The Donut Experiment

YUMMMMM!!! Hands down to the best donut shop ever! Drove 90 min to come check out the hype..well worth it!! The maple bacon ...hot off the press=AMAZING!! Great prices too!!

Swung into this nice little shop to try some donuts and grab some coffee before walking the beach. It was a great experience. The donuts are made fresh infront of you. The coffee is great. I would recommend the double shot espresso iced coffee! The ordering system for the donuts is pretty easy. Definitely recommend if you?re in the area

Very friendly staff. The donuts were much smaller than I expected but that makes for a nice way to try multiple. We got one of the maple and bacon donuts and the bacon was chopped in small pieces with a lot of chewy fat pieces. The flavor was really great though. We tried the key lime special donut and the key lime was very sour so if that?s your thing you will love it, it had crushed gram cracker on top. Absolutely loved the monthly special which was Nutella, chocolate chips and peanut butter drizzle. Over

They had lots of flavors to choose from or you could create your own. I had the key lime and it was really good. They are cake donuts.

When you enter, you will fill out a paper form picking out what kind of donuts you want. They have a big selection, with many options. You can watch as they make your donuts. You can also order online and pick it up in store. The donuts are very fresh and delicious!

The donuts were made fresh to order. You really can't beat it. An amazing selection of frosting and toppings. Quick service albeit busy when we were there. The staff was trained well and could handle the overwhelming line of orders. Overall a great experience. Would definitely return.

Very good, yummy donuts. Fresh made. We will definitely be back. Much better than ?that? chain donut restaurant.

These donuts are fun and pretty good. The base donut is always the same and it?s a vanilla fried cake donut..you then get to pick your frosting/glaze, toppings, and drizzle. There are tons of options and the coffee is great! It can get busy during peak times, so you may want to order ahead online!

We liked this place so much we stopped here two different mornings during our vacation. Personalized hand-made to order vanilla fry cakes. You fill out a sheet (I called it taking my morning test) for your icing, topping and drizzle. I enjoyed several from the maple bacon, Key Lime pie, and the triple chocolate. They even have a Christmas holiday special dozen available. Bottomless coffee available. Latte?s, iced coffee and other drinks. Very friendly staff. We were there off season so it wasn?t too busy b

I was a bit hesitant at first creating your own donuts but after going here it was a very cool experience and the donuts tasted delicious! They are small size donuts, which is perfect to be able to try a variety of flavors and toppings. The process was easy, completing a card with what donuts you are looking to create. I would highly recommend, kids would absolutely love this place!

Pretty cool concept. Coffee and donuts were both good. Price is fair, definitely not overpriced. A lot of different combinations for custom donuts

The best donut I?ve ever had. They?re small, but that was fine by me. Like $2 each, which is more than worth it. Staff is friendly and they?re efficient in making them given the crowd. They move you through.

Fun stop on our Spring Break rounds. The ultimate custom donut making experience - on freshly made donuts. The sweet smells are tempting enough to have you walking out with a custom dozen. We don't have anything like this back in Michigan. Well worth the visit.

Tasty donuts, crispy outside, delicious glaze in multiple flavors, made fresh for each order.

This place was nuts. Unbelievable donuts! We bought 6 and devoured them moments after stepping out the door. Wow.

WOW - what wonderful, fresh, insanely delicious donuts. I have tried many different donuts at various bakeries but in my opinion these are the best donuts ever! We were here at 09:00 this morning and had to wait a total of just under 45 minutes. Quite long but totally worth it! If the wait is too long, you can also place your order online here. However, I found it nice to be able to watch how the donuts were prepared. Super nice team, great donuts - we will definitely be back!

This is our first time in Anna Maria Island and we always want to try the local fair. Donuts were a no-brainer for breakfast. We?re on vacation so being healthy isn?t an option. The Donut Experiment did not disappoint! We did make the mistake of waiting in line before filling out our order card so we had to go back and do that but it was worth it! These donuts are made fresh so they?re still warm when you eat them. They are AMAZING! We will definitely be back! Yum ??

The Donut experiment is an interesting concept. The fluffy vanilla cake donuts are made, then you decide on a flavor of icing and toppings. The donuts are very reasonably priced.

