Holy Donuts! Bakery & Cafe

BEST DONUTS EVER! If you’re like me, you like donuts. Even though I will eat and sometimes even like donuts from your typical donut shop, they really lack good flavor and leave your hands coated with a sugar (or high fructose) slime. Just thinking about that makes me sick.
Holy Donuts has TERRIFIC donuts that are moist, vegan, and most importantly, have great taste and no slime. These donuts are not greasy at all and I sometimes wonder if they were even fried.
Note: Their retail location has closed but if you find them on Facebook there is a good-​sized list of locations that carry their donuts including; Market of Choice, Eugene Coffee Co. and Sundance Grocery,

Honestly, if you haven’t found this place. It’s a HUGE must.
#1 Taste — best doughnuts in town. — CHECK.
#2 Friendly Service — CHECK
#3 Supporting Local owners. — CHECK.
#4 Coffee — CHECK.
Not overpriced, ORGANIC, vegan options. I mean, it’s practically BUILT for eugene, AMAZING.

I was SO pleased to find this place on my travels! I haven’t had real donuts since I went gluten free about 3.5 years ago. The donuts are also vegan which is delightful as well!
I bought three of their gluten free donuts and tried a bit of two and devoured the third! The donut I had had frosting and ginger bits on it and was GREAT! All three of the GF donuts I tasted were very cakey, not the light fluffy donuts that I used to get when I ate delicious gluten! With that in mind, they were tastiness! They weren’t too sweet, they had a great cakey crumbly texture and if you have been GF for awhile, this will be a wonderful treat!
And if the GF donuts weren’t enough, the courtyard and bakery were very very cute and garden-​y! The women at the counter were also quite hilarious and delightful and we had a nice interaction!
The only reason I give them 4 instead of 5 stars (and this is probably a silly reason) is because t

I heard about this shop from friends, but somehow had it in my head that it was akin to Voodoo up in Portland. I was wrong. I’m not vegan, but have friends who are, so I’m no stranger to vegan foods. If you’re looking for a vegan donut, these will suffice, although you may go broke being healthy. Like others, I really have to raise an eyebrow at the $ 2 price tag for a small donut.
As far as the donuts go, about the best I could say is they aren’t unpleasant. Dense, slightly too dry, vaguely tasting of chocolate, if you are looking for a real donut experience, these are ‘meh’.
Bottom line — when put up against the standard kill-​you-​a-​few-​years-​early standard donut, these are pale shadows of the real thing. Upside, you may live a little longer. Downside? You may have to eat food like this for those extra years.

Note: the red jar on the counter is a candle holder, not a tip jar. My husband made the mistake of putting a dollar in the «jar» and setting a small and probably, illegal fire.
We checked Holy Donuts out late night, and I immediately wished that it was earlier in the day because most of the donuts were sold out. Good for Holy Donuts, not so good for choice. We tried a chai donut that was light and delicious, while friends had a strawberry iced donut that they also enjoyed. Next, I craved a chocolate donut and sent the fire– starting husband back up, but he returned with a gluten free donut. Not my fave.
I can’t wait to try more donuts; the owner told us that we might even get warm, freshly baked donuts if we show up between 7:30−8 am. They’re most definitely different than your standard, deep fried grease treat. The owner is super sweet and like other reviewers mention, the courtyard space will be great in the summer. Sounds like donuts and movies in the courtyard are forthcoming…

I’m not into giving 5 stars. I’m one of those Unilocalers that approaches positively reviewed restaurants, stores, and venues with a reasonable amount of skepticism.
So when I finally visited Holy Donuts! (I got lost on my first approach and was wandering around the alley behind the place at dusk) I was ready to to challenge the general consensus and blind adoration voiced on Unilocal.
Is something holy afoot? Could these tiny baked delicacies someday achieve a religious devotion more fervent than Jesus and Mohammed? I didn’t ask myself that as I approached, but I’m trying to get you jazzed for the review.
I showed up with a dollar in cash and some change stuffed in my pocket. I asked if they took cards, the woman at the counter said no. I resigned to my fate: no donut today, no donut ever. Yet another failed attempt at trying Holy Donuts, right? Wrong! The woman offered the donut on credit!
What? Donuts on credit you scoff?
Yeah, and she offered coffee on credit too. And after I sat she said I had to try this other pastry they make too, because it’s delicious. And it was! Something made out of apple cider with a perfect texture and sweetness. That little morsel was on the house. The bill came to $ 4.25, due on my next visit. Pricey? Yes. But worth my outstanding balance? Absolutely.
As I read my book she came back and topped off the coffee and while I continued to read she came back again and offered more coffee. In all she stopped by 4x, checking to see how I liked the donuts, asking if I’d like more coffee, and offering me a flyer for a free donut the next time I visit.
Wow, could this be «Woohoo! As good as it gets!»?
The place is cute and oh-​so Eugene. A lawnmower and a promising garden layout is what you look out at from the bay windows. A few benches and seats outside assure to be a nice place to enjoy good donuts and good company come spring and summer. Like other Eugene coffee shops your feet get a little cold while you flip pages or listen to the banter of other customers but there’s nothing wrong with that. I hung out just long enough to hear about who said what on Facebook at one table of 20 somethings and an older gentleman make some silly joke about cemetery flower re-​gifting before I made my way back out into the stormy midtown area.
I don’t know much about donuts, just that they taste good and I probably shouldn’t have them for breakfast everyday unless I get a job with the EPD. With that said, these are something special, they just taste fluffy and, well, delicious. Plus the moment you accent anything with bacon you get my stamp of approval.
Yes, Holy Donuts! may be as good as it gets. It’s all the deliciousness of Portland’s Voodoo Donuts sin the long wait, dirty hipster staffing and lack of seating.
HD! is legit. Go now.