Cathy's 14th Street Bakery — Restaurant in Ocean City

5-Star Review: A Side-by-Side Test of Two Ocean City Favorites

Both Dot’s Pastry Shop (3148 Asbury Ave) and Cathy’s 14th Street Bakery (407 E 14th St) are amazing local institutions. Over the years, we’ve experienced truly perfect chocolate frosted yeast doughnuts from both places—light, fluffy, freshly made, and delicious. This review is not meant to favor one business permanently over the other, but rather to document a one-day, side-by-side comparison for fun (and flavor).

On June 26, 2025, my niece and I purchased chocolate frosted yeast doughnuts from both bakeries. We did not identify ourselves or mention we were doing a comparison. We simply stood in line and ordered as regular customers.

Dot’s Pastry Shop

Frosting: Smooth, glossy finish Perfectly balanced sweetness (5/5) Well-set glaze that stayed intact when cut Very fresh and smooth, with excellent texture

Doughnut: High-quality yeast rise with a good proof line Clearly made fresh that morning; light, springy, and elastic Perfectly fried with moderate grease absorption

Cathy’s 14th Street Bakery

Frosting: Also smooth and glossy Slightly sweeter and thicker (4/5), still very enjoyable Visually appealing but cracked and crumbled when cut Slight dryness in the frosting suggested it may not have been as fresh

Doughnut: Good rise and bounce Texture was more dense than expected; tasted heavier Possibly over-fried or absorbed too much grease

It’s worth noting that the chocolate frosted with sprinkles we also purchased from Cathy’s had much better texture and less grease absorption—so it’s likely that our sampled doughnut came from a batch that wasn’t representative of their usual quality. We’ve had many excellent doughnuts from Cathy’s in the past, and this one instance doesn’t change our overall recommendation.

Conclusion: Both bakeries remain 5-star favorites, and we encourage everyone to try both. That said, in our one-day, side-by-side taste test, Dot’s doughnut was the clear winner in terms of freshness, texture, and balance. We’ll continue to visit and enjoy both spots—Ocean City is lucky to have them.

(Photos attached show the doughnuts before and after cutting, including how the...

Cathy’s has the most amazing vanilla cream donuts! For this reason alone, I must give them 5 stars. The staff is also friendly, polite and they offer good customer service. My only constructive criticism is that the staff is VERY slow. I used to work in a similar food service industry and I know good quality service takes time; however, when the line is out the door and down the block they still only have two people working the counter (when I was there) and they really do move at a snail’s pace with no apparent hustle. The girl who helped me was very nice but it took her forever just to get a box ready to fill. Then she carried each of my 6 donuts one at a time, moving back and forth between the the donut tray over to the counter where I was waiting. It was pretty bizarre to watch, especially with such long lines. I appreciate the gentle care but she could’ve carried the box over to the donut case and loaded them one at a time right there without the need to keep slowly walking back and forth. The staff could benefit from some training in efficiency and working smarter, not harder. My only other criticism is that, as a year-round OC resident, I wish they were open more. Last year they were finished for the season on Labor Day. They could also have longer hours. But this is meant as positive feedback because I just want more and more of their delicious products! I do love Cathy’s cream donuts - they have dethroned Dot’s as my favorite in OC (and beyond). Finally, I have a suggestion: it would be helpful if they could take orders over the phone for quicker pickup. I am handicapped with a prosthetic leg and it can be very difficult standing in long lines, though I do appreciate their ramp, it is a very ♿️...

Today was my first experience at Cathy's and with a line wrapped around the corner I was hopeful that this was the place, but sadly it is rather generic and not worth an hour wait in line. I was told the powdered cream donuts are the best in the world, and while the pastry cream filling was certainly one of the best I've ever had, the donut itself was very dense and dry, not light and fluffy like a cream donut should be. I also got a cinnamon-sugar cake donut that fell apart as soon as I bit into it; the crusty outer layer did not hold together with the inner cake of the donut (usually a sign of frying oil not being changed regularly). As for the cheese danish I got, the cheese tasted very sour and old. It is also fairly expensive here. I understand it is the shore, but $3.50 for ONE donut seems a bit excessive when there are more affordable options within...