WOW WOW WOW!!! This place was really delicious! I wasn?t expecting it to be so amazing! It?s right on the beach in a cool funky beachy building and parking right infront, as soon you walk in you grab a form to fill out how you want your donut and how many you want! It was such a cool experience. The donuts are fresh and tasty it?s literally the best donut I?ve ever had in my life. If you?re in town or near by come by and show them some love and check it out! You won?t be disappointed:)

A really fun visit for people who have never seen anything like it, every order comes completely customizable and fit to your order. Every donut comes with whatever you like, and its a hot spot for families with small kids. Every time we go, the food is done and eaten in less than five minutes, leaving barely crumbs behind. Expect a short wait, the line really varies day to day and time to time, but its always worth it. Staff are super fast and effective, and it?s a really fun place to watch your ?experimen

Oh my goodness! Hands down the best fresh fried donuts I've ever had in my life. Made to order. Service is really quick considering they make one donut at a time. They have a ton of Staff members ready to go. You want bacon on that? You got it. Peanut butter drizzle is to die for. So many interesting flavors including sriracha! We've been here twice since we came here for vacation. What a beautiful cozy Island and a fantastic donut shop to boot!

Got Donuts? While visiting some family they turned us onto this little place, super quaint little beach donut shop. The selections were overwhelming but awesome? you kinda want to just schedule time to go into a sugar coma or carb crash under a palm tree near the beach. We had a variety as you can see from the pic. My favorite was the bacon donut Wowzers! The remaining donuts didn?t matter after tasting the bacon Lol!!!! Merica!! All funniness aside this place has it down pack with donuts. Super friendly

It does not get any better than this. Be prepared to wait in line but oh so worth it.

The Donut Experiment was recommended and it was very good and unique. If you need a dessert, come here for a donut. You get to fill out a paper and tell them what kind of donut, toppings, and sizzle you want on top.

Easy to find cute and clean location. Friendly staff and delicious self serve coffee. The build your own donut form allows for some unique creations! Prices were reasonable for specialty items. We have been here twice during this visit to Anna Maria Island.

Nice joint. Delicious donuts. Small which is great because you can try 2 or 3 and not get filled up on one huge donut. Awesome selections, hot coffee was good to. Looking forward to going back.

Really cool concept. We stopped here yesterday after seeing the sunrise on the beach. There?s very limited parking even though we arrived pretty soon after they opened. The donuts were surprisingly good and more affordable than I expected. We used the order form to customize a half dozen and it was complete within minutes. The iced coffee was very sweet, but delicious. Some staff was more accommodating than others but overall a good experience!

Perfect for people who love to try new combinations and takes on favorite dishes. $1.75 was more than fair for this delicious maple glaze, bacon and Cinnamon drizzle topped cakey donut, or my wife's caramel/oreo/peanut butter. Took it a block over to North Shore Cafe for a perfect donut-coffee pairing with a view!

Early morning arrival to get The Donut Experiment. We arrived at the shop at about 8:45 am. A crowd was already forming and growing. I was told it is usually a lot more people and a much longer wait. The workers were hustling. Doughnuts were frying and toppings were topping??. The store itself wasn't the cleanest but I understand. Love the doughnuts and presentation. We strongly recommend but expect the wait.

Wholesome and adorable little donut shop!! If you don't know what you want, no worries, they have little order forms!! They have an order form with 26 options for a total of 676 possibilities!!! Reasonably priced at just $17 a dozen approximately, left me feeling generous at the tip jar! Happy, friendly faces and amazing smells! The donut, tho!!! My first try was a simple maple frosted with sea salt! Heaven! I have never had a better donut. Little cripsy edges from being freshly baked and warm frosting. Dev

Super busy but still quick service. 12 donuts beat the coffee. So good and cool theme.

Fresh made on a mini donut style continuous maker. You can select from five coatings like chocolate, maple, and vanilla. my only complaint is the coatings never solidify and stay sticky. Then you select from 15+ toppings like chocolate chip, crushed M&Ms. Orders never seem to be quite right.

Donuts are excellent. Coffees are amazing! Staff can definitely use some training on customer service. Parking is difficult. Outside is filled with mosquitoes and noseem bugs. We only visit this business because food is delicious.

Came here on the morning of the 18th during my spring break, was not disappointed. Very friendly staff and fun environment. I enjoyed collectively customizing a dozen donuts, while they were also very tasty. For the coffee crazed people, they do have tasty hot and cold options. Regardless, at the time $16 for a dozen customizable donuts is a great price, especially at the beach. I was fully expecting $25+, and was surprisingly mistaken.

