Monuts

This places gets packed so come early. Their breakfast sandwiches are great and of course you must have a donut (or two)!

As others have said, the food at Monuts definitely deserves 5 stars! Donuts are delicious and adventurous; their bagel sandwiches are made with local ingredients. Coffee is also good. Biggest issue is really service. They only have their donut listings at the front so if you’re in line you don’t really know what’s available, which results in people taking several minutes to order. Also you can expect to wait a very long time for your sandwich and coffee to arrive.
My husband and I are early risers so we never come after 9. Before the crowds come, service is great. If you plan to come after 9, you shouldn’t be a person who hates waiting.

I have such mixed feelings about this place. I discovered Monuts at their second event with the trike. Lindsay quickly gained a loyal following thanks to both her personality and delicious donuts. Unfortunately, the shop is now so busy she is stuck in the kitchen and doesn’t get to interact with customers. As a result, the customer service can sometimes not be the greatest. I also have a hard time justifying waiting 30+ minutes for a decent, expensive donut. Durham needs a good old school donut shop.

Very busy location but their lines move rather quickly. I tried their sweet potato donut with the salted Bourbon glaze and it was phenomenal. Definitely will visit again.

Oh, Monuts…
The food is great, both the doughnuts and the bagel and biscuit sandwiches. Sometimes the biscuits are on the greasy side. Today I had a chocolate coffee crunch and an orange ginger doughnut. There was only one register open, and the line was insanely long, moving very slowly. I wondered why they did not have an additional register open for takeout orders? Seating is limited, so maybe this is a way to control the availability of the tables? Either way, we almost left a few times. Please expand or find ways to serve more folks-​though the food is good, having to wait that long is no fun.

Came for lunch and had a chocolate coffee crunch donut and a prosciutto, brie, and egg sandwich. The donut was made of cake so it was more sense than your average donut. The sandwich was on a bagel sandwich and also had apples. There were a lot of good flavor combinations going on but the prosciutto was too salty and overpowered the sandwich. I would define you come back to try more of the donuts and a few other sandwich combinations.

My favorite place for breakfast in Durham! Apple cider donuts are amazing. Great coffee. Salt bagel breakfast sandwiches are excellent. Made in-​house. The staff knows their stuff and looks like a great place to work.

The breakfast sandwich deserves 5 starts but the donut is a solid 3.
There was a line out the door but it moves pretty quickly. Inside, it’s pretty crowded and it might be hard to find seats.
I ordered the ooey gooey gouda breakfast sandwich (part of the brunch menu). I normally am not a fan of biscuits unless they’re drenched in gravy (really healthy, I know) because I usually find them too dry. BUT not this biscuit!!! It was layered with melted gouda, a yummy breakfast sausage, a medium fried egg (the perfect runniness) and the best part — red pepper jelly that the biscuit soaked up which really gave it flavor.
I decided to get a donut to go and I was a bit let down… It was very fluffy but the glaze didn’t cover much of the donut which was disappointing. Maybe I’m just used to the Krispy Kreme variety? Definitely need to give the cake donuts a try though. Also the coffee. I’ll be back!

Let me preface this review by saying we have been going to Monuts regularly for the last year and it’s our go to spot to bring out of town guests. Unfortunately, today we had a horrible experience that is worth writing about. My husband ordered an iced coffee this morning and when he got to the bottom of the cup he ended up with what he though was ice in his mouth, but was actually SHARDS OF GLASS. He literally swallowed glass. Obviously we alerted the manager, but she was more concerned about getting the next order out than the potential for his intestines being cut open. My husband just stood there and the manager was kind of like «well we can refund your coffee if you want or maybe give you some donuts…» but never acted concerned, did not apologize, and was essentially saying «please stop bothering me.»
While we will still would probably go back there, the management needs to be trained better to deal with odd situations like this even while busy.

I’m an LA foodie always looking for something delicious to eat because I never waste calories on anything less than delicious! We had several recommendations from locals on all sorts of restaurants that we tried and were disappointed. Monuts was recommended by a Durham local and he didn’t steer us wrong!
We came here for breakfast on a Friday morning. We both ordered the «Yes I Yam» with over easy egg (you have a choice of how you want your egg cooked), the plain donut and the strawberry buttermilk donut.
The Yes I Yam was absolutely amazing. I loved that the outside bread was a biscuit — perfectly cooked — soft on the inside and a little crispy on the outside. The sausage was full of flavor and paired well with the sweet potato jam and maple sriracha. The over easy egg poured yolk all over this yummy goodness but can make the biscuit a little soggy, but this was solved by cutting it with a knife and fork. It was almost like biscuits and gravy with the runny yolk!
Honestly, one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever eaten! The plain donut was soft, dense, and doughy. It was simple and scrumptious! The strawberry buttermilk was good too, but it almost had the texture of an old fashioned donut that I don’t prefer.

