Very good for cheap, no-frills doughnuts. If you want frills like I did, exhaust your appetite and wallet at Pandamonium with their deliciously picturesque pieces of expensive goodness. If you've tried them all or are short on cash, Carmella's will probably always be standing around to let you back into a small world of simple but good doughnuts that give a better feeling than similarly priced supermarket doughnuts. They're nothing special, but I've yet to be disappointed. The chocolate cake (I've tried glazed and chocolate frosted) doughnuts are perfect for dunking in coffee, and while the bavarian cream stuffed chocolate frosted long john was a bit one-ended on its filling, it was still a thoroughly enjoyable yeast doughnut. The store is a bit run-down and dimly lit, but I have a bit of a soft spot for such places and just call them "quaint." I personally will always take my doughnuts home. In summary, Carmella's has my business, and while I'll still have some one-morning stands with Pandamonium, I've become a much tamer doughnut eater and prefer the satisfying set of basics and great prices that Carmella's has stood by for years and years. read more

Yes. Just yes. Visited for the first time today and it's a good thing I'm only living here for a few more months, because I can see myself getting into a dangerous habit of going here. 6 amazing donuts for $5.30? That's awesome even on my grad student budget! I came in the morning (about 9am) and I'll be interested to see if they're good later in the day, too. A few notes--there aren't any labels on the trays of donuts in the case. You'll need to either be able to identify things by sight or be able to match the wall-mounted menu to the items in the case. Or you can do like me and just go "that one, the twisty one." They do have a drive-thru--I'll probably do that next time, now that I have an idea of what I like and what they have. Service was no-frills but polite. Thoughts on the donuts themselves: yeast donuts with icing were fabulous. FABULOUS. Soft and sweet but with just the right amount of bite so you weren't chewing on air. I had a chocolate frosted with nuts (tasty!) and a maple-frosted (OMGBESTEVER and that's including Tim Hortons in Canada, home of Maple Everything). Chocolate cake donut (glazed) was pretty good. Nothing to do cartwheels over, but totally acceptable for a cake donut. Hit the spot. I'll probably skip it in favor of yeast donuts, though. Old-fashioned (glazed) was very good. I ate this one in pieces to savor it. Mmmm! Also got a twisty donut--possibly a tiger tail? like I said, no labels in the cases. It's a delicious yeast donut with a basic glaze and a chocolate swirl. It's about twice as big as a regular donut and OH, so good. Last but not least, I was a bit sad they didn't have any ring donuts with icing and sprinkles, so I got a longjohn with chocolate icing and sprinkles. I tend to avoid these because I'm picky about fillings--but wouldn't you know it, there wasn't a filling! Hooray for me! The texture on this one is a bit chewier than the regular yeast donuts, slightly less sweet, but still good. And the icing was just right for keeping the sprinkles stuck to it, too. Next time I visit I'll probably get a tiger tail and a maple iced donut and call it a day. Getting a half-dozen every time would be far too dangerous! But trust me...I WILL be visiting again. Oh yes. read more

I'm giving Carmella's Creme 5 stars despite those little monkeys being a bit greasy. I must say, (my opinion) the apple turnover doughnut thingy and the tiger tail pardon any wrongs other CC pastries have committed against Yelpers. The treats are hearty like paczkis, very filling. The dough was soft and the cinnamon cinnamony. The apples are like real apples, not apple filling. Like for real, dude must be scoring and peeling apples every night for his fritters. Now, hear ye, hear ye, if you're looking for a swanky, polished doughnut shop...don't pass the threshold. CC's is like your old great grandma's depression-era kitchen without the kitsch of an enjoyable living history experience. So, suck up any yuppiness and pretense because homey ain't got time for your inflated standards. He gotta make the doughnuts not clean the windows. Ya Heard! read more

Based solely on the creme filled donut, I give this place five stars. I taste real vanilla. Best creme filled donut I've ever had.

Okay, I love love love donuts so when I was in Champaign I had to check out this place because it seemed like a legit place to get delicious donuts. However, when I came in there were few options, and the owner seemed a little unfriendly. I chose the cinnamon donut. Okay, the donut was dry, hard, and oily. The oil literally soaked through the bag! My friend got the old fashion donut and ended up throwing it away because it was so oily. Unfortunately, this place did not satisfy my donut craving. Also, the weird thing about this place is they don't have their hours so people are just left wondering. I had to call the day before I went to check the hours, and the owner mumbled grumpily the hours to me. read more

Donuts were okay but the coffee was horrible. Tasted like the pot that served it hadn't been cleaned out in some time. That was reinforced by the fact that coffee stains were all over the wall behind it. Overall the place was quite disorganized and dirty. Really turned me off. Bought 6 donuts to try and threw 5.5 of them in the trash with the coffee. read more

I came here and got an old fashioned donut. I did not enjoy it. I hate wasting food and never let donuts go to waste, but I couldn't even eat the whole thing. it was overcooked, too crunchy, and very oily. Maybe some of the other donuts are better, but I will not likely be coming back. read more

A great place to go for cheap, home-made doughnuts. They're not open 24-7 like Dunkin' Doughnuts, but they're certainly better.

