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This place had me hyped! I think the "made daily" donut sign might be fibbing a little... We went on a Tuesday morning at 730am, and grabbed a chocolate, mango, salted caramel and a cherry with sprinkles. Greater with a smile. Only the salted caramel tasted like it was a fresh donut. The chocolate , mango and cherry had to have been made the day before...it was dense, cold and had no life to the dough. I could be wrong....but Hole donuts are still warm and delectable when you get them. Maybe we will try again this weekend for a filled donut(only do filled donuts on the weekend)
DOUGHNUT WORRY, the line may be long but moves quickly at Vortex Doughnuts! But please be respectful and know what you want to order by the time you get to the register! They've got seasonal coffee and donuts - but I only had eyes for the iced NOLA on their regular menu - which was a sweet and creamy chicory coffee using 1000 Faces Coffee, which I had just recently discovered in Athens, GA recently. By the time we made it to the register at 11am, they were very limited on donut options. We tried the famous Holenut, the Vortex (cinnamon sugar chocolate), a classic chocolate sprinkle and cranberry donuts. Everything was delicious but I also wasn't sure it was worth standing in a line outside in the cold for. Next time, I'll be sure to arrive earlier to get their more popular donuts!!
Friend introduced us to Vortex 2 years ago as one of the local gems in Asheville. They're well-known for their yeast donuts including a different variety of cream cheese donuts. Naturally I got a cream cheese-flavored strawberry yeast donut at that time, and I've been thinking about these donuts ever since. Had the opportunity to come back last month. Happy to say they are just as good as I remembered them. They also offer a variety of coffee drinks. Their mochas are particularly decadent, and I got the La Luchador just for that hint of spice. It brought me back to sipping these regularly while in the Yucatan peninsula. Goes well with donuts. Highly recommend a visit here if you're in town.
A group of us stopped by right before closing time for a quick treat. The donuts looked delicious. Ian was working the counter and could not have been nicer. He talked about the different donuts that they had available and his favorites. We tried the Vanilla Bean, Chai Blackberry, Cream Cheese, Salted Caramel, and Mango Pepper Flake donuts. We voted that Salted Carmel and Cream Cheese donuts were our favorites.
Some of the best donuts I've ever had! The yeast-based ones were super fluffy, and the Coconut Blue Lemon Cookie donut was incredible- perfectly balanced and not overly sweet. The space is open and inviting, and I loved the convenient handwashing sink. A must-visit in Asheville!
Service was good. The vibe of this place is very cool! The donuts here aren't really anything special to me. Hole had great donuts that were unique. This donut shop didn't really offer anything unique in my eyes.
I stopped in at Vortex Doughnuts early in the morning and it wasn't busy at all. The young man at the counter was super kind when taking my order. The shop itself is very cute inside and has a fun, artistic feel to it. I really like that they have 3 types of donuts (yeast, cake, and gluten sensitive). They have a decent variety of flavors to choose from. We got a 4 pack with the cream cheese, chocolate frosted, cinnamon sugar w/dark chocolate (their signature), and an apple fritter. The yeast donuts were nice and fluffy as described, with the cake donuts being a bit heavier. The gluten sensitive donut didn't have a "gluten free" taste at all, which was nice! We liked the consistency of each one but the actual taste was kind of bland, making the overall donuts just "okay." It lacked the flavor and sweetness you would expect from a sweet treat like a donut or apple fritter. I also ordered a hot caramel cappuccino, and that tasted great. If you prefer your pastries with minimal sweetness, this might be a good spot for you -- but if you're like me and lean more towards the sweet side of things, I would recommend somewhere else. Personally, I would rate their donuts a 6.5/10 :)
I came here because it is highly recommended and it is all over the Internet for one of the must try places in Ashville. With high hope walking in, atmosphere is excellent. Good job with all the open space decorations and art works on the wall. Service from the barista and cashier is excellent. Which is what you expect from a local cafe. Problem is their donuts. Why is it chewy. Is it because it is old or is it because some abnormal ingredients they use. They are big though. Next time I just get coffee or drinks. It taste so much better in a tall glass. But their donuts, I don't know. I just stick with regular donut shops. This is kinda overrated
I had heard about this place, was really let down. For a yeast donut, this is probably one of the worst I've had. Donuts are one of my favorite breakfast splurges. These were chewy, seemingly stale, and the flavors on most of them were not very strong. Lemon poppyseed was a standout among those, you'd expect a burst of lemon flavor, sadly it left much to be desired. Seems like a lot of people are fans, not sure what I missed here. Maybe an off day, staff was nice though and ambience was cool.