Where the New Yorkers of Durham at? Oh, they. are. all. here. engaging in that oh-​so-​Northern-​yuppie custom of brunch.
…and I love it.
I love it because Monuts takes that Yankee cultural tradition and makes better and more Carolina. How, you might ask?
+ FOOD —
They own it by turning the bagel into a biscuit — This is a duh.
Oh, and the ingredients are local and seasonal. Like, the tomatoes are on the menu in the summer… when they should be (so they actually taste like a fruit [yes, a fruit] and not the chilly, firm, flavorless moisture slices that some places hock).
The pork/bacon/‘secret to an excellent breakfast’ comes from North Carolina; and is cured in North Carolina. Because they’re smart and realize that excellent hog meat tastes best when it’s raised around the corner.
Oh…the donuts! I would be remiss if I failed to mention the donuts…
I don’t even like donuts and these things are so clever and perfectly made that I order two at this point. Passionfruit glaze on a cake donut so perfectly cooked it makes you stop just to keep feeling it in your mouth (yup, it’s almost that kind of experience).
+ DRINK —
I had a malted-​tarragon cappuccino… and it was amazing. I won’t get it again but it was amazing.
Oh you like beer with your bagel? There’s that, too. It’s Durham, after all.
+ AMBIANCE —
As a general rule, don’t go to brunch between the hours of 10:00 and 2:00…unless you like lines… and noise… and people snaking tables from each other… and waitstaff doing their damnedest to work a room that busy (God bless you, folks).
The same applies here.
+ PARKING —
The neighborhood must be used to sharing their streets with us on the weekends.
+ THE TAKEAWAY —
Go — Stand in an orderly queue and wait your turn — Order adventurously — Enjoy
I might even see you there.

As a Durhamite I want to like Monuts more than I do. I definitely agree with other reviewers that the food deserve 5 stars. The sandwiches, the donuts, the drinks– all wonderful! My problem is that I am terribly impatient and don’t like to wait in lines and there is almost always a line out the door (plus Durham is a town that has so many great food options that I prefer to go somewhere I won’t have to wait). Also, even if you make it through the line they are often out of some things if it’s later in the day (yes, I am not only impatient but I also don’t do mornings well). They do have an order ahead option online that might be worth it for people like me and I will try it out next time.

We love this place and have been frequent flyers since we moved here last April. Even better, one of the bartenders knows when we walk in it’s a bloody mary and a mimosa. :) … but don’t overlook their latte’s, the baristas know what they’re doing, NOM.
We always get a variation of biscuit sandwiches, the biscuits are amazing and ohhh the sriracha maple … it doesn’t get any better than that. (pro tip — get the maple sriracha on the side for dipping) To top it off they have wonderful, creative and flavorful donuts every day — gourmet style! NOM NOM NOM
For Monut Owner: Only complaint is of the recent newish bartender, he has a very unhappy demeanor, bad attitude and has messed up our food order every time he’s been bartending (three times). He’s starting to varnish our love of this place, however, for now, I won’t let that guy varnish the 5 star rating, but please address this guy’s service standards. (He worked bar New Years Day). Thanks!

My office orders take out sandwiches and donuts from Monuts quite often.
The sandwiches are off-​the-​hook delicious. They use liberal amounts of Tofutti vegan cream cheese on this one sandwich with beets and cucumbers and it is like so delicious. The peanut butter and apple is also stellar and addictive.
Docking a star because they don’t make vegan donuts.

Just a fun, hip place to have donuts and coffee and all kinds of quick little meals. I came late on a Saturday b/​c I suspect that our currently FAT state fills places like this quickly. I had some donuts and they were very good, the coffee was ok and the ambience was very nice. I’ve had better doughnuts in the OBX at Duck Donuts but this place was just a cool hangout. Great for a first date or to check out the boys with beards who look like Bolsheviks.

Monuts is a specialty gourmet donut, bagel and biscuit spot and is a perfect place to go when you wake up in the morning. They are usually crowded as they are only open for the first part of the day but if you have the time, definitely worth checking out! Their bagel sandwiches are my favorite and of course they have a changing menu of gourmet donuts that are always delicious. They have a cool bar area to sit also where they serve alcohol so its a perfect brunch spot. parking can be tricky depending on the crowd but you’ll have to park on the street usually and walk.

