The Dancing Donut

The atmosphere of this place is adorable — we tried the Nutella, Butter Cream and Lucky charms doughnuts. The Nutella was pretty good it tasted like an elephant ear with chocolate. The Butter Cream and Lucky charms were not on my list to try again. I definitely want to try some of the classic ones next time. I would go back for another try — I wish the coffee was a little better — a little strong for me. Overall worth a try if you aren’t sure where to start on the doughnut options try the Nutella.

Cute place with a friendly staff. The donut names are creative, but are a bit dry for my taste. The coffee was delicious. However, the prices for donuts were a bit steep.

It’s not my favorite. Hip flavors but the donuts are so dry. I’ve been twice and just have never had anything that blew me away. It’s a cute spot to stop in brip, but not something I’d travel out of my way for

These donuts are pretty fricken-​good! They taste different from your generic Dunkin or Krispy Kreme. They look just as delicious as they are! Donut-​lovers this is the place for you! Plus, the shop is absolutely adorable! I have never been disappointed! I feel like this donut shop belongs in California! It’s great.

Is this just the current trend? These «designer» doughnuts? Is it the trend piggy backing the rise in designer cupcakes?
If so, this shop’s time may be limited…
Especially when my family went in to try it out. My mind was on overload as I viewed all the mouth watering, sugar rush, large variety of cheeky named doughnuts. I wanted to try them all… Then narrowed it down to 4 that I was TRULEY interested in. But my pocket book wasn’t going to allow me more than one. Side note, I could hardly eat all of one = they are very large doughnuts! (I’d have LOVED for them to have a doughnut flight!!!)
So I tried the raspberry Fritta Stare. Which was good, but didn’t taste quite as delectable as I imagined. And maybe even seemed like it was at least a day old???
Other family members tried one which was a yeast doughnut dipped in Carmel then into chocolate and sprinkled with salt. I sampled it, and it was not too bad.
All in all, I was looking to be WOWed with amazing «designer» doughnuts and was left not so impressed… But I’m curious to give it another try with a different doughnut.
As for service. I’d say I can’t complain… Made an order, got my order… But it wasn’t overly kind or overly friendly. I’m sure it’s just the employees personality. But again, my assumption/​suggestion would be that with such a niche business, you have a bubbly personality at your front so to bring customers back in every way possible. Just sayin’…
I really wanted to give this place more stars… I like little niche shops that are cute and fun and that my kids will enjoy and remember the special trips to it… But so far this one could use a little improvement.
Best of luck. Wish your business well. We will probably try again, soon!

There is a party in my mouth and donuts are dancing! I ABSOLUTELY could not take it! This shop was AHHHH-​DORABLE and the donuts were fabulous! I could go here a billion times and not even care about how much sugar and additional pounds maybe added to my body!
When we walked in, most of the donuts were taken… Understandable, we came about an hour before the shop was closed. I chose the Kevin Bacon donut which was a yeast donut with bacon crumbs on top. First off — the bacon was perfection! I was soon friggin happy! Second off — the donut was so good! Not too doughy and not too crisp. It was a mouth party of sweet and savory dancing to the beat of my chomping teeth.
I had my little one in her stroller and was loving the ramp that was built from the parking lot to the door so I could get her stroller in — super thoughtful! Then when we got our donuts we sat in the sassy vintage dining room with the cutest paintings on the walls. The paintings had everybody eating donuts; deer, Mona Lisa, and even Jesus and the twelve disciples. I was cracking up!
I will be back! Who knew a donut shop would be this amazing! What a great experience :) Prices were good too!

I’m sad. I’ve opened my eyes and come to terms. Dancing Donut, you’re overrated & overpriced big time. I keep trying to love this place since I appreciate the kitschy donut art & the creative donut names. It’s the perfect marketing that pulls in the fresh n’ trendy hip-​yupsters drones to people watch. However as for taste, the decent ones, in my opinion, is plain Jane and the brown butter one, the others… meh, or it’s that time when you ate all your Halloween candy and swore off candy for a year. Too lame or too overkill and if you buy a dozen, they are dry cracker textured crap the next day and you likely wasted near 30 bucks :(
Like I said I tried to love them but I’m so over it now. If you want to shimmy up a joke, totally not ada approved, ramp for an expensive diabetic coma, in a cute room, it’s your place.