We came to visit, and this was the one place we were told we had to stop at during our trip. The donuts are INCREDIBLE - some of the best I've ever had. I'm used to getting cake donuts, but we were told we had to try the yeast donuts. Loved the light, chewy texture. The cream cheese cherry was the big winner - perfect frosting to donut ratio with the perfect amount of sweet. Also loved the espresso donut. They make good coffee as well, and I enjoyed my chai tea latte. Staff are super pleasant, and I love the big, open vibes of the shop and how they incorporate local artists. One of the best donut shops I've ever been to.
Nice vibe inside and lots of seating outside at the picnic tables. I'm not a a GenZ person looking for donuts with feelings, vegan, gluten-free blah blah blah. I want a great tasting with all the extras (milk, gluten, Sugar) that make a real donut a real donut... not something in disguise to make me "feel" good. So obviously I got the non-vegan donuts. Pretty good, not like Hendough (off the charts amazing), but solid donuts and located near some great breweries which doesn't hurt.
Ample space for lines and a few places to sit. The big plus is the non-dairy options for my bro who's allergic. The staff was amazing! So helpful and informative. Plenty of amazing options (but not Too many to choose)
I was visiting Greenville SC, and my daughter mentioned this place for donuts. So, I said I'm game, let's go. Once we got there we were bummed . They were completely sold out. Hence I don't have a review on them But when I do try them I will let you guys know. We did get some yummy coffees. They do have milk alternatives and the donuts are Vegan . The girls making the coffee were pretty friendly and they did feel bad for us. The place is cutesy and chill ambience. They have parking across the street too. So if your in the Asheville NC area. Come get some donuts, BUT call 1st to make sure they have them
Really amazing cake donuts! We tried 4 of them and the Espresso & Old Fashioned were my favorite. They had a few seasonal options too. Reasonably priced but it would be cool if they ran a buy 3 get 1 deal (or something like that) after 1pm so they don't waste so many donuts. The staff was in a bit of a rush to close the shop despite the fact that I went 45 minutes before closing but were friendly enough. Definitely add it to your list if you are craving high quality donuts in Asheville! read more
After breakfast we decided to go wander the self guided South Slope Mural trail to enjoy some of the large scale works on the side of the buildings, when we came across Vortex Doughnuts. Finding it, we decided to pop in and grab a donut to hep fuel the rest of our mural walk. Unfortunately the selection by 11am had been a bit picked over. There wasn't any wait when we arrived, so we weren't pressed to hurry with our order and could see what our options were. They did have a selection of both yeast style donuts and cake style as well as gluten free. They also offered a few different coffee/espresso/mocha drink options along with milk, oj and hot chocolate. We opted to share a cake style chocolate frosted. The donut was OK, but a bit dry for my liking, and the the chocolate also wasn't overly sweet. But it's all subjective an what wasn't right for me could certainly be great to others. I'd consider trying another favorer/style of donut if in the area again. read more
This place had me hyped! I think the "made daily" donut sign might be fibbing a little... We went on a Tuesday morning at 730am, and grabbed a chocolate, mango, salted caramel and a cherry with sprinkles. Greater with a smile. Only the salted caramel tasted like it was a fresh donut. The chocolate , mango and cherry had to have been made the day before...it was dense, cold and had no life to the dough. I could be wrong....but Hole donuts are still warm and delectable when you get them. Maybe we will try again this weekend for a filled donut(only do filled donuts on the weekend) read more
DOUGHNUT WORRY, the line may be long but moves quickly at Vortex Doughnuts! But please be respectful and know what you want to order by the time you get to the register! They've got seasonal coffee and donuts - but I only had eyes for the iced NOLA on their regular menu - which was a sweet and creamy chicory coffee using 1000 Faces Coffee, which I had just recently discovered in Athens, GA recently. By the time we made it to the register at 11am, they were very limited on donut options. We tried the famous Holenut, the Vortex (cinnamon sugar chocolate), a classic chocolate sprinkle and cranberry donuts. Everything was delicious but I also wasn't sure it was worth standing in a line outside in the cold for. Next time, I'll be sure to arrive earlier to get their more popular donuts!! read more
