1/13: The Donut Whole

About four years ago, my friend Michael Carmody sent me a text: “Hot homemade doughnuts and coffee, my house, right now.” Of course, I dropped everything and rushed over. He had made a lovely batch of buttermilk doughnuts with cinnamon sugar, hot and delicious, and fresh coffee to wash them down. Several other friends had gathered to try them and they were gone in minutes. Over the course of the next year, Michael made thousands of test doughnuts to share with his friends, perfecting his recipes and creating an underground doughnut sensation. He and his business partner Angela Mallory opened the Donut Whole in 2009, a sugar-coated, caffeine-fueled dream come true.

The Donut Whole, located at 1720 East Douglas, serves cake doughnuts, coffee, tea and unusual soft drinks. If you are looking for a raised yeast doughnut, you are in the wrong place. Their cake doughnuts are dense and sturdy, crowned with wild and inventive toppings. The Maple Bacon doughnut is one of my favorites, a buttermilk base dipped in real maple icing, then sprinkled with real bacon bits. I also love the King Midas, covered in chopped salted peanuts and a drizzle of Lyle’s Golden Syrup. The coffee they serve is a special roast from the Spice Merchant, rich and strong.

King Midas and Maple Bacon

Michael and Angie use only the best, locally sourced ingredients and even serve vegan doughnuts and seasonal specials. The spice cake doughnut and the pumpkin doughnut are favorites of mine. The décor is funky and funny, with artifacts from Joyland and local art on the walls. The gigantic rooster crowing on their roof makes them hard to miss. The Donut Whole is open 24 hours a day, every single day of the year, so anytime you have a doughnut deficiency, you know where to go.

The Donut Whole
1720 E Douglas
316-262-3700
donutwhole.com