In my adult life I think I’ve only had 2 donuts so the fact that I even came here is weird, but now I think I’m going to have a problem… because this place is amazing!
I’ve heard so many things about this place and today was my day to try it! I got the berry poppins donut. It was filled with berry filling and iced with yellow icing. Holy cow was it everything I wanted and more! **Heart Eye Emoji**
The pictures speak for themselves so check it out then please do yourself the favor and go!
Great place to take people from out of town too! Such a fun and unique place.
PS the artwork inside is hilarious! They had a picture of the last supper with Jesus and his disciples eating bright pink donuts – I was cracking up! Lol
Well done dancing donut. well done! I will totally be back and I will bring friends! :D

The hype was crazy at Butler when it first opened. I’m glad I went but I’m super picky about donuts-​if I’m going to eat all the calories, it better be worth it! Overall the atmosphere was super fun and there were lots of unique choices! My morning with friends was so fun but I didn’t completely love my maple donut… I’ll have to try another next time!

Given my affinity for donuts and loyalty to GADCO, I was a little skeptical having read all the reviews for Dancing Donut, but decided it was time to expand my donut horizons.
Thus, my sister and I ventured here one Saturday morning to give it a go. She ordered some type of peanut butter donut which she enjoyed and I had the Berry Poppins (?) with strawberry cream filling and a lemon frosting. Seriously, so good. And worth all 300+ likely calories.
We had two regular drip coffees (they serve Bee Coffee Roasters) and enjoyed our donuts in the sunny, kitschy cute, interior.
Employees were super friendly and welcoming. Overall cost was around $ 10-​$ 11…that said, if you’re looking for uniquely flavored donuts you can’t find elsewhere, come here. You will pay $ 2.50−3.50 for said donut, so expect it and don’t leave 1-​star reviews based on the price of the donuts alone. Also, if you’re going to come here and order a glazed yeast and complain about it only costing you 50 cents at Long’s, I don’t even know what to tell you.
If you view donut eating like wine tasting, this is the place for you! Lots of interesting flavors to help expand your palate. ;)

One bite. It takes just one bite of a donut from The Dancing Donut for you and your mouth to get a little taste of heaven. This newly opened donut shop is quite the talk around the Indianapolis area and it’s for good reason. With their wide array of donuts, such as the «Kevin Bacon» and «Peanut Butter Jelly Time,» people can try and enjoy all different kinds of flavors of donuts. Can’t eat gluten? No problem! The Dancing Donut offers BOTH gluten free and vegan donut options daily.
My personal favorite is the classic Jane Dough donut. The donut, almost the size of my head, is smothered in warm, sweet chocolate frosting with colorful, crunchy sprinkles. A cold glass of milk is the perfect pairing with the freshly made bakery item.
The Dancing Donut is a must-​go place in the Indy area!

