Varsity Donuts

For the sake of all that is good in this universe, go to this place. I got the bacon bomb and a cinnamon sugar donut right when the truck opened at 10pm and I was amazed. My friend got the mac-​n-​cheese grilled cheese, and I assume that was probably just as lovely. They serve the ultimate drunk foods (though it’s just as great when you’re completely sober and just looking for some good food after everything in Manhattan has closed). Also, the guys that worked there were so polite, which was a nice surprise to me for some reason. I definitely will be going again.

Oh my! What a beautiful old building and great atmosphere for a quaint, family friendly donut shop! And the donuts themselves.. .. ahhhhmazing. And a great place to hang out. The family and I visited on our way out of town for some donuts and milk.
Donut options are always changing! We had the red velvet, mint chocolate, and a couple more options that I can’t remember — but everyone loved theirs. There are plenty of games to choose from where families can sit and eat and play as long as they’d like. There’s also a huge chalkboard for kids to draw on, and an old piano as well. I think Nashville would be a great place for something like this!

Very original and delicious donuts! Absolutely love this place. A MUST for anyone in Manhattan. If you want to make sure you try your favorite, you can call ahead and they will save some for you. We really enjoy the games in the dining area as well.

This is a really difficult review to write because Varsity Donuts means two totally different things depending on the time of day. We’ll start with any time prior to 10:00pm. 2.5 Stars. Neat little shop, that’s been good before, but you always feel rushed when ordering and the line feels like chaos. We went on Friday, and despite it being 8pm, the place was boiling hot. I was almost sweating by the time I got my order paid for, even though I was wearing only a light sweater and leggings. The other issue we had was that they had no «normal» donuts when we went in. They hadn’t made any glazed, plain cake, cinnamon twists, cinnamon sugars, anything! Everything was covered in frosting and even worse, sprinkles. I know they can’t make them all at once, but how about a couple of the more normal ones from their online menu?
After 10pm, 4.5 stars. This is when you can go to the Varsity Donut truck. You walk up this creepy alley, praying you won’t get mugged, until you realize there’s so many other people using it too, it’s not quite so creepy. There, you will find the greatest drunk and/​or hangover food ever created: the grilled cheese mac and cheese with bacon. Sounds disgusting, tastes amazing. They also have some normal type donuts, or maybe just donut holes, up here. It does lose a half a star because the line is always outrageous. Always. Seems like they could make a killing if they’d just use their building instead, or maybe even both. Luckily, the wonderfulness of the grilled cheese mac and cheese saves this place.

If you are visiting or unfamiliar with Aggieville, then you will miss out if you don’t hit up Varsity Donuts. Obviously the university students cherish this place but local families are also here whenever I’ve visited. During the day, stop in for a coffee and donut (or two). Unique flavors (the normal, seasonal, and out of the ordinary) but the blueberry one is a must try. The prices are very fair and the staff decently friendly. It’s also a place that you could stay and study/​work for a bit too…
My one complaint, as is most of the time at similar places, is where is the reusable ware? I would have loved to see actual plates and ceramic coffee mugs to cut back on waste. Half of the people that came while I was last there stayed, and could have benefited from non-​disposable ware.
Varsity Donuts ALSO has a weekend late night food truck where you HAVE to get the grilled cheese Mac and cheese. This is a real treasure. You will never regret this decision and constantly crave it forevermore. You can also get a plate of bacon, corn dog, or mini donuts. Maybe a few more things that I forgot about. And surprisingly it wasn’t just drunk students here even at the wee hours of the morning…
You deserve a treat, so just go here!

