Nicola's Donuts — Restaurant in Tampa

I have an odd but very positive review that I felt I must share. And I hope very much, it is seen by the man that made my day 1000% better.

I say this review is odd because technically, I was not a customer and positive because I experienced what a wonderful place Nicola's was despite having never heard of it before and having never stepped foot inside.

My story is a little long-winded but truly made my day, so I think it's worth sharing.

My situation started out as frustrating as a day could be. I was heading to Alabama from St. Petersburg, Florida, after my Aunt's memorial. Of course, with all of the distractions a memorial brings with emotions and relatives one hasn't seen in a decade, I forgot to stop at a restroom before getting on the road. (A mistake I almost never make.)

We planned to stop at the first rest area to change, so it seemed like no big deal.

Naturally, this is the part where it felt like everyone in Tampa was suddenly on the road with us. Traffic was barely moving, and the need for the restroom grew with every mile that crept by.

When I could wait no longer, we stopped at a gas station at a very dingy exit. Where, of course, it was "out of order." He directed me to the liquor store next door where they "didn't have one" and then to the Coffee Shop that wasn't open.... I was not loving the lack of personability but forged on. We drove in the other direction to find anywhere at all to stop.

We expected maybe one fast food place or pharmacy, but no, nothing. We passed a high school and still... nothing!

FINALLY, we see the word RESTAURANT in a little strip mall with a little donut shop beside it. Which was great, I needed a restroom, and my husband absolutely loves donuts, but we rarely get any. I jumped from the car to run into the shop where I encountered a very nice man, locking the door. He said he was very sorry, but they were done for the day (which was completely legitimate). He directed me to what turned out to be a non-English speaking Honduran restaurant that only lets customers use the restroom. (Which, by the end, we were, that's its own adventure!)

However, for no reason other than maybe seeing the pure defeatedness/exasperated look on my face, that polite man had gone back inside and brought us two glazed donuts. I know there is no way that he knows this, and I truly hope he sees it...

That kind gesture took my day from sad and frustrating to happy and appreciative.

Now, here is the actual donut review part. My husband loves donuts but has pretty high expectations for them, I personally, normally hate them. We got back on the long road home and decided to go ahead and give them a try and Oh My Gosh! they were AMAZING!! I can't stress enough how beautiful, fluffy, and not overly sweet they were!

Even though we don't frequent the area, we have already made plans to make sure the timing of our next trip allows us the opportunity to visit again, while they are open and bring back these wonderful...

Don't pre-order from Nicola's Donuts I pre-ordered 4 fritters for my mother's 84th birthday and due to the storm our plans had to be postponed to Saturday. I called and they won't give me a store credit claims they are made to order when they run out all the time I know they can resell what I pre-ordered which is why I called early enough to let them know that they could sell what I prepaid and I could have a credit for next time. But the answer was no so I'm just out $12 but I am going to tell everyone to not order from there anymore because it is really a crappy thing to do. It's not like I live around the corner I live 45 minutes from there and they know that. Happy birthday mom. In response to your excuse are you trying to tell me that you weren't able to resell 4 fritters when you are always out of them before 9am every thing I try to get them? I'm sure you sold them ar $3 plus you are keeping my $12. Very poor customer relations. I never asked for a refund only store credit. I stand by my original...

Let me tell you when I say, I was not ready for the day I was about to have. October 25th, 2024, I woke up at 5am not expecting such a surprise. You see I knew about this place for over 7 years, but never wanted to check it out since my insecurities told me I wouldnt be welcomed. And so, after all this wait, today was the day I went inside to have a look. That's when I met eyes with who I believe was Nicola. She welcomed me in and made me feel at home. I felt safe and warm under her arms as she showed me the cronut deal. I had my eye on a delectable glazed donut, and so decided to give it a try. When I grabbed the donut, it was as if I had grabbed a cloud from the sky. I took a bite of the donut, and envisioned Nicola feeding me the donut as I laid in her arms. I will never regret walking into her shop, and I plan on getting a tattoo of this day on my left arm to always remember how much Nicola changed me. Thank you Nicola, for everything. I will write a review for the other 11 donuts...