but others behind the counter didn't seem to know how to go about handling customers. Not a biggie, might not have been their jobs (no idea). Even though their online menu says the BPT is a weekend thing only, in store they had something indicating it was offered throughout the week. If you want a BPT in Avon, I'd highly recommend. read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Breaded Pork Tenderloin - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

The day I went the meatloaf was on a special so I opted into to getting it and I wasn't a fan. It was cooked good, tasted alright and the potato salad was great but it just didn't compare to my family's recipe. I love most of their items but I won't be getting the meatloaf again. read more

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Really wanted a tasty to go breakfast so tried Carl's because I saw they also had an actual menu rather than just donuts! I absolutely LOVED the sandwich I got! I got the sandwich on a croissant with sausage. It was so so good!! The service was alright, it didn't seem like they knew what each other was doing and it seemed a little hectic. I saw my food was done for a good amount of time before they realized I was still waiting. I will definitely go back because the food was really good! read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

We were excited to order breakfast at this place because we have never eaten here and their reviews were good. Just ordering the food should have been the first red flag when the kid could hardly take the order over the phone. I ordered 4 orders of bacon (3 pcs per order) only got 4 pieces and was charged for the full 4 orders. Tried to call and get a refund and the same kid couldn't give me one because he didn't know how and he said the rest of the staff didn't know how either. Their biscuits and gravy consist of frozen premade biscuits and canned gravy. I should have just made my own. Lost out on $12, not a huge deal but just upset that you try and get a good meal and we chose Carls because they got good ratings. We tried it, so now we know better. I guess that's what happens when you're either not paying and training your employees proper or the staff just don't give a damn. read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - This is what $15 looks like at Carls Donuts. - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

I went specifically for their BPT and it was the best I have had on the west side of Indianapolis. I did buy a couple of donuts too. Yum! The service was the best!! I was the only one in the restaurant since it was 2:30 pm. I'm sure when it lunch time or dinner time it will be packed. read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

Quick fast doughnuts for the family Carls always have family favorites and kids doughnuts that's our whole family can enjoy . That are reasonably priced that are very tasty read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Half Dozen Premium Mix - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

This is decent donut shop. They have a small amount of parking spots located out front that they share with the other businesses in the small strip mall that it is in. It is off of the main street, in the back. You pass another small strip mall on your left to get to it. They have a relatively large dining area for a donut shop. They have a wide selection of yeast and cake donuts and bear claws. They also have coffee and light breakfast food such as biscuits and gravy available. This shop stays pretty busy. I ended up getting a dozen for an event and a half of dozen for the fam. The employees working there were very friendly and helpful and the dining area was very clean. The shop is connected to a pizza shop. I think they have the same owners. They have a lot of the pizza shop's promotion material. My favorite donut was the lemon filled, followed closely by the orange crush. All the donuts were good. My only complaint is that the ones that I ate later in the day were not very fresh. My little did not even want it. Don't get me wrong, the donuts are not bad by no means. I have just had better. However, they selection is awesome. You can find it on their website. I believe that my experience was just a fluke and I would definitely try their donuts again. I may even give one of their pastries a shot. They were calling to me, but I fought the urge and got out of there quickly before I gave in. read more

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With La Hacienda Mexican restaurant located in the same building, parking can be a bit of an issue. Even if you have to park in the very back, it is not that far of a walk to the front door of Carl's. There is a large display case showing all of the various donuts available. I saw both yeast and cake donuts tonight. My granddaughter wanted the strawberry icing cake donuts, I chose the vanilla icing yeast donuts. I got a couple of sour cream for the better half. The sour cream seemed to be their number one offered donut. I didn't see any regular glazed donuts. My vanilla icing donuts were very fresh as in freshly baked. No way were they cooked in the early morning and stayed this fresh until 6 pm. That signifies a great donut shop to me with management staying up to date on their freshness. There were a few tables occupied with folks eating dinner. I snapped a picture of the dinner menu because I saw a few items I'd like to try. There was also a handwritten breakfast special menu on the counter. Biscuits n Gravy, plus eggs with the usual breakfast fare. read more

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I needed to pick up some birthday cupcakes at the last minute but really didn't want to buy them at the grocery store so I was ecstatic to walk in to Carl's and discover these delicious cupcakes. Next time I'll try the donuts! read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Birthday cupcakes - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