Busy place, but good place. Service is friendly and you can get in and get out quick. You select your custom donuts by checking boxes on an order form and turning it in so if your going back take a form to go and make it quicker next time. Donuts are different, delicious, and fun. Unfortunately no jelly filled ones. The is also a fair amount of indoor and outdoor seating.

I stopped in to try the random dozen and the iced coffee. I placed the order for pickup at 8am and they had it ready to go about 5-10 minutes early. The online ordering platform was super user friendly and all I needed was to give my name when I arrived. We haven?t tried all of our flavors yet, but what we?ve had has been delicious. The donuts are super fresh and come in a huge variety of options (customizable icing, toppings, and drizzle). They?re not huge, so you could totally eat a couple without feelin

My girlfriends and I walked here for breakfast one morning. There are so many combinations that I didn?t know what to choose, but I finally decided on a maple, bacon with peanut butter donut. It tasted amazing and the size was perfect. I got an iced latte to pair with it and it was perfect, as well! I came back our last morning to bring some home to my family!

My absolute favorite donut shop anywhere!! The key lime donut is always a must. The maple bacon is delicious as well. Their fresh cake donuts are so delicately delicious, and they have so many icing and toppings, you can create endless combinations of flavors!

We loved The Donut Experiment! The idea of customizing your own donut was such a highlight for my kids! They are a cake-style donut so if you?re not into that, this might not be up your alley. My favourite hands down was the maple bacon with peanuts! Absolutely divine!

What a fun place to experiment for donuts! Donuts are fresh, customized but on the small side. Kind of expensive but okay for a treat!

To order donuts you first have to fill out a paper with what icing and toppings you would like. I think this makes it easier to order if you?re getting a variety of donuts. I got one donut with chocolate icing, m&m, and raspberry drizzle. I expected the donut to be a little bigger but the taste made up for it. I could tell it was freshly made. I was not able to pay with cash. I would come here again

This place was recommended and it didn?t disappoint. Doughnuts were fresh and you can choose any toppings you?d like. They were delicious!! My favorite was the maple bacon. It has acute little outside sitting area to enjoy your doughnuts. They also offer coffee. Can?t wait to come back!

Donuts made right in front of you with exactly what you want on them. $9 for a half a dozen. Good service and plenty of drinks to go with your order.

This is one of those places that look better than they taste, in my opinion. The idea is there. The presentation is spot on. The taste is underwhelming, unfortunately. I love donuts! I did really enjoy the coffee and would get that again. Everything was freshly made and as quick as it could be. If you are into the cakey donut base you may like this place. The toppings could stand to be more flavorful. There didn't seem to be a great balance. I personally wouldn't go here again, but don't let me sway you

I ordered the half dozen assortment pack since it was my first time ordering here and they were great! I ordered in advance online and my donuts were ready when I arrived and they made my coffee fresh. Very clean inside and great service. It is off season and the store was quiet when I arrived for my 7:30 pick up and I had no issue with parking.

Delicious donut flavors. Taste homemade, made right in front of you, and clean atmosphere. We tried a variety but the best was the maple bacon donut, tastes like breakfast. It's a trendy place so you might have to wait if you go during peak times. But! Still worth it. It's a great place to switch up your usual breakfast routine.

Not very inviting at first glance. But whoever was in there once does not regret it. Fresh good donuts in all imaginable variations. In addition, very good coffee and as usual in America, you can drink as much as you want. So go into the good room and enjoy.

Really enjoyed this place. It can get congested at times with tourists but the staff always works hard. I had a blueberry frosted doughnut with sea salt and chocolate drizzle on top. If they can make that taste great I think they can make anything taste great. When you enter you need to grab a sheet of paper and Mark it up with your specifics order of donuts. They have it to the lady at the register and pay and they will have them up quickly. I highly recommend.

We are so happy that we tried this place! Best donuts ever. They were fresh and service was on point! From the time we walked in and ordered the line moved along nicely. We had the maple bacon, key lime, blueberry with cinnamon sugar, and fruity pebbles! Highly recommend. A place someone put a lot of heart into that you will not want to miss

Ahhh We wanted this to be so good, it was ok, it's cool that you can basically design your donut, but the overall taste is just average IMO. Staff was cool so if in the area might be good to checkout, but it's nothing like a good DD or krispy kreme.???????

