Golden Hands Bakery — Restaurant in Fairfax

This is without a doubt my favorite bakery in Cincinnati. I have turned my entire family, including my extended family, onto this place lol. The donuts are so light and fluffy; some of my family’s favorites include the cinnamon sugar cake donut, the glazed donuts, the chocolate iced donuts, the Bavarian cream, and the sugar pillow, which my husband says is the best doughnut he has ever had in his life. However, I usually order a danish or cheese crown for myself. They are the best danishes I have ever had, and while the doughnuts are delicious, I can’t say no to a danish. Sometimes I get a danish for breakfast and a doughnut for later, lol.

Their breads are delicious and reasonably priced. The Italian bread is my favorite, though unfortunately I’m not sure if they’re still making it. The buttercrust is also very good. I don’t like rye bread, but my 87 year old mother says their salty rye is the best bread she has ever had. Around major holidays, they sell dinner rolls; I’ve ordered the butter bits for Thanksgiving and they’re delicious.

They make their own soft pretzels, which are so good! I lived in Amish country for 12 years and got spoiled by Amish pretzels; nothing can compare to that, but these pretzels are very, VERY good. I like Servatti’s pretzels, but Golden Hands blows them away. In terms of other “special” things, they make a really good King Cake, especially the ones with cheese filling.

My family has only ever had great service when we go to Golden Hands. As I mentioned above, my mother is 87 and very talkative; it can take her a while to finish her order. The workers are always very patient and kind to her. This is a small, family owned business, and I like knowing my money is going directly to the people behind the counter and in the kitchen.

I saw a review that said the bakery has weird hours or something. I have no idea what that person is talking about. I’m a regular customer, and this place is always open when they say they’ll be open. They’re open later in the day than some other local bakeries, and they even open up for a few hours on Thanksgiving and Easter morning so people can pick up orders. That is extremely unusual for a small, neighborhood bakery. To me that says a lot about how they go the extra mile for...

I have gone back and forth about whether or not I wanted to leave this review. I have been getting donuts from Golden Hands/Moe's Donuts for a long time now (about since the time they opened their shop in Fairfax). I want to be fair about this, but also want to express my honest opinion for those who may have the same concerns as I do.

Their donuts are fantastic, perhaps the best in the city, and I am a donut addict, so I've tried most places. Their pretzels are incredible. The people have always been nice. I have purchased donuts for my school's entire faculty on multiple occasions. I have recommended them to many people. I would say it's a 5-star bakery... except for an incident that recently occurred.

I personally stopped following politics a few years ago. Everything has become so vitriolic and polarized that civil discussion has all but disappeared. Companies weighing in doesn't help the situation. Right or Left, local or national, I cannot stand it when stores display or post political things. I was incredibly disappointed to see Golden Hands post about welcoming a particular political figure to their shop. They have since removed the post from Facebook (probably because it didn't get the reception they were hoping for) but the post was still put out there. I didn't even know this had happened until some colleagues showed me the post and asked if i knew they had that particular leaning. I felt as though they were trying to see if i supported that party. Whether I do or not is beside the point. Politics should be personal and I don't care for companies putting their hands on the scale.

Another issue I have with this is that it is highly unlikely that every single employee there has the exact same political stance. By posting something on their company page, they are, intentionally or not, forcing their employees to be associated with that political camp. I would imagine that female employees in particular may not feel inclided to be associated with this individual.

It has been truly disappointing and I'm not sure that I will be returning to this shop again, which is...

THE BEST DONUTS I'VE EVER HAD! My dad, Tom (who makes friends everywhere he goes) introduced me to Moe's donuts while I was getting my car fixed across the street. The owner is the sweetest person- so gracious, kind, and inviting. The donuts are the best! ALWAYS FRESH! They melt in your mouth but still has just the right amount of soft- freshly baked-crisp! Even donuts I am not a fan of, I love there! And my daughter, who only will eat the icing, will eat the whole donuts from Moe's! I've told all my co workers about this place and today a co-worker brought some in and the WHOLE office couldn't stop raving! We live in Anderson and drive all the way to Fairfax/Mariemont for the donuts. I almost do not want to tell people about Moe's because I want all the donuts, but I know that who ever tries something from there will Love them! I hope they stay in business for a long time. There are lots of donut shops that have "gourmet donuts" and are overly fancy to the point you can't enjoy the flavor of the donut, but Moe's knows how to do donuts the right way. It's about the FLAVOR, TEXTURE, and PEOPLE at Moe's-- not how many different kinds of random toppings we can get on the donuts. If you haven't tried Moe's yet, GO NOW before they sell out! the best ma/pop donut shop...