Located in the heart of South Congress, The Salty Donut is one of Austin’s trendiest and newest donut shops offering a wide variety of gourmet seasonal and rotating flavors, as well as classic flavors. The Salty Donut offers gluten-free and vegan options and unique coffee flavors, like cinnamon cereal milk latte and salted caramel. Additionally, they offer a service where customers can order ahead and pick up their order.

As an Austin local, I wanted to see what all the hype was about, so I headed downtown where some of the best donuts I have ever had awaited me. After many minutes of analyzing the insane menu, I made some decisions. I ordered six donuts: the Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake, Traditional Glazed, Coffee Cake, Dragon and Passion Fruit, Prickly Pear Margarita, and the Gluten Free Blueberry Pancake.

The wait was super short, around five minutes, and I filled a complimentary glass of water at the self-serve water station. The Donuts were a little on the pricey side, approximately $20.00 in total for a half dozen,  so I had high expectations. The employee who gave me my donuts was super nice and the staff gave me a welcoming experience.

After acquiring my half dozen, I walked outside where there was a very ambient place to sit. There was some artificial turf, misters, and umbrellas along with comfortable seating options, benches, and tables. I can definitely imagine working on homework in this little outside patio. The Salty Donut definitely did not disappoint, the sweet treats I had were amazing and worth every cent.

DRAGON AND PASSION FRUIT

My favorite donut was certainly the Dragon and Passion Fruit. The best part of this donut was the delicious whipped filling. It had a fruity and slightly sour taste, which paired well with the sweet cake part of the donut. It also had a really delicious and flavorful whipped icing and a crunchy graham cracker on top which was a really nice added texture. This was also the prettiest donut I have ever seen, it had a bright magenta colored frosting that was piped perfectly. I would absolutely recommend this donut and I would give it a five out of five stars. I will definitely be ordering this one the next time I visit.

COFFEE CAKE

The Coffee Cake donut was my second favorite. I am a huge fan of coffee cake normally, so it was delicious in a donut form. The texture was moist and fluffy. The best part of this donut was the crumbled coffee cake on top. I loved the texture it added and it paired with the cinnamon glaze so well. This is a must have if you order from The Salty Donut. This donut is a solid five out of five stars for me.

TEXAS CHOCOLATE SHEET CAKE

The Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake was more than an average chocolate donut. The base of the donut was chocolate flavored as well as the glaze on top. The cake was moist and fluffy and the chocolate drip on top was really silky and sweet. However, if I could change this donut, I would add a topping such as chocolate chips or cake crumble, because I feel like it could have more texture added to the icing. This donut ranks as my third favorite and I would give it four out of five stars.

GLUTEN-FREE BLUEBERRY PANCAKE

My fourth favorite donut was the Gluten-Free Blueberry Pancake. Sometimes when restaurants serve gluten-free options, it is very obvious, but this donut didn’t taste gluten-free or have an off taste at all. It was really fluffy and had a very strong blueberry flavor, but not overpowering. It wasn’t my favorite because I thought that the crumbled granola on top tasted a bit weird, but if you like blueberry pancakes or are on a gluten-free diet, I’d definitely recommend this donut to you. This donut gets three out of five stars from me.

TRADITIONAL GLAZED 

The Traditional Glazed donut was slightly less moist and fluffy than the other donuts, but it still tasted amazing. Usually plain glazed isn’t my favorite donut flavor, but this one was pretty good. It was such a nice spin on a normal glazed donut and it had a really strong vanilla bean essence. I would rank this as my fifth favorite donut only because it was a little plain and it was also a little too sweet for my liking. This donut gets three out of five stars.

PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITA

My least favorite donut was the Prickly Pear Margarita. Although the flavor was very strong, I didn’t enjoy how sour it was. This donut had a lime curd filling, and personally it was just too much. I really liked the whipped cream on top, though. I don’t think I would order this donut again, but if you like sour or tropical margarita flavors, this flavor would be for you. I’m giving this donut two out of five stars.

Overall, I didn’t dislike a single one of these donuts, and I would recommend the Salty Donut to anyone wanting a sweet treat and a trendy place to hang out or get work done. Next time you’re on South Congress and craving a donut, you should stop by for the plethora of treats they offer. I will definitely be returning to the Salty Donut, and I would love to try other flavors next time.