Came here twice during our week vacation. Awesome flavored (we loved anything fruity), the chocolate was so rich, and the apple fritter was out of this world. Quick service, awesome interior and convenient location. Definitely recommend! read more

Definitely a cool place. Very pretty, well-lighted space. I got a mini cake donut and a vanilla glazed, my boyfriend got the "special" donut, a beer glazed donut, and a chocolate bacon donut. The chocolate bacon was a bit intense, the chocolate was very dark and not quite what we wanted in a chocolate frosted, but nonetheless good. Beer glazed was awesome. I made better picks than him despite being a tad "basic." The cake donut was perfect and flakey and the vanilla glazed was heavenly. I would definitely come back and recommend friends to try this place! As far as service goes, they handed us the donuts and that was the only interaction, but the men at the counter were extremely friendly! read more

Coffee and donuts, simple idea. But Vortex takes it to the next level. Fresh donuts, really great coffee and such a nice environment. I could've sat here all day smelling the coffee and eating the delicious Chocolate Bacon donut (omg )! Thank you Vortext for making mornings better. You guys rock. read more

Wonderful donuts, and hands down the most amazing mocha! You really can't go wrong with a mocha made with French Broad Chocolates! The staff was very friendly as well. I don't mind paying a bit more for a donut when it's a local joint. read more

Took a trip back to NC and had heard a lot about this donut place. Supposedly they had fresh cake and yeast donuts, and I was very excited to try them. My fiancee' and I walk in and have to wait 25 minutes to get to the counter, we ask what they have, and it's three different yeast donuts, not one cake (which is boldly placed on their sign above their head). I was told that the only make them in small batched and it would be another 30 minutes before the cake ones were ready, and at that time they would not have any yeast. We ordered 6 of the yeast, and two drinks, and it was almost $25!! Talk about overpriced! Although the donuts tasted pretty good, it was certainly not worth the price or the wait. Take back your morning and go to KK instead. read more

This place is awesome. They use beer from a local brewery to create a beer doughnut on occasion, they have vegan offerings, AND a cool outdoor patio. Did I mention the doughnuts are delicious? The doughnuts are delicious! read more

Excellent coffee. The vortex donut was awesome. Also had an espresso donut which was fresh but tasted nothing like coffee. The salted caramel donut was pretty good. But what didn't impress me was the incredibly rude girl who took our order. Wow. She was mad to be there. She's the donut nazi. Eight donuts, a coffee, and a latte cost me $30!! However, the two baristas were very friendly and helpful. Overall, very expensive. Will not be back unfortunately. read more

While the ambiance of Vortex is excellent, the doughnuts are horrible. How bad? My kids got the chocolate cake with chocolate icing, took one bite and had no more. I felt the same with my doughnut as well. Three of these doughnuts set me back $9.63. The lady serving us was very sweet and helpful. The guy collecting the money and running the place was off-putting. I will not visit here again. read more

This is an amazing business with delicious donuts and wonderful values. Vortex has been generous enough to sell us their donuts at a discounted price for our annual "Real Food Revolution Dinner" at UNCA, and they've always been a big hit. Plus, the ingredients are high quality and local! These donuts are delicious and good for the environment and the local economy/community! What more could you ask for? read more

Alright so starting with the good: - Cute, trendy decor and atmosphere. Would be a good place to study, as they have free WiFi and a decent amount of seating. The place looks like a converted garage, which has a huge amount of charm and is flooded with light. - Very friendly staff, with big smiles and good attitudes. - Local business. I would much rather support a local business than a national chain. It very much fits in with the Asheville "home-brew" scene. There is even an appropriately placed brewery next door. - Great parking, really easy to find a space....which is a godsend in any city. - Decent product with lots of variety. Great atypical flavors- rely on hype/uniqueness over really solid standard fare. Their base flavor doughnuts left a lot to be desired, but the specialty doughnuts were really well done and artisan. I tried one plain donut and one special donut. Special was much better over the plain, so stick to what they are good at. I would say they should play their strength and upsell the specialty donuts then work on improving their base donut recipe for those of us into the classic style. That being said, there are few notable barriers between their current business practices and continued long-term success. The food industry is brutal to shops playing for the B Team. - They don't post prices on their doughnuts. When I asked why, the attendant said "it changes frequently and would be really confusing to consumers how we do pricing." He actually couldn't tell me how much each product was, either! And over the loud music, and high glass wall (I am short) I couldn't hear him anyway. That it is confusing is your fault, not the consumers. Make it simple for them; good customer service makes the process easy and keeps a customer informed about their purchasing decisions. They have a large chalkboard wall so it would be very easy to quickly change the price as the inventory changes. A good local example that does this is Homegrown. The point is people do not surprises at the register, and 50 cents to a dollar difference an item DOES add up for some people, especially when you are trying to feed a group of people or decide if you want to bust your budget. This isn't such a fancy or wealthy place that people should expect consumers not to worry about their pocket book. - The wait. It took about 20 minutes for me to get two (quite) small drinks and two doughnuts. I ordered two iced Americanos, and with one barista working and one couple in front of me it took an additional twenty minutes from time of order. There were many employees standing around and watching ice melt. When you have high volume, it is a great idea to cross train employees so that when there is an unexpected rush you can still keep your turn around times at a reasonable level (under or at 10 minutes for drinks max is my general expectation at a coffee establishment). Also management encouraging good work practices on the employee level (like not stopping during production for five minutes to chat to a customer when your coworker is already answering their questions) is important. The later can be really valuable when you cannot afford two espresso machines and two barista's salaries but your business is growing. - The coffee. Now this isn't a negative for everyone, and may be just my preference, but it was extremely bitter and acidic. I can imagine, if I did not drink my coffee black, it would be fine paired with creme or in a specialty drink. I would say the espresso it was more over-roasted than even Starbucks, which infamously ruins coffee beans. I would give them a second chance on this, considering there are a variety of reasons one cup of coffee can suck on any particular day. So right, three huge things: I was shocked how expensive it was, the exceptional wait, and quality of the product. Not being able to keep up with demand is a huge reason food businesses fail. There are many competitors in the area willing to take your place if you slip, so growing your facilities and staff skill at an appropriate rate is hella important in such a service industry based area. I would really like to see Vortex tighten ship and own the market in the area, but I don't see that happening if these issues aren't addressed. Again, this is based on one first impression. Normally I give it a few shots, but I was pretty put off that the negative emotional imprint from the first impression will mean I am more likely to try one of the many competitors in the area next time I am meandering around looking for a cuppa. Thanks for reading, and have a great day! read more

