------ TL;DR Huge apple fritters; crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside but really just meh. This is solely an apple fritter review. $2.50 a piece. +FOOD+ - Apple Fritter (2.5 stars): These apple fritters are HUGE. My eyes lit up when I saw them. However, I found that the outside was too fried/crispy for my liking in some places and the inside was too gooey. I'm not sure if the gooeyness was due to the moisture of the apples or if the dough was actually kind of raw. I appreciate that this fritter is not cloyingly sweet, but ultimately, it was lacking in cinnamon and apple flavor. There was lots of dough and could have used more apple. If you like crispy apple fritters, try these out, but honestly, I much prefer the ones from Rise for flavor, apple content, and texture. (in fact- I went to Rise the next day to confirm my opinion, and indeed, I think they are better. Read my review!) +EXPERIENCE+ Stood in line for maybe 7 minutes on a Saturday morning around 10:15 am. Selection was still plentiful and there were apple fritter samples at the register. Note- there is a $3.00 minimum for credit cards. Free wifi at the shop. I probably will not be getting any more apple fritters here again. I would be willing to try their filled donuts, though. Visited 3/17/18 read more

Early Bird Donuts - Apple fritter. Hand for size comparison. - Donuts Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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I had been craving a good donut for a while and this is a super convenient donut shop that is walking distance from most labs at Duke. The donuts were tasty and if you order a cream filled donut, they inject the cream right in front of you so it's freshly filled! I really enjoy how pretty, tasty, and fresh these donuts are. read more

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Amazing donuts that are well-priced! The donuts are really fresh and stay really fresh for a few days. Any donut you get with filling, they pump the filling in on the spot so that the donut doesn't get soggy. I'm sure you definitely have to get there early to get all of the donuts you want, but I went on a Saturday around 8:45 AM and there were still plenty of amazing donuts. Will be back for sure! read more

Early Bird Donuts is taking fresh to a whole new level. I had the maple bacon long john and vanilla cream filled glazed donut. You can pick a filling for any donut, making the possibilities endless to satisfy your fix! These are made from scratch daily, melt in your mouth good, with the perfect density in every bite! The interior is extremely clean and being first time guests, the employees were very helpful and patient while we navigated the extensive menu. Oh, did I mention they also have biscuits?! This is one of my new favorite breakfast spots in Durham, and I have to say the competition should look out! read more

Early Bird Donuts - Donuts Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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"Nice doughnut place right off Duke University's west campus" This place had been around for ~10 weeks now, so my group and I gave it a try. We came at 12:30pm on a Friday, and as others have noted, they were somewhat depleted on choices, but there were still good options. I got the sour cream cake doughnut, and it was as good as I've had anywhere. It wasn't "hot" but it was clearly made reasonably fresh. As others have highlighted, a big advantage of this place is that you can get filled doughnuts injected to order, like with bavarian cream. My doughnut was a bit cheaper than Monuts, but more expensive than Dunkin, which I think reflects quality properly. The staff were very friendly and patient while we figured out what we wanted to try. Some have criticized the setting, but it's fine-- it's pretty small, so it can't sustain many large groups, but the store space used to be a Quizno's so there wasn't a lot to work with there. Overall, an A-OK addition, and a nice place to stop for dessert after going to Pho & Poke House, Sushi Love, or one of the other restaurants in that same center. read more

These are some amazing donuts!!! Light, fluffy, and pillow soft, with just the right amount of icing. I like that they custom fill the filled donuts for you but I found them to be way too sweet with all the filling inside. My favorite flavor by far was the salted caramel, and the coconut one exceeded my expectations as well. I believe it's $7.99 for 1/2 dozen which is a solid price. I came around 10:30 on a Sat and they were already out of some flavors so I'd recommend coming as early as possible. They do have plenty of seating if you're looking to eat there. Also, the workers there are super friendly and patient which is always a plus. I didn't try any of the cake donuts or the other breakfast items or coffee so I'll have to come back at some point. Location is great with parking and centrally located... although perhaps a little too conveniently close to where I live... read more

Early Bird Donuts - half dozen, clockwise - chocolate filled (hidden), coconut, almond glaze(filled), raspberry glaze w/ sprinkles, salted caramel, maple bacon - Donuts Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Sadly, we don't wake up early enough on the weekends to get here in time before they run out of donuts. They are open from 6am-2pm but they sell out before 9am. (Good for them though!) We tried to line up here around 8ish one time and by the time we got in front of the line, only 1 kind of donut is left. One time though, we finally got to get some, they were dense, plump in size and good!--they fill in the cream on the spot for you when you order in the counter! (We always miss the special donuts because those are the ones that go first) While the donuts are good and well-made--they aren't the best I've ever had, and I'm not sure I'll get up super early to line up for 'em weekly. I won't say no to eating when someone brings 'em over though! read more

