Holtmans continues to be yummy perfection! I've been a fan since the day I moved here November 1, 2014. My request was for the most talked about donuts in town. Katie, Danny and Maggie were so gracious to open their doors to Yelp community for this event. Love that this is a family thing, that their popularity has grown, and they are still creating new. I hope that it just keeps getting bigger and better! The views behind the scenes was so cool. The smells...definitely delicious. I was amazed at how much they have packed into that little space. Sprinkles galore that would make any child giddy. Clean? Oh wow it was so amazingly clean. I don't think my kitchen floor is that clean...and I don't serve 10000 donuts a day. Tastes...the best. We got to dress our own donut and enjoy. After the tour Danny brought out the newest baby...marshmallows that are created by him. Roasted the marshmallows there and we got to enjoy that bourbon vanilla goodness. I could have eaten the whole tray and gone into a sugar rush and lived happily ever after. Afterwards I ordered up to take home to the rest of the family. Thanks Yelp for bringing us an awesome event! Thanks Holtman's gang for sharing your time, space and talent with us. read more

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This experience was just hands-down amazing. Holtman's Wake and Bake deserves all five stars in my book for two reasons: One, they threw an awesome event. Fresh coffee for arriving Yelpers? Check. Hot donuts complete with all the fixings? Check. A storefront that smells like heaven?! CHECK. At the beginning of the 4 a.m. tour we got a history lesson from Katie. I was impressed to learn that Holtman's has been around since 1960 using their family recipe to make amazing donuts. The donuts and glazes are all made from scratch. The regular donuts are made using real yeast and doing all the kneading, rising and proofing that goes along with that. One of the other things that makes Holtman's unique is that they do not use wax in their glaze. This means the bowl will start to set and form a skin so you have to stir before dipping, but makes the donuts that much more delicious! I sampled the yeasted donut I made at the event plus part of the red velvet cake donut I purchased at the end of the event. Holtman's toppings are wonderful, but they are only building on the solid foundation of the donuts. As others have said, the donut itself is not super sweet. The regular donut is fluffy and full of yeasty flavor. The cake donut, surprisingly, is dense and moist without being in your face sugary as most are. That said, this is a good thing as the toppings can be super rich (I'm looking at you, cream cheese frosting). One of the best Yelp events I have ever attended, and I was so happy to have the chance to buy donuts at the end! And now, reason two: After the event I went back to Mercer Garage to retrieve my car and the pay stations wouldn't accept my ticket. It being 5 a.m. on a Saturday, there was no attendant and the posted phone numbers went unanswered. Unsure of what else to do, I returned to Holtman's and explained what had happened. Katie so graciously walked me back to the garage and scanned me out with her own parking pass. I cannot say thank you enough for helping me out! In summary, Holtman's is the real deal, with awesome donuts and family-owned vibe. I will be back! read more

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We were in the first group at 3AM, and I hadn't even been asleep yet. However, besides being slap happy and out of it. It was so worth it and really fun. I loved listening to the owners and talking about their history of where they came from and where they were going. I loved walking in and smelling the donuts being made. It was pure bliss. I was excited when I saw the set up for us to decorate our own donuts. My mind started racing of thinking of all the different combinations that would be awesome together. I ended up making myself a Vanilla Glazed with "Yelp" Sprinkles (To me it was OSU sprinkles for game day) and Chocolate Chip Cookie Crumbles. I made one to take home to Dan with Chocolate Glaze, Pretzels and Candy Corn. Then we all got to make a "Smore's" donut with Chocolate Glaze, Graham Crackers, and Fresh Made Marshmallows. Which were the best. The glow sticks were pretty awesome too, I may add. Great event. Amazing donuts. I wish the owners the best of luck in their future endeavors! Also, Cindy & Sam are super babes forever. Another amazing Yelp! Event. read more