Excellent doughnuts. Creative and delicious flavors like strawberry matcha and lychee hibiscus as well as traditional flavors like chocolate glazed and jelly filled. You can get raised, cake, or vegan doughnuts. What really got me was the amazing coffee and specialty drink selection including a Cubano, NOLA Iced, Thai coffee/tea ish drinks. Not sure if they are Thai-owned or just into Thai culture but they were playing a Thai CD with traditional Thai instruments. Very cool and totally unexpected! Great service. The guy at the counter was impressed when my girlfriend and I went up for doughnut #2. Thanks for the positive feedback, guy! read more

We were hoping to have a memorable breakfast at Vortex. Unfortunately we could hardly have breakfast at all. We shared a donut because there were just not enough to go around. read more

Good stuff but Wow! Donuts for $2.50 each. That was a little steep. And the iced coffee was wee tiny. It was all good but I would love to see it be more affordable. The location is cute and in a nice spot so I guess the rent has to be paid. It's right next to Catawba Brewery so make sure to time it right to get donuts and beer. read more

Skip the doughnuts move on to the breweries nearby. Located near some decent breweries, however not so decent doughnuts. We tried a yeast and a cake. By far, the yeast was better but not delicious. The cake doughnut we tried was the espresso one that literally just tasted like fried oil. We also tried a caramel, chocolate, pretzel yeast doughnut which sounded amazing but were left feeling sick from it. I wouldn't waste your time here. read more

Great atmosphere, excellent coffee, but just okay donuts. Perhaps these would be great if you were looking for a different spin on donuts. I can tell they are made from good ingredients and they are not bad by any means, but with all the reviews I was expecting something phenomenal. My wife and I didn't finish either of our donuts. read more

I really enjoyed my doughnut, it was chocolate glazed with what I assume with caramel drizzle. It had a nice flavor, and was dense, which to me was good because then you don't eat as many, however I feel like something was missing not sure what but I feel like it needs a little something extra. read more

Vegan doughnuts were yummy Nice variety, too. We came to Asheville for vegan options and it has not disappointed!

Coffee was good... Place is very nice, very clean....But I had two donuts and thought they were just ok. One was a salted caramel and the other was a chocolate frosted. The people behind the counter were very nice....and oh yeah I paid about ten bucks with a tip for a good cup of coffee and ok to good donuts. I think if I'm going to pay that much I should have friekin awesome donuts, not just OK donuts. I'm not sold on this place.....perhaps they deserve another chance read more

We were in Asheville on vacation and wanted to get some doughnuts. We looked online and found Vortex. The doughnuts were served cold and were practically uneatable. I would have given a 0 if I could. read more

Great doughnuts and coffee but the servers were absolutely awful. The guy that checked us out looked like he was stoned and was ticked off at every question we asked. read more

Visiting Asheville for the weekend and it was a fantastic treat to start the day off with a salted caramel yeast doughnut. Such quick service and a delicious doughnut! read more

They didn't have any gluten free donuts so I can't comment on the food, but the house coffee was strong and good. I also had a dirty chai that was delicious. The atmosphere is excellent. How the heck they will pay for that renovation by selling donuts is beyond me. It's beautiful in there. read more

