1441 Wilmington Ave.
Dayton, OH 45420
937.293.1080
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It’s easy to feel like local donut shops are a dying breed in America. With big chains claiming a monopoly on breakfast, and ever more common corner shops with the convenience of drive-through expanding through the suburbs and tackling market share, the taste of the homemade donut is getting forgotten. But Stan the Donut Man has stayed above that. This bastion of local, on the cusp of Kettering and Dayton, makes local pastries and other baked goodies. You may not know what they do to keep things local and small, but I can tell you you’ll taste the difference.
The baked goods at Stan the Donut Man are made the old-fashioned way: small-batch, using fresh ingredients, baked up every day. The basic donut, which can come topped with frosting, sprikles or something else, are great. The secret is that the dough takes back the sweet a little bit. Take the cinnamon roll, for instance, which is made like most of the other donuts. The roll tastes–strongly like cinnamon. It’s refreshing! All too often you find a place like this doesn’t have a lot of time to make a good recipe that is memorable, but Stan has been perfecting his craft over time.
And there are other great things to try, too. If you like eclairs, the spot doesn’t have them in name, but its custard filled donuts are about the same thing. There are apple fritters and other kinds of seasonal goodies to be enjoyed, too. This spot knows what people like, and its local feel is just great.
The spot even keeps things a little old-fashioned, with a slight upcharge for credit cards (it’s a local business, after all) and a small inside bar where people like to congregate and chat before the work day begins. The spot could use a makeover inside to be sure, but the fact is that local bake shops like this are hard to come by, and there’s just something great to be said of that experience. Local spots like this one, a little bit lost in time, but where people in the community really congregate. It’s a rarity.
Recommendations
- The spot has pretty good hours throughout the day where many other bakeries stick to morning-only hours. In fact it’s a great spot to get an afternoon snack or dessert, too.
- There is a slight upcharge for credit cards. Nothing huge but worth knowing about.
- Donuts that are a bit older or imperfect are sold for cheaper, at 50 cents each. Take advantage!
Another Food Critic 
This is really a great place! Just as good as Bill’s or wherever with bigger reputations. Reminds me of the quality donuts of my childhood.