For those who are unaware, part of my paid employment life is as a film journalist or «critic.» I think it’s why I’m fiercely devoted to writing full-​length reviews here on Unilocal and I try to make them of a higher quality. Amongst the Indiana film critics, I have a certain reputation for being a «hater,» or a film critic who has a certain flair for trashing films. I’ve largely avoided this kind of approach on Unilocal,though I’ve certainly given a few one and two-​star reviews.
However, I couldn’t help but think of myself as a hater as I left The Dancing Donut this morning wondering what all the fuss was about and remarkably disappointed with the experience overall.
I’d avoided The Dancing Donut for a while largely due to having only seen the one door that has a step going into it. I think most Unilocalers here refer to it as the rear door as it’s the entrance that will take you through the seating area up to the ordering counter. It is definitely not even close to wheelchair friendly.
When I was in Diavola Pizza earlier this week, I noticed the «front» door that has a short metal ramp that goes into the front door and provides some degree of wheelchair access. They were closed at the time, but I decided to go ahead and give them a try.
The Dancing Donut is located in the same strip center as Diavola. This means it has a curb cut, though no defined accessible parking. The small ramp that goes into The Dancing Donut is not ADA compliant, but it will get you in the door. The door is a glass door that opens outward. If you have range-​of-​motion issues or a weak upper body, you may very well struggle with maintaining yourself on the ramp while opening the door. There were two employees inside, perfectly friendly, though my sense is that you’ll likely be on your own to actually get in the door.
You enter and have the order counter straight ahead, complete with the chalkboard menu and glass case that houses all their donuts. I didn’t see pricing on the menu, though maybe I just missed it. As others have noted, they tend to use witty names for their donuts including Kevin Bacon (maple bacon long john), Éclair Huxtable (bavarian cream filled long john with chocolate ganache), Arthur Murray (old-​fashioned sour cream), Fritta’ Staire (apple cinnamon fritter) and more. I ordered two Jane Dough, essentially two large chocolate-​frosted yeast donuts. The charge was $ 5.35 for the two donuts — I didn’t order a drink, though they carry a variety of coffee, espresso, hot chocolate and other options along with some bottled options.
In their defense, the donuts I ordered were large. So, it’s relatively unfair to compare them to other donut shops given very few donut shops have a donut this size. If I were to compare to any shop in Central Indiana, it would likely be Titus Bakery in Lebanon. Quite honestly, I give a slight edge to Titus. The chocolate is layered on thickly and the Jane Dough’s emphasis is clearly on the Dough. I’d consider the donuts I tried average at best and definitely not worth a five spot. I kept thinking I wished I’d gone to the tastier and more affordable Hart’s Bakery or even the nearby Taylor’s.
If they really want to attract business, I think they should come up with a Mary Jane Dough.
Do I really need to explain?
I decided to eat there just to sort of relax and soak in their environment, a brightly decorated small dining room that emphasizes communal gathering with a couple small tables. I was initially alone, but eventually joined by a mother with two small children.
The employees were friendly, though not particularly outgoing. I could see where several people have observed about disorganized ordering. The gathering was small when I went in at about 9:15am, but even with a small number of people there was some disorganization noted. Fortunately, the customers were all friendly. Plus, very few people cut in front of someone in a wheelchair — I think there’s a special place in hell if you do that.
If I’d had a drink, my relatively modest breakfast would have run over $ 8. It wouldn’t have been worth it.
I like the décor. I can appreciate the artfulness of the donuts. The employees were good (not great). I definitely appreciated the wheelchair ramp. I contemplated a 3-​star rating, but the difference between a 2 and a 3-​star rating for me is really simple — Will I go back? In this case, the answer is a definite «No.» There are too many better options in Central Indiana including a handful that are at least half the price. I’m sure it’s a great addition to the neighborhood, but I can’t recommend it as a destination donut shop.
As I left, a customer grabbed the door and this allowed me an easier time going down the ramp (very light decline). I’m glad I went, but I’d rather save the dough, pun intended, and be happier elsewhere.

So, I love doughnuts and the doughnuts at Dancing Donut are pretty good. They aren’t my favorite in town, but they are tasty. Some are absolutely huge and some have way too much stuff that just shouldn’t be on a doughnut (I’m looking at you, cereal).
I wasn’t overly impressed with the service — it was fine, but nothing spectacular — and the prices were offputting and I found them overly priced.
They are related to the Flying Cupcake brand and they are thriving, in part, because of that connection.
While I will certainly grab some of these from time to time, I don’t think it will be my go-​to for doughy pillows of joy.

The best of Indy’s hipster donut scene. I know a lot of folks freak about the weekend line but I just go during the week. (Problem solved.) All cute everything. Décor, donut names, art. Pretty precious. The donuts are hella good, too. I had something with pumpkin pie filling in it this week and, whoa, was it delightful. I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve tried (about 8 varieties) but I’d skip the plain yeast and raspberry chocolate fritter. Not Long’s so don’t bother and on the other– just not good. Too dense. Overall this is a nice spot to pop in for a donut and coffee. A welcome addition to one of my favorite areas in Broad Ripple.

The flavor ideas are great, just not as creative as Rocket 88 or other «gourmet» donut places… but Dancing Donut has communicated that it is trying for a broadened kid friendly vibe, so a donut sprinkled with cayenne probably won’t do. I live within walking distance and found the best time to visit is right at 7 AM opening on Saturdays; most don’t get up that early on the weekend and the place is a little quieter, not overwhelmed with kids or those nitpicking over the gluten-​free options. The 7 AM crowd is prepared and decisive. While I’m currently «off» of coffee, I definitely appreciate Dancing Donut choosing to offer Intelligentsia Coffee… well, appreciating the aroma only for the time being.
The reason for 3 stars, instead of 4, is that the degree of donut doneness is very inconsistent each time I visit. I’ve twice bought the Arthur Murray sour cream for my partner, who advised both times that the donut was overcooked (i.e. very dark brown). Sometimes, the basic glazed yeasts are perfection… sometimes, again, way overdone. I guess the kicker was talking up the brown butter donut to my sister, who after ordering, proceeding only to eat the top half of the donut… the rest was too overcooked. Given the price point, I would expect the quality control be kicked up a notch; I think Dancing Donut sometimes relies on its fantastic homemade glazes, jams, etc, to cover up a problematic yeast/​cake base.
However, when Dancing Donut hits the mark, it definitely is in 4 star territory. When cooked correctly, my favorite non-​filled donut is the Brown Butter Crumble, a rich yeast version with brown butter glaze and brown sugar crumbles. You can better avoid the chance of an over-​fried donut by selecting a filled version. I’d recommend any of the following filled flavors: Nutella the Hun, Key Lime, Mayberry (raspberry jam w. lemon zest sugar dusting), and the PB & J. Dancing Donut’s jams and fillings are homemade and less teeth-​achingly sweet than the sugary gelatinous goo that most other bakeries utilize. Overall, everything at Dancing Donut, including the dough, is less sweet. While this could be seen as a detriment to some, I enjoy a donut that won’t send me into a sugar coma.

