Levain Doughnuts — Restaurant in Melbourne

Ordered a Cookies & Cream Cake for my birthday. Looked like something a child would make, more of a giant bagel, with a yellow hue compared to the normal donut, and absolutely nothing like what shown on the website and previous images on their social media.

If you look on their website you'll see an impressive looking donut cake with large oreo pieces, a small hole in the middle, and a flat top, something that would actually be worth buying for an event, the opposite of what you get.

Excuses included that the lighting was bad compared to the website pictures, and after explaining how insulting that was to even suggest as the difference, I got told "the owner makes them, not us, I guess they should update the website". And they should update the website, but they're happy to sell you something so blatantly misleading compared to the images.

The website is also probably not updated because they know they'd never sell another cake if people knew what they actually looked like. This is what they think is meant to be worth $50??

If you were planning on getting a donut cake, don't, and unless you're plans are fine to replace it with multiple regular donuts,...

I revisited Levain today, excited to try the sundae I absolutely loved over a year ago. Unfortunately, it was nothing like I remembered. The chocolate ganache was lumpy, lacking the smooth, indulgent texture it once had. The ice cream was also a letdown – it tasted more like a supermarket reduced-fat variety rather than the rich, creamy treat I enjoyed last time. Comparing the photos from December 2023 to today (Uber Eats photos), the difference in texture, quantity, presentation, and overall quality is obvious, and sadly, so was the difference in taste.

On the bright side, their doughnuts are still excellent. We tried a selection from a Too Good To Go clearance pack and enjoyed them all.

ORIGINAL REVIEW (16/12/23): Hands down, the best sundae I've ever had. The chocolate ganache hot fudge truly tasted handmade, and wasn't sickly sweet or artificial tasting – each bite tasted as delicious and moreish as the last. The Vanilla Everest ice cream was very high quality as well. Serving size was good...

Great donuts, however the service is very much a 'hit n miss'. I buy donuts because they lift the spirit and make me feel good, it is a happy occassion.

What isn't so uplifting is being greeted with contempt and anger. This shop (especially after 8pm) is miserable and staffed by miserable people. There is a sense of dread, the staff are not helpful and just don't appear to want to be there.

"What do you want?" .. no greeting, no thank you.

That's the 'miss'... the hit is that occassionally you get a staff member who is a high spirited delight and makes the transaction pleasant and fun. Donuts are fun food, buying them shouldn't be a depressing affair. In retail there are usually nice people and there is the occassional grumpy person, in this shop there are grumpy staff and the occassionally happy person.

Flip it the other way and you will be a winner.

BRING ME HAPPINESS IN FLUFFY DEEP...