Friend introduced us to Vortex 2 years ago as one of the local gems in Asheville. They're well-known for their yeast donuts including a different variety of cream cheese donuts. Naturally I got a cream cheese-flavored strawberry yeast donut at that time, and I've been thinking about these donuts ever since. Had the opportunity to come back last month. Happy to say they are just as good as I remembered them. They also offer a variety of coffee drinks. Their mochas are particularly decadent, and I got the La Luchador just for that hint of spice. It brought me back to sipping these regularly while in the Yucatan peninsula. Goes well with donuts. Highly recommend a visit here if you're in town. read more
A group of us stopped by right before closing time for a quick treat. The donuts looked delicious. Ian was working the counter and could not have been nicer. He talked about the different donuts that they had available and his favorites. We tried the Vanilla Bean, Chai Blackberry, Cream Cheese, Salted Caramel, and Mango Pepper Flake donuts. We voted that Salted Carmel and Cream Cheese donuts were our favorites. read more
Some of the best donuts I've ever had! The yeast-based ones were super fluffy, and the Coconut Blue Lemon Cookie donut was incredible- perfectly balanced and not overly sweet. The space is open and inviting, and I loved the convenient handwashing sink. A must-visit in Asheville! read more
1 year ago
Service was good. The vibe of this place is very cool! The donuts here aren't really anything special to me. Hole had great donuts that were unique. This donut shop didn't really offer anything unique in my eyes. read more
1 year ago
I stopped in at Vortex Doughnuts early in the morning and it wasn't busy at all. The young man at the counter was super kind when taking my order. The shop itself is very cute inside and has a fun, artistic feel to it. I really like that they have 3 types of donuts (yeast, cake, and gluten sensitive). They have a decent variety of flavors to choose from. We got a 4 pack with the cream cheese, chocolate frosted, cinnamon sugar w/dark chocolate (their signature), and an apple fritter. The yeast donuts were nice and fluffy as described, with the cake donuts being a bit heavier. The gluten sensitive donut didn't have a "gluten free" taste at all, which was nice! We liked the consistency of each one but the actual taste was kind of bland, making the overall donuts just "okay." It lacked the flavor and sweetness you would expect from a sweet treat like a donut or apple fritter. I also ordered a hot caramel cappuccino, and that tasted great. If you prefer your pastries with minimal sweetness, this might be a good spot for you -- but if you're like me and lean more towards the sweet side of things, I would recommend somewhere else. Personally, I would rate their donuts a 6.5/10 :) read more
3 years ago
I came here because it is highly recommended and it is all over the Internet for one of the must try places in Ashville. With high hope walking in, atmosphere is excellent. Good job with all the open space decorations and art works on the wall. Service from the barista and cashier is excellent. Which is what you expect from a local cafe. Problem is their donuts. Why is it chewy. Is it because it is old or is it because some abnormal ingredients they use. They are big though. Next time I just get coffee or drinks. It taste so much better in a tall glass. But their donuts, I don't know. I just stick with regular donut shops. This is kinda overrated read more
1 year ago
I had heard about this place, was really let down. For a yeast donut, this is probably one of the worst I've had. Donuts are one of my favorite breakfast splurges. These were chewy, seemingly stale, and the flavors on most of them were not very strong. Lemon poppyseed was a standout among those, you'd expect a burst of lemon flavor, sadly it left much to be desired. Seems like a lot of people are fans, not sure what I missed here. Maybe an off day, staff was nice though and ambience was cool. read more
We came to visit, and this was the one place we were told we had to stop at during our trip. The donuts are INCREDIBLE - some of the best I've ever had. I'm used to getting cake donuts, but we were told we had to try the yeast donuts. Loved the light, chewy texture. The cream cheese cherry was the big winner - perfect frosting to donut ratio with the perfect amount of sweet. Also loved the espresso donut. They make good coffee as well, and I enjoyed my chai tea latte. Staff are super pleasant, and I love the big, open vibes of the shop and how they incorporate local artists. One of the best donut shops I've ever been to. read more
