Portland, Oregon’s iconic Voodoo Doughnuts has opened its first Austin location, and it’s as weird and delicious as we could have ever hoped for. Known for crazy flavors like cereal and bacon-topped treats as well as their signature voodoo doll doughnut filled with oozing raspberry jam, Voodoo Doughnuts found a perfect home for its newest venture right here on Austin’s East 6th Street.
It’s not every day that you get a work assignment to go check out a buzzed-about doughnut shop. Our content manager, Heidi, and her three sons were more than up for the task. Read on to see what she and her kids have to say about Voodoo Doughnuts and take note of her before-you-go advice.
I admit to being really overly excited about the arrival of Voodoo Doughnuts. I have never been to their Oregon locations, but I’ve seen and heard about the classic voodoo doll that comes equipped with a pretzel stick stake, and was eager to check it out. My children were thrilled, of course, to accompany me to taste-test.
On the drive to 6th Street, I started trying to explain to my kids what voodoo is, when the cut me short and said they know all about it from Scooby Doo. Ha ha. Of course.
East 6th Street is obviously not a location that I frequent with the kids. We arrived mid-day when the bars were closed, but my kids still asked questions about this curious part of the city: “Why is that place next door called Bikinis?” “Why does everything smell like the bathroom?” “Why isn’t there anything opened over here?” Voodoo Doughnuts clearly chose this location with the late-night party-goers in mind, but nonetheless, the minute we walked into this cheerful shop, the kids were wide-eyed with excitement and stopped wondering about 6th Street.
The design of the shop is fun and whimsical with two tall “doughnut trees” within the space, colorful artwork, including a velvet painting of “Official Spirit Channeler” Alejandro Escovedo. This place is simply fun!
And the doughnut selection is FUN!
The kids and I stared at the rotating case of candy-colored doughnuts trying to make decisions of what to get. There are so many choices — bubblegum, maple-bacon, doughnuts topped with Cap’n Crunch, Fruit Loops, Oreo crumbs, Rice Krispies & peanutbutter, grape or strawberry dust. Plus there is a whole selection of vegan options, too. Oh man, choices are hard.
We got an assortment. I was a fan of the classic vegan Voodoo Doll, my kids loved the cereal topped ones. But we’re pretty sure you can’t go wrong here.
What to Know Before You Go:
— Cash only! For real. I never carry cash, so this was really important to know before I arrived.
— Voodoo Doughnuts is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. They are open at 7 a.m. on Wednesday and remain open 24/7 until Sunday night at 10 p.m. or until they sell out.
— Want to avoid city parking and make a trip there more of an adventure for the kids? The Capital Metro Rail Downtown Station is just a few blocks away. Riding the rails would be a fun way to make the trip more of an outing. Click here for the Metro Rail schedule.
— Prices here are slightly higher than your average doughnut shop, but still totally reasonable for the unique flavors. Plus, they are BIG treats. (We spent about $9 on 5 doughnuts, if you want to know.)
To learn more about Voodoo Doughnuts, you can visit their Facebook page. You can also view a full list of menu options on their website, but take note that you won’t always get ALL of these options at all times.
Have you been? Tell us what’s your favorite flavor?