First experience was not amazing, but it was also beginning of Covid & opening day...I wasn't quite ready to review because I knew they would do better. This morning was my second visit after waiting several months to go again, I came to check out their new biscuits & gravy and they did not disappoint! Variety was pretty good still for 10am on a Sunday! Line was to the door, but we didn't wait long at all. Customer service was great and we loved our donuts. We chose blueberry glaze, Oreo, red velvet, yeast, & a cinnamon twist. My husband inhaled all the fancy ones and I was left with the yeast and cinnamon twist. All delicious, the yeast is verrryyyy close to Longs. So good! $7 for a half dozen & $4.99 for b&g's. The biscuits and gravy were worth the hype and it was nice to grab & go, however they do have plenty of seating available! Will definitely be returning.. this could be dangerous to have so close to home! read more

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There are breakfast sandwiches, and then there are Carl's in Avon. Oh man! And I was in a hurry, they had it ready in 5 minutes. read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Breakfast Sandwich! Wonderful. - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

The Pork Tenderloin Sandwich passed the Taste Test! Met a long time friend here for lunch and one of the foods I truly miss now that I live in Texas is the breaded pork tenderloin sandwich of Indiana Lore. Carl's was lightly breaded, not too thin but not too thick, and came on what seemed to be a home made toasted bun. It definitely satisfied my pork tenderloin longing and add the crinkle fries and the sweet tea(that rivaled Texas quality), Carl's Donuts is on the rotation for tenderloin. Thanks again, Teresa, for your get service and hospitality. read more

Donuts were very good. I got there in the morning so everything was fresh. The service was nice. Prices weren't too bad and they carry my favorite, bacon covered donuts. Absolutely nothing bad to say about this place. I will definitely return. read more

We love their donuts, they also have good breakfast, lunch and dinner. They may have the best tenderloin in Hendricks County, and at a fair price too! I do feel they need to work on their food delivery service at times, but generally they are pretty speedy. Support local! read more

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If you are ready to make people smile and say thinks like "awesome!" Or "Thank You!" Or " Oh my goodness!" , then stop by Carl's, buy an assortment of their classic, fancy, or top shelf donuts. You may throw in some donut holes too. Bring these to wherever you are heading and be ready to watch people light up when they bite int these heavenly delicious donuts! read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Some deliciousness for the office folk - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

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this shop is located in avon next to a popular mexican restaurant i won't be naming. i went hoping to get cronuts which they didn't offer but said they were actually going to start making. I think half a dozen is about $7 and $9 if you get premium selections. they offer other lunch items and of course coffee. my donuts were all good with the least favorite being the glazed yeast. it lacked actual glaze and wasn't really the airy wonder i'm use to. seeing a sticky bun was nice and reminded me of home economics. it tasted good and had the perfect amount of nuts on it. the staff was inviting and i felt welcome inside. yes, i'd go back for more! read more

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Stopped in after a Dr appointment. A few friends had mentioned the bakery to me and I quickly turned as I was driving past. The restaurant is bring and airyand it wasn't too busy. Of course, the line formed soon after I arrived. I got one donut to try and a kolachr. I had wanted a different kolache but they didn't have it and so got the sausage and jalapeno one. The kolache was a surprise. I guess I just expected crumbled sausage but this was a sausage link wrapped in dough. Either way, it was delicious and that lemon donut was just perfect! Definitely worth the visit and will be back again to try something different. read more

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Purchased a half dozen and pastries around 7pm which were very chewy for some damn donuts & they were half off I wonder why ? Yeah I know now . It is now 10 pm same day all I got now is the munchies & some mold . No way ! read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

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Perfect Broasted chicken with a great crunch on the outside and juicy chicken inside. Donuts were all super fresh and a big hit at our house! Glazed blueberry cake donuts were perfect alone or with tea or coffee. Lemon filled and sugar dusted were excellent too. Definitely worth the drive as these were the freshest donuts we've had in a long time. Plus the owner was so nice and patient as we asked several questions. read more

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I have been so excited about Carl's Donuts & Bakery. My donut intake is very limited these days, but I had an opportunity to bring donuts to work to celebrate an employee. On a Tuesday morning, I went to their desktop website and saw "Call Ahead Pick Up." That took me to a submission form that asked for my name, phone, email, and a blank field where I entered my order and asked them to confirm. Boom. Easy! I was super excited. On Wednesday, it was around my lunch time and I hadn't heard back, so I gave them a call. I get that it was lunch time, but that's when I had free time to call. A lady answered and I inquired about my request, as I had not heard back. Her tone was less than welcoming, but she was quick to point out that it was lunch time and not a very convenient time for me to call. I was a lil taken aback at this, but I hung in there. She asked if I had paid. I had not. She said, "If you didn't pay, then you didn't order donuts." I let her know that there was no option to pay. She then let me know that I had, obviously, done something wrong. She asked me to hold. I did. She came back and reiterated that I must have done something wrong because there was no order. She very generously offered to take my order over the phone, but that I had to call back because she had customers. We parted ways and I had no intention of calling back. I frequently tell my team, "If you end a call with a customer and have not helped them, they will go somewhere else. When they go to buy again, they will look up the last place they ordered from and it will not be us." I called another bakery, still during lunch. They were happy to take my call and my order. So, you CAN order donuts from the desktop site. You go to menu and the under the type of donut, for example, Regular Donuts, select "see more regular donuts." This is where you order. It's NOT the link on the landing page that says "Call Ahead Pick Up." This information, apparently, goes nowhere. The mobile site appears to have "Order Pick Up" on the landing page. As a customer service professional, I have SO MUCH GRACE for service workers. I want people to have grace for my team, but everything about my experience was bad. Kindly say, "We're unexpectedly busy right now. Can I take your number and call back?" If she had done that, I'd be picking up three dozen donuts and muffins at Carl's in the morning. I want them to succeed. I want every small business to succeed. Go to Carl's. Hopefully, they learn from my experience and that makes yours better. read more

