On a cold, dreary Saturday, John and I made the drive to Lawrence to visit Muncher’s Bakery.
Muncher’s is located in a small strip mall, near a grocery store we visit when in the area. How we managed to miss a donut shop for so long is beyond me. Recently someone told me we had to visit Muncher’s to get a cream cheese donut. So off we went.
As we pulled off of the turnpike, I asked the toll booth attendant if he liked donuts from Muncher’s. He said he had never been there but knew many people who had. He did question me about making a long drive for them. Maybe the donuts weren’t really THAT good.
The first thing I noticed inside Muncher’s was the bakery cases. They are wood. Beautiful, old wood. In all of the donut shops I’ve visited, I’ve never seen bakery cases quite like these.
The cases were full of donuts, croissants, cakes…just about anything you can imagine at a bakery. John ordered a variety of goodies and I went off in search of the bathroom. It was a long drive to get here…
To reach the bathroom, I had to find my way through the dimly lit interior, walk through no fewer than a dozen old men sitting drinking coffee and eating donuts and wind through the kitchen before turning down a narrow hallway. Nothing fancy, but a trip to the bathroom did provide a good look at the whole place, from the loafing old fellas area to the kitchen where I palettes with 50 pound bags of flour occupied much of the floor space.
So here’s the report on the donuts. John thought they were mediocre. He wouldn’t drive 2 hours round trip to get them. I am guessing the popularity is based on a couple of things: they are open 24 hours a day–a bonus in a college town and their donuts are cheap. Not that these donuts were bad, just nothing worth driving out of town to buy.
The tiny little cinnamon roll bites were a great size.
The apple fritters were more like a typical filled donut, except they weren’t filled with apples, just a few apples in the batter. These are different from most donut shop fritters.
I thought this bench was really cute.
Muncher’s Bakery is located at 925 Iowa Street in Lawrence, Kansas. Take cash, no credit cards are accepted.
Did you try the Cream Cheese Donuts? 🙂
(Also, there's no apostrophe in the name – Munchers Bakery.)
Munchers Bakery is old school, but alas, not world class. Just your basic bakery/sugar confection fare. I'm surprised you didn't stress the less than pleasant bathrooms.
What turned me off initially was: Terrible decaf coffee (I know, why bother, it's decaf). They have improved their coffee selection. And also the lack of debit sales. Who carries cash anymore?
If you want excellent donuts and other wonderful treats I would suggest the Mercantile Bakery right around the corner, or Wheatfields Bakery, downtown Lawrence. But, as you stated, Munchers is cheap, these other options are not. So, you get what you pay for.
The poster who asked whether you had tried the cream cheese donuts had an excellent point. They are big enough to split with someone, moist and rich. Next time you're back in Lawrence, try one of them.
I live in Lawrence and am also surprised that you didn’t mention the bathroom. When I saw their bathroom it was covered in feces and trash. I’ve never been back and I’ve never eaten their donuts since.
They except credit cards now
Good to know. Thanks for the updated info.