Okay, we live in Charlotte and despite the 2 hour drive we have already visited Vortex 3 times since April of 2016. Some great creative flavors, the espresso is my absolutely favorite. I cannot imagine a trip to Asheville without Vortex! A wonderful selection of coffee and espresso drinks as well. Some nice seating areas, a full variety of in-home coffee brewing systems available, and friendly staff with a nice sized parking lot right across the street. If you want a great donut in Charlotte, drive to Vortex in Asheville! read more

Last time we were in Asheville, Vortex wasn't open, so I was determined to try it this time! We went during an odd hour, so I was nervous that the donuts wouldn't be fresh, but turns out I didn't have to worry at all. Everything looked amazing, but we decided on the chai spice, the vortex and the chocolate espresso doughnut. They were all delicious, but the chai spice was the fave among our group! they also have vegan doughnuts! We will definitely be back! read more

Best donuts I've had in my life. This is the real stuff. No fattening, extra sweet greasy donuts. It's the perfect amount of sweet, and the perfect texture. I highly recommend the yeast donuts. They're light, airy and chewy. The chocolate and vanilla were especially good. I took them home and heated em for five seconds in the microwave for gooey goodness. Their coffee is pretty awesome too, and feels fresh and different. The only downside is that their donuts finish quickly and they're really bad at recognizing customer demand. This happened both the times I was there. The chocolate and vortex donuts are much more popular than stuff like orange donuts, and they run out of them very quickly and take quite long for a new batch. Ps- try their bacon donuts too. Surprisingly Delicious. read more

Really tasty, just with there were more vegan options! Service was quick and friendly and the environment was really cool.

Great donuts. Flaky, flavorful, light, tasty. And nice area to sit, use their WiFi, and discover what to do next in Asheville. I like that there's a sink out in the open to wash hands. Very thoughtful. read more

My husband and I are avid donut eaters (yes even before they were trendy!) we always go out of our way to find a local donut spot in every city we visit. SO glad we chose to stop into Vortex. It's quite a challange to find a good, light yeast donut and these hit the mark! I opted for the signature Vortex and the salted caramel, while my hubby had a fritter and one of the beer glazed. All amazing. Great atomosphere too- loved the decor and coffee options. We'll be back the next time around! read more

Doughnut had a great texture. The coffee selection was perfect. I enjoy seasonal and creative rotational menus, and Vortex has a perfect selection. The service was outstanding! read more

Tasty doughnuts. Nice selection. Just overpriced for what you get. $2.41 for a doughnut (tax included) seems a bit much. There are better choices for a fattening snack. read more

Incredible doughnuts, amazing choice, very busy. The server Slydel was fast with the fantastic coffee. Great place, seems to be loved by many. read more

Super disappointing. Was very excited to eat here, and it was just subpar. Nothing was very good, dry, boring. Didn't have the maple bacon doughnut, which is what we were really looking forward to. Find a different doughnut shop read more

My friend and I stopped here one Saturday morning while on a weekend trip to Asheville. The ambiance was great. Very clean, modern, hipster building. Great patio! Friendly customer service. However, the donuts were gross. It literally tasted like a greasy funnel cake with chocolate icing. Don't waste your time! read more

Environment and services were great. Even better, the donuts were delectable!! My favorite was the lavender honey and my husband loved the peanut butter chocolate! Definitely making a stop every time we come to town! read more

Vortex Doughnuts - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

I don't know why this place has negative reviews-- coffee was amazing and so were the donuts! I had the espresso cake and I tried my fiancés original yeast vortex and they were both great. It does have the 'trendy , sustainable' vibe so you don't have a huge selection of coffee add ins and you will pay extra to have a to go cup. Neat spot and we will visit again read more

AWESOME DONUTS! We were visiting Asheville and found our way in. The chocolate bacon is heaven.

Great atmosphere and wonderful coffee. The best thing about the location is the ample parking. The staff wasn't very friendly and seemed distracted. I think this place could be a 5 star with happy employees. The donuts were good but not amazing. read more

Great, fresh donuts at 3:30 in the afternoon, delicious coffee, and a great casual, industrial modern vibe. Very friendly, helpful staff. We had a peaches and cream yeast donut and a salted caramel bacon cake donut and Cubano coffees. Everything was outstanding. Definitely one of our must-stop destinations in Asheville. Great job, Vortex. read more

Superb donuts but very expensive. Delicious gourmet donuts. The salted caramel ones are amazing. The guy who gave them A bad rating in an earlier review may have had one that was not very fresh. read more

Perhaps it is because we came later int he day (afternoon), the doughnuts were not as fresh, but we were rather disappointed by the doughnuts. The place itself is cool and definitely an enjoyable spot to stop and get coffee and a snack. But our doughnuts were not nearly as delicious as they looked. We ordered a chocolate and coconut one and as soon as you bite into it the chocolate is somewhat hard and just crumbles right off. The apple pie cake one we got was slightly better but still not nearly as good as others I've had. read more