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You could not have hand picked a better first Yelp! Elite event for me to attend. Amazing! And, it was at 3 a.m. Not only was it well worth it, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. The bottom line is this; we really got a very good in-depth look at a local business that works for its community and puts out an amazing product. A product that is not just standard fare cookie cutter garbage. Quality craftsmanship and a passion for what they do here at Holtman's. From their natural ingredients, to their family recipe, to their solid hard work ethic and the passion for what they do, you cannot go wrong with a formula like this. I drove 30 minutes to get to Holtman's. It was worth every mile and every minute. And what made it worth it was not just the amazing donuts that they make here but the story of this great local business. We need more of this in every way! Thank you for having us in your house. read more

This event was really informative. Danny and his father make THE BEST DOUGHNUTS EVER. One of the main reasons is, most bakers use powdered yeast and add water to activate the yeast. Holtman's uses already active yeast to create their doughnuts. This does make it difficult to make different shaped doughnuts because they don't hold those shapes well. They are higher in gluten than most doughnuts. Kudos to those bakers for having the perfect touch in making the doughnuts and decorating them without harming a single one! Icing them the way they do is effortless for them and disastrous for me! I never would have thought it'd be that difficult. The ideas for new toppings come from Danny who takes three to four trips a week to Jungle Jim's. They have three locations now and a fourth is underway. On a Saturday downtown could sell up to 10,000 doughnuts!!! Goshen and downtown make them right on site. The Withamsville location does not have a bakery within, those products are transported. Downtown utilizes every inch of that kitchen. They are lucky to have those extremely tall ceilings, otherwise, I don't know how they would have room for everything they need to operate. Three to four bakers on two shifts and about four others selling doughnuts and their business continues to grow. 2,000 to 10,000 a day is unbelievable! These doughnuts are fantastic! The warmer the better. They also use seven hills coffee beans which are special roasted. It smells so good walking in, between the doughnuts and the coffee. The maple bacon is one of the hottest sellers. The plain old glazed will always be my favorite, the toppings never hurt though. I'd like to thank DANNY, KATIE and CINDY for a great one of a kind experience! HOLTMAN'S will forever be my favorite doughnuts! read more

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So this was one of those events where I am so excited to be Yelp Elite! This was such a fun event!! It was so exciting to hand dip and customize a fresh donuts. I have no idea what I was missing until tasting a fresh donut. I am forever changed! Katie, one of the owners, gave us an excellent history of Holtman's. I had no idea they had been in Cincinnati since 1960 and that the original store was actually in Newton. We also had the opportunity to take a tour of the kitchen at Holman's that was led by Maggie. It is amazing how successful this store is with such little room to work! It was exciting to watch Danny, one of the owners flame roast some homemade marshmallows for their new donut, the S'mores donut. I highly recommend it! Overall I really enjoyed this event! It's always exciting to see how hometown businesses came to exist and also some of their backstory. Thank you so much to the folks at Holtman's and Cindy for putting this event together! read more

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Yay Holtmans! Yay Yelp! When this event popped up for donut month I KNEW I had to go, even if it meant waking up pre-dawn on an 18 mile run day. Let's just say it was worth it. As other reviews stated, we got a backstage tour and history lesson from the owners Katie and Danny in addition to their PR/Event Coordinator, Maggie. Then we got to ice and decorate our own donuts fresh out of the oven. Insert heart-eyed emoji here. I had a blast and even the wacky half and half donut I made was delicious. The only regret was not buying more! read more

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Ten. THOUSAND. Donuts!!! That is just ONE Saturday at Holtman's and ONE location #OTR. Absolutely insane but makes total sense that the community goes CRAZY over Holtman's donuts. It's a family ran business where only Dan and his Dad prepare their dough for all 3 locations (say whaaaaat?) and they give free reign to their many bakers to experiment with new donut flavor creations :) They were so gracious to host Yelp this morning with 3 tours and holy donuts, talk about a #sugarhigh!!! Not only are their cake donuts my absolute fave - blueberry, chocolate, or red velvet, but their production fascinates me! Super tiny space but these guys crank them out! And even let us be Holtman's donut makers for the morning #mylifeiscomplete. Bottom line: awesome community, awesome company, amazing donuts, and a lovely family- support Holtman's!!! P.s. New location soon Dan & Katie...?! read more

