Jason gave my business a chance so I will forever support Strange and crew!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Map Cat
I’ve been wanting to check this place out for a long time so yesterday I got up early, drove in from Ohio, and arrived around 10 local time. All the varieties advertised on Instagram were available. Are they strange? Maybe not the strangest donuts I’ve ever had, but they are unique. Much more dense than typical yeast donuts. First time trying a Linzer or a Gooey Butter, loved them both. Crème brûlée had great custard flavor but wasn’t entirely caramelized. Some of them lasted the entire drive home and my wife was pleased with the Unicorn and Cinnamon Sugar, which still tasted fresh last night. Small store, no place to eat inside, but that helps keep the parking spots open. Definitely worth a stop if you’re passing through.
Parking: Couple spots right outside the door.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Strange Donuts
Allora McCullough
Menu and reviews mentioned GF, but when I showed up at the Maplewood location today I was told they don't offer anything gluten free.
gaia
FINALLY A GOOD VEGAN DONUT!!!!! Strawberry jelly filled/apple pie filled. Rare gem. ? ?️
Alpha-galdude
Outside the store had trash laying around. Walked in and the staff has their pot pipe laying on a counter or something to the side. Looks like it hasn’t been mopped in weeks. A trail of ants was coming in the window and up on the counter where they take the money. Looks like the case where donuts were had not been wiped out in months
K C
It wasn't what I was expecting. I was pleasantly surprised, has great flavor, texture, and the man that helped was super patient and had great product knowledge. I hope they recieve more support in their neighborhood.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Doughnut
Kenzie Red
Wouldn’t repeat
Josh Cobb
I was in the area and thought, I’m going to give them one last shot…A mother and child walked in ahead of me, and I overheard the woman employee say they were out of almost everything. (Not a great start)But I thought, I’m committed now and I don’t want to be rude.As I was waiting my turn, I observed a hoard of ants attacking the sample row of donuts at the register (coming in through the front window). I said “Oh, you guys have an ant problem.” She awkwardly laughed and said “Haha. Yeah, ants love donuts.”I awaited my turn, and then reluctantly purchased the 3 donut flavors that were left (again, just committed at this point) and a 2% milk.The donuts were not good. Not at all. And the milk was rotten. Not out of date, but spoiled as it wasn’t chilled in the life of it.So, in short, DO NOT go here. It has been years since quality has been a priority.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
A (Alex15CRAZY)
Not fresh. A fly and ants?
John Lawrence
Shame on this business for having one single person working the day of the coffee crawl. It's unfair to put all the pressure on one employee and to make people wait 30 minutes for a sample of coffee. This business is a prime example of greed in this country. I will no longer patronize this business for this reason and I urge you to do the same.
I love this place but man, I walked in to get some donuts and there were a bunch of fruit flies all around the display of daily selection donuts so I passed. Perhaps just put up a digital image of what's available daily?
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 5
Chad Howland
This used to be awesome. The donuts were packed with crazy designs, inventive flavors and fresh. There was almost always a line out the door with a hip vibe that was reflecive of Maplewood. I really miss it. Something changed around the time they opened the 2nd location & each experience since has been.. bland at best.So, here's my review of today's experience & likely my last:We bought a dozen with a mix of Sparkle Pony, long John's, Chocolate Strawberry, KoolAid Jelly, Gooey Butter & Mocha Frappe Pie.Donuts are pretty, but taste stale & cold, like they were made the night before or somewhere else. The icings are all dry and crunchy. The Jelly filings had a nice pop that was redeemable.The vibe & personality is gone. No hip music or cool merch. The service hands you donuts without excitement.I'm super PRO Maplewood. It hurts to say, but unless something changes, I don't recommend Strange Donuts. I paid $35 & could've gotten 100% better, fresh donuts at Schnucks for $12.Next time, I'll see who else wants business. However, maybe things are fresh in the afternoon.
Vegetarian options: They typically have 1 vegan donut which I feel meets the standard.
Parking: There's a parking lot about 100'away. Otherwise, free street parking. Maplewood is pretty, so enjoy the walk.
