My friends and I experienced a late night doughnut craving this weekend, so naturally the first place we headed to was the infamous Voodoo Doughnut. Known for their Portland origin and wide variety of weirdly-shaped pastries, Voodoo has spread to seven locations across the country, including the recently opened shop in downtown Austin.
With a creepy cool atmosphere and hot pink doughnut boxes, Voodoo makes every kind of doughnut you could imagine—cereal or bacon-covered, multi-colored, blunt-shaped, jelly-filled, and of course, the classic voodoo doll doughnut.
The only problem with getting your hands on these cute cravings? The location. Austin’s Voodoo Doughnut is in the heart of “Dirty Sixth Street,” a long, insane strip of bars and clubs that becomes a complete madhouse on weekends and weeknights alike.
Sixth Street can be fun with the right group of friends and the appropriate amount of alcohol, but when all you want is to grab a doughnut in your sweatpants, it’s the worst place to be. If you want to avoid the chaos of Sixth without missing the scrumptiousness of Voodoo, here are the best times to go.
Monday-Wednesday, Midday
If you want the shortest line and smallest crowd possible, try Voodoo in the middle of an early weekday. Not only does this make the doughnut-buying process easier, but you also won’t have to deal with traffic or crazy parking. Plus, Voodoo should be stocked full of doughnuts at this quiet time of day.
Early Morning
Voodoo Doughnut is open 24 hours a day, so try it early in the morning (doughnuts are supposed to be a breakfast thing, after all). There will be a breakfast crowd, but a small one—nothing compared to the party crowd.
Sunday
If it’s the weekend doughnut you seek, wait until Sunday morning or afternoon. The Dirty Sixth crowd will all be asleep by then (hopefully), so you shouