Great study spot. Indoor/outdoor seats. They roast coffee beans for most of the local spots in Boone. Homemade donuts too!!!!

We were really looking forward to trying the donuts here. They looked really good based on reviews. We stopped in and they do in fact look really good. However.. the donuts are not enclosed in a case and there were flies on them. The girls working the counter were both on their phones and didn't seem to notice the flies or greet us. I honestly don't understand bakeries that leave their baked goods exposed to the open air in general. It's kind of gross anyway, but this just solidified that opinion. It's unfortunate because the donuts looked good and probably are, just couldn't bring myself to ignore the flies and likely exposure to people's coughs/sneezes. read more

Second attempt at posting a review here. I seem to be having technical difficulties? Lovely warm small and rustic. The coffee is good as are the donuts. I had a cinnamon one. They are more bready than Dunkin' and I think that's a good thing. Not too sweet either. The staff are friendly and there is a drive through. read more

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A great spot to grab coffee and a sweet treat! I hung out here for a couple of hours to get some work done. To keep me going, I got the Hazel Truffle Latte: it was tasty and I got both the hazel & truffle flavors. And as a reward, I tried the mango cayenne donut, which was interesting: I appreciated the sweet-spicy contrast. The ambiance is great, plenty of indoor & outdoor seating. Service was fast. Pretty large parking lot in front. I think there's also a drive-through. 9/10 would recommend! read more

The Local Lion - Mango cayenne donut, Hazel truffle latte - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

The donuts are absolutely delicious, and the shop itself is so cute! Great coffee and matcha too.

The Local Lion offers a variety of doughnuts ranging from simple glazed, maple glazed to fancier lavender glazed options. They were soft and fluffy with a crispy outer layer. They were pretty good. In addition to doughnuts, they serve freshly roasted coffee to buy in a cup or in a bag of whole beans to take home. I liked my lavender latte though it was a little too sweet. The service was kind and fast. I would definitely come back for a hot regular coffee and a doughnut in the future. read more

The Local Lion - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

Sadly, I thought the coffee wasn't as great as it could have been. Two different cups of coffee and neither of them were great. The donuts were fine, but the donut holes were fantastic. The staff were friendly and the bathrooms were very clean. read more

This place is so cute! We didn't try the donuts but the coffee was great! They have an inside, outside for seating and a drive thru window for coffee on the go. My latte was perfect if not for lack of more ice but I am particular about extra ice hehe. The service was fast and everything is made from scratch. The gentleman taking out order was kind and friendly. We only tried this place once on vacation but we will be back next time for sure! Love the look and exterior of this shop. read more

Good donuts for a good price, with some interesting twists on the classics. I appreciated how the donuts were not overly sweet. I carried out donuts but the interior looked like a nice place to study or hang out. read more

Delicious coffee, assortment of doughnuts and pastries available, cozy atmosphere. What's not to love. read more

The Local Lion - Lavender glazed donut and Lavender Latte - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

The Local Lion is a great little coffee shop in Boone near the Appalachian State University campus. They have a nice selection of specialty coffee drinks and sweets, to include donuts. I had the Hazelnut Truffle Latte, which was very delicious. The staff is friendly, and they do a nice job of cleaning up and sanitizing the tables after use. read more

The Local Lion - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

1. Roasting spot for a few local shops, so there's a roaster inside with a pro doing his roasting which is entertaining for the kids too.... 2. Super people that work there 3. Delicious and fresh donuts even with GF options 4. their mantra is "conquer your mountain" Local artist mugs and items to purchase too 5. Amazing local spot for the win! read more

As I said on my review of Mast General we were looking for a donut place we saw on a YouTube video about Boone. Why not just go back and look at YouTube and see the name? Well I make it a point of talking to locals about their town, so The Local Lion was a favorite of several locals and it turned out to be the one on the video. You can tell right off from looking at this place Boone is a college town and it would be my go-to if I was living here. Not only do the fresh donuts taste incredible but they roast their own coffee which you can smell the second you open the door. I got a wonderfully rich 16 oz Sumatra coffee that was the best coffee I've had in months. To go with the coffee a cake donut wit cinnamon and sugar that was truly dunkable. A top stop to wake you up or chill you out. read more

Watch the youtube on Boone and this was featured. Anything donut, I'm in. We came to Boone with some relatives today and of course made this our focus to hit. It did not disappoint friends. The donuts were light yet full of flavor. I enjoyed my maple donut and we got a few to take home for our son. He said his espresso donut was delicious. The place was very cozy, you could sit there with friends or with a good book and eat donuts and drink coffee all day, at least I would. read more

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The coffee was delicious. Some coffees are kind of bitter. Our coffee was not. Our coffee was piping hot to. read more

The Local Lion - Doughnut - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

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After giving The Local Lion a try again recently I had to come give my initial review an update. The service has been great and the lattes have been nice and hot every time. The hazelnut truffle latte is amazing and the doughnuts are delicious as ever. read more

Such a cute spot with a warm vibe inside and outdoor seating as well. Fresh baked goods for sale and all kinds of lattes, coffees and teas. Staff was friendly and prices were fantastic. The GF lemon poppyseed muffin was to die for!!! read more

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Let me start by saying two things -- donuts are my favorite sweet food, my favorite treat, and every city that I visit, regardless of state or nation, I try to find their best donut shop to try; I am not a resident of North Carolina and I only go infrequently to visit a friend. All that said, of all the donuts I've ever had, the chocolate espresso donut at Local Lion is my absolute favorite. It has a thin layer of creamy chocolate, it's not too sweet, the texture is perfect, and the yeast donut rise with that hint of espresso chocolate is impeccable. I've never had a better donut. Other points -- their staff is professional and courteous, it's clean and comfortable, the coffee is wonderful, the prices are very affordable. read more

Yummy donuts and awesome coffee!!! Soooo excited they have delicious gluten free options. Can't wait to go again. read more

Was looking for a donut as part of my fueling plan before a big ride event this weekend. There weren't too many choices, but this place stood out. I'm a cake donut fan vs yeast. Their main offering was more of a yeast donut than cake, but not the traditional yeast donut. I got the cinnamon and sugar donut with an americano and husband got the traditional glazed donut. They have traditional flavors such as chocolate and sprinkle donuts. It had a nice texture, almost chewy. Husband and I both liked it. The Americano was average, but was a good match with the donut. We returned the next day on our way out, and they did have Blackberry glazed and Lavender glazed. I usually don't like glazed donuts as I don't like too much sweetness, but I wanted to try the Lavender glazed. I wasn't disappointed. It had a subtle, but noticeable lavender flavor. It also wasn't overly sweet. They also have a few selections of cake donuts and muffins. I tried the peach cinnamon muffin as well. Husband tried the powdered sugar cake donut. The muffin was a bit dry on the outside, but moist inside. It had small chunks of peach and a nice spiced flavor. It wasn't that sweet at all. For someone like me who enjoys a treat, but doesn't want too much excess sugar, something like this works for me. For those, like the rest of my family, who are looking for a sweeter item, this would not be it. It also seems like the muffins sold in Boone tend to be on the less sweet side. The cake donut was kinda dry. I would pass on this next time. The space is great. Lots of seating inside and outside as well. You can do some work or study here. It's not too loud, but has an easy, comfortable atmosphere. Service was always friendly and prompt. Overall, we love their main donut offerings. If we were in the area, we'd definitely stop by again and probably would be regulars. I think any of their main donut offerings would be great. I do recommend the Lavender one. read more

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The Local Lion The best donut in town, they're freshly made, very spongy inside and crusty on outside, soft and textured at the same bite, and covered with very generous toppings, an impressively delicious donut. They stay soft for the rest of the day too! The service also very friendly, they'll wait patiently until we decide which flavors we'll choose. The whole restaurant is uniquely designed, you'll see large coffee bean bags as decorations, also coffer mills at the front window surrounded with coffee beans bags on the floor. Also the restaurant smells wonderful even from parking lot. Can you imagine the coffee smell and fried donuts smell mixed in the air. What could be more wonderful than those?? We will love to stop by for another visit whenever we're there! Here are the donuts flavors they had when we visit! Strawberry lemonade Chocolate sprinkles Chocolate coconut Chocolate Espresso chocolate Cinnamon sugar Lavender glaze Maple glaze Orange glaze Original glaze Local Lion 791 Blowing Rock Rd, Boone, NC 28607 daily 7AM - 8.30PM, Sun 8AM - 7PM starts around $1-10 restrooms inside the restaurant, accessible for both strollers and wheelchairs. accessible for strollers and wheelchairs free parking lot around the building, it's limited. #locallion #locallionbooneNC #boonenc #preservefootprints read more

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Only donuts and a savory biscuit were available at about 2 PM on a Saturday. Got an espresso chocolate doughnut ($1.87) and a cinnamon roll donut/pastry ($2.50). The espresso chocolate donut was not very good, the dough was too sticky and not cooked/prepared well. The espresso chocolate glaze was okay. The cinnamon roll donut dough was a lot better. It was very sweet, tasted okay. One positive were the prices. The staff person that helped me was nice. read more

This is a cute place. Staff is friendly, helpful and quick. Love the decor and the ambience. Very chill. Love the logo. Coffee was good. Hubs had a Cortada. He enjoyed it. The variety was great on the donuts and the coffee. Donuts- lots to choose from!! I had a chocolate glazed (one of my go to choices) and whereas it looked good-- it was very dense. Ugh!! I love a light yeast donut that's light and my teeth sink right into it. These donuts were heavy and dense. Bathroom was clean-ish. Tables could have used a wipe down. read more

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On a prior trip, my middle son purchased coffee here and recommended we stop. It was pretty quiet inside, presumably because of holiday break at the local university, but the service was friendly and appropriate in length for the orders placed. My orders included a drip coffee - single origin - and an Americano. Both cups of coffee tasted good and were both surprisingly affordable. Fresh donuts from a local bakery are plentiful and looked good although we did not purchase any. Plenty of indoor seating and a number of outdoor seats were available, which happens to be especially helpful during the pandemic. A drive through option is available but I do not know the speed of service since we walked in to order each time. Bags of single origin coffee are available for purchase. Parking seemed a bit limited and when we parked at the Circle K one time just to order and go, a Circle K employee stepped outside with a no parking for coffee sign. Side Note: During my short stay in a nearby town, I was able to frequent this local coffee shop enough to become the "Duke" and might have been able to keep the designation but alas had to return home to another state. read more

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Nice selection of doughnuts but they were average or ever so slightly slightly above, and at $4 each are wayyyy overpriced compared to your typical donut shop. The Bavarian creme was not great - grainy chocolate and liquidy cream. Nice front porch ambiance. read more

Popular coffee spot! Interior is very cute. Tons of seating and looks like a great study spot. Parking lot is TINY and can get very crowded with the drive thru line as well. I went at opening (7am) on a Friday morning and the parking lot was already pretty filled. A long line formed behind me and I had some trouble getting out of my parking spot. Ordered their seasonal hazelnut choco latte which was ok. Did not have a strong hazelnut or chocolate flavor which was unfortunate but the coffee was very strong. Ordered a dozen donuts which was about $16 and 2 Bavarian creme donuts on the side so the total was about $22 dollars before tip. When the donuts are fresh, they are SO delicious. I'm not a fan of cake donuts but they were so fluffy, lightly sweet, and delicious. Overall the Bavarian creme donut was my favorite. The creme was very light and not too sweet, the actual dough was warm and fluffy, and the chocolate icing on top was the perfect sweetness. Overall a great local spot and would try again if I'm in the area. Docked a star because of the parking lot and coffee. read more

The Local Lion - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

My fav local coffee shop in Boone! Love the convenience of a drive through coffee shop while also supporting local. This is their lavender latte, which is my go to! Also have great pastry's. Always feel like family when I'm here. read more

The Local Lion - Lavender latte - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

My new go-to spot in Boone! Ava helped me pick out my donuts and chatted w/ me while she made my coffee. Overall it was a personable experience and I was pleasantly surprised by the firm cakey texture of the donuts, which were flavorful but not too sweet. I ate two of them and didn't feel sick afterwards. My latte was also delicious and the ambience is mountain chic. read more

I really wanted to like this place, but there were a couple things that deterred me from giving them more stars. So the atmosphere is great. The place is very tidy, well kept, very... hipster, but surprisingly didn't smell like fresh pastries or coffee. No matter! Line wasn't long and customers were being rapidly helped. They do have a menu board with pricing, but their specialty latte flavors aren't listed there. I finally found a tiny sheet up at the register, so I felt a little rushed reading it and choosing a drink. Staff was nice, kinda quiet. I don't think I've ever seen a coffee shop run by all dudes. Everyone wore masks, they had tables spaced out accordingly, and sanitizer was available though. Bathroom seemed clean! Kinda disappointed there was no changing table. My daughter had a blow out, not their fault obviously, and my husband ended up changing her on the floor -- no worries, it happens. Now to the coffee... Maybe I'm biased because I work at a small shop back home, but I couldn't taste the espresso in my latte. I got the Queen Ann's Lace (cool name though!) which consisted of vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon. Sounds great, right? Bummed, but I couldn't taste the vanilla or caramel either. My drink was mostly cinnamon and, towards the end, I was choking on clumps of it. No worries, my husband still got black coffee. Can't mess that up, right? Well, I feel bad for dragging him there cause he said it tasted like an ashtray. Maybe that batch of beans was burnt? Okay, so donuts. I knew going in that they'd be more dense because they were cake donuts. Honestly, I've had worse, but I've definitely had better. My husband got the traditional chocolate iced with sprinkles and I got a maple glazed. The glaze was good! I kind of wish I would have thought to dunk it in my latte cause both may have improved, hahaha. Either way, I feel really bad for the people of Boone, cause this shop has 2 awards-- one for best donut and best coffee... and you can get a better version of both down the street at Krispy Kreme. read more

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My family and I ordered half a dozen donuts to try, and were mildly impressed. They have interesting flavors like strawberry lemonade and lavender, but the texture of the donuts was a bit dry for my liking (they may have been sitting out for half of the day). We tried the glazed, maple, chocolate, chocolate sprinkles, strawberry lemonade, and lavender, and I liked the maple the best. But for ~$2 per donut, I would expect better. There was no parking available in the main lot - there seemed to be only 10 spots - so I had to park in an adjacent lot (which may have been for the neighboring store). The drive-thru was busy and there was only one person receiving orders, so waiting to place my order took longer than expected. read more

Best coffee in the area! They have a great outdoor area and great service. Great spot to just relax and do work!

We stopped in here twice in one day for coffee and donuts! The cafe is cute and there is a good selection of classic and specialty donuts. The donut holes are a great value for how many they give you. The mochas are also very tasty. They were very quick and had great customer service while have lines in the cafe and drive thru. read more

The Local Lion - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

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No vanilla crème donuts. Probably has great donuts of different flavors. Nothing more to say.

The donuts were light and fluffy and flavorless... I was so disappointed. I thought, for sure, my kid would eat them because they were after all, donuts, but even she would not eat them. After one bite said they aren't good & trashed them. One was supposed to be a glazed doughnut, but instead seemed to only have granulated sugar sprinkled across it. The other was topped with chocolate espresso... The topping was not awful, but didn't help the flavorless donut. read more

Wish this place wasn't always packed but I love their coffee and donuts! They do have a drive thru that goes relatively fast if you can't find a parking space (which is quite common). They have a variety of yeast and cake donuts which are both delicious! Their specialty espresso drinks are creative and all very good. They do have smoothies and other non-caffeine drinks too. read more

OH man. This was good. I love donuts and I really try hard to stay away from them...but this place was just too good to just drive by. Stopped by on the way to Grayson Highlands in Virginia. Ordered two coffees and two donuts and they really hit the nail on the head. The coffee was fresh and the donuts were fresh, sweet, and soft. The donuts definitely tasted homemade and what else do you want for donuts? Just look at that thing. I'll give them credit as well because everything on the menu was very affordable. Two coffees and two donuts was $8. I went to plenty of coffee shops on my trip where two coffees were $8 alone. Great job Local Lion. read more

The Local Lion - Menu - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

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Good coffee. Good staff. Good vibes. Go check it out if you're in the area and need caffeine. read more

The Local Lion - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

My kind of place, if coffee is your friend then Local Lion is your BFE! They will do whatever it take to insure your coffee experience meets the highest standard. They hand roast every bag to the peak of freshness. Complete your experience with one of their many homemade doughnuts. This place is a class act and will not disappoint. read more

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Some of the best donuts I've ever had, super-friendly service, nice atmosphere. You cannot really ask for anything more, but what is more, I wanted iced tea and they make all their tea whether hot or iced to order, so I got to pick out which tea I wanted and the barista prepared and iced it for me. But the donuts, especially the maple ones, are the real attraction. read more

The Local Lion - Donuts! - Donuts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

Coffee was pretty good here and staff was friendly. Donuts look good but pretty bland and expensive. I'd hold off for Krispy Kreme not too far away. Little warm when we visited but also an outdoor seating area and a drive thru available read more