Stopped on the way to work on a Friday to bring in a few "fat pills" for the other employees. They have a wide selection of goodies and the service was quick. They are a little off the beaten path but you will remember where they are once you find them. I recommend this place. read more

Carl's Donuts and Bakery isn't visible from Rockville Rd (US 36) but it sits on the South side. You can see La Hacienda from Rockville Road and the bakery is just next door West of Speck's. There is ample parking spaces in front of the bakery. If La Hacienda has a busy lunch parking can be an issue since they share the parking lot. The atmosphere and decor is light and whimsy with colorful painted donuts covering the walls. Tables are spaced 6 feet apart and the bakery counter is well kept. A mask is required while up and moving and all of the staff wore masks properly while there. The floors are marked for social distancing which I didn't have to deal with as I was the only person in line at the time. I was told on weekends the line out reach out the door. I loved the selection of donuts and pastries still available at 11:00 p.m. Several trays were empty but I found a wide variety of sugary treats. I wanted to start with the basic glazed yeast and chocolate iced yeast. I was so excited to find a full tray of chocolate iced yeast as where I usually go is sold out early. You have the option of yeast, vanilla cake or apple cake donuts, pastries, brownies, cream horns, Danish, turtles and donut holes plus more. I found maple bacon iced yeast as well as 3 flavors of icing. The Long John's looked delicious with a thick coat of chocolate icing stuffed with white fluff. The Fruity Pebbles iced yeast would make any kid, or adult, super happy. They also serve biscuits and gravy for $5.99 or add two eggs for $7.99. I'll be trying the B & G soon. Lunch is now an option with a terrific selection of sandwiches and sides. Options range from Double Steakburgers, Pork Tenderloins, Grilled Chicken Salad, Chef Salad, BLT Sandwich or BLT Wrap to name a few. Very affordable choices for breakfast, lunch and a large selection of donuts and pastries. Lunch is served till around 2:00 pm since they close at 3:00 pm. The servers were friendly and helpful. The server explained all the donuts are made in house overnight and ready for their 5:30 opening. The yeast donuts were fresh, light and a scrumptious piece of sweet fried dough. The chocolate iced yeast was delightful and not overly sweet. I really appreciated the selection this late in the day. I will be returning when I'm in Avon. read more

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I would give a 10 star if I could. I don't normally like biscuits and gravy but after one bite of my husband's I tried ordering my own. Unfortunately, they had just ran out! Everything is amazing. The biscuits and gravy are the best we've ever had. The Longhorns had a taste/texture of marshmallow. We will be back next week to see if they are just as good during round 2. They are highly recommended so my guess is they will still be amazing! There's ample seating as well. read more

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today i fell INLOVE with carl's donuts. when i say this was the best restaurant experience i ever had i mean it. they have donuts, breakfast, lunch & dinner in one spot. all hits no misses 10/10. everything was DELICIOUS. everyone is soooo kind, customer service was top tier. if you haven't been this is your sign to make that trip. *bourbon wings *breaded pork tenderloin- $8.99 *maple bacon donut, blueberry cake, carmel apple, marshmallow fudge. *personal pan pizza catfish dinner- $12.99 read more

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You have to try this place! It is tucked away behind la ha Mexican restaurant. They have good lunches so give it a try! It has plenty of room even tho I thought it would be really small inside. read more

Very delicious donuts! These are more than just your average donuts. The flavor is literally baked into every bite. Just look at the pictures the strawberry and blueberry donuts actually have strawberries and blueberries in the dough, not just a "flavoring" extract mixed in the frosting. However, even the most basic glazed donuts is exceptionally fresh. I will be getting more of these in the future and recommend you do, too. read more