We finally had a chance to visit at Varsity Donuts when in town mid-​week for my sister’s wedding. Varsity is housed in what used to be my favorite place to shop while growing up, the Palace Drugstore. It was a mecca for fun things — food, kitchy gifts, Hallmark cards, stickers… just awesomeness.
But if the Palace had to close, I’m glad that Varsity Donuts came along to fill the space. They kept the Palace’s great floors and display cabinets, filling them with tons of donuts and donut holes.
You can even rent bikes there. That’s a little random, but if the business model works… right?
The donuts were good, but really needed to be warmed up to be truly enjoyable. The cake texture was slightly thick and, eaten cold (room temp) seem more heavy than I prefer. I guess I’m more of a yeasty donut lover than a cake donut lover. However, live and learn. Let’s chalk it up to learning for our next visit.

Whoever decided to use marshmallow cream as a filling is a genius! The smores doughnuts are wonderful.

I don’t even eat donuts usually, and I was basically Homer Simpson-​ing all over these precious little baked glories.
Here is my mental breakdown of Varsity’s star earning:
1 Star — their clean and spacious facility. Although the place was swamped (KState’s 100^th homecoming… no brainer), there were still a few places to sit.
2 Stars — cool gear and chill workers even though they were busy.
3 Stars — killer sprinkle display. I secretly wish I could tip it over, because it would be epic, but I really don’t want to be «that girl.»
4 Stars — they manage to not charge you a fortune for gourmet, crazy-​awesome flavored donuts.
5 Stars — THE RED VELVET.
Thank goodness the University of Minnesota didn’t have a place like this otherwise I would have packed on some fierce college lbs.

Varsity Donuts is really awesome. I am not really a donut eater but the donuts here are fun and I have tried several. The space inside is really neat and Varsity even rents cruiser bikes. One thing I really appreciate is signage — each flavor has a sign, most with labels that make the donut flavor obvious. There was one I needed a description on yesterday and the staff easily shared the ingredients.
The other thing about Varsity Donuts is its late night food truck behind the store. This is open Thursday-​Saturday, 10 PM — 2 AM and serves up the famous grilled mac n cheese sandwich as well as hot donuts. I was told I needed to try one of these sandwiches to be «initiated» into the community so I made it a hungry priority and I was not disappointed for $ 4. This is a must-​stop in the MHK, whether for breakfast or late-​night eats!

The review for varsity is long overdue. It has the best donut in town. Try for the weekend truck– the mac n cheese grilled sandwich and the freshly made warm donut holes are simply the best! !

This review of Varsity is long overdue. Varsity Donuts opened during the fall of my senior year when I lived at 11^th and Laramie thus making it directly in my path to campus, much to the detriment of my wallet. Let’s be clear here, I love donuts — I seek out and eat donuts in every new city I go to, and Varsity still has some of my all-​time faves.
The first thing I judge a donut shop on is the basics. If you can’t do those right, I really could care less what crazy crap you put on a donut to convince people you have a unique point of view. Being able to make a good classic is the base for all of the other donuts you make, and Varsity has this down. Their Cinnamon Sugar Opal is amazingly light and moist. You could eat twenty of these in a row. For 89 cents, need I say more? Chocolate Opal — amazing. Blueberry Opal — jam packed with blueberries in both the cake donut AND included in the glaze. Swoon.
Let’s get fancy. The Honeymooners are my favorite special donut — you take a raised donut, put half the hole back into it so you have a surface to put a topping in the middle of the donut (without piping a filled donut). Add some glaze… and my mouth is watering. These come in two flavors: raspberry or vanilla crème. Get the raspberry if you’re only trying one (who does that?!). The Lemon Drop — if you like lemon, just order it. Don’t ask questions. Red Velvet? Same advice.
Need something even fancier? Everyone has a maple bacon bar nowadays, but Varsity’s beats them all. There’s the right balance of sweet/​salty and they don’t skimp on the bacon (thank you!). The Larry is ingenious — a peanut butter and jelly sandwich somehow morphed into a donut. Please order this now and order one for me, too.
Not on their official menu are the donuts that change out seasonally. Pumpkin or apple in the fall. Eggnog in the winter (sooooo good). Just swing by and see what’s new in the case.
If you haven’t gotten the picture yet? I totally love this joint. I wish their food truck had opened while I was still in school so I could have feasted on donuts and a side of bacon at 2 am after bar closings. I can’t think of anything better to eat at 2 am. Or 9 am. Or 1 in the afternoon… The shop is super cute. Rent bikes, play board games (scrabble!) or the piano, drink some coffee, you name it.
Pro tip: call ahead to reserve donuts if you need a bunch or want to be guaranteed you’ll receive a certain kind.

