While visiting from Ohio, I went to Doughboys with my family on President’s Day and was actually very happy with the food, price, and service. While not quite as unique as Griddle Cafe, there are far less scenesters and hipsters. We sat at the bar as the place was already pretty crowded at 9:00am, but service was top notch and the waitresses very personable. My mom and aunt split the strawberry/almond stuffed french toast and the flavor was great, berries fresh, and bread perfect. My sister opted for the Rice Krispy pancakes, which although a little bland were definitely unique and well preparred. I chose the PBJ+C; Stuffed french toast made with peanut butter, chocolate, and bananas, plus some wonderful strawberry preserves. I also got a side of Cornbread as this is something I sample everywhere in a hopeless attempt to find something as good as a visit to Atlanta a few years ago. The PBJ+C was wonderful, albeit filling, and the flavors were all distinct yet well blended. The cornbread was a top 5 nominee, and definitely better than that served at Roscoe’s.
On the way out we picked up some of their overly famous Red Velvet Cake as well as a Hummingbird Cake which we ate later that evening at the Hotel. The Red Velvet was stellar, as good as any I’ve had, and certainly better than the cupcake versions at Yummy (the chocolate one…the vanilla RV at Yummy is as good as Doughboys) or Sprinkles. The Hummingbird was absolutely sublime, and IMO better than the Red Velvet. I’ve had this dish before, but this one was more like a Banana Walnut version of Carrot Cake.
The coffee was served in large mugs and quite delicious, plus refills.
While I’d still opt for the Griddle Cafe on subsequent visits (the audacity of those portion sizes alone warrants return) I’d definitely rank Doughboys above Toast or BLD that I visited in the past.