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These donuts are so warm, gooey and delicious I could eat them every day!! If you've ever tried Long's bakery in Indianapolis, these are very comparable. I will probably get shunned for saying this, but they might be better than Long's lol. I love how they have a variety of flavors, but you can't go wrong with the yeast. Make sure you get a punch card because after you purchase 10 dozen, your 11th order is free! I've only ever been here early in the morning, and each time, I'm greeted kindly and service is great. Even when the lines is long, they move quickly so I've never waited long. read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

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The tenderloin sandwich is perfection and I am very picky. Donuts are great too.. ! Give them a try! Oh and the pizza sold there is good too! Well worth a visit!! read more

Fantastic lunch! The ladies at the front counter are always friendly! Glad to see this new business doing well! read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Breaded tenderloin with wedge fries. - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

Excellent donuts! Fresh and homemade taste! Also plenty of nice seating inside. Kinda hidden in Avon next to the La Hacienda restaurant. Reasonably priced. I got a dozen for 12 bucks with taxes. Very friendly staff and they even threw in an extra 2 donuts! I had the cake and yeast donuts. They were very good. They also have muffins and fruit pies. Will need to try those next time. I like that they are a real bakery and not just donuts. Will definitely be back. My new favorite donut place and bakery in Avon. Better than AL's donuts in Plainfield. Great place! Highly recommended. read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Donuts! - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

Super excited to see a new doughnut shop in Avon. Close to my hose so I went on a Saturday morning. Fairly busy with a good selection of yeast and cake doughnuts. Also they sell cookies and muffins. You can get 6 doughnuts for $7.00. I got myself a chocolate cake doughnut and a Boston cream doughnut. Both tasted fresh and great. The Boston cream was much better than any recent grocery store version I have had. Also as a plus they offer excellent Hubbards and Cravens coffee as well. I got a large to go. Good service and also offers a nice area to sit as well as a tv. Highly recommend stoping here if you get a chance. I will definitely be returning. read more

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I think this place has some of the best donuts in Avon. I know when we go there is always a long line but it moves very fast and they employees are working hard to keep the line moving, but they are always very nice. read more

Decided to check this place out tonight. I have been here for their donuts and wasn't disappointed then and not disappointed now. Their special for Thursday is the beef Manhattan and it's very good. The tenderloin is one of the better ones I have had in a lot time. I will go as far to say it's better than the Coachmans and 100 times better than Oasis Diner. They serve breakfast all day long too if that's your go to. Their service staff is very friendly and helpful. read more

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Great donuts and friendly staff. Bear claws are huge and tasty. Off the beaten path, awesome find!

The food is SUPERB, the cook is awesome, but the young lady behind the counter needs anger management classes. As we walked in she was barking at a customer on the phone. Later as we were eating that irate customer came storming in and they began arguing. It was over an error in an order , which she could have happily refunded, but wanted to argue instead. He told them he would talk to the owner about her attitude. All this noise in front of customers. Two families left. If you're behind the counter and working the phone you HAVE to have people skills. read more

I was surprised I had never heard about this donut shop in Avon. It's really what the town needed, something local and yummy. I heard it be compared to Longs by the community and thought they were big shoes to fill! I did NOT get what I usually got from Longs because of that. First of all, the location is absolutely awful. Away from all the busy places and next to la hacienda where the store front isn't by the road. I hope their word of mouth helps overcome this! It's a large restaurant for sitting and enjoying your items. I do like they are not just donuts and have other baked goods. There is a long casing with brownies, cinnamon rolls, cookies donuts etc. I liked the unique variety of donuts they offered as well. Right before I ordered I saw a fly go into the casing and that knocked a star off for me. I was already there so I ordered something from another case and tried to ignore it. I got a fruity pebbles donut and strawberry with sprinkles. The fruity pebble one the cereal tasted kind of stale/chewy. Wasn't a fan. The strawberry was good. But overall kind of underwhelmed which knocked a star off for me. Then the final star came off with pricing. For a small local place (non craft donut) I would expect them to be under a dollar just my opinion. I would go back after some time when I'm really craving a donut and give it another shot read more

Carl's Donuts & Bakery - Donuts Near Me - Avon, Indiana

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Okay life lesson here never trust a donut shop that is skimpy with the Sprinkles on their donuts! Sprinkles are little pieces of pure joy! So if you're having a not so wonderful day get yourself a sprinkle donut! You're Welcome some times we just need someone to guide us back to Joy! Check out Carl's Donuts in Avon, Indiana they are amazing and yes they deliver on sprinkle to donut ratio excellently! Their cream horns are amazing as well. And they make a tantalizing applesauce donut as well! read more

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Service is top tier. Keely is the best, very informative and kind! Variety of donuts and pastries is top tier. Prices not bad at all. Their tenderloin is the best around! read more