Donut Bistro

The triple crown is my favorite menu is this place. It’s chicken, shrimp and beef so amazing.

Wow! Never Mind to the awesome Donuts which I have eaten several times but I finally broke down and tried them for lunch. I am happy that I did!
This review is all about the Phở and our lunch experience. We started with some appetizers. Spring rolls and cream cheese won ton’s. The Spring rolls were large and fresh. The won tons were hot and perfectly cooked. I can’t stand other places that chip your tooth when you take a bite of a won ton.
Now to the Phở… I got the small rare beef steak #3 on the menu and my co-​worker got the #8. The small was plenty and they both tasted great. In typical Phở fashion they tease you with a large for $ 1 more. I didn’t bite and couldn’t finish the small.
I can’t wait to try some of their other Asian dishes… I was sure to take a menu for home.
The service was great. One lady working the counter and the 10 tables. She was nice and even when she was pulled in 5 different directions her service didn’t take a dip.
The only reason this got 4 stars was due to a single dirty chop stick. I would still much prefer to check real utensils for cleanliness then use the splintered wooden disposable version so kudos to the Bistro for having real ones available. Besides, I am always cautious with utensils that sit out for community use and I did find some dirty but it wasn’t enough to stop me.

Pretty good phở. Interesting dynamic. Good service. If you live in south Reno this could be a good stop for phở. I’ll come back because I do.

Awesome donuts! I was in town for a class and stayed next door. Picked up 2 dozen donuts for my classmates and everyone raved about them!

Donuts and phở. One if the weirdest combos for a restaurant ever. With that said, you need to try this place. Never had a bad donut, it’s always fresh and perfect. They even have bacon on maple donuts for you adventurous types. I haven’t tried too much of the restaurant items because I’m completely addicted to their spring rolls and peanut sauce like catnip is to cats. They are unbelievably delicious and better than the ones served in other popular restaurants in Reno. Every time I order food wanting to try something different, I change my mind at the last minute and order the spring rolls again.

Wonderful donuts.
While staying at the Residence Inn my family decided we wanted some donuts rather than the breakfast offered at the Hotel. The Donut Bistro is well within walking distance so we wandered over.
Upon walking in we noticed the shop as empty and rather warm. We weren’t too concerned about the lack of customers as it was 9 am and most business people had likely already come and gone.
Due to the heat and stuffiness of the establishment we elected to grab a few donuts and walk back to our room. As we selected Bavarian cream, old fashioned, old fashioned with chocolate icing and chocolate with sprinkles the young lady behind the counter mentioned if we purchased a dozen it would be less expensive. We decided that even though we didn’t need that many we would save a couple bucks and went with it.
We found all of the donuts to have a wonderful flavor and light texture. The old fashioned was lovely and the Bavarian Cream my favorite. Additional my wife loved the maple bar and daughter loved the chocolate with sprinkles.
We look forward to eating the remaining donuts as day old and feel they will be tasty but not as wonderful as the fresh donuts were.
I would definitely go here again and again for donuts if I lived in Reno and the next time I find myself in Reno I will visit Donut Bistro again.

