Not your average doughnut shop.
I should preface this by saying that this isn't a bad/negative review. It's merely what it is.
This location recently opened up in place of what was a great donut shop that unfortunately had to close. That said, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation knowing that another donut/doughnut shop was opening in this location and keeping the sweet treats coming.
Here's the thing with Parlor Doughnuts - They're not "donuts/doughnuts" as you might think. They are their own thing. Parlor's style of doughnuts can best be described as a round croissant that is topped like a doughnut. And topped, they are.
The body, or dough, part of the doughnut is a extremely airy flakey pastry, much like that of a croissant. Very light and soft. Using the Maple Bacon as an example, it's then rolled in some sort of sugar, maybe even cinnamon sugar, and then topped with a thick gooey maple frosting with big chunks of real smokey bacon on top. As a whole, it was a good doughnut yet it was very sweet. "But Jason H..... aren't doughnuts supposed to be sweet?" Great question, random person. Yes, they are supposed to be sweet. I did find the Maple Bacon to be incredibly sweet. Almost too sweet and this is coming from someone who loves sweet. Not a proud brag, but normal cake or yeast doughnuts, I could easily eat 4 - 6 in one sitting. (I SAID IT'S NOT A BRAG!! It's more of a problem, really.) I couldn't even think of having another.
Later on, I did try a Lemon doughnut as well as one that I think was like a Caramel Cheesecake. They ranked both about the same as the Maple Bacon, but the Lemon wasn't as sweet.
The point of what I'm saying here is this: For what they are, they are good and I'm sure many people will enjoy them. But for donut/doughnut lovers, with more of a traditional taste for donuts/doughnuts, you'll not find those here. Unless today was "croissant type doughnut day", that is all they have at Parlor. If you're looking for a simple cake donut, yeast glazed donut or a jelly or custard filled round, you will not find them here. You'll find Parlor Doughnuts.
The three star review is not because they were bad. It's because if I was in need for a killer donut/doughnut, I'd be pretty disappointed coming here. The best way to put it would be - If I want a donut/doughnut, I'm going to find a great independent donut/doughnut shop. If I wanted something like what Parlor offers, I'd go to a bakery. I'd love both, but they are different. Not bad. Just different.
"Different" comes at a cost. 6 donuts/doughnuts was just over $21. Thats a lot of dough, for donuts/doughnuts.
The shop is cute. I like what they've done with the place since the last place unfortunately closed. The staff is extremely friendly. High marks all around when it comes to the visit itself.
Would I go back? Hard call and I'm torn on whether I'd recommend Parlor. I would recommend that people try them at least once. They are a chain but they are in our neighborhood, so give them a shot. Many people may find something at Parlor that they've never had, never knew they needed or something they'd always dreamed of. And those people, my friends, are going to be the ones who win at Parlor. But, if you're more of a traditional donut/doughnut type, you may find yourself thinking some of the thoughts that I've shared here.
I'm not easy on donut/doughnut shops. I grew up with one in my family and I travel all over the country seeking out amazing local donut/doughnut shops. I've been to a lot of them in my years. It doesn't make me right or an expert. I simply have a lot of experience eating donuts/doughnuts. read more