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So, I'm sugar-high and caffeinated at 6am on a Saturday. Why? Because we just got back from this awesome behind-the-scenes event at Holtman's that makes me so happy to be a Yelp Elite. I have to admit, I have only been to Holtman's once or twice since it opened since the lines are always insane. But being able to come in for a tour, meet and learn from the owners, and decorate our own donuts was incredible. Katie told us the story of Holtman's, from a small business in Newtown to finding the current space in OTR - I can't believe they make up to 10,000 donuts a day in the OTR store. I absolutely love hearing about how local businesses started & succeeded, so that part of our event was fascinating. After taking a tour of the baking area, frosting our own donuts was a lot of fun, although I decorate donuts like a first grader. I made a maple + vanilla + Lucky Charms marshmallow + pretzel donut and then realized the "less is more" philosophy, so made a vanilla + candy corn donut on my second try. (#fall #basic) We also got to watch Danny, the owner, torch some homemade marshmallows and we used them to make s'mores donuts. This was a pretty perfect event, and the fact that it was over by 6am makes me feel so productive (ha!) Plus, being able to buy a dozen donuts before the store opened (no line!) was another huge bonus. I'm going to be the most popular kid at the party I'm going to later today. THANK YOU to Katie & Danny for holding this event & staying up all night to share their store with us, and thanks to Cindy for the invitation!! Such a blast. read more

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I'm a little late in getting this review out, but better late then never. I will have to admit that we almost missed our 3am group because we almost slept through our alarm. But this event was well worth the sleepy eyes and bed head. I really enjoyed this small event. Besides meeting the owners, hearing their story and learning some family history, getting to peak in the tiny kitchen where it all happens was really neat. Watching Danny toast some awesome home made marshmallows, that was neat too. And getting to decorate (or load up) our own donut was the real treat. Sugar rush! Thank you Holtman's and Cindy for putting this together for us. And thank you for the coffee too! read more

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Top notch event. Not gonna lie I was skeptical if it would be worth the 2:30 AM wake up call but my expectations were totally exceeded. This event gave me a new appreciation for a business I was already in love with. I'm a frequent donut eater and learned how my favorite donuts were prepared and even got to take a stab and glazing and decorating a few on my own. If Holtman's ever makes an opportunity like this available a second time, 10/10 would do it again. read more

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Worth it! The 3am wake up call was brutal, but having a donut freshly made, still warm and get to ice it and topped it myself was incredibly satisfying. Hands down probably the best donut I'll ever have in my life. (Lets face it, Holtmans donuts where amazing even before this morning ) We where greated by the owners, which had lots of energy and I kept asking how do they do it every day... did I mention that on a regular Saturday they come in to make sometimes 10,000 donuts!!!!! But once you get to know them, they have a lot of passion for what they do. After all the years of donut making they still love to create new concoctions and play in the kitchen. Wake & Bake has been one of my favorite yelp elite events! Thanks Cindy for putting together yet another amazing event! read more

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It's 4am. I have had coffee and a donut and I'm wired, so I figured I might as well review this event while it's fresh in my mind. Fresh like a warm, out of the oven Holtman's donut. I confess I wasn't sure I'd make it to a 3am event, but it wasn't as difficult as I thought. The choice was to stay up late or crash early and wake myself up, and I was on Team 9pm Bedtime, which worked out better than expected. I think the idea of fresh, warm Holtman's donuts was enticement enough to motivate me. This event started off with fabulous glow jewelry, which, as a kid at heart, never gets old to me. Then, coffee once you got in the front door, thank goodness! Walking groggily over to the coffee station, you could see a row of icing and toppings all lined up for the main event, which was really cool. Sprinkles, pretzels, marshmallows, gummi worms, mint chips, drizzles, etc. We got to learn about the origins of Holtman's donuts, how quickly the Vine Street location's popularity grew, and about the eventual expansion of more locations, which is super cool. I always love those stories of people who got to quit their day jobs to do something they love. So inspiring! There was a small tour, if you wanted to check out the tight, cramped space of the Vine Street kitchen. It amazes me all they get done with such small quarters. Up to 10,000+ donuts in a day can be made. That is a lot of dough! It's kinda nuts! (sorry, I had to do it!) Decorating the warm donuts was a lot of fun, and of course eating the awesome creation. I loved the homemade marshmallows, toasted to perfection. Totally a game changer. I was super glad this was only a 1-hour event because I'm sure as soon as the coffee buzz wears off, I'll be back to snoozing in no time. read more