8 months ago
8 months ago
Nice vibe inside and lots of seating outside at the picnic tables. I'm not a a GenZ person looking for donuts with feelings, vegan, gluten-free blah blah blah. I want a great tasting with all the extras (milk, gluten, Sugar) that make a real donut a real donut... not something in disguise to make me "feel" good. So obviously I got the non-vegan donuts. Pretty good, not like Hendough (off the charts amazing), but solid donuts and located near some great breweries which doesn't hurt. read more
1 year ago
3 years ago
I was visiting Greenville SC, and my daughter mentioned this place for donuts. So, I said I'm game, let's go. Once we got there we were bummed . They were completely sold out. Hence I don't have a review on them But when I do try them I will let you guys know. We did get some yummy coffees. They do have milk alternatives and the donuts are Vegan . The girls making the coffee were pretty friendly and they did feel bad for us. The place is cutesy and chill ambience. They have parking across the street too. So if your in the Asheville NC area. Come get some donuts, BUT call 1st to make sure they have them read more
1 year ago
Delicious vegan doughnuts and great matcha. Some places make matcha extra gritty/clumpy. This matcha with oat milk was amazingly smooth. It was perfect. We each had a doughnut while there and then purchased four to go. I wish we had a Vortex Doughnuts where we live bc I'd go constantly. It was a nice chill place to hangout. We didn't feel rushed and felt comfortable. The prices were great too. read more
Had a great time this morning trying out the bakers dozen with my family! Personally, I prefer the yeast donuts, they were amazing! I really enjoyed the cream cheese one. The apple fritters are a must try as well. We all enjoyed our coffee too, the nola was my favorite. read more
So... I didn't even realize the donuts were vegan until I came onto yelp to leave a review and saw the others saying they were vegan. What a treat! There were so many options to choose from on a Friday morning, but we went with the Peach Molasses and a Salted Caramel. Both were winners. The space itself was nice - plenty of seating and there was a great art selection to look through on the walls. All that, and a friendly staff -- that gets 5 stars in my book! read more
Delicious donuts! Cute shop. Quick & easy stop this morning for a selection of donuts to go. I like that they offer flavors on cake or yeast, depending on your preference. I haven't seen that before. The donut flavors change weekly. The blueberry lavender w/ almond was amazing- the glaze was heavenly. Just the right touch of lavender- not overpowering. I recommend getting the almond option for an extra bit of crunch. The espresso cake donut tasted terrific, too. The espresso came though well. My donut-eating companions loved their choices. Recommend for those needing a donut fix, especially if you prefer donuts with creative flavor twists. read more
Vortex Doughnuts was voted #2 best doughnut in the 'Best of WNC X Awards' booklet so we had to give it a try We went on a drizzly Saturday morning there was no line when we arrived but it got consistently longer during our visit. We got the pistachio cream cheese honey and Espresso doughnuts and 2 drip coffees, with tip it was $15. They have 2 types of doughnuts cake and raised. Our doughnuts were good but the pistachio and espresso flavors were very weak. The restaurant is very clean. There is street parking in the area and Vortex is within walking distance of downtown. read more
6 months ago
4 years ago
Oh my, these were probably the best vegan donuts I had so far. Went there while visiting Asheville last week. It was around 12:30pm but they still had a pretty good selection. I was so excited! Almost all of them are vegan, except the ones with a note "NV" and they had two sections, one for yeast donuts and one for cake. I'm definetly a yeast donut person, so got 3 flavors and one cake donut just to see how they are. Cake one good but I had better vegan cake donuts, but the yeast ones were amazing! Very fluffy and moist. Not to sweet either. Just the right amount of sweetness. Unfortunately, they were already out of the apple fritter which I really wanted to try. Never had a vegan apple fritter. One star less due to the service, the girl working there was a little unfriendly and seemed bored. read more
4 years ago
