Sunrise Donuts
Glazed Buttermilk Bar
Glazed Buttermilk Bar with Cinnamon Streusel
Cherry Cake Donut
Cinnamon Crumb Cake Donut
Old Fashioned Donut with Maple Glaze
Plain Cake Donut with Strawberry Glaze
Opened in the waning days of 2017 it was actually on accident that a trip down Decatur discovered Sunrise Donuts, a flag flapping in the breeze drawing attention just north of the 215 and a left turn prior to the entrance ramp finding plenty of parking in front of the shop that is apparently open 24/7.
Not far from the Highway Patrol and offering a diverse menu including Tamales, Burritos, Pizzas, Boba, Ice Cream and Donuts plus Soda and Soft Drinks, the overall feel more like that of a convenience store than a proper dining establishment, it was just prior to noon that doors were opened and greetings offered by a petite Asian Woman, one other patron present and reading the newspaper as pop music played from speakers at ceiling level.
Presenting Donuts to the right and Ice Cream to the left, an overhead menu and Microwaves behind the counter stirring suspicion of the joint’s overall quality, it was after perusing options that the decision was made to try six fried Pastries, each grabbed with tongs and dropped into a white paper bag without much care at a total cost of just $5.24 for the half-dozen.
Assaulted by the smell of Subway on the way out, a few minutes drive to the office separating purchase from first taste, it was with items unbagged and hundreds of spare crumbs brushed away from items to which they did not belong that teeth sank into a Buttermilk Bar, the texture a bit dry but nicely penetrated by Icing while the Streusel-topped version was unfortunately a complete failure that both looked and tasted as if it may have been a day or two old.
Undoubtedly frying from a Mix, the price alone evidence of that fact while anyone familiar with old-school Doughnutries across America can easily spot the difference between these and something involving a little more effort, it was admittedly surprising to see Cherry Cake in place of the more typical Blueberry version, an instant reminder of childhood in the Midwest provided by Dawn Food Products of Jackson Michigan even though the half-hearted bagging required a lot of effort to get all the Streusel off it.
Uncertain as to whether Sunrise Donuts and Sunrise Too on East Charleston are related, a suspicion of no based on quality and selection, it was next that a Cinnamon Crumb Cake Ring proved equally inedible as the similarly topped Bar, the Old Fashioned decent but not melt-in-the mouth like that of Ace or Pink Box while the Strawberry Glazed Cake somehow managed to out-artificial the flavor of Dunkin.
ONE AND A HALF STARS: Not purporting to be ‘Artisan’ or unique, and in reality not worth getting off the highway for, Sunrise Donuts may fill a niche for Donuts in the area, but even at such a low price it would be worthwhile for anyone with any sense of taste to make the effort to go elsewhere.
RECOMMENDED: Having grown up on Cherry Cake Donuts in Northwest Ohio I’ll admit a touch of nostalgia for that one.
AVOID: None of the Donuts were good, but the Cinnamon-Streusel ones were particulary bad.
TIP: 24/7 for all your Microwave-fresh needs.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