Went in and purchased a cute mug for my Mr. … The line was super long and the girl working handled it like a champ — courteous, smiling, working efficiently — I still waited a good 10 minutes. Not horrible but obviously understaffed!

Great donuts and a great ambiance! Fun for the whole family. Eat some deliciously creative donuts and then enjoy a board game or some piano fun for a few and progress on with your adventurous day! You’ll be happy you did!!!

Amazing donuts, cute shop and a fun atmosphere. Many flavors — from pink frosting to maple with bacon chunks. Yum!

Wow! Such a great place to come for donut lovers. Although my husband despises the idea of eating anything fried, I can’t resist a good donut! I came to Manhattan for a day trip with some gals and came here solely because of reviews and advertising. It was a great place to start our Manhattan adventure. I’ll be coming back when I’m back in Manhattan.

If you’re a donut fan and you’re in the vicinity of Manhattan, Kansas, make sure you stop by Varsity Donuts to try some of their creative donut flavors! We made sure to call a day ahead and reserve a couple of their maple bacon bars since we were picking them up on a Sunday, and thank goodness we did! The line was out the door around noon, and they had sold out of the maple bacon hours ago. It took us about 15 – 20 minutes to get to the front of the line, and we ended up trying:
–Blueberry Opal (Blueberry Frosting/​Blueberry Cake, $ 0.89), The Opal (Buttermilk Cake, $ 0.89), Maple Bacon Bar (Maple Frosting, Bacon, $ 2.89) [
: All of the donuts were good, but the favorite by far was the maple bacon. Their bacon pieces were nice and crispy, and the maple frosting wasn’t too sweet. Highly recommended!
I love that you can get classic donut flavors here and also new combinations. The staff here is also super nice, and makes your visit that much better. Parking in the downtown area is easy except for weekends, and especially crowded on game days.

If you are into traditional glazed Donuts, maybe consider Dillons or Daylight Donuts. If you enjoy crazy donut creations, check it out.

Proud to say MHK is home to one of the most clever businesses in the Midwest, maybe the country. Housed in an old pharmacy (?), plenty of the vintage feel carries over. But when the shop closes you can always head out back to the trailer for more good times.
Several daily offerings combined with holiday or other seasonal flavors, cake and yeast, with different glazes and frostings. After hours and after a few beers in Aggieville you can switch to some savory items too.

Incredible!!! Awesome atmosphere and the kind of Donut Shop that could have been from a Wes Anderson film. Exceptionally twee!!!
Walking into to Varsity Donuts you are immediately struck by the cuteness of the space. The drawer of sprinkles is a novel and adorable idea.
The donuts are amazing and a must try while in Kansas. The «Flat Tire» is very tasty donut that is covered in Oreo crumbs. The other members of our party had «Funnel Cake» and «Boston Cream» donuts, which were very tasty and super fresh. The coffee is tasty and does not detract from the experience.
If you are looking for a place to hang out and have a delicious treat come to Varsity Donuts.

While I’m a fan of their maple-​bacon donuts, this review is dedicated to their late-​night food truck. They have a limited menu, but the only thing you need to order is the macaroni & cheese grilled cheese sandwich. Don’t forget to add on the bacon for a dollar more. This sandwich is the epitome of late-​night snack perfection. The bread is buttered up the wazoo and then perfectly toasted. The cheese is stringy, yet holds together well enough to support even more cheesy macaroni. The crispy bacon with the subtle hint of smoke is just icing on the cake (or bacon in the grilled cheese). I’m just going to assume this is just as good sober as it is when you’re drunk.