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I totally forgot that I had RSVP'ed to this event until I plopped my head on the pillow at a little past midnight. It was wet outside and I definitely dreaded having to get up in 3 hours to go to an event. HOWEVER, no ragrets, this event was definitely something special and I'm glad that I was able to go! A fresh-out-of-the-fryer Holtman's donut is like nothing I've ever tasted. It was awesome to be able to hear about the long history of Holtman's in the city, and it was really cool to know that even with tried-and-true secret family recipes, that they are still innovating (torched homemade marshmallows anyone?) I bought a couple to bring home to the roommate, and with a full belly and satisfied sweet tooth, I crawled back into bed with a wide smile. read more

Yelp's Wake & Bake At Holtman's! - Fresh donuts - Local Flavor Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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I've never gotten out of bed so easily so EARLY in the AM! It was such an exciting event. Right when I got to the door, I heard excitement through the windows from a prior tour... and I heard OMG FIRE/FLAMES/DOUGHNUTS. My +1 and I were like "omg let us in like now." But we waited patiently, didn't look what was happening, so that the excitement can come to us when it was our turn for our tour. This event was so intimate, different from other events that I've been to. At a couple points I got to talk directly to Katie, Danny and Maggie--one on one. Getting my curious questions asked, and getting to see 1. how the branding/graphic design came about and 2. How do their flavors of doughnuts get invented. Its awesome to hear that they collaborate with their staff and the staff gets to experiment and create the next doughnut masterpiece. It's like Masterchef but Doughnut-Chef. Got to make a few doughnuts, and the SURPRISE WAS AWESOME. Torching homemade marshmallows, and YES I totally made a SMORES doughnut out of that delicious masterpiece. Thank you Cindy and Yelp crew for making this happen. Also thank you to Holtman's crew. Totally worth it to wake up 2-3-4am for this! Thank you for everything that you guys do! read more

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When my alarm went off at 3:15 Saturday morning I have to admit, I second guessed myself. Am I really getting up right now? For any reason? But the answer was YES and I have no regrets! I have always slightly obsessed over donuts, but after getting my behind the scenes look at Holtman's I'm not sure I can go anywhere else. I really appreciate that everything is handmade, and that the company is steeped in tradition and family values. Getting to top my own donut was my favorite part. I think I excelled at the icing bit. :) I had chocolate icing, cookie crumbles and pretzels on mine, and I must say it was a fantastic combination. While 4:30am was a little too early for me to eat a giant marshmallow, I was super excited to see handmade, hand roasted marshmallows added to the Holtman's line of products. I'll be back for that S'mores donut very soon. Thank you so much to Yelp and Holtman's for putting on this event! I really enjoyed seeing the bakery, hearing the Hotlman's story, and trying it out myself! read more

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Getting up at 4 am has never been more worth it. Holtmans are my favorite donuts in Cincinnati, so having the opportunity to see them at their finest pumping out trays and trays of donuts was awesome. The owners were really cool and you could tell they are extremely passionate about what they do. I mean they were willing to get up at 3 am to talk to us and show us how they make the best donuts in the city. It was amazing to see the guys in there working. They are so fast and efficient, and already had the store stocked full of donuts ready to go for the day. Topping the donuts was a lot of fun and we had all the topping you could imagine. Pretzels with the chocolate glaze might be my new favorite. I really appreciate that they let us come in at these crazy hours to talk and tour and taste. Definitely a great event by Cindy. read more

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Rise and shine! Waking up this early was a bit of a challenge and we almost overslept. That being said, the donuts are worth it. I could go on about things that others mentioned, but I won't waste your time. This was a special event that we were lucky to attend. I love seeing the behind the scenes of a business and learning what makes a place "tick". The workers are very nice and explained every facet of donut production. It is incredible how many they produce in a kitchen that is smaller than many residential homes. My custom donut was nothing out of the ordinary, essentially a s'more without the graham cracker. It was tasty and I'd like to thank Cindy and the Yelp crew for putting this event together. (As if anyone needed encouragement to devour donuts?!) ;) Holtman's crew was excellent and the donuts are some of the best in the area. Congrats on your continued success and we look forward to the future crazy donut concoctions. read more