Kid-friendliness: This used to be cool for my kids, but although it's lost its vibe, the decore is the same & fun.
Wheelchair accessibility: Not great for chair access, with a stiff door and small vestibule, but this is typical for old buildings. Just a heads up.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Doughnut, Gooey Butter Donut, One Dozen Mixed Donuts
Rowan Laurel
Strange donuts was amazing... Once upon a time. But these days it feels like a washed up rockstar not far from retirement. Everything from the flavors to the general quality of the donuts are nothing like they used to be. It feels like all the passion came from the original bakers/owners and once they opened additional locations, all of that was lost to the hustle of trying to run a business. I remember the first time I had Strange Donuts they were large, messy, and WEIRD. The most recent time I had Strange Donuts they were small, messy, and stale. Their monthly flavors have gone from being off-the-wall, strange concoctions filled with things you'd never imagine in a donut to... Well, here are some examples...
Here are some flavors from 2016, pulled from their facebook: Rule the Shul (Donut with Lox), Cordial Cherry Chocattack (two donuts stacked with chocolate chip cookie dough, cherry icing, dark fudge, and cherries), Gioas Deli donut, Attack of the Christmas Cookie (their description: 'Brown butter vanilla Done sandwich, raw sugar cookie dough, sweet bean vanilla icing, maraschino cherry glaze with your grandma's soul and a 🍒 on top').
In 2023 we have apple cheddar fritters, blueberry cinnamon roll, a chocolate jelly donut with oreos on top, and pineapple mango tajin fritters (so a spicy pineapple mango donut?). The best flavor I think I saw scrolling through the year was a banana pudding donut. At least it was big. Creative? Eh.
And if any of those sounded good to you, well... Don't be prepared to get anything particularly fresh or made with passion in store.
It's truly just sad and feels like such a loss for the community.
Shana Garrett
The doughnuts were good. Especially the Christmas tree and eggnog ones! The dough was not too heavy and had a good texture. They were cute but kind of messy and irregular in presentation. The ones I received tasted fresh and the guy serving them was nice.
Jason gave my business a chance so I will forever support Strange and crew!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’ve been wanting to check this place out for a long time so yesterday I got up early, drove in from Ohio, and arrived around 10 local time. All the varieties advertised on Instagram were available. Are they strange? Maybe not the strangest donuts I’ve ever had, but they are unique. Much more dense than typical yeast donuts. First time trying a Linzer or a Gooey Butter, loved them both. Crème brûlée had great custard flavor but wasn’t entirely caramelized. Some of them lasted the entire drive home and my wife was pleased with the Unicorn and Cinnamon Sugar, which still tasted fresh last night. Small store, no place to eat inside, but that helps keep the parking spots open. Definitely worth a stop if you’re passing through.
Parking: Couple spots right outside the door.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Strange Donuts
Menu and reviews mentioned GF, but when I showed up at the Maplewood location today I was told they don't offer anything gluten free.
FINALLY A GOOD VEGAN DONUT!!!!!
Strawberry jelly filled/apple pie filled.
Rare gem. ? ?️
Outside the store had trash laying around. Walked in and the staff has their pot pipe laying on a counter or something to the side. Looks like it hasn’t been mopped in weeks. A trail of ants was coming in the window and up on the counter where they take the money. Looks like the case where donuts were had not been wiped out in months
It wasn't what I was expecting. I was pleasantly surprised, has great flavor, texture, and the man that helped was super patient and had great product knowledge. I hope they recieve more support in their neighborhood.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Doughnut
Wouldn’t repeat
I was in the area and thought, I’m going to give them one last shot…A mother and child walked in ahead of me, and I overheard the woman employee say they were out of almost everything. (Not a great start)But I thought, I’m committed now and I don’t want to be rude.As I was waiting my turn, I observed a hoard of ants attacking the sample row of donuts at the register (coming in through the front window). I said “Oh, you guys have an ant problem.” She awkwardly laughed and said “Haha. Yeah, ants love donuts.”I awaited my turn, and then reluctantly purchased the 3 donut flavors that were left (again, just committed at this point) and a 2% milk.The donuts were not good. Not at all. And the milk was rotten. Not out of date, but spoiled as it wasn’t chilled in the life of it.So, in short, DO NOT go here. It has been years since quality has been a priority.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 2
Service: 3
Not fresh. A fly and ants?