I just got back into town for business and I wanted some lunch. I’m in the south Reno area and I heard of this donut shop that serves Vietnamese food and phở in the area. That sounds like a weird combo, but I guess not really seeing that most of all the independent donut shops in many cities are Vietnamese owned, just like nail salons. Hard workin people those guys! Plus, they usually make some really tasty donuts! So from a business sense, if you have a donut shop, why not make use of the space for the rest of the day to sell Vietnamese food? Donut sales tend to drop off after 10am. I’ve seen this in a few donut shops in the Bay Area. So, I’m here for lunch, not donuts.
Entering it looks more like restaurant than donut shop. There are nice booths along the walls and plenty of daylight coming in through the windows. There is only a single donut case, most selections are taken by this time of day. Now, I’m reading in another review about this Kolache thing. That sounds interesting, so I ask the guy behind the counter what that is. He points to what looks exactly like a bake Chinese bao (buns like at Honey Bakery). He says this one has pork inside. Hmmm, OK, gimme one ($ 1.65). I’ll try that later. I take a booth and look over the menu. Well, for what I thought was a Vietnamese Phở joint, the menu read just like a standard Chinese restaurant with all the usual American Chinese suspects of General Chicken, Honey Walnut Prawns and Mongolian Beef and Chow Fun. There was also the Viet section of Phở and «Vermicelli» (yes, that’s Italian!) mei fun rice noodles dishes. I came for Viet food, so that’s what I got. I went with the #14, ($ 8.95) flame broiled pork and egg roll over thin rice noodles. As I wait, seems pretty quiet in here. A few other lunch diners arrive. Now my lunch bowl arrives! It comes with the small side bowl of dipping sauce (sort of orange colored). One thing I liked here was they offer REAL chopsticks, right there at the table! None of those cheap wooden splinter filled things most places have. All the hot sauces and soy condiments are on the table as well.
As I start poking around in the bowl with chopsticks, I notice the pork look like a healthy portion, but it’s all laid out in almost a single layer, so the amount of meat is not that generous. At least compared to other phở joints in town like that new one Kietzke. Upon placing some of the pork in my mouth, I’m not getting much of the flame broiling flavor at all. The pieces are cut pretty small and seem more dry tasting than other places I’ve been. It’s mostly missing that charbroiled goodness I was looking for. The egg rolls were hot and OK. Under all of the good looking stuff on top, digging down reveals much lettuce and bean sprouts taking up half the bowl below, with the other half fill with rice noodles. I was hoping for more rice noodles and less lettuce (iceberg). OK, I’m here I’m gonna munch away anyways. I’ll have to say, this wasn’t one of the better versions of this common dish. For some reason, I ate what I could, but wasn’t really fill at the end. I don’t know what the Chinese food here would be like, but I most likely won’t return for the Vietnamese food. For the same price, there are so many other options for this dish in town that taste better. Sorry to have to say that, but that’s how it is.
Now, for this Kolache thing. I get it back to where I’m staying in town and dang, I’m sorta hungry, so I’m just gonna eat it now! I cut it open, having no idea what I’ll find inside. It’s suppose to be pork, so will it look like a regular BBQ pork Bun? Opened it reveals, no, it’s filled with cut up sausage. OK, I guess that’s still pork. Tasting this for the first time, the outer bread of the bun is soft, but not as sweet as say the one’s from Honey Bakery. Actually I’m not really getting sweet at all in the bread. The sausage tastes like sausage alright, but not like breakfast sausage, more like a Kielbasa polish style sausage. I’m not getting any Chorizo type flavors, like another reviewer tasted. The amount of meat in the bun, I’d say was generous, (see pic), and It was a different flavor profile than what I’ve had before. I’d get these again. There wasn’t much selection left of the Kolache by lunch time. According to Google «Kolache» is really of Czech and Slovak origins and seems to be used here in a generic form to describe what seems to be baked style Chinese buns, just as the word «dumplings» is used to describe various Chinese dim sum, as well as similar various Russian «dumplings». OK, enough for the food lesson. I’d have to rate the food I had as a 2 star (had better), but the Bun thingy was a 3 star so I’ll give an over all of 3 stars for the bakery/​restaurant.

Thanks to Kevin Ashton, Executive Chef at Zozo’s Italian Restaurant, I learned all about Kolache! If you’re not familiar, Kolache are balls of sweetened bread dough, brushed with an egg wash and stuffed with delicious fillings, and Donut Bistro locations are the only places to get em! So this review is all about this unique and tasty pastry!
I’m not sure why Donut Bistro makes these, but I’m sure glad they do, but they only produce a limited amount of each day. On the weekends the Kolache, along with all the other delicious donuts, sell out fast, so you’ve gotta get there early. Today being a weekday, I really didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised to find a few left in the case at 10am.
Donut Bistro makes three kinds of Kolache, sausage, cheese and jalapeño, sausage and cheese, and meatball, but all that aside, for me Kolache are all about the dough! Soft interior, firm and chewy exterior with a hint of sweetness to compliment all the savory flavors inside. It’s perfect! The Sausage, cheese and jalapeño is the best in my book, and it seems like they use cooked fresh jalapeños vs the canned pickled ones, and the sausage they use is a sliced spicy chorizo/​andouille style with great flavor. The meatball is ok but they use the typical frozen party meatball and it’s just not that great in my opinion.
Two of these babies will set you back about three bucks, and will fill you Til lunch or even later! In not often near Donut Bistro but I do make it a point to stop in for these whenever I am. There’s just something about em. I do wish they’d try new fillings though. Here’s to hoping for it in the future.

Here’s what makes this place good– after pretty good Vietnamese or Chinese food, you get to choose from a great selection of donuts! I had the phở, which really for the most part is about the same everywhere in Reno. Wife had twice cooked noodles, which was pretty good as well. Service was adequate. What I liked is that it was good, pretty fast, and then we got donuts afterwards. Here’s something I particularly liked — the maple donut with bits of bacon. I was chatting with the guy behind the counter about voodoo donuts in Portland Oregon, and he stated that he makes his this way because you get a bit of bacon in every bite. Smart dude. Nice to see something done smarter!

Donuts and phở isn’t the most fluid business combination but I guess if they can do both well why not. I haven’t had the donuts but I did stop in for lunch yesterday and overall it was decent. It was slow so it was very quick and the prices are very reasonable. It’s certainly not the best phở in town but it was pretty good. I appreciated that they had flame broiler chicken as an option as most Vietnamese restaurants don’t offer chicken rather pork, beef or shrimp. I wasn’t overwhelmed but for an inexpensive and quick healthy lunch in south Reno I would return. A salad and a vermicelli bowl with chicken came to $ 11.75.

Yes – 5 stars – but dangerous if you work within walking distance! BEWARE!
Seriously, the lunch specials are excellent. Typical, Americanized Chinese Fare with fried goodness and drenched in sauce with soup and fried rice and even more fried things stuffed with cream cheese for less than 8 bucks? Works for me! There are some healthier stir fried type options too. Highly recommended.
Even better-​the Vietnamese fare. Vermicelli bowls (pork and egg roll is my favorite) and Phở. Can’t beat either.
Even better yet: they have doughnuts! (as the name implies) Good stuff!
This is a great place for lunch – and very quick. Highly recommended.

I give this place 4 stars because of the great and affordable donuts. I absolutely love the chocolate glazed Bavarian crème filled ones.
As for the food, it’s not bad, but nothing to be super excited about either.

The donuts are good, but the Phở and the flame broiled pork is tasteless. The table we sat on was a little sticky.

This is a Phở Noodle too! I thought it was super random that a doughnut bakery and a Phở would be in the same place but their Phở is delicious. Don’t write this restaurant off. Their spring rolls are delicious! It may not be a place to go if you’re trying to lose weight though… the doughnuts taunted me the whole time I was there eating my Phở.

Dropped by since we were staying within walking distance.
Odd to see both a donut shop combined with a Phở noodle house.
Beef noodles was surprisingly pleasant. Seating and décor is nominal.

Walked in/​Walked out
This place looked pretty cool so me and my buddy stopped in. We walked up to the register and stood there. Stood some more, and more. Two employees saw us and didnt say anything. Stood some more. And bounced. If you dont feel like taking my order then put a closed sign up. Thanks for nothing.

I’m not really a donut person so hadn’t gone in, and coworkers had talked about the chinese restaurant on the corner, and I thought «Donuts and chinese?» One day I walked down to check it out and was seated promptly, and the place is very clean, and pleasing to the eye. The donuts in the case look great (if I liked donuts!)
But I came for lunch. The menu was the usual fair, not alot of surprise there, but I’ve tried a couple things there, and the food and service are always great. It’s not expensive either, and you get a nice size serving without it being too much. The people working behind the counter always have a smile, and are helpful and friendly.
I would recommend to my friends (and you!) and will continue to try different things, and heck maybe even one day try a donut!

Mmmmm. Maple-​bacon donuts. The stuff dreams are made of. I was tipped off to Donut Bistro by a coworker who knows of my bacon needs. At first, seeing a police car in the parking lot was a good sign. As I got closer, it was determined to only be a refurbished private black-​and-​white. Upon entering, the Bistro is a very tiny shop. The windows are filthy inside and out and made it difficult to even see outside in the parking lot. Obviously never cleaned since store opening, and makes one worry about cleanliness elsewhere in the shop. They have machine-​run cappuccino machines and hot chocolate machines. Might as well be at the airport or using a vending machine, which probably would have left us feeling more fuzzy about our service:
When we walked in and marveled that the Tale of the Bacon Donut was true, we were interrupted by a terse «What do you want.» Asked the girl how she was, and she just repeated, «What do you want.» Nice. Then, we were trying to order other donuts, and she just wouldn’t respond. When we asked if she got everything, she just said that she needed «more information. There are three different kinds of jelly donut.» Seriously. Were you just going to stand there in silence until we told you? Then, we went to check out. She asked if we wanted a drink, and my husband ordered coffee. She asked if he wanted room for cream, then proceeded to fill it to the very brim to the point of spilling. Then, she asked what kind of cream.? No mention of options, and acted like we were dumb for not knowing the contents of her refrigerator. When presented with the coupon from ValPak, we just asked her to redeem whatever one was worth more – free donut versus free coffee. She would not respond. Then just started cutting one of the coupons and asked again which was worth more, would not respond, just asked for the money.
Will never return to this shop, regardless of quality of donut or bacon requirements. No one needs to experience this kind of service early on a Saturday, with no one else in the shop. Hate to think how much worse it would have been in a rush. Will gladly go to the semi-​ghetto Jelly Donut on Wells, with enthusiastic lovely ladies that say «Thanks you!!» I’ll just put my own darn bacon on top.

I’m giving this 5 stars because I hadn’t had a good donut in a long time. Most of the donuts I’ve eaten in the last couple of years have been too greasy, not raised properly, or stale. Or, all of the above.
We stumbled upon this place on our way from Reno to Lake Tahoe, while looking for a quick breakfast. I saw the Subway sign and said «don’t they make breakfast sandwiches now?» When we parked, I saw Donut Bistro at the corner and HAD to go in and look. There was one guy working there, and one family eating. The place looked very very empty, usually a bad sign to me. However, it looked very new and very clean. (Yes, I used the restroom – it was clean, too.) Also, the guy who was working there was very nice and delivered quick service.
So here’s what we had:
Old Fashioned with chocolate glaze (good, crispy edged donut; chocolate was too thick, so this donut ended up being too sweet, but otherwise good)
Maple Raised: this was my favorite. Thin layer of maple glaze that actually tastes like maple, not just sugar syrup on a well-​raised, non-​greasy donut. I wish I had two.
Apple Fritter: I’m not a fan of apple fritters. They’re always too sweet for me. But, my companion managed to sneak one in our order, not that it requires sneaking. It was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, just as an apple fritter should be.
Sausage, cheese, and jalapeño kolache. This was good! It was a little dry, but I would totally eat this for breakfast. Sliced polish sausage, jalapeño pepper, and cheese in a bread bun. I think it would have been better if the jalapeño was chopped, so you’d have it evenly distributed with the meat and cheese.
I’m really glad we found this place, but I’m also a little worried this will be my pit-​stop every morning when we stay in Reno…

(copied/​moved this review from the Sparks Donut Bistro section, now that Kara V has created an entry for the South Reno location — thanks Kara!)
I stopped by this new South Reno location, which I was told has been open a couple months now. It’s address is: 465 S Meadows Pkwy, Reno, NV, 89 521‑5945; not sure how to update or add this address for Donut Bistro’s second location to Unilocal.
I decided to give this place a try after receiving a mailer coupon for a free donut (buy one get one) and after reading Billy’s review noting that they have chocolate crème-​filled donuts (thanks bro!).
I tried a double chocolate cake donut, and one of the chocolate cremes (it is a glaze donut with chocolate icing and filled with a chocolate-​pudding type filling in the center). The cake donut was good sized but a tad crunchy for my taste; the chocolate crème donut however was delicious! The donut was light and fluffy; not too thick like some other places. I was on the look-​out for the amount of filling in the center based on a previous review, but was pleasantly surprised as seemed more than a than a teaspoon to me and hit it on the first bite– so maybe they have increased the amount or was just a renegade batch one day. If the one I got had much more filling in it than it did, it might even have been over-​load (too sweet). But then these things are always subjective to individual tastes and preferences.
I confirmed they did indeed offer refills on the cofee, even for a large one. Service was great, a friendly cute young lady was the only employee and was on quick on her toes as people walked in. The location is small and non-​descript; couple of booths and some tables, and is located just north of and in the same complex as the Wells Fargo at S. Meadows Pkway and Gateway.
The name «Donut Bistro» could lead some to think this is a fancy gourmet donut shop; that it is not, but for what it is, it’s quite good! I preferred the donuts to the larger nearby Doughboy’s.
The companion coupon to the free donut mailer coupon I used was a $ 2 off a dozen; good deal if you need a bunch!
I will definitely be back, but will stick to the glazed donuts and the chocolate crème ones in particular :-). Thanks again to Billy A for the tip on the chocolate cremes being on their menu; that’s the kind of info that makes Unilocal so useful!