Easily my favorite Yelp Elite event to date! Waking up early wasn't even an issue when you are greeted with glow sticks, coffee and fresh doughnuts!! It was so cool to hear about the history of Holtmans and dip our very own freshly glazed doughnuts into the icing and topping of our choice. I feel very lucky to have been able to attend this event! Thank you Holtman's for having us before you opened! read more

Wow yeah ok um can I wake up to this experience every morning, please?! My 4:30am wake up call was definitely met with excitement, but also with temptation to press the snooze button. HOWEVER I got my butt outta bed and am so happy I did! Thank you thank you thank you Yelp and Holtman's for giving us a behind the scenes look into the magic of your donut creations! After hearing your story and current business challenges/successes, my appreciation for your donuts has reached an entirely new level. Warm, gooey, and fresh! ....If you ever need a test taster for your masterpieces, you know where to find me! read more

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One word. Awesome! There is nothing like waking up at an ungodly hour for heavenly donuts! And to decorate your very own Holtman's donut with their signature glazes.. literally cannot think of a better way to begin my Saturday morning. Danny and Katie were very informative and so nice! The bakery is churning out donuts almost 24/7.. 10pm the previous night to 5pm the next day. That's 10,000 donuts per day! Seriously.. move over krispy kreme there is a new sheriff in town. read more

Wow! What a great donut shop. Everything is freshly made and done with perfect precision. Cindy G. Led a group of us into this OTR gem and let us take a peek at how they make the donuts. Thanks so much to Yelp and the friendly owners of Holtman's for a great morning! read more

Already was a HUGE Holtman's fan, but I never truly realized my dedicated until I was given the opportunity to wake up at 4:30 am to eat as many donuts & learn about the history and upcoming plans of the best (maybe!) donut shop in Cincy. Hands down one of the coolest Elite experience ever! read more

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You know who likes donuts... Everyone! What a fun time this was. Nothing is like a warm donut and then to get all the toppings you want. That was just plain awesome. Thanks Holtmans and Yelp!! read more

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Thank you Holtman's for staying up all night and feeding us delicious things!!! I've been to this location before, but never had real interactions with the employees. It was pretty jarring to realize that they are up when so many are going to bed- getting ready to feed people for the day. Of course, I loved getting to make and decorate my own donuts. Delicious! Almost as delicious as what y'all make! The tour was great- and it was crazy to learn how many donuts they make in one day.. and that they usually sell out!!! The highlight was seeing the new marshmallows being hand toasted. I loved it! Thanks again, for having us!!! read more

For my first event I really enjoyed coming to this event. The doughnuts are so delicious! I thought the owners were very down to earth and were very high spirited. Waking up to freshly baked doughnuts was totally worth waking up for!! Thank you for having us at your shop and thank you Yelp! read more

Yelp's Wake & Bake At Holtman's! - Local Flavor Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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This is the only place to get the best and tastiest donuts in town. They have a recipe that takes you back to childhood. I can say you can have donuts at other places but you will not get the taste that comes with a family style donut shop. The son and father are the only ones that have there recipe so that tells you they know how to make it last onse you sell out you are never the same. Holtmans donuts have many donuts to choose from they keep changing and making new and fresh flavors that you wouldn't even think work but they do. My favorite is the maple bacon donut omg you will come again for this one. Thanks holtmans for keeping it like the old days. read more

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Early risers get freshly baked donuts and an awesome tour of one of OTR's piece de resistance! This is probably one of my most memorable Yelp events to date and I've been to quite a few! I loved learning about the history of Holtmans Donuts and getting to know the owners. It's so remarkable how they are able to churn out so many goodies in such a small space - a testament to good things coming in small packages! It was especially fun to glaze our own donuts and getting to eat our creations! Their homemade marshmallows were so delicious - hoping they make to market! read more