We have been talking about trying Monuts for years. Even back when it was just a food truck we were salivating over the pictures of these things. So, obviously when we found ourselves in Durham, we jumped at the opportunity to go to the brick and mortar.
I’ll start by saying that the food is probably worth five stars, but the fact that I had to wait forever drops it down a level. Don’t get me wrong, I think that this place is worth the wait. I just think that they could be more efficient with their ordering process.
We went to Monuts on a Saturday right before lunch time. Of course we were expecting a wait and we got one. People were in a queue that stretched out the doors and around the building. That is a testament to how popular and delicious this place is. The way that Monuts has it set up is you order up at the front get a marker and then your food is brought out to you. This process just doesn’t seem to run smoothly, because there is always a huge line, but then there is a ton of seating. This tells me that the ordering process takes longer than the preparation and dining time of customers.
We came to Monuts for the Donuts so we weren’t going to leave without trying a couple. It is a good strategy to order a couple of donuts even if you are getting a breakfast sandwich because they can basically serve as an appetizer and as a buffer for the inevitable hangry that comes as a result of the wait. We tried three different donuts. Although they were all good, the real stand out was the «North Carolinian,» a Sweet Potato Donut with a Salted Bourbon Glaze.
In addition to the donuts, I got the Ranchero Biscuit Sandwich. This was basically a tex mex interpretation of a breakfast biscuit and was both filling and tasty. The biscuit itself was flaky and warm.
The service was fine. Nothing over the top. The place has an eclectic atmosphere. They have a theme of children books and learning materials. The markers that they give you when you order are children’s flashcards of animals (we were the camels). I thought this added kind of a nice and different touch.
Monuts does donuts very well and they also have good breakfast offerings. It is a popular place with an interesting atmosphere. Seating is not a problem, but expect parking to be tough. Also, if you are going on a weekend, you will absolutely have a wait. It is definitely worth a try. Probably best to venture out there on a week day.

Just like everyone else thinks — Monuts is the BEST. Their donuts are unlike anything you’ve ever had before — they really make it a gourmet food instead of a cheap, crumbly piece of styrofoam dough. Their dough is light and fluffy, but their cake dough is that perfect dense and moist that you want. I especially love their donuts that involve usually weak flavors (such as lavender or even chai) because Monuts somehow elevates their flavor and really makes it shine. A+ for actually using and delivering great flavor in a donut.
Their breakfast sandwiches are also out of this world — I always get the goat cheese biscuit sandwich, and it lives up to my expectations every time. Whether you are a Durhamite or visiting Durham, Monuts is where it’s at.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said. E’ryone goes nut for Monuts! Creative, seasonal donuts (cake and yeast), the coffee is on fleek, the breakfast, lunch, beer and other whatnots. It’s on Ninth Street and that’s the hot spot right now in the Triangle.
It can get busy, especially in the mornings, so be sure to get there early.
It’s a great spot. A classic in the making.

1. The Donuts: High quality, fresh, unique flavor combos that rotate daily. I got the sprinkles doughnut (blackberry glaze + sprinkles), apple cider, and the chai. Prices for donuts vary based on the type and range from $ 1.50−2.00 each.
2. The Bagel Sandwiches: They the real MVPs. It was only after a few visits here did I try a bagel sandwich and I was so sad I missed out on them before! The bagels are housemade and toasted to perfection. I ordered a ‘lox of love’ which has all the components of a traditional lox bagel, only made with gravlax and a chevre (goat) cream cheese! I scarfed that thing down in 5 minutes. Cost: around $ 7 a sandwich.
3. The Sunday Brunch: It is SO crowded here on Sundays so be prepared for a line if you’re planning on dining in. If you want to avoid the crowd, the best time to come is between 2−3pm right before they close because things usually start to die down by that time. Just be aware that they may run out of certain donut flavors by that point if you are willing to take that risk!

With a weekend trip to Durham we were all excited to try this place, but we left disappointed and still hungry. Showing up on a Sunday Morning, I expected a wait, but nothing like what we endured. Yes, we could have left, but it’s one of these things, that you keep thinking the line will speed up. Nope, we were wrong.
After a about 45 minutes in line, were made it to the counter only to be told if we wanted to order anything but donuts we would have to wait an additional amount of time for that food. Deciding on just some donuts, we sat down really excited for the donuts and the fact we actually got a table. (They have a strict policy, that you can’t get a table until you have ordered)
I had a maple glazed and chocolate don’t. They were Okay, ironically, they didn’t taste very fresh and were not worth the wait.
The worst part about our experience at Monuts, was the staff were very rude and short, they almost made you feel awkward for waiting in line. I understand they are busy and its hectic, but that doesn’t mean you can be short and nasty with people.
Try this place on a slower week day to avoid the frustration.
I don’t think I will be visiting again.

DISCLAIMER: Only tried the donuts which is why I’m rating 5 stars.
Please please try the raspberry basil donut if it is offered. It was delicious! The donut itself was soft and very flavorful. I’m not a fan of that many herby tastes, but the blend of raspberry and basil was actually quite enjoyable. The strawberry shortcake was great too but a little heavier.
I will definitely be back for more donuts!