A Florida favorite has recently made its way to South Congress: The Salty Donut opened in August, and has been a great hit in Austin since then. Originally from Miami, they have branched out to Orlando, Austin and Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Salty has unique flavors like prickly pear margarita, maple bacon and horchata. Most of their donuts are made from brioche bread, but they sell cake donuts as well. They recently added their “dulce de leche churro star” as a year-round flavor, which is a star-shaped churro donut filled with dulce de leche cream.

In addition to these year-round donuts, they constantly introduce new seasonal flavors. They recently added their blueberry coffee cake donut, which is a blueberry and vanilla bean cake donut with blueberry jam, as their newest seasonal flavor. Previous seasonal flavors have included affogato, pumpkin spice cookie butter and cornflake cereal milk.

The Salty also treats their customers for special occasions. For Mardis Gras this year, they offered beignets and cinnamon brioche King Cake with cream cheese glaze. They also sold both Fruity Pebbles and cornflake-themed cereal mini donuts for National Cereal Day in March.

The use of brioche for most of their donuts is a different approach compared to what I’ve seen with donut shops in the past. Most shops in my experience have used cake or other dough. This might be something that drives away some people, but I find it to add to the fluffiness of the donuts. The use of brioche also makes the donuts feel less heavy in terms of substance. Some of the donuts are made with cake, but brioche adds a different flavor and texture that is a good break from the traditional donut.

Don’t let these descriptions give the impression that The Salty limits itself to donuts. They also have an assortment of delicious drinks. Their coffee options include cinnamon cereal milk latte, vanilla bean latte, salted caramel latte and an iced maple brown sugar cold brew, all offered hot or iced. They also recently added a blueberry fizz lemonade to pair perfectly with the warm weather.

Right in the middle of South Congress, The Salty is great for a coffee and donut in the morning or a sweet snack during the afternoon or early evening. It doesn’t just have to be a breakfast spot, and their outdoor patio is a great place to sit with friends, family or pets.

After The Salty made its way to Austin, it’s hard to see how we went without it for so long. Their unique flavors and constantly-changing menu keep the customers coming back, and it is definitely apparent how they have been able to expand across the nation.