The Salty Donut — Restaurant in Tampa

I was super excited to check out the new Salty location- I attending the grand opening in Hyde Park and enjoyed their products a lot. I expected similar vibes and service but unfortunately, this was not the case. Number one issue is the parking situation; there are approximately four spots. One is marked “15 minutes only” and this is not regulated. If there are no empty spots, the only remaining option is to back up your car onto Florida ave and pray you don’t get smacked by oncoming traffic. Once I was able to park, the entrance was easy to figure out. The inside space is quite cramped and it can be hard to understand where the line starts and where to wait. The presentation of the food was great- I did not see any of the toasts that were advertised, but there were plenty of donuts. I ordered the Samoa chocolate coconut donut ($4.50) and a ham and cheese pastry ($6.50). I asked if I could pay in cash, and this was fine. I paid, and my donut was ready, so I got distracted and forgot to grab my cash back. The worker seemed very annoyed and I was confused about what I did wrong. I just didn’t know where to wait and was called to grab my order but I felt like I made them mad. I feel bad for the employees having to deal with all the hype, but it is super disappointing when a new spot opens up, there’s tons of hype, then the employees seem angry about said hype. It is rare that I have uncomfortable interactions with restaurant staff, but this one made me leave feeling confused and disappointed. The donut and pastry were not what I expected either. The donut was incredibly sticky and dry at the same time; I am not sure if it was a bad batch but I would not recommend their coconut flavor. The pastry was supposed to be ham and cheese but everything was concentrated right in the middle so it was five bites of pastry and one bite of cheese and ham. I wish this location the best, but I will not be recommending this spot till things improve somewhere. I know not everything can happen at once, but I am looking forward to trying again soon in the future! Thank you for your thoughtful and professional response...

Nothing about this experience was salty (except for some of the donuts)! Not only is this new Salty Donut location SO adorable, but the workers are so sweet which made the overall visit so great.

We got there early early one morning, a few minutes before they even technically opened so we went to walk around the patio area to check it out- and one of the workers came out to greet us and let us know they were open which was so kind.

I’ve been to another Salty Donut location so I was excited to come back and try more of their donuts. They have really unique flavors and everything is so gourmet. But let me tell you, the brown butter donut seems so plain but it might be the best donut they serve. It’s one I’ll be dreaming about coming back to get.

Of course, there aren’t really many bad options here. The guava and cheese donut has the perfect balance of sweet icing and tangy guava filling along with croissant crust on top. They have “cragels” here which are a bagel that’s croissant pasty-based which is fun.

I also tried a salted caramel latte that was really nice because it wasn’t overly sweet. They have some other drink options as well like lemonade, teas or matcha. Along with regular donuts they do have donut holes too- I quite like the oreo-dusted one.

Overall this is such an adorable new spot with an abudance of outdoor seating, bright smiles cork the workers and...

To each their own, enjoy reading my experience. Went on the first Sunday of July around noon. As all the other reviews say, parking is awful. We parked at the bridal shop next door and had someone wait in the car to ensure we wouldn’t be towed. Inside is extremely tight, similar to waiting in a line in a hallway of an old bungalow home. Staff was nice, but everyone looked like they were having just the worst time working there. Not sure if that has to do with the management or the customers they’re getting. Hoping that the hard working staff gets the changes &/ compensation they need & deserve to enjoy their work environment. Donuts & coffee were not good. We tried the traditional glazed & it was okay. It tasted like a buttered, dry croissant, lightly dipped in glaze. We also tried the salted brown butter & it definitely had salt, too much & reminded us of popcorn in flavor. Coffee drink had SO much syrup & the cortado had no sugar. We’re used to cortados being made with raw sugar, espresso & steamed milk. Also like the other reviews, this place is expensive when the food & drinks are lacking. It’s nice to be homemade, but homemade doesn’t always mean it’s going to be good. The outside area is very cute & seems like a chill place...