Underwest Donuts
“The only downside is finding parking so you might as well get a car wash while you're there so you don't worry about parking.”
“Brown butter & almond is my fav (if I absolutely have to pick one) & the guys running the place are the grooviest.”
“Get there early if you want to try their new flavors, we missed out on the maple waffle as they were sold out by midday.”
Underwest Donuts
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Accepts Apple Pay: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Price range.
$ Price range Inexpensive
8 reviews
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I normally don't like cake donuts but they do it well here. They have some nice flavors that you normally don't see at the chain donut shops.
They run out of donuts if you get there late, so if you are looking for one of the really popular flavor i would advise you to go early.
The coffee is also good as well.
This place is ridiculous…and I mean that in the best way!
I'd been staying quite frequently at the Ink 48 hotel around the corner, and noticed the sign for this place a few times, but it never struck me as somewhere I needed to visit. One day, I saw an Instagram post of DELICIOUS donuts, and noticed that it was the same donut shop I'd seen the sign for a ton of times.
I walked over from my hotel one morning to get donuts for my co-workers and had a great experience!! The whole carwash thing was so weird, I literally walked in the door and it was a legit car wash with a bunch of cops getting their cruisers cleaned…so unique and interesting!
I ended up getting a dozen donuts, and they were definitely a little pricey (there was no discount for purchasing a dozen….I want to say they were $3.50 or $4 each)…so it's no dunkin donuts lol
Sidenote: I also grabbed a coffee (it was pretty standard, no complaints!)
Once I got into my office, and went through the explanation of all the flavors, people started digging in. Luckily my co-workers also like to make what I call "donut-salad" (which is basically just taking a knife and cutting out small bites of each donut, putting these bites into a pile, and then eating them with a fork), so I was able to try all of the flavors.
I don't remember all the names, but i'll try my best…I had: stroopwafel, brown butter almond, car wash (lavender), halva, mocha, chocolate, passion fruit.
I'm definitely more of a yeast-raised donut girl, but I will say a few of these really stood out: stroopwafel, passion fruit, and brown butter almond were my favorites. These each offered something unique and the flavors worked together well. The stroopwafel was spiced perfectly…I loved the tanginess of the passion fruit donut, and the glaze on the brown butter almond was fantastic.
We all agreed that the lavender donut didn't work for us, and the others were good – but not life-changing. I was especially disappointed about the halva donut because it was the one I was most excited to try. The halva itself wasn't shredded and delicate, but instead it had kind of balled up. The flavor of the donut was okay, but not quite as special as I hoped.
If I was in the area again, I would stop back in underwest to try a new flavor, and grab a cup of coffee!!
The best part about this place is that it is in a car wash in Manhattan. It is probably one of very few car washes in Manhattan. I took a run cross town and rewarded myself with the Car Wash donut at Underwest. It was completely satisfying and I would definitely go back for another!
These are probably the best cake donuts I've ever had in a carwash. No, scratch that- these are the best cake donuts I've ever had in Manhattan.
But seriously. These are simple, old-fashioned donuts, but well worth the trip to the Westside highway. They're light and fluffy, not dry, and come in a variety of really innovative sugars and glazes.
We stopped in early on a Saturday morning during a casual 32 mile walk around Manhattan, and they gave me the will to live again around mile 28. Our donut server was really helpful in picking out flavors, since the shop was super tiny and we were the only ones in there. We tried:
+ plain old fashioned with espresso bean sugar: the sugared donuts are FRIED TO ORDER. This was definitely our favorite since it was still hot and melted in your mouth. Definitely get one and eat it right away.
+ carwash: very subtle vanilla and lavender glaze. Really excellent!
+ jasmine green tea: I wish the cake part of the donut had green tea in it as well, but the green tea glaze was perfectly sweet and flavorful.
+ halva: this was hands down my favorite. The donut was covered in a sweet tahini-like glaze which was incredibly addictive. I think I licked the bag after this one (no judging).
Their coffee was so-so, but they also had really good hot apple cider. Now I wish I had a car so I could make an excuse to come here more often.
