Fox’s Donut Den, Nashville, TN

I’m a pretty easy-to-get-to-know kind of guy—I love Life is Good apparel, I like going out for breakfast, I like “bad” pop music, and I think the world needs more love and kindness. Oh, and one more thing; I LOVE a GREAT donut. In between looking for great breakfasts places and discovering new things to see and do in unfamiliar towns, I enjoy keeping my eyes and ears peeled for local donut shops. So far, no donut beats Old Towne Donuts in St. Louis. (You can read my opinion about the definitive donut in a separate post.) Besides, donuts are considered breakfast fare so the topic is applicable here.

I blame my mom. Lorraine was a REAL donut lover. For more than 20 years when she, my aunt and I would go Christmas shopping in St. Louis, the first stop was Sir Donut in Godfrey, Illinois. Growing up, we ate plenty of donuts in the Evans house. Perhaps that helps explain my ‘imposing stature,’ ahem.

To me, biting into a fresh, yeasty-glazed donut is nirvana. When it’s fresh, and on the rare occasion still warm, life is GREAT. Jam some crème filling inside, ice it with chocolate, caramel, or white frosting and I’m all in too.

Donuts are a dime a dozen. Grocery store ‘bakeries’ try, Dunkin Donuts makes a helluva cup of coffee, Mel-O-Crèmes litter the Springfield landscape, but it’s difficult to find the perfect donut in my book.

During a recent trip to Nashville, I really wasn’t thinking about donuts. I’d just come out of Trader Joe’s when a sign across the street caught my eye. There in big blinking neon letters just a few feet away-- Fox’s Donut Den. I zeroed in instantly. Mind you, this was one of the busiest streets I’d encountered thus far in Music City USA. I quickly changed course and recalculated my coordinates. Ten minutes later, three stoplights, and after far too much waiting I pulled up in front of the place my eyes had locked on, across the street. YES, it was that congested and yes, I’ve digressed.

Entering the Den, I was met with a 50’s-style diner vibe—red and white seating, chrome, vintage signs, et al. The cases were well-stocked with various flavors and kinds of sugary goodness. I picked out a small assortment and went on my way. I had toyed with sitting down and making my judgements on site, but decided to get back out into the holiday traffic and make my way back to the hotel

The donuts were way above average having their own unique texture and such, but the flavor was good. I always base my opinion on the basic yeast glazed donut. Fox’s was very good which means I’d rate it a 7-8 out of ten. The cherry fritter and filled donut I tried later on in the evening were just as satisfying. If I had a complaint about this Donut Den, it was the server whose appearance seemed more suited to a job over at H&M across the street. She wasn’t at all knowledgeable nor really interested in purveying donuts.  

If I were a local, I’m sure it would be a go-to donut shop. Having a Trader Joe’s nearby puts another “x” in the plus column so as to kill two birds with one trip.