Great donuts with unique flavors, and I love that we can pick our own fillings to put into the fill-able donuts! I've been here once before for a Yelp event, and this was my first time back as a customer -- I'm glad I went! The store owner was there working behind the counter, and was very helpful and patient as I picked out 12 donuts. The students I bought the box of a dozen donuts for were very excited that they were from Early Bird Donuts. read more

Early Bird Donuts - pick your own fillings - Donuts Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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I first learned about Early Donuts when I went for a yelp event. It was great, met the owner, made my donuts.... you know, appreciate the art of donuts. The owner and workers are awesome and deserves all their business! I am so glad I came back to a packed room Saturday morning. They are quick in serving their customers (ranging from families with children and grandparents to college boys coming from a night of heavy drinking!) Coffee and donuts are always a quick and easy fix-- you can never go wrong. Fun tibbits about their shop: They sell sandwiches! Have Vietnamese coffee (drip or iced!) They also have a Polaroid camera to take fun photos of your family and friends to stick on their wall! read more

Update: It was really nice of the owners to send a message and invite me back. Really appreciate the gesture, and will visit them again. I came to grab donuts for my 30 students, and I asked for 3 dozen donut holes to make sure everyone could get at least one. I was given a box full and told that there were more than 36 in there. I thought, great, everyone can get one, with some to spare just in case. The donuts are good, but there weren't enough :( I was sad when a student came up and the box was empty. Given that they were inside a big box, it may have looked like there was enough, but sadly not. read more

came here for my birthday and it was so yummy! especially loved that they fill the doughnuts to order. just make sure to get there early because they definitely sell out - it lives up to the name!! read more

Early Bird Donuts - filled doughnuts, crumb doughnut (my fave), blueberry, salted caramel, doughnut holes - Donuts Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Absolutely fantastic Bavarian Cream donuts, hubby loved his breakfast biscuit and apple fritter. Great atmosphere and friendly staff!

My first visit to Early Bird Donuts and I'm a fan! I went in around noon on a Saturday, so the selection was unfortunately pretty slim by that point. Still, my husband and I were able to get two filled donuts - one with cream cheese filling and one with chocolate buttercream, a chocolate frosted cake donut, and a yeast donut with a lemon filled dollop on top of it. The filled yeast donuts were wonderfully light and airy with just the right amount of sweetness. The cream cheese filling was so good and our favorite of the afternoon; I can definitely see myself ordering it again. My husband's chocolate filled donut had very little filling, which was a bit disappointing. The cake donut with chocolate frosting was slightly more crunchy than I was expecting, but I found that to be a welcome surprise. The donut wasn't dry and I really liked the taste of the chocolate they used to ice it. The atmosphere is bright and open, with large wooden tables that are good for big groups or communal style eating. There are also bar stools along the counter so that you can watch the magic happen. I liked that they had games and coloring activities for kids. And in warmer weather there are a couple of long tables out front. Parking is decent, with two spots reserved right out front for Early Bird. Prices are pretty comparable to most donut shops in the area, ranging from, I believe, $1.50 - $2.50 a donut and $7.99/half dozen. One thing I'd like to see at Early Bird is a hot beverage selection for non-coffee drinkers. I'd love to be able to order a chai tea latte or a hot chocolate. I look forward to coming to Early Bird earlier in the day when the selection is better. As of right now, Early Bird isn't my favorite donut shop in the area, but it certainly made a good first impression and I really, really enjoyed it. read more

Wow, these donuts are AMAZING. We got a dozen to try and were blown away by the perfectly soft, slightly chewing texture. They actually do apple fritter correctly! It's loaded with apple and cinnamon, has the perfect craggles. We can't wait to go back and try their savory sandwiches next! read more

These are the closest I could find to the Italian ciambella, in term of texture and flavor. Very good but you have to order them as they generally run out quickly. read more

I've been to this place four separate times and they literally never have any donuts whatsoever I don't know why they even call them a donut shop read more

