Level 5 Donuts — Restaurant in Madison

Located on Madison's East Side, Level Five Donuts is a small shop tucked inside a space marked by the words "Fortune Favors" above the door and skull-and-crossbones posters in the window. I visited on a weekday morning and easily found free street parking nearby. The shop itself is cozy, with only a couple of tables for dining in. I've read that it's quite popular and often has long lines, but there was no wait during my visit.

All of their donuts are vegan and priced around $4-$5 each. They're all yeast-based, with the round donuts featuring different icings and toppings rather than fillings. Flavors on the menu included chocolate, churro, s'mores, peach cobbler, and watermelon & mint, among others. I tried peach cobbler and watermelon & mint, which both had a sweet icing with a subtle hint of mint for the latter.

One thing to note is that these yeast donuts are quite dense, which I enjoyed--more substantial than the light and airy style you might expect from places like Krispy Kreme. The staff was super friendly and happy to answer questions about the flavors. At $4 each, I do find them a bit pricey, so while I enjoyed my visit, I'd probably only stop by again if I'm in the...

Flew in from California. Decided we’d have coffee and donuts then visit botanical gardens. Went to coffee joint but they said they no longer have Level 5 donuts since Level 5 opened their storefront. They suggested I call to see if they are sold out. I didn’t—it’s a donut shop. Surely they’ll have some after the gardens. Nope! I called after the gardens and they said we’re sold out—well, there’s ONE donut left. I told her if she could save it since we were so far away, and I’d be there in five minutes. Not only did they save it, but they GAVE it to me for FREE!!! And it was GOOD!! It was perfect because it was a star shaped donut, and we were a group of five. We split it so each person got one point of the star lolol

Definitely will be back next time...

Like so many others, I’ve been relentlessly chasing Level 5 all over the city for years, waking up early to get them before they sell out at the coffee shop nearest to me, driving to the other side of town to pick up my orders, and waiting in hour long lines at vegan fest and pop ups… so it’s safe to say I am beyond thrilled about the new store. My non-vegan friends and family absolutely love them, and as a vegan they are actually to die for, especially if you’ve gone years without donuts. I digress, Level 5 is THE best!!!!! It’s a good thing I live half an hour away or else I would be there...