Believe it or not, I have been coming here since 2014 when they opened! What I love is that the quality of this place hasn't changed a bit. Vortex doughnuts is a cosmic wormhole of deliciousness that if you're lucky enough to stumble upon you will find yourself returning to again & again. Their doughnuts are made fresh daily using locally sourced ingredients and come in three varieties: cake, yeast, and gluten free. Get here early for the best selection and plan on getting your caffeine fix here too because they have great baristas! They have inside and outside dining so you can stick around and enjoy the cute decor or you can grab them to go. I usually order more than what I'm eating that morning and enjoy them throughout the day and into the next day - but they're definitely best fresh. Personally my favorite are the cake doughnuts. They're light and fluffy with a cake consistency that has the old fashioned doughnut vibe. Their espresso flavor has been a go-to for me for years now and they use locally roasted beans. If you see a funky flavor on the line-up, get it because you won't regret it! This last time we ordered the sweet potato curry with green curry coconut and lime and it was outrageously good! I also love just a plain old fashioned if I'm not wanting something overly sweet. They used to have a flavor that had local beer and pretzels and something else that I can't remember but it was delicious! If you're in the area 100% doughnut miss this local gem! read more
3 years ago
Friendly spot in downtown Asheville. I got the vortex cake donut and the espresso yeast donut. The cake donut was a bit denser than I would have liked but the yeast donut had a nice chewiness to it. read more
This is one of the original well known donut spots in Asheville. Their flavors are really unique and super sweet! They have a fix of yeast and cake donuts but they are super expensive. A dozen donuts can run you close to $40-50 depending on the flavors. Lots of their popular flavors are really sweet so I usually go for the berry (pictured here with purple frosting). They do have gluten free options which is a nice alternative! read more
They have cake donuts, yeast donuts, and vegan donuts. I get burnt out on cake donuts, so I like that they offer their flavors on a yeast donut. They've got their case clearly labeled with descriptions on the difference between a cake and yeast donut. Yeast donuts are lighter and fluffier where a cake donut is denser and more filling. The flavors/glazes/toppings were not overly sweet, which I can appreciate. I don't like overly sweet because then I can't eat as many (haha). Everything we got tasted just as the flavors were labeled in the case. Now, where this place really got the 5 stars for us was with the drinks we got. We got a dirty chai latte and a chaider (chai latte and hot apple cider). Clearly, we are fans of chai! We've been plenty of places where the chai drinks are more sweet than they are spice forward. And in a good chai, you want those floral spices to be very present. The place has a few tables inside of you're there early enough and plenty of room for a line of people waiting to order their donuts. Definitely stop in and get a donut (or 4). read more
3 years ago
The coffee was okay and the donuts were also just okay. Our friend was raving about this place, eager to lead us to it on vacation day #2. As a donut lover I was let down and didn't finish either of my choices, with help. My partner and I shared three, actually, and didn't get the hype at all. This was just after 10:30am so everything was pretty fresh, too. Sweet location, clean and friendly, and the donuts LOOK good. Seating wasn't crowded but I can't stand a solo lap-topper that feels the need to occupy a four-top during regular/busy hours. There should be rules against this because my party had to split and perch on stools. Yeast and cake donuts, that's cool, but the flavors were very mild. Chocolate cake donut was crunchy around the edges and had a bitter chocolate profile, didn't have that sweet romantic chocolate thing I was hoping for but the texture was nice. Cinnamon Apple fritter yeast donut was dry but better than the other. I enjoyed the large apple chunks and soft interior. Vortex yeast donut was meh. They were each a bit messy and kinda sour if I'm being honest ( and I don't mean that in a bad way, just not sweet for donuts). If this place is your jam then power to you! If you've got a sweet tooth for donuts then I've said my peace. read more
