PVDonuts — Restaurant in Providence

Really hate to give such a low score, but I just can't recommend this place in good conscience until they improve the preorder process. I submitted a preorder for an assorted dozen for an afternoon pickup the next day. After 10-15 minutes, I still didn't have an email confirmation of the order, so, as instructed on their website, I manually emailed them an inquiry. I didn't receive a response at all until after midnight, and the response was just a single sentence, apparently disbelieving my email address. I responded to clarify that it was indeed my email address and again asked if my order was confirmed. At this point, it was already late morning the day of pickup. Again, I didn't hear from them for hours, until one employee called me to ask if I was coming in for my late morning pickup. I explained that first of all I didn't even know my order had actually gone through until just then and also my pickup was supposed to be that afternoon, not morning. The employee on the phone was perfectly professional and polite and simply confirmed my actual pickup details and said they'd see me then. About an hour after that call, I finally received a reply to my second email stating "Your came in", whatever that means.

In the end, I got the donuts, at my intended pickup time, and they were delicious and went over well at my husband's birthday party, but the experience was extraordinarily stressful due to the complete lack of any dependable way for me to contact them when the preorder process went bad. I didn't know if I had an order to pick up until only 2 hours before I was supposed to pick them up! It would have also saved them some trouble because I could have known the pickup time was wrong minutes after submitting my order rather than hours after they thought I was coming in.

I had a short discussion about this issue with an employee when I arrived. They were very understanding and kind, stating it has caused them some difficulty as well. I'm also realizing now how incredibly frustrating it must be, as a walk-in customer, to have no way of confirming that this place will even still be open and stocked with donuts before schlepping all the way out to Fox Point to check.

Hopefully, the employee's wish will come true and the new owners will get them a phone for customers...

I’m simple so I have only tried Vanilla Sprinkles, Cinnamon Monkey Bread, Vanilla Sprinkle Donut Holes and Coffee Milk. All were exceptional. Only place I can think of comparing PVDonuts to would be Allies Donuts in NK. And Allies being a RI staple could never touch what PVD is doing. Allies has a HUGE selection and a bigger operation but I look for the places like PVD. Hands down best donuts I have ever had. The doughs they use are always moist and perfect to bite into! Only think I have found it the frosting will fall off in large flakes when you bite I to the donut. Leaving you “tweezing” the frosting off the plate with your finger tips haha. If your near a microwave throw it in for 8-10 seconds it should soften the frosting up enough for it not to Happen. The donuts Holes you won’t have that problem with because you should be shoving that hole thing directly into your mouth and drowning it with Milk 😂😂.

Pros: -Outdoor seating in nice weather -Reasonably Priced -This place is One of a kind! -Offers an assortment of drinks -COFFEE -Great selection (BUT GET THERE EARLY!) -Call to Order! Not sure what the minimum is. -Location is directly off 195

Cons: -Not a lot of indoor seating when is, slightly crowded. -Donuts go QUICK. By 1-2pm the selection is small. -Not many “Simple” donuts. Like chocolate frosted with sprinkles, strawberry frosted with sprinkles. I’d love to see them come up with a blueberry glazed with vanilla frosting and cinnamon sprinkled on frosting🤤. -And honestly some of the staff at register can be impatient and rude. This is when there is nobody behind me in line.

What I think is this place is Amazing! Hopefully they branch out! Maybe a place Northern RI and Southern RI. They need to be able to have more on demand though! Maybe a bigger kitchen somewhere else? Because I Love the location. Get some Tacos then head over and get a donut haha. But I love this place and can’t recommend another place over them for...

Warning, extensive review ahead: This place has been on my bucket list for over a year now, and I finally made my way to Providence to give them a try. Of course I tried every single donut from their monthly menu that had a "90's baby" theme. Just from following them, it's evident that they put a lot of time and effort into coming up with their menu, and don't cut any corners with executing such creativity. All of the glazes, icings, fillings and toppings are made in-house no matter how over-the-top they get.

The texture of their brioche donuts is unmatched by any donut shop out there. It's buttery with noticable layers of fluff. The donuts are huge, yet they manage to get a consistent texture all the way throughout. The old fashioned donuts also have very good texture, with a crunchy outside and thick, moist interior. I've never been a fan of french crullers, but I actually enjoyed one for the first time here. The fritters are thick (with 3 c's) and they have different ones quite often depending on what they have in store. The cake donuts are the least spectacular texturally, and they are still quite good.

They execute each flavor with so much accuracy; it was impressive how much each donut tasted like its respective 90's snack, yet they didn't use any store-bought toppings. They offer the Dunkaroo once a week year-round and if you ever have the chance to get your hands on one, don't pass it up! This place is extremely popular, so you can expect lines out of the door almost every day that they're open. If you're planning a visit ahead of time, it's best to order online so you can skip the line. Either way, they handle a high volume of customers excellently and the people running the show are incredibly friendly.

I've been to nearly 100 donut shops in the US and this is easily a top 5 shop. PVDonuts is well worth going out of your way for...