Update. Came back 11 months later. Donuts still amazing. Last year I got up early and there was no wait. This year slept in and it was very busy. If you want to skip the wait go early. Quick service. Donuts were amazing.

Great spot when you need that special sweet treat. The donuts are mini size so you can have more than one. You also get to choose many options in terms of toppings, glazes and drizzles. We also had the coffee which was delicious.

The Donut Experiment was a hit with the family and so much fun to create your own donut. They offer many toppings and many different glazes and icings to put on top. You can get very creative as I made a chocolate dipped, bacon bits topped donut. The creations are endless. The donuts are made right in front of you and the best part is eating them! This place is unique and a great stop when on vacation.

We go to the island every spring break and usually make at least 3 trips to this donut shop. It?s my kids? absolute favorite donut place. They seem to have streamlined the process so the waits aren?t nearly as long as they used to be.

The maple bacon was great, the doughnuts was hot and fresh. Very friendly staff. Fun place for a quick snack.

We go to anna Maria island when we need to escape, and I'm so glad we found this place on our last trip. Someone suggested it to us and the donuts are amazing! You build your own donuts and submit your order through a card. The donuts are about 1.50, perfect for a snack before heading to the beach. It was a beautiful store, and the employees were very nice and helpful. Will definitely be back soon!

FUN! Delicious Donut Experience! Definitely a must-stop in AMI! Great service. The cinnamon and chocolate glazed are perfect for classic donut connoisseurs! The toppings will delight the creative, kid-at-heart, bacon ?? is loaded w/ TONS, and the Sriracha definitely has a KICK to it!

First time at a donut shop like this. The cashier was helpful explaining how to fill out the order sheet. The donuts aren't as dense as the cake donuts from other bakeries and they had a nice crispy outside, they were perfect!

You have to try the House Iced coffee if you like sweet coffee. It?s so good. Don?t go to Island Donuts. This place is 10x better. Donuts are so fresh and the staff is super friendly.

You get to choose one icing, one topping, and one drizzle per donut, or one of their specialty donuts like the s?mores donut or the key lime donut (both absolutely incredible, especially the key lime.) Delicious fresh donuts, some of the best I?ve ever had. The donut I got with caramel icing, sea salt, and a chocolate drizzle might be one of the best sweets I?ve ever eaten. It did take quite a while to get our donuts after ordering (they were busy on a Sunday morning) but it was hugely worth it

This place did not disappoint! The donuts are SO GOOD. Small, crispy, and made to order. They process the orders very quickly too. HIGHLY recommend. This is a must stop at Anna Maria.

AMAZING! Loved how you can create your own donut flavor combinations! Donuts are super moist and flavorful and the customer service is incomparable. Such friendly and accommodating staff! Will DEFINITELY be back soon!

I haven't touched fruity pebbles in 20 years, but I made an exception for that donut. made to order, warm and delicious.

I was the first one to get there this morning and the staff was amazing. They all had smiles on their faces as they put out a perfect product. Prices are real fare for this Donut world.Thanks you for the great experience and ?I will be seeing you soon?!??????(a

Great concept and coffee. But I was so Underwhelmed, the place is overrated and overpriced. I am sorry I just felt like I wasted my money. I expected great donuts from the reviews I read, but so overrated. The donuts were super sugary, felt like I was eating a spoon of sugar and the specialty donut was just as bad. Glad the taco place next door didn?t disappoint.

Really cool experience where you get to pick your own donuts that they freshly made in front of you. A busy little shop with really cool toppings on donuts.

This place is so fun! Be ready to wait a while because these are very sought after donuts. They make them all in-house right in front of you. You?ll fill out a card with all the donuts that you?d prefer and then hand it to them. They have some weird specialty donuts too, but the male bacon one was not nearly as good as I would?ve hoped. Regardless, I enjoyed the restaurant and the donut making right in front of you.

Absolutely loved this place. It was a great experience coming here and ordering donuts. Donuts were hot and fresh and you could make it however you wanted too.

Fresh delicious donuts. Perfect sized, not too big, not too small. And very fair pricing. Kids loved them.

If you are on AMI then this is a ?must stop.? The staff is super friendly and the donuts are DELICIOUS! We made several of our own concoctions that were yummy; however, the Key Lime was what we enjoyed most. The maple bacon was pretty scrumptious too!