We rolled through Asheville on "Donut Friday". A quick search for vegan donuts brought Vortex to my attention. I fully expected vegan options to be limited to like two or three choices. Oh heck no, Vortex states at the door that unless otherwise labelled, the donut is vegan. Normalize this please! Vortex offers two styles of donuts. The traditional yeast and fried version and cake style. A lot of the same flavors are available in each style. I wanted the traditional fried yeast donuts (as did the rest of my family). We grabbed half a dozen. Two chocolate iced, a strawberry iced, chocolate vortex, blackberry vortex and a strawberry, chocolate, peanut and banana. Delicious! The texture was right on. The icings were less sugar and more fruit/dark chocolate flavored. I was so on board. My kids, eh, they wanted more sugar. Oh well, that meant more for me. I also grabbed a NOLA Cold brew. Vortex uses 1000 Faces coffee. Their NOLA contains chicory in the cold brew. Oat Milk is an option that Vortex offers. The drink was slightly sweet and licorice like. It was a great drink. Vortex is definitely not cheap. But I'm ok paying up for incredible vegan donuts and coffee especially when the business features them front and center instead of seeming like a last second addition to the menu. read more
1 year ago
6 years ago
I love donuts, so this donut shop has been on my radar for a while. I will now try to come here every time I'm in Asheville. Covid-19: I don't think there's any way to order ahead. It's possible that you could call in your order, but the flavors rotate and there's no reliable place to find the current menu (I thought I found it on Instagram, but it ended up being wrong). Luckily, we could go in to get donuts very quickly. We got 4 donuts: blueberry/mango/coconut, banana/maple/pecan, cream cheese, and salted caramel. These were all yeast donuts. They also have cake donuts, but cake donuts are far inferior so we obviously did not get them. These donuts were amazing. They were doughy and flavorful. My favorite was probably the blueberry/mango/coconut. The cream cheese and salted caramel were more classic donuts, but I loved how saucy they were (literally dripping with glazed topping). Many of their donuts are vegan too. I'm pretty sure some of the ones we got were vegan, but I don't remember which ones (you couldn't tell). These are far better than any donuts I've had in Charlotte. If you're in the area and like donuts, make sure to stop here! read more
Vegan yeast doughnuts. I'll drop the mic right there. I don't know about you but my hometown is desperately in need of vegan, yeast doughnuts available on the regular. Right now, it's mainly a certain day of the week at a few places. When you need a doughnut, you need a doughnut. Am I right?!? Anyhoo, I was pleased as punch to find a shop in Asheville that daily makes these delights from scratch. They offer yeast and cake varieties as well as non-vegan options and items for gluten-free folks as well. Walking in on a Friday morning, I saw the amazing display of goodness on the front counter. I had so many choices, it was overwhelming. I waited my turn, there was a line of course, and decided on two - strawberry waffle cone and maple blueberry pecan. These a really large doughnuts as you can tell from my photos. Also a lot of sugar, so be forewarned. Vegan food does not always equal healthy food. Vortex is like a gourmet Krispy Kreme (another gem of North Carolina), y'all. My breakfast was about $8 as I recall, with no drink, but worth it. This is a treat not a daily thing for sure. I preferred the strawberry as the flavor was more pronounced and natural. I would've liked the maple to be more maple and less straight sugary. The toppings were gorgeous and delicious on both. Vegan, not vegan - all doughnut lovers should try Vortex. Nice people, ginormous doughnuts, and inventive flavor combinations. read more
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More info about Vortex Doughnuts
32 Banks Ave
Ste 106
Asheville, NC 28801
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(828) 552-3010
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http://vortexdoughnuts.com/
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Ask the Community - Vortex Doughnuts
Do they carry any gluten-free donuts?
The barista told me today that they do NOT (nor have they ever have had) gluten-free donuts. 😭
How many vegan options do they usually carry?
Hi. Vortex usually has about 4-6 different vegan donuts - and they're great. I work with a vegan food company, and we always order from Vortex for company meetings. They do sometimes get low on the inventory though, so best to go earlier in the…
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