I have been there twice. Donuts are just ok. Too much dough. Fresh idea to put filling right there, but the taste is just ok. Better than Dunkin, so I could give 3 starts, but 2 starts because of service. My first visit was.. I thought that people did not have much experience, so I did not leave any review. Not much friendly, and people working there just watch us without much expression on their faces. Second visit.. We got dozen donut holes. My son got one out from the bag and 2 got stuck, and one got dropped as he was bringing them out. Oops... Oh No. My son was sad. The cashier was just watching without any expression on his face. What do I expect? Maybe a bit of warm smile to my son could've been nice. read more

They have a nice selection of cake, yeast, and filled to order donuts. Their flavors aren't as creative as those of Rise or Monuts, but hey, sometimes you just want some tasty donuts, and these definitely fit the bill. I bought a half dozen to share at work and got to try quite a few. I think their salted caramel (yeast) was my favorite. Also had a chance to try their sausage kolache. Slightly sweet and flaky pastry/bread around a decent sausage made for a solid (and heavy) breakfast. read more

Best Bavarian Cream donut I've ever had! Friendly service and great sandwiches as well!

Never bought direct as my daughter , who always buys the good stuff so always enjoy their donuts. Understand they sell out early

At Early Bird donuts you do need to be the early bird because when I arrived at 1PM on a weekday last week, they were sold out of everything except about 1 dozen doughnut holes and apple fritters! I shared the dozen doughnut holes and 1 apple fritter with my coworkers and we all agreed that the apple fritter was pretty phenomenal. It's MASSIVE, has melt-in-your-mouth apple chunks in the middle, and overall great fried/crisp sugar-coated texture. We bought all 3 flavors of doughnut holes: simple glazed, chocolate glazed, and chocolate glaze with coconut. The coconut + chocolate holes were my favorite and reminded me of an Almond Joy bar reinvented as a doughnut. Although we weren't able to try their other doughnuts since they were sold out when I stopped by last week, a friend brought us a whole box of doughnuts yesterday including a cinnamon-coated doughnut filled with apple, maple bacon doughnut, apple fritter, and a chocolate glazed doughnut as well. I confess that my husband and I finished all those doughnuts within 2 days...no shame here because they were just so fresh and fluffy. So glad that I have a new to-go place for doughnuts that is even closer than Monuts and Rise! read more

This place just gets better every time we come here! Besides having the best doughnuts in Durham, IMO, it just has got a great vibe. Games for kids to play while parents relax and drink their coffee and interesting books on the shelf to browse, and an awesome unicorn on the wall. Now there is a Streetfighter arcade game that my family is playing while I update my review. I love this place! read more

Early Bird Donuts - Donuts Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Early Bird is one of those places that genuinely surprised me. You see an unassuming little donut shop tucked into a strip mall and you don't necessarily assume much. I'm not a huge donut person so my first time here I ordered a turkey sausage, egg and cheese biscuit...and it was delicious. A high quality biscuit with freshly cooked ingredients. I chalked it up to being especially hungry at the time, but I noticed I kept coming back over the next few months for a biscuit sandwich, occasionally even deciding to come here over Rise. My stomach clearly made the decision for me, this is one of my favorite places to pick up a quick breakfast in Durham. read more

The amazing smell of donuts as you walk through the door will make you smile. We had egg and cheese biscuit sandwiches and coffees at the restaurant and took six donuts home. The sandwiches were fresh and served hot. Joe Van Gogh coffee is always a winner. The sour cream, salted caramel and chocolate coconut donuts were really yummy - haven't tried the rest yet. Excellent customer service - especially from the owner. Compared with other local donut places - I really enjoyed what I had from Early Bird. I am a fan of the donuts at Monuts but have also been routinely disappointed by biscuits and donuts at numerous locations of Rise. We will definitely be back to Early Bird for our next donut craving. read more

Early Bird Donuts - Egg and cheese biscuit - Donuts Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

It's a great casual local breakfast place where you can order and take your food to go or sit at one of the few tables available. They bake each of their items fresh, so sometimes you have to wake up kind of early to grab a doughnut that you want, or else they will all be sold out. The donuts beat Krispy Kreme and Dunkin by a long shot because the dough melts in your mouth with every bite. Their breakfast sandwiches are also made in front of you with authentic ingredients, giving you a satisfaction that most chain fast food restaurants cannot provide with their breakfast. This place is definitely worth stopping by. read more

I learned that Early Bird Donuts is aptly named. I arrived there at 11 am on a Saturday and there were mostly sold out, despite closing at 2 pm. I bought up what they had left and made a mental note to be more of an early bird next time! They also make croissants in-house and fresh every day and routinely run out of those well before closing. I had my first sour cream donut here and am now obsessed and miss it every day I'm not eating it. They also fill their donuts to order! I had a cream cheese filling and it made my donut taste like a wonderful cream puff. read more