YUMMM. So happy that these guys are on Postmates, because this place is a hike. Anyway, I tried:
+ "Carwash" (Vanilla lavender)
+ Maple waffle
+ Cinnamon sugar
+ Raspberry
+ Brown butter
The vanilla was the best – haven't had a similar doughnut. The maple waffle was also amazing. The cinnamon sugar had a nice, extra crispy crust that also makes it a must, and the raspberry cinnamon sugar was unexpectedly flavorful – great if you like a smoky shock of raspberry. Finally, the brown butter was fantastic – loved the toasted almond slices.
I was lucky to pass this place on my walk over to the bus pick up and remembering seeing it on yelp mainly because it's a donut shop connected to a car wash….you don't see many of those!!
There were a handful of options, with the recommended/most popular choices being the maple waffle and the brown butter. But, I decided to go for something a little less sweet. I tried the Expresso Bean sugar doughnut and it was really light, soft on the inside, toasty on the outside and dusted with the nice touch of coffee/sugar flavor. It was one of the best cake donuts I've had – not greasy, not too sweet and perfect compliment/breakfast with coffee! I ate it about ten minutes after I picked it up and it was still really fresh and hot!
This place is a gem and like the other customer in the shop said, "Underwest has best cake donuts in the city!"
I love desserts. That's it. Can't live without them. It is a curse bestowed upon me since I was a baby (or that is my excuse for eating them). When I heard about this unique donuts shop, said to be "NYC's most creative doughnuts," I had to go pay a visit.
The "creative" part is not only its donuts creations, but also where they are located. With limited retail space in NYC, chef Scott Levine decided to open his artisanal donut shop inside a car wash. Yes, you read it correctly, a car wash.
Since it is nested inside the car wash, the space they have is pretty small. I mean, really small.
They offer decadent donuts with creative icing flavors, and an old-fashion coated in flavored sugars. They have the donuts with icings on top shelf, and the old-fashion on the counter. I didn't realize that the sugar coated ones are made to order. When you pick one flavor, they toss the old-fashion donut in the container with the flavored sugar in it, and voilà! There is your sugar coated donuts!
their donuts did live up to my high expectation, and delivered what we wanted them to deliver; high quality, tasty donuts. The only thing is that they do not have any tables or chairs. They have 1 bench right outside, but that is it. I would definitely want to go back there for more, and go there earlier in the day so that I can try all the other flavors before they sell out of them. Read my full review of this shop and food on my food blog at foodlovergirl.
I would eat cake over a doughnut anytime but thanks to the supremely delectable doughnuts from Underwest, I can have my cake and eat a doughnut too! Only cake doughnuts are sold here, but Underwest does them so superbly you would think the baker had merely decided to bake cake as rounds with holes. Generous Sis, hearing of my lamentable Cronut experience, delivered two to me, And my, they were so good I forgot about my greasy Cronut, and didn't care that I usually eschew cake doughnuts for yeasted ones.
The dark chocolate doughnut was the first I devoured. It seemed to be almost three layers. The exterior was the most delicate shell, lightly glazed. The second, a more denser cake. And the inner core, a delicate cake so light it melted in my mouth like a sweet song. The chocolate flavor was good, and with the perfect amount of sweetness, not cloyingly so. It tasted like great chocolate cake, without the frosting, and round, of course. The second, a blueberry thyme, was a slightly firmer dough. Each bite brought to my taste buds music, resonant with a deep blueberry flavor, complemented by notes of thyme. Like the dark chocolate, it too was an adult doughnut, not too sweet, exquisitely crafted. Both were moist, and ever so fresh. These were undoubtedly the best artisanal cake doughnuts I've ever had.
Sis had the expresso bean sugar doughnut, which she said was excellent, soft cake with a crunchy, crispy exterior of flavored sugar that was made and coated on the premises in stainless steel vats. She was delighted to point out that none of the Underwest Doughnuts felt greasy on the hand or mouth. Her other, the Maple Sugar, was so good she said it brought back comforting memories of childhood. I'd invite Proust, were he alive, to try an Underwest doughnut. They are indeed special, for they can sing to one's soul.
I didn't visit the storefront myself but Sis said the Yelpers were right, about the immaculate premises and had pics to show me. I've posted them, so you can see how clean the place is, despite visitors having to go past a car wash. I plan to go soon myself. For Underwest may be in a remote area, but the prize waiting for me at the end of my trek is certain.