This is a must every time we visit AMI!! We always grab a dozen our first day. Then usually head back later in the week! We got the TDE assorted doz, then the AMI half-n-half iced coffee is my go-to here.

Even with what seemed like the whole island population here, the staff managed to have our two dozen specialty donuts within thirty minutes! They are artisans in their profession. If you visit Anna Maria island, definitely stop here. Amazing!

Had delicious donut with caramel icing and bacon! Yum!!! I loved that their donuts good sized, delicious and price is pretty good. Eventhough it was busy, our donuts were ready in 5 minutes. Very friendly and organized.

Fun spot to stop for Donuts. I got an Iced Coffee and my Wife got a Latte. Both very tasty! Build your own Donuts is the reason to visit though. Super fun, our kids loved it. ?? ??

Found this place on TikTok before coming down to AMI and was very impressed! Super quick service and great donuts!

I usually don?t like cake donuts, but these were amazing!!! These donuts were fresh and soft and I would highly recommend this place! My favorite donut was the cinnamon sugar donut.

Delicious build your own donuts! We got a dozen to go and were not disappointed by a single flavor. They are very busy, but they are also quick! It's definitely worth checking this joint out! There are just some picnic tables outside, so the atmosphere is average. Seems as if their takeout business is the majority, and we will be back!

I ordered my donuts online. When I got there, they were hot and fresh. Then I told my family that they were eaten by seagulls...no ?? I shared and everyone liked the variety. Safety precautions were in place and in use. I will be back.

Great fresh ??! Do not go here if you are in a big hurry but hey, you're on vacation- RELAX! The donuts are custom made with many different icing and topping options. This place stays busy so expect at least a 30 minute wait. The staff are all very pleasant and it is a lot of fun to watch the donuts being made.

Awesome Donuts. Extremely busy at all business hours. You enter and have to fill out a form, and then they make them right in front of you. You can order online and pick it up, too.

Having your donuts made fresh to order is super cool! The open concept and getting to watch your donuts being made is part of the experience. The flavors they have a super fun and exciting. They also have a new flavor daily, so you can always expect something new!

We?ve been visiting The Donut Experiment since they first opened several years ago. Great donuts but the service remains an experiment. Today we bought 8 donuts to take out. Six were handed to us in a box with two loose on a paper plate. I asked politely if they could put the two loose donuts in a box and was told that that would not be possible. I explained I had to cycle back to our home and this would be impossible with two loose donuts - I was told that the ?protocol? was to serve six donuts in a box an

A dozen donuts were required, fit for my granddaughter's birthday. She didn't want cake; she wanted donuts. The Donut Experiment was a huge success. The Sunshine Dozen, which I ordered, were really good. They were adored by all. You would assume that a donut is a donut, perhaps with unique toppings to distinguish one seller from another, but it's evident from the first bite that the Donut Experiment mixes their own batter from scratch and fries their own donuts. I've been telling everyone about the Donut

Overall it?s fine. The donuts are the cake kind so not the same texture as a donut where the dough is let to rise before frying. The variety of flavors is a good size but the order sheet you need to use takes away the personal feel of interacting with someone. The taste is fine, donuts are not warm because the volume coming off the line the ones used have cooled. Lineups to be expected if you come during busy travel season. Ample seating both inside and out. Staff are pleasant.

We visited here on vacation. Basically, they make really good, fresh donuts. You order by marking on a slip of paper how you want each donut in your order to be made. They took our slip to start making them before we?d even paid, and this helped us get our donuts very shortly after ordering, maybe 2-3 minutes. The donuts were fresh and tasted really good. There was plenty of seating. The donuts are $1.75 each, which I think is a reasonable price given that they?re made to order. They?re not huge but they ar

My mother and I absolutely love The Donut Experiment. We wake up at 6:30 AM to drive down to AMI at least once a week to get donuts and coffee when they open. It is our favorite donut shop, and we have yet to have had donuts better than these. We love that they are freshly made throughout the day and that there are so many different options for toppings. Donut lovers, I?d suggest getting there EARLY to beat Island traffic, get a good parking spot, and to avoid a long wait time because Summer is their busies

Drove an hour to try this place out, and it did not disappoint ???? I got the maple bacon donut ?? The coffee was also so delicious, which was a plus. 10/10 recommend the carmel iced latte. It was even better on the beach. Will be back!!

We enjoyed a really great experience for us and the kids to design and enjoy our own custom donuts.