By Kara Delemeester

Every August, UT students park in fire lanes to unload their textbooks, twinkle lights and twin XL bedding. Last year,they were curious about the arrival of the restaurant Max & Chz. This year, however, they are suspicious of the business that took its place: SoHo Donut Company.

SoHo Donut Co. opened over the summer in the storefront that neighbors Retreat, the bar on South Hyde Park Avenue. The shop itself is small, but boasts a large collection of donuts,  as well as the ability to custom create any donut you request. Is the display case out of the donut you’re craving? Just ask them and they’ll make it for you fresh, if supplies are available.

Their menu includes classic donuts, as well as a variety of “fancy” and “specialty” donuts. Dominique Coppola, a junior Psychology major, reflected on her first bite of the Reese’s Cup donut—peanut butter-covered and topped with Reese’s Cups & chocolate—saying that it was dense, and more of a cake-like donut. Upon her second bite, Coppola simply added, “Oh, that’s awesome.”

Julia Rifino, a junior Musical Theater major, enjoyed the Samoan—caramel topped with toasted coconut and chocolate drizzle—but wasn’t a fan of the 5 Second Rule—vanilla-glazed topped with crushed candy, cereal, & bacon. Jessie White, a senior Film major, isn’t a fan of cake donuts and as such wasn’t a fan of SoHo Donut’s Company’s denser dough.

While their donuts might not please everyone, they also offer a range of breakfast and artisan-crafted sandwiches, as well as hot dogs, coffee and soft drinks. Another menu item they’re famous for are their grilled cheese donuts. The classic Grilled Cheese consists of cheddar and American cheese served on two glazed donuts, applewood bacon and ham are also available to add to your order.

This journalist wasn’t brave enough to venture into donut-sandwich territory, but chose instead to stick with the Loco for Coco donut—chocolate-glazed chocolate cake topped with Cocoa Puffs. While I definitely wouldn’t wear white while trying to conquer this donut, the cereal on top was still fresh and crunchy, unlike the many cereal-topped donuts I’ve had in my day.

Overall, the customer service is friendly, the prices reasonable and the selection varied. SoHo Donut Co. may have replaced of UT’s beloved Max & Chz, but it’s definitely a place worth checking out.