Five Daughters Bakery | 12th South — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

My family and I visited Nashville for the first time during Thanksgiving week and prior to the visit, we had created a list of places that we must try or visit. Five Daughters Bakery was one of the several places on that list because we watched someone on YT visit this specific location during one of their eating challenges. Needless to say, the donuts looked fabulous on tv and with all the positive reviews we read via Google, it was a must-try pit stop for us.

We ended up visiting during non-peak hours on 27 Nov 2024 which has its ups and downs. The ups being that it is less crowded, and the downs being that there's limited selection because people these days can ravage through an entire fresh stock of donuts - but that's good for business. That being said, go there early so you can be the first to try their new selections because this business has a lot to try. Prices at this business are very reasonable; you're not breaking the bank visiting here, nor are you required to get a second mortgage to experience their donuts. The female employee working the counter that day was extraordinary! She was helpful and patient with us...to include extremely friendly!

We ordered the Huckleberry Glaze, Mini Purist, S'Mores, Apple Cider Glaze (vegan), Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Mini Spiced Apple Glaze donuts. Everything tasted magnificent but dang, that is just too much sugar in one sitting (I'm sure some people would disagree with that last statement). I've never been into all those fancy donuts that have toppings, glaze, frosting, creme-filled, etc. I'm what people would consider as one of those "boring" donut consumers. Yes, I am content with my dozen glazed donuts from your local grocery store...but I figured I'd try this place because of all the great reviews and because my wife wanted to try it. Also, I will never turn down an opportunity to try a new donut place either. Although I'm "boring," I will admit that the donuts here have a remarkable texture to it - that 100-layer claim is no joke!

The building itself is what some people would call cute or charming. I myself, identify it as old but hey, if the business pumps out amazing donuts to people, who cares what the building looks like especially since most people accomplish a grab-and-go routine. I was a little annoyed with the fact that there was a couple standing outside of the business "persistently" trying to get people to donate to their cause....this made the experience less than stellar. I don't know what the policy is with the city of Nashville but in my mind, I would hope that businesses have the authority to say something to them so they can take their business elsewhere instead of heckling customers going in and out of the store. I guess I wouldn't have as much of an issue any other time because I understand the intent, but since we already told them, "No thank you" at one point, and the fact that they asked my daughter on another occasion (and kept talking and talking to her) when she was trying to walk back to the car by herself, I have issues with that.

Overall, I liked this donut shop/store, as depicted in my 4-star rating. For me (and I think I'm standing on an island by myself with this), I have to have my glazed donuts and if you don't have any when I arrive, I get depressed. Ok, maybe not that dramatic, but you get the picture. Of noteworthy mention, my wife and daughter loved this place and they probably would rate it a 5-star place. Regardless, I still recommend this place to everyone - it's definitely...

Chocolate Sea Salt Doughnut: Five Daughters Bakery is a family business in Franklin, Tennessee. The bakery is owned and operated by the Meek Family, which includes their five daughters. Their signature item is known as the 100 Layer Donut, which is a hybrid of a croissant and a donut (basically their version of a Cronut). 100 Layer Donuts take up to three days to make and once cooked, they're rolled in sugar, filled with cream, and topped with a heavenly glaze. Seven staple flavors are offered year-round along with limited time flavors that change from month to month. Unfortunately, I could not visit the bakery myself, but my parents were nice enough to bring me some doughnuts after visiting my brother in Nashville. The Chocolate Sea Salt Doughnut is rolled in sugar, infused with chocolate buttercream and topped with salted chocolate glaze. Texturally, the outside of the doughnut is crisp and sweet while the interior is chewier. After my second bite, I encountered plenty of chocolate buttercream lurking inside the pastry. I'm a tough customer when it comes to doughnuts that are supposed to be "packed" with filling and are not (Stan's), but it's safe to say Five Daughters Bakery knows what they're doing. In fact, the entire doughnut hole in the center is even plugged with the buttercream. My doughnut also had buttercream covering most of the sides (which I appreciated), but I don't know if this is standard or not because I also had a Maple 100 Layer Donut and neither the hole nor the sides had buttercream. Their buttercream frosting was incredibly rich and reminded me almost of butter. Great milk chocolate flavor with hints of sea salt. If I'm ever in Nashville I will definitely visit the bakery myself. Doughboy approved! *Also, great customer service. I emailed them a question about nutritional information and not only did they provide me with it, but they also replied the same day (Thanks Ronnie Meek!). Unlike other businesses that sometimes take weeks to respond (The Cheesecake...

You could easily convince me that the lady who runs this shop is magic. I got a 6 pack of donuts and did I spend $30 on donuts…yes. Yes I did. Would I do it again? …yes yes I would. Each donut is unbelievable. Here’s a breakdown of each one:

Pumpkin Spice: Beautiful presentation with a lovely authentic pumpkin flavor. The cream on top is stunning with a smooth butter flavor. So good for fall! Blueberry Lavender: This one was so good it was gone before we got to the car. The blueberry flavor is so fresh with a strong lavender flavor that meshes perfectly in the combo. It was by far the favorite of the box. Vanilla Crème: Very classic “donut” flavor. The crème filling has a lovely light buttery flavor that pairs great with the more plain type of donut. LOVE the outside dusting sugar, it elevates the presentation and flavor profile! Boston Crème: Second favorite!! (very close race here) This donut is more on the non-sweet side and had a perfect balance with the elements. Inside filling was sweet with that same authentic classic flavor and just right texture. What I loved was the chocolate topping which was a more bitter sweet chocolate. The combo paired together is just SO good!! Cannot recommend enough! Chocolate: This is perfect for a chocolate lover. The icing is a classic chocolate and like the vanilla, it’s an amazing donut!! This was my partner’s pick so I only had a small bite, but it packed huge flavor!!! Apple Spice: This donut is on the sweeter side! It, like all of the others, has an unbelievable taste. My partner was able to pick out the apple taste immediately and there’s a syrup on the top that’s so so good. Another lovely fall addition to this box of donuts!!!

Overall the vibes here were awesome, the lady behind the counter was welcoming and the shop was so so cute!!! Cannot recommend this shop...