City Donuts & Café — Restaurant in New Orleans

Let’s start by saying they are only getting a one start rating because I have to in order to leave this review!

Now let’s get down to the review of the very disappointing service I received today at 12:38am 3/26/2024. I have been coming to this establishment for years maybe since the first open. Let start by saying I’ve NEVER had a bad experience ordering here. So I had a craving for these donuts so I decided go up to this neighborhood donut shop. I pulled in to the drive thru, I patiently wait for my turn at the window, and when I was asked “what can I get for you?”. Now I’m no KAREN but I do expect to be acknowledged when I’m spending my hard earned money with any establishment. Now, my order was very simple “hey, can I get 2glaze and 2 buttermilk drops?”. The cashier seemed to be fairly new so I waited for her to ring me up and give me my change then to retrieve my donuts. As she is count my change an old guy who appears to be 50 years old or above (who seems to be of Indian descent) asked the cashier what did I ordered. She answers and he gets the donuts (I paid in cash btw, got no receipt, just my 30something cent, napkins and the donuts). What I thought what have been a happy night with very tasty donuts ended up taking a turn for the worse. As I pulled to the front door I looked at the bag and it was greasy. Now you know I thought I had fresh donuts. I reached down in my bag only to find those “hot donuts” I thought I had was clearly 1-2 day old donuts. They were hard, freezing cold, and what should have been the icing/glaze was barely on it because it was sweating off. I’m no professional donut maker but I do know a thing or two about donuts. Rather it’s fresh donuts or same day donuts no matter what the glaze on donuts are going to set and become a flaky icing. Now I’m not upset because like I said in the beginning that I’ve never had a problem here. So I just circle back around and wait my turn in line again (there’s 4 cars in front of me). I finally get to the window and say hey I’ve literally just got these donut and had to pull back around because these are not fresh. So THE SAME CASHIER that checked me out is looking like I just spoke a different language. She takes them back confused and says so what did you want to do? I said, “do you have fresher donuts?”. She said no! So I politely asked for a refund. The same cashier that: took my order when I first arrived and is now helping me asked me how did I pay? I said cash my total was $4 and some change and you gave me 30 something cents back. Now this is were I got angry 😡. This older lady who also looks like she’s Indian decent comes to the window & asked for my receipt. I said she didn’t give me a receipt. So she asked me what did I order as she’s now looking at the receipt that I’m supposed to have. She opens the register and give me a full refund. Now I thought everything was done but no it’s doesn’t end there. As she’s giving me my change she proceeds to tell me “I’m doing it this one time, we don’t give cash back”. So I doubled look at her said said “ so you don’t give cash back even if a customer paid with cash?” She said no. I asked “so am I just supposed to keep two day old donuts?” She said “you order, pay, and we give it to you”. So at this point I’m pissed because you’re insulting my intelligence. I said “so I order, pay, you give it to me, and I’m just supposed to accept old donuts?” She argues with me and say that they are not old. I said yes they are becau…. Then she cuts me off and said no they not. So now I’m like I’m just trying to tell you how they came in my bag she said well I can’t hear it because I’m busy right now and tries to close the window but she was too slow. I stoped the window and you will never get business from me again. How can you be upset with me because you’re trying to sell me some old donuts. Are you just upset that I caught your cheap employee, business partner, or husband who tried to sell me 2day old donuts for full price. I DONT CARE. I work hard for my money and I want to spend it on...

I’m a proud New Orleanian, born and raised in the Uptown area, and today I decided to stop by City Donuts to try their fish breakfast. I had tried their donuts before and was curious about the rest of the menu. Unfortunately, what I experienced this Sunday morning was one of the worst customer service encounters I’ve had in a long time.

From the moment I approached the counter, the interaction with the staff — specifically Julio and Dee — was unpleasant. When I politely asked for their names and inquired about the type of fish being served (as I wanted to ensure it was real catfish), Dee became visibly upset and defensive. Instead of simply answering a reasonable question, they refused to give their names and acted as though I was out of line for caring about what I was eating. This is a serious red flag, especially in a city like New Orleans, where many residents have food allergies and where authenticity matters deeply.

When I asked to speak with a manager or owner, I was told no one was available — another troubling sign for any business that cares about accountability.

Despite the attitude, I still placed my order and requested extra butter on the bread, something that should be a simple courtesy. Instead, I was charged for the extra butter, which is outrageous considering butter typically comes on toast by default. As any local knows, we take our food seriously — especially catfish and bread — and that small upcharge felt like a slap in the face.

Then came the food. After waiting over 20 minutes, I received my order only to discover that the fish was not catfish at all. It was clearly swai, a much cheaper substitute. For anyone with dietary restrictions or allergies, this kind of dishonesty is not only misleading — it’s dangerous. On top of that, the food was cold, greasy, and poorly prepared. It was not worth the wait, the price, or the hassle.

As someone who is a major content creator in New Orleans, who actively supports and promotes local businesses, I find it disturbing that a business operating in such a historic and culturally rich neighborhood would deliver such an unprofessional and disappointing experience. You never know who is walking into your establishment — and more importantly, you owe your customers honesty and respect.

I give this business a 1 out of 5 stars, and I do not recommend City Donuts Uptown to anyone looking for authentic food or respectful service. If you’re going to do business in this city, do it with integrity — or don’t...

I LOVE donuts! Especially, when there’s a large variety. This place has it. I even called it Donut City. The first time I went was great because one of the male owners served me. The second time I went, the cashier/server had to go outside to take care of personal phone calls on two different phones. I asked the woman handling the drive thru if the cashier’s on the clock. She said, “Yes”. So I left. Today, I gave them one more chance. But was just as bad, if not worse than the second time I went there. The cashier/server was so dumb, because she got my order all wrong. First, I told her, “I would like two of the chocolate nut covered donuts.” She didn’t know what I was talking about because I had to point it out to her. Then, I asked for the 15 donut holes for $2.49 and asked if they had any blueberry ones. She said, no we are out. She then says, “We have blueberry cakes.” I said, “Ok, I’ll take two.” Then she goes somewhere to get the blueberry cakes and comes back. I pay her and she hands me my order. However, when I get home, I discovered 2 BLUEBERRY CAKES and 2 BLUEBERRY DONUT HOLES. No chocolate donuts with nuts on top. Unbelievable! She obviously doesn’t know the menu and the different types of donuts they sell. There should be a name on each tray of donuts. More so for the workers. I’m NEVER going to Donut...