The Donut Ambition Tour

“Donuts. Is there anything they can’t do?” ~Matt Groening

“A great tour deserves a name and a t-shirt!” ~Elda Eats

A perfectly iced chocolate donut from Bedoy’s Bakery in San Antonio.

So, when it comes to donuts (or doughnuts, if you prefer), I’ve always liked a good lemon filled (Shipley’s here in Texas has always been my favorite, as they have icing and not powdered sugar on them), Boston cremes are also a favorite (Dunkin Donuts are usually top-notch), and last but not least, a good old-fashioned blueberry cake donut. I also like a good apple fritter although I usually can’t eat an entire one (even before I saw the giant ones they serve up at The Original Donut Shop here in San Antonio!) And sometimes a nice little plain cake donut hole or dunking cake donut (or as my dad would always say “the original dunkin’ donut!”) are perfect.

The Original Donut Shop serves amazing apple fritters that are as big as my head!

Speaking of perfect, just where can one find the perfect donut? Well, last September, a few friends and I took a little tour to find out. A donut ambition tour, I called it. #DonutAmbitionTour2017 to be exact. What it ended up being was a true adventure in sugar, spice and everything nice.

And no, we didn’t get t-shirts this time around, but we should have. The tour was epic and worth remembering!

That beautiful view that only an old-fashioned donut shop can provide. This one is at River City Donuts in San Antonio. They open up at 5 a.m.

Maybe? The Art of Donut provides that love and donuts!

What started out as being just about donuts ended up being an adventure in mostly donuts, but also in some pastries, kolaches and the places & people that make and sell them (God bless their souls!) and so it’s a pleasure to be able to note some of my reviews of the places we visited:

Maybelle’s at Pearl in San Antonio: Wow, I was really disappointed…the dough tasted okay and the presentation was pretty, but $4 for a donut that didn’t taste better than one from a Valero gas station was not the way I wanted to start the day.
I’ll probably stick with their better breads and macarons at sister restaurant Bakery Lorraine (which I love!)
Rivercity Donuts in SA: Love the vibe and the fact that they open at 5 a.m., and I have a feeling that they have some winners in there but the donuts tasted a little stale and the cheese in the kolache wasn’t melted. The kid working there was super sweet and while I could have totally seen my dad sitting in there drinking a cup of coffee and bullshitting with the other regular customers, they didn’t get my thumbs up that morning. I’ll go back though and give them another try.
Bedoy’s in SA: This is mostly a panaderia with awesome barbacoa tacos, and I really didn’t get to taste too much but I’ll go back very, very soon. My dad would have loved the maranito. (A maranito is a Mexican style gingerbread cookie shaped like a pig.) Definitely a place I’ll return to!
The Art of Donut in SA: So, a pretty cool & hip place. While expensive, the quality and taste was worth it (and they had free samples!) I’ll definitely go back. The donuts all tasted amazing, and the service was also great. My best bud coffee connoisseur, Esther, also praised their coffee. Thumbs up!
Naegelin’s Bakery in New Braunfels: It’s the oldest bakery in Texas! So, really enough said. Also, they have tons of kolaches (bratwurst kolaches!!!) and good bread. They are known for their strudel, but everything is good there. Really, really good.
Gourdough’s in Austin: They had been on my list for a while and they are very good, but I think they’re a bit too sweet for me. It’s really a dessert place! Probably not for me when I want a traditional donut, but I do highly recommend!
Buc-ee’s in NB (or anywhere in Texas!): If I really need to describe why I love this place, you won’t ever understand me. Just stop reading now and let me eat my kolaches… And everything else they sell there!
A random Valero in SA: We stopped for the ATM and fountain drinks and didn’t get any kolaches or donuts, but I do highly recommend them from Valero gas stations everywhere!!! I just want to give them a shoutout. I mean it, their donuts and kolaches are usually good. I am a big fan of gas station food in general, and they are doing it right consistently. Thank you, Valero!
Voodoo Donuts in Austin: I’ll be honest. I thought I was going to say something like “overly hyped west coast transplant for hippies and people who eat soyrizo…” but WOW. I’ll just say that the two donuts I ate from there were amazingly good. The best Boston creme donut I’ve ever had. Seriously. And I’ve had them all over the world. Or at least the U.S. lol
And props for the low prices! My two donuts were $3 and the Boston creme was a huge donut! There was a long line and they could probably charge double and nobody would blink. I have to highly recommend. I will return. (The original Portland location remains on my list.) A new food love, for sure.
The Original Donut Shop in SA: Talk about new food love! Best lemon donut ever and the apple fritter gave me goose bumps. Seriously. My friends saw the goose bumps form on my arms! I loved everything about the place. Everything! It was such a fun place to be with everyone waiting in line for tacos and donuts. Such a San Antonio vibe, it has my heart and stomach forever. Thank you to my friend and fellow foodie, Victor, who recommended it a few years ago. He was right – they are so good!!! I am so happy that these lemon donuts exist right here in my backyard. Life is good!

The best lemon donut I’ve ever had. Oh, and they serve tacos, too! Just the thought makes my heart happy.

All in all, and ambition aside, it was a super fun day spent with carbs, calories and some of the best people I know. I can’t wait for next year’s Donut Ambition II Tour and the tour to judge other food groups that have yet to be planned.