I cruised through the drive through around 8AM on a weekday and got 3 donuts. Two of them were stale. I had heard great things and love supporting local business, but my first trip was a disappointment. I'll definitely give it another shot and see if I happened to go on an off day. read more

Honestly, these are some of my favorite donuts ever. They're cheap and they're delicious. My friends and I do Carmella's runs almost every week we like it that much. I haven't had Pandemonium in over a year since trying a carmella's sour cream. It's run by an asian man and his wife and they're very sweet. They can be a bit greasy if you just kind of let them sit in the bag you can see grease stains form on the white bags, but that just makes them taste so good. Their Maple and their sour cream old fashioned are exceptional along with their blueberry. Have not tried one I didn't like. Will be going here for as long as I'm at school and any time I visit. read more

Fresh donuts. Mmm... donuts. The place only accepts cash, which is something to be aware of, but the donuts are all really good. I like the glazed cake, though they can taste a bit greasy if you eat more than one at a time. read more

This place is good - it's not the be-all, end-all of donut shops but it's pretty good.

Home made Donuts at its best! These are the best donuts I've had since I was a kid!! Cash only is the way to go at this place along with smile. ;) read more

Literally the best donuts in CU - the owner is incredibley nice and honestly there is no better deal than carmella's for donuts (every donut is under a $1!). Try the chocolate or the old-fashioned and trust me that you won't regret a thing. read more

Goood donuts great taste and are very light and fluffy just remember cash or check only!

The maple glazed cake doughnuts are a must try!

I hadn't visited this place since middle school and decided to give it a whirl - boy has it changed. The inside was dirty, the employee had their shoes off, and the donuts themselves didn't taste like donuts at all but rather straight cooking oil. To say you get what you pay for is an understatement. I'm not sure how this place is up to code and still in business, but I won't be back. read more

The best donuts I've ever had in my life. My favorite are the cinnamon roll and chocolate glazed donuts.

As per other reviews we stopped in and grabbed a variety of donuts. Very bread like, not the light fluffy dough I adore. The raspberry filled with powdered sugar left a very bad taste in my mouth for quite awhile read more

Thank god for Carmella's! Dunkin' was never as good as Carmella's, but ever since Dunkin' changed their frying oil, their donuts leave this weird film in my mouth and they taste like chemicals. Carmella's donuts taste like real old-fashioned homemade donuts, and they're about 33 percent cheaper than Dunkin's, too. Their drive-thru lane is fast and friendly (and roomy) - no danger of jumping the curb here. read more

This place has the best donuts in Champaign! They are always fresh and the owners are so sweet. Glazed old fashioned and the chocolate with angel frosting are amazing! You can't go wrong for taste or price at Carmella's! read more

Solid doughnuts; they don't have a huge variety if you want to try a bunch of weird flavors. They have all the classics and they are tasty. I love their plain glazed, and they had a cream-filled long john that was delicious. The jelly-filled was also above average with very tasty, not overly sweet raspberry jelly. It's a good place for classic doughnuts, just remember that it's cash-only. read more

What a warm welcome to champaign! It's moving day and I stop at this donut shop, but being new to town didn't realize it was cash only. They said don't worry get me next time and welcome to champaign... Wow. Oh and the donuts where amazing I'm hooked! read more

Not very impressed. My boyfriend and I tried this place for the first time, and for me at least, it wasn't the best. I just wasn't with the over all taste of the doughnuts. read more

We went on a Saturday morning and got an old fashioned, a chocolate iced cake, and a cinnamon twist. I found the old fashioned to be a bit greasy and overly sweet but the chocolate iced cake and cinnamon twist were excellent. If you want an old school donut, this is your place. read more

Absolute best donuts in Champaign-Urbana!! So soft and sweet! Exactly what you want when you crave donuts. I could literally eat them everyday. read more

The best donuts in the Champaign/Urbana area. No contest. Great service, great prices, and high quality. Cash only. Don't forget to leave them a tip in the Dixie cup!! read more