Shame on this business for having one single person working the day of the coffee crawl. It's unfair to put all the pressure on one employee and to make people wait 30 minutes for a sample of coffee. This business is a prime example of greed in this country. I will no longer patronize this business for this reason and I urge you to do the same.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Maplewood Coffee Crawl
I love this place but man, I walked in to get some donuts and there were a bunch of fruit flies all around the display of daily selection donuts so I passed. Perhaps just put up a digital image of what's available daily?
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 5
This used to be awesome. The donuts were packed with crazy designs, inventive flavors and fresh. There was almost always a line out the door with a hip vibe that was reflecive of Maplewood. I really miss it. Something changed around the time they opened the 2nd location & each experience since has been.. bland at best.So, here's my review of today's experience & likely my last:We bought a dozen with a mix of Sparkle Pony, long John's, Chocolate Strawberry, KoolAid Jelly, Gooey Butter & Mocha Frappe Pie.Donuts are pretty, but taste stale & cold, like they were made the night before or somewhere else. The icings are all dry and crunchy. The Jelly filings had a nice pop that was redeemable.The vibe & personality is gone. No hip music or cool merch. The service hands you donuts without excitement.I'm super PRO Maplewood. It hurts to say, but unless something changes, I don't recommend Strange Donuts. I paid $35 & could've gotten 100% better, fresh donuts at Schnucks for $12.Next time, I'll see who else wants business. However, maybe things are fresh in the afternoon.
Vegetarian options: They typically have 1 vegan donut which I feel meets the standard.
Parking: There's a parking lot about 100'away. Otherwise, free street parking. Maplewood is pretty, so enjoy the walk.
Kid-friendliness: This used to be cool for my kids, but although it's lost its vibe, the decore is the same & fun.
Wheelchair accessibility: Not great for chair access, with a stiff door and small vestibule, but this is typical for old buildings. Just a heads up.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Doughnut, Gooey Butter Donut, One Dozen Mixed Donuts
Strange donuts was amazing... Once upon a time. But these days it feels like a washed up rockstar not far from retirement. Everything from the flavors to the general quality of the donuts are nothing like they used to be. It feels like all the passion came from the original bakers/owners and once they opened additional locations, all of that was lost to the hustle of trying to run a business. I remember the first time I had Strange Donuts they were large, messy, and WEIRD. The most recent time I had Strange Donuts they were small, messy, and stale. Their monthly flavors have gone from being off-the-wall, strange concoctions filled with things you'd never imagine in a donut to... Well, here are some examples...
Here are some flavors from 2016, pulled from their facebook:
Rule the Shul (Donut with Lox), Cordial Cherry Chocattack (two donuts stacked with chocolate chip cookie dough, cherry icing, dark fudge, and cherries), Gioas Deli donut, Attack of the Christmas Cookie (their description: 'Brown butter vanilla Done sandwich, raw sugar cookie dough, sweet bean vanilla icing, maraschino cherry glaze with your grandma's soul and a 🍒 on top').
In 2023 we have apple cheddar fritters, blueberry cinnamon roll, a chocolate jelly donut with oreos on top, and pineapple mango tajin fritters (so a spicy pineapple mango donut?). The best flavor I think I saw scrolling through the year was a banana pudding donut. At least it was big. Creative? Eh.
And if any of those sounded good to you, well... Don't be prepared to get anything particularly fresh or made with passion in store.
It's truly just sad and feels like such a loss for the community.
The doughnuts were good. Especially the Christmas tree and eggnog ones! The dough was not too heavy and had a good texture. They were cute but kind of messy and irregular in presentation. The ones I received tasted fresh and the guy serving them was nice.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
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