Early Bird Donuts - Donuts Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I ordered the coconut donut and the raspberry jelly filled donut. The neat thing is that they fill the jelly right in front of you. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough filling and the donut to filling ratio was off. The filling itself had a decent thick texture though I wished the intensity of the raspberry flavor was stronger. I do look forward to visiting again to give their savory croissants a try read more

Best donuts I've ever had!! They quickly run out but we always go rather early so we can have a variety to choose from. They're so fluffy and delicious. I especially love that you can pick from a variety of fillings and they'll fill it when you order! read more

Early Bird Donuts - Cinnamon roll, s'mores, salted caramel, crumb, chocolate buttercream filled and cream filled - Donuts Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

The donuts are always fresh and delicious, also along with the owner the personnel working are very friendly and courteous.

I tried coming here in the afternoon but they ran out of donuts. So finally, we came here in the morning and I'm so glad we did. their donuts are the platonic ideal of a donut. crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. I loved the glazed, crumb, blueberry. the biscuit was delicious too! read more

Soooo last week I tried to go at 11:30 and y'all were sold out of everything except coffee, so I made a point to come much earlier yesterday. I arrived at 9:30 and there was a line of people. I ordered 2 donuts(maple bacon and glazed). I ate the maple bacon one and it was good, but I felt like the maple lacked some flavor. I also ordered 2 breakfast sandwiches. I got a sausage, egg and cheese on a biscuit and the special, which was chicken sausage, egg and cheese on a croissant. While i waited for my food, they ran out of biscuits and it was still early! I let my friend choose which breakfast sandwich he wanted and but asked that I could try it. I had a bite of the sausage one and it was good. I also really enjoyed the chicken sausage-I want to know what brand the sausage was bc I want to buy them bc they were delicious! I will definitely be back!! I was surprised by the small grill that the woman was working with. Keep up the good work!! read more

The apple fritter is out of this world. All their biscuit/croissant/ sandwiches are made to order and their turkey sausage is dynamite!

Amazing taste! High quality, soft, flaky. Best donuts in NC...actually, best across East Coast and Midwest.

One of my favorite donut places in Durham! You have to go early as suggested by the name, they don't have many options after ~10/11am. Their yeast donuts are incredibly light and fluffy. You also have the option to have them freshly filled with your cream/fruit of choice (vanilla, chocolate, Bavarian, cream cheese, and various fruit fillings). My favorite donuts are crumb, maple, blueberry cake, and even the classic plain glazed. Their fritters are a bit too dense/greasy for me. Their breakfast sandwiches are large and filling, but nothing special. They serve *local* coffee and milk (Joe Van Gogh and maple view farms) and also make Vietnamese coffee drinks. Great small, local business with friendly staff as well. read more

I bought a dozen doughnuts which look great, but I haven't tried them yet. This review is for a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit breakfast sandwich. It was outstanding! Big, fluffy, flaky biscuit. Fresh cooked egg. Cheddar cheese. Well spiced sausage. Overall, excellent! Highly recommended! read more

I showed up at 11:45 on a Saturday and was told they were only selling drinks. I might give them another shot next Saturday to see whether they do, in fact, sell any food here. read more

Used to try to come here regularly and support the business, but just can't anymore. I've stopped by to get the apple fritters every weekend for the last month around 8:30-9am and they've never had any. I don't know if they sell a ton really early or they only make a small amount, but I'm too frustrated to keep trying and just tired of coming home emptyhanded and disappointing the kids every time! read more

So moist, so delicious!!! Just wish I had gotten there a little earlier to get my hands on one of those coveted Apple fritters. Will definitely be back! read more

Stick to donuts only. Ordered 3 bacon egg and cheese sandwiches. Worst I have ever had. Should not be hard to make these but when you load ALL the ingredients with a pound of salt and the scrambled eggs are greasy its not good. We all Took one bite and threw them out. Please get a new cook and great job on the donuts. read more

Good donuts are hard to find. This place exceeded all of my expectations and that isn't easy. I fancy myself a donut connoisseur. They are larger than the average donut and look like a delightfully fluffy pillow. They are airy but dense at the same time! They aren't over frosted or too sweet. Plain and simple, it's the perfect donut. Don't hesitate to stop by and give it a whirl. I didn't try the coffee but based on the selection I will definitely give the coffee a try on my next visit! read more