It’s not for everyone!
While I have loved every donut I’ve ever had there, I took my brother and his girlfriend over the weekend, and they thought it was overpriced and lacking traditional options. They aren’t fancy folks looking for crazy and creative options. They wanted more classic choices. My brother was disappointed by the lack of a regular long john.
That aside, my tastes are more diverse, and I like the fun options. Sure, I’m always going to obsess over Long’s. They’re the best in town. But Dancing Donut is close to my house and a fun treat. I have to give it three stars because I think it’s going to be a hit or miss option if I’m not heading there alone.

I went to the Dancing Donut around 10 am on a Friday. The selection was already picked over, but I guess that’s what you get for coming late! It opens at 7 am, so I wouldn’t have thought that their selection was going to be extensive.
I split the Kevin Bacon donut with a friend. Their donuts are very filling, so if you would like to try a couple flavors, bring some friends and split them. The donut was moist and had a subtle smoked, bacon flavor. The combination of sweet and smoky was a perfect marriage and I could not have been happier with my decision.
The atmosphere of the Dancing Donut is cute and pinterest like. My favorite part was the artwork on the wall! There are also little gifts that you can get your friends such as cards, mugs, and small kitchen items. Dance your way to the Dancing Donut!

Woke up early-​ish on a Saturday morning to finally try the donuts here. There was a small line but the wait was quick. I couldn’t make up my mind so we picked out 4 different donuts: Kevin bacon, Indy state fair, brown butter crumble and a peanut butter donut with Reese’s pieces on top. The sizes were generous and the price wasn’t horrible (~$ 2.75 average per donut). I applaud them for the unique names and the variety of toppings on the donut. However, the donut itself (excluding the toppings) is nothing compared to a long’s donut. They just aren’t as moist and soft.
I really enjoyed the Indy state fair the most because it was stuffed with apple pie filling and topped with caramel, but the others were just alright. I picked out the brown butter crumble because of some reviews on here but I didn’t find it as satisfying as others did. And the chunks of brown sugar was a bit too rough to bite into.

Gourmet donuts are the new designer cupcakes, so it was only a matter of time until a shop opened in Broad Ripple. Being a lover of all things sugar, I popped in here recently for a sample.
Let’s be clear. This is NOT the place to pick up a dozen donuts so you can be the office hero. Save that (and your money) for Long’s. This is the place to come enjoy kitschy atmosphere and candy on your donut.
This place is cute, but essentially a Flying Cupcake clone. Same colors (mints, pinks, yellows) and «vintagey» décor and items for purchase. When I arrived early on a Saturday morning there was plenty of seating available.
Service was pretty friendly. I ordered a dozen donuts (and no, the sign that says cheaper by the dozen on their menu is not accurate as we were charged per donut adding up to over $ 26 for a dozen donuts) and took my sweet time trying to make up my mind as they had a huge selection.
All the donuts looked great. I served them to my family and got reactions from «great donuts!», «these taste like they were made yesterday» to «the donut was a little dry but the filling was good». Give me a good old fashioned donut with sprinkles any day over crushed candy toppings, but they didn’t have them! Maybe next time.
All in all, a cute place to stop by and enjoy your early onset diabetes!

Well, it’s here. And pretty much what I expected. After much anticipation, I headed here on a busy Saturday morning and waited in a pretty long line to get my goodies.
By the time I got to the front, there weren’t tons of options left, and they actually ended up selling out while I was still in the store. My suggestion — GO EARLY!
I settled on a John Dough and a Brown Butter Crumble. The Brown Butter Crumble was OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD. Yummy! The John Dough was huge, but just okay in my opinion. Maybe that one is better when it is fresh.
The donuts are a bit expensive so this place is a splurge, but the Dancing Donut is a great asset to the Broad Ripple area.