The Butler County Donut Trail Journey
By: Jon Shumaker
Date: 17/10/2021
The Donut Hole By Milton
Many food and drink themed trails have been popping up around the country but probably the sweetest trail of all is the Butler (Ohio) County Donut Trail. This trail consists of twelve mandatory and one optional local donut shop on about an eighty-nine mile (without the optional shop) five-hour journey. My recommendation for this trail is to start very early to complete before the shops close or sell out, along with determining a strategy to compare all the shops. Also, eating a complete donut at every shop will wreck any diet other than the all you can eat carb diet, eating a small portion (I did a quarter of each) and saving the rest for another day. If you do the trail with a group of three or four, sharing one is a good idea. For the tactical comparison of the shops, picking one type of common donut or comparing the most popular donut could be an approach. This guide to the Donut Trail covers the twelve mandatory shops to complete the passport, operating hours, address, price range, most popular donut, Google rating/number of reviews, and finally a personal review of a standard glazed yeast donut. A passport should be available at each shop on the trail if requested. The order will follow the Donut Trail numbering system.
1: Name: Central Pastry Shop
Address: 1518 Central Ave., Middletown, OH 45044
Hours of operation: 0630-1730 Day Closed: Sunday Google Review Score: 4.7
Number of Reviews: 455 Price Range: $0.75-1.75
Most Popular: Fudge Squares, Cinnamon Squares, Butter Glaze Twist (favorite of the worker)
Description and review of the donut: Perfect glaze with a light dough that is a bit sour and gooey. My rating is Very Good.
2: Holtman’s Donuts
Address: 9558 Civic Centre Blvd., West Chester, OH 45069
Hours of operation: 0600-1900/ Sunday 0600-1400 Day Closed: n/a Google Review Score: 4.5
Number of Reviews: 765 Price Range: $1.25-2
Most Popular: Maple Bacon, Old Fashion, and Persian
Description and review of the donut: The yeast donuts I have had before and they then to be a bit heavier but tasty. My choice for favorite donut is the Red Velvet cake donut. The downtown store tends to be a bit better than the Civic location based on my sample. The donut was compact and not fluffy. My rating is Good.
3: Jupiter Coffee & Donuts
Address: 5353 Dixie Hwy., Fairfield, OH 45014
Hours of operation: 0500-1230/ Sunday 0600-1300 Day Closed: Monday and Tuesday Google Review Score: 4.8 Number of Reviews: 514 Price Range: $0.95-2.50
Most Popular: Cronuts, Fried Croissants, Red Storm (Raspberry filled cinnamon roll)
Description and review of the donut: Moist, soft, and flavorful dough with a smooth mid sweet glaze. My rating is Very Good.
4: Kelly’s Bakery
Address: 1335 Main St., Hamilton, OH 45013
Hours of operation: 0500-1230/ Wednesday 0600-1200 Day Closed: Monday Google Review Score: 4.8 Number of Reviews: 262 Price Range: $1.00-2.50
Most Popular: Glazed Yeast and Fried Croissants
Description and review of the donut: Big and sweet glaze that is less smooth than other shops. The dough is light and dry. My rating is Good.
5: Martin’s Donuts
Address: 4 W. State St., Trenton, OH 45067
Hours of operation: 0400-1300 Day Closed: n/a Google Review Score: 4.5 Number of Reviews: 301 Price Range: $1.00 -1.75
Most Popular: Apple/Pumpkin Fritters
Description and review of the donut: Good Glaze sweetness with a bit of a sour dough that tastes good. My rating is Very Good.
6: Milton’s Donuts
Address: 3533 Roosevelt Blvd., Middletown, OH 45044
Hours of operation: 0500-1100/ Wednesday 0500-1200 Day Closed: Monday Google Review Score: 4.6 Number of Reviews: 99 Price Range: $0.85-1.75
Most Popular: Plain glazed yeast and cake donuts
Description and review of the donut: Perfect dough but the glaze needs to be a bit sweeter. My rating is Good.
7: Mimi’s Donuts & Bakery
Address: 2267 Millville Ave., Hamilton, OH 45044
Hours of operation: 0600-1200/ Wednesday 0700-1200 Day Closed: Monday to Wednesday Google Review Score: 4.5 Number of Reviews: 135 Price Range: $1.00-2.50
Most Popular: Pineapple Upside-down Cake (seasonal but not known) and Chocolate Croissant (3 Stripes of chocolate inside)
Description and review of the donut: Glaze a bit sweet and perfect dry dough. My rating is Very Good.
9A: Ross Bakery
Address: 1051 Eaton Ave., Hamilton, OH 45013
Hours of operation: 0400-1200 Day Closed: Sunday Google Review Score: 4.5 Number of Reviews: 95 Price Range: $1.00-3.25
Most Popular: Glazed yeast donuts and specialty with fresh fruit
Description and review of the donut: Glaze is too sweet, and the dough is a bit dry. The primary flavor is sugar. My rating is Below Average.
10: Stan the Donut Man
Address: 7967 Cincinnati Dayton Rd., West Chester, OH 45069
Hours of operation: 0600-1200 Day Closed: n/a Google Review Score: 4.3 Number of Reviews: 134 Price Range: $1.00-1.50
Most Popular: Sour Cream Cake and Pineapple Fritter
Description and review of the donut: Good glaze and average dough. My rating is Good.
11: The Donut Dude
Address: 7132 Cincinnati Dayton Rd., Liberty Township, OH 45069
Hours of operation: 0600-1300/ Sunday 0700-1200 Day Closed: Monday Google Review Score: 4.7 Number of Reviews: 160 Price Range: $1.25-2.25
Description and review of the donut: Good dough but the glaze needs to be sweeter. My rating is Good.
12: The Donut Hole by Milton’s
Address: 8268 Princeton Glendale Rd., West Chester, OH 45069
Hours of operation: 0600-1100 Day Closed: Monday Google Review Score: 4.6 Number of Reviews: 86 Price Range: $0.80-1.75
Most Popular: “the one that looks like a biscuit”
Description and review of the donut: This was my favorite donut on the trail. When I bit into it, I was speechless on the flavor. That is light and tasty donut. My rating is Amazing.
If your trip is starting in Cincinnati the most efficient trip is completing an arch. The order by the donut trail shop numbers 2, 10, 12, 11, 6, 1, 5, 9A, 4, 8, 7, 13, and 3 from the right of the arch, with the inverse from the left side.
After completing all the mandatory but The Donut Spot due to the shop closing prior to getting to the end, my conclusion is the tour is a tasty tour that you will not want to eat another donut the rest of the day, but by the next morning you just might.