Melbourne, you love donuts and beer. Case in point: Donut and Beer Fest at the Village. The lines stretched down the block… around the corner… and up the next tram stop. (This is not an exaggeration.) The Plus Ones were invited to an early VIP preview, and it might be the crew’s most unexpected queue skipping experience to date.
The upside to the mass attendance of dough seekers is the gold coin donation entry, with a portion of the proceeds to go a local non-profit. (Eat Up was advertised on the Sunday session.)
Obviously team Donut Fest are on to a good thing. And the donut purveyors went all out – donuts were topped with fairy floss, cookies, and edible golden glitter.
Craft beers from Two Birds and Brooklyn Brewery helped us wash it all down. There was even a pairing menu with suggestions like Brooklyn Lager matched with Nieuw Amsterdam’s Pumpkin Donuts & Jack Daniels Cream.
Dip’d earned a shout out for their shareable mini-donuts (one of which included pretzel toppings… mmmm.) And this plus one loved the delicious deep fried base for the seriously sweet toppings from Ahhh Donuts!.
There are gluten free and vegan options available, and in true Melbourne style Cocomama displayed a sushi donut complete with avocado, nori, and Siracha mayo. The other alternative to the sweets were hot dogs and chips, so it’s safe to say this was a good way to bid goodbye to the beach bikini season.
– Jenny
Jenny S. is an event adventurer. When she’s not attending live shows, you can find her sampling the latest craft beer or sipping a creative cocktail.
Donut Fest runs 12-13 March at The Village, 557 St Kilda Road. Entry is by gold coin donation.
