Vortex Doughnuts

Category:	Donut Shop
Address:	32 Banks Ave #106, Asheville, NC 28801, USA
Phone:	+1 828-552-3010
Site:	vortexdoughnuts.com
Rating:	4.3
Working:	7AM–5PM 7AM–5PM 7AM–5PM 7AM–5PM 7AM–5PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 8

Kassidy Brown

Alright, so as far as hipster doughnuts go, they arent bad. The yeast are great when their fresh, but after a few hours, they really go downhill, the regular cake is hit or miss, the sour cream cake are bangin. The flavors seem uninspired, like just fruit mixed with sugar, I mean, if your charging 3$ for a doughnut, I want something that actually tastes as good as it sounds. Now the coffee, I personally love 1000 faces coffee, but holy hell, why is it so expensive?? $3.50 for an espresso? Thats almost $5 after tip, Ive been to some of the best shops in the world(four barrel, sightglass, gimmie!) and they dont charge that for their standard house espresso. This is the exact way to get us locals not to go in your store, Id rather have a standard $2.50 CC espresso than pay $3.50 for a cup that might not even be extracted correctly! And why is the espresso and a cortado the same price?? Free milk? Seriously, whoever is taking care of their "coffee program" either doesnt care, or is simply looking to benefit from the tourist scene. Either way, I find myself not wanting to go there for coffee at all, knowing its going to be overpriced. Maybe the point isnt to get locals in there, seems like the south slope is really for the tourists anyways, it was cool for a minute, but between that and the 14$ plates of bbq, I just cant justify the expense.

Jorac Dehowtay

Beautiful space (except it only has one bathroom???), friendly staff, ok Chai Tea, terrible location. I really had high hopes for this shop. I wanted it to be something to rival VooDoo donuts in Portland OR and Denver but NOT even close! I was there mid-day and bought 4 different kinds. They were dry, bland, small, boring, minimal in selection, lacking creativity and GROSSLY OVERPRICED!!! My six year old son took one bite and spit it out. I think that DD and KK have nothing to worry about nor does Ingles. Yes, Ingles doughnuts are even better, in my opinion. Try Vortex for yourself but dont waste money on more than one, just in case you share my opinion. I would love for Vortex to make it but unless they improve upon the reason why theyre there, I think their days are numbered. If they end up being a success, without improving their product, itll be a mystery to me. Dont take my word, check out YELP and UrbanSpoon reviews also. Despite my opinion, I wish them well!!!

Jennifer lynn

The space is really cool and the staff were very helpful and friendly. My 6 year old son wanted to know what all the flavors were and there wasnt a line at the time so the lady was very nice to read them all to him. They have some fun inventive flavors as well as old fashioned standbys. Lots of sugar involved. ; ) Im a BIG donut person. I would prefer a donut over a cookie, cake, or candy any day. However this may be a matter of preference but I like mine to be moist and soft. These were too dry to me. I was disappointed. I took two boxes with different flavors home to my parents and they very much enjoyed them. I still would recommend giving them a try and supporting a local business, maybe they will be more to your liking. But for me, Im still in search of that perfect donut. ***edit*** i went back and found that I did like the yeast donuts a more! Nice that they offer different kinds and Im changing my review to a well deserved 5 stars!

Ashton Pavlischek

The yeast doughnuts were amazing, especially the whiskey honey. I wasnt a fan of the texture or flavors of the several cake doughnuts we tried. The doughnuts get 5 stars. The coffee is where it goes downhill. We placed an order for two iced lattes with almond milk. The barista behind the counter said the espresso machine was broken, and they werent going to take any more orders. Okay, thats fine. Then another person behind the counter said they could fix it within 10 minutes (also fine), and as a result, they would reimburse us for one of our coffees. About 15 minutes after getting our doughnuts, our coffees were ready. Unfortunately, we were charged full price for both coffees. I really only agreed to stay and wait because we were going to be compensated for our wait; had I know Id be paying full price for late coffees, I would have walked elsewhere. Their products are good, but theyve got to work on their service.

Gina Hagar

Wow disappointing! Definitely not the donut shop for kiddos. My two year old ate a few bites, my four yr old smelled it and said it smelled funny. It did. He did not eat it. The donuts were dry, tasteless, tiny selection (considering this is their focus) and way over priced. I dont mind paying for something delicious and we appreciate they use quality ingredients- but very very disappointing. The line was so so long. Not sure why? The server did not know what types of donuts they were and stuck her finger in to the center of one and licked her finger right in front of us to tell us the flavor!!!!!! Not kidding about this! They had no napkins and did not find this concerning or offer a solution- after spending around 15 dollars on 1 coffee and 5 donuts several of which went uneaten by the kids; Really disappointing. You want something delicious hit up west end bakery!

Meg Cohen

Mmmm, donuts. How can they get any better? Well, put them in funky Asheville, add some interesting flavors, and a nod to the local beer scene, and yummy donuts get elevated to a new level! My daughter and I hit Vortex on the way out of town after a college tour. We were expecting a long wait, but wound up having our donuts and being out the door and back on the road within about 10 minutes (this was a Saturday, too). They have so many flavors, its a little hard to pick, but I had a Ginger Lavender donut and The Vortex. My daughter had a chocolate covered one, and a raspberry. They were all fantastic. I was afraid the ginger would overwhelm the lavender in mine, but the balance was perfect. Great donuts, funky flavors, super staff. Im looking forward to my next visit!

Sonia Rodgers

First visit to Asheville, NC and food scene is amazing here. Of course my sweet tooth led me to try this local donut shop. Modern, cool industrial building with hipster interior decor. I was lucky that I stopped by during their BOGO free hour, so I couldnt hesitate to pick up as many flavors as I could eat (no not at one sitting) or save for later in the day. Moderately priced for gourmet quality and service was good. I also picked up a cup of their local brew (Nicaraguan coffee) which was delicious paired with my fave flavor - the Raspberry. Id recommend visiting this shop for those donut connoisseurs or those looking for a local sweet treat. No visible parking lot but there are several parking meters around.

Katie Toumazou

Awesome doughnuts - high quality fresh ingredients - locally and responsibly sourced, no GMOs ever... the kitchen is always coming up with new and interesting flavor combinations, but they have a great set of "staples" too. The coffee is completely fabulous in its own right, and I would say the best coffee in Asheville. All the baristas ask me how it is every time, because they truly want to know. They are well-versed and passionate about coffee, and have a plethora of knowledge regarding their trade - ask them to tell you more about their coffee, and you will surely find a greater appreciation for what you are drinking. Beautiful and well-designed space, friendly staff, a great experience every time.