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Writing about classic donuts in Queens last week, I was inspired to explore more sweet holey goodness in the city of brotherly love. Finding ourselves in Philly once again for a friend's wedding, Dan and I took this opportunity to try some new eats. Being that our friends are big time foodies made it easy, especially since they had tons of great recommendations. Federal Donuts was one of these, and I was eager to try their take on the classic donut.
Atmosphere:
There's not much to say about the atmosphere at Federal Donuts because it's as simple as it can be. Located in a residential neighborhood in South Philly, Federal Donuts consists of a simple storefront, a small eat-in space inside and not much in terms of decor. But despite its spartan furnishings, Federal Donuts is living proof of why one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, for what comes out of their kitchens is the work of an evil sweet genius.
Donuts:
Selling two types of donuts, hot fresh and fancy, it's easy to make one's decision, especially on a holiday weekend afternoon when all the fancy ones were sold out. A bit bummed out about the situation, I tried to still get excited about the freshly fried donuts that would shortly be within my reach. There were three flavors to choose from, so I naturally ordered them all and waited a few minutes for them to come out of the fryer.
After receiving my batch of Vanilla Lavender, Apollonia and Indian Cinnamon donuts, I couldn't wait too long to break into the bag and devour them. To my slight surprise, they were too hot to the touch, so I had to wait a bit to actually enjoy them, but it was worth it.
Once they cooled to room temperature, I quickly broke them into smaller pieces and began eating the vanilla lavender, which I immediately fell in love with. Although the lavender was oh so subtle, the flavors were noticeable without taking away from the fresh, cake-like dough. Dan took a bite too and agreed these were some pretty darn fantastic donuts. The cinnamon and Apollonia were identical in texture to the Lavender, however with a hint of spice that tickled the back of your throat. I wish I had a nice cup of coffee to enjoy with it, but I'll have to save that for next time.
Service and Cost:
I found the service to be friendly yet quirky, reminding me of the wonderfully weird folks that settle in foodie cities such as Austin and Portland.
Costs are inexpensive, given the high quality of these dough babies at just $1.25/pop or $6 for a half dozen.
3 Sugary Mmmms
Federal Donuts - 1219 S. Second Street, Philadelphia PA 19147
267.687.8258
federaldonuts.com
