I can trace my doughnut addiction to grade school in the 1970’s. My first memories of a glazed doughnut date back to some weekend nights back then when my single mom would get home late from her job at a Hialeah, Florida doughnut shop. It was just me and my sister at home. Sometimes the noise in the kitchen woke me up, other times (usually on the weekends) mom would wake me up to have some doughnuts that she brought home from work.

Either way, late night doughnut pig outs were fairly common place at Casa Blanco during that time. It’s where I learned to love them, and I have ever since.

To this day, I have no trouble sharing that it is hard for me to walk by what I know is going to be a great doughnut. Every time.

All of that said, I’ve been keeping an eye on the construction going on with the upcoming doughnut shop in Okatie. It’s called Parlor Doughnuts, a national chain that is coming to the Lowcountry.

I’d heard of them, but never had one. Naturally, given the above mentioned addiction I’ve been a little more than curious to see what these guys were all about. In fact, they were on my short list of tries during my next trip to Charleston. While that hasn’t happened yet, I did get my hands on some Parlor Doughnuts this week, in St. Augustine Beach, Florida. It wasn’t a planned trip, I happened to spot them driving by. The next maneuver was straight out of the Dukes of Hazzard. I slid into the parking lot without incident. For the record, I was not hired to offer a write up nor any promotion. I just love doughnuts and I was curious.

The Tale of the Tape

I walked into this location cold. Not literally, of course, it’s Florida in May. But I had no idea what I would find inside. I hadn’t done a lick of research ahead of time.

What I found was a case full of large-perhaps very large-fritter looking pastries. It was shortly before closing time, so the number of options to choose from was low, as it should be. Like BBQ, the best doughnuts are gone by closing time so they can be made fresh every day. These clearly are.

I saw there was a ‘local flavor’ in this case along Florida’s Historic Coast -the young lady told me it was Key Lime filled. But they were sold out. Fine by me. Key Lime Pie and I have a checkered history, but that’s a story for another time.

Flavors in front of me included Maple Bacon, Chocolate Churro and others. The young lady helping me navigate my options offered me one that wasn’t on the menu: A French Toast doughnut. “We can take one of these in the back and make it French Toast Flavored” she said. “They are soooo good.”

OK, cool. I’ll do that and a churro flavored. At $3.65 a piece, they weren’t inexpensive either. A box of these will set you back $35-40. Fair enough. If you follow my work here, then you know I never flinch at what something costs. They set the price, the market will decide if it is worthy of our dining dollar. Here is where it got interesting.

I learned from eating one and then with some research after the fact, that Parlor Doughnuts (Born in 2019 in Evansville, Indiana) were created to be something different than your average run-of-the-mill doughnut you will find elsewhere. As such, these are layers of buttery dough that are fried and then coated for flavor. Imagine dropping a sweet croissant into a fryer, having them puff up and then coating them with a glaze or chocolate sauce or similar? That’s what this was like. Flaky and tasty, soft and sweet inside and delectable on the outside.

I can’t say they weren’t delicious, they were. They were also fairly large. I bought two with the expectation of trying both on the spot. To be fair, I had just enjoyed a delicious Cuban Sandwich down the street, so I wasn’t ‘doughnut ready’, but as I said earlier, I’m kinda always doughnut ready.

Still, these doughnuts are on the large, heavy and rich side. While I can polish off 2 or 3 fresh Krispy Kremes while juggling bowling pins, these guys are a project. A messy project. There was powered cinnamon sugar everywhere. I was licking digits like a puppy with a popsicle. The mess bordered on comical. A trip to the bathroom to wash my hands to remove the sugars fixed me up, but all the while I wondered if I shouldn’t just try to run through a car wash.

I suspect most people will be more than happy with one, or even splitting one. I took the second one back to my hotel. A few hours later I polished that second one off, and immediately afterward felt like I had swallowed a bowling ball. Don’t get me wrong, it was very good. It’s just a lot.

All of that said, it was a beautiful shop with some “Florida flair” I suspect the location in this area will have a Lowcountry feel. The branding is all in order. You can set yourself up with a t-shirt or a coffee mug with their logos. You know the drill. I didn’t try any coffees, but I will be sure to when the doors open in Okatie sometime in the next few months.

Are these doughnuts going to give Bluffton Icon All Joy a run for their money? Absolutely not. This is a completely different animal. The fact that you will now have a solid doughnut option in town without driving all the way to Old Town is a win for everyone involved.

Just make sure with Parlor Doughnuts you show up hungry…and maybe pack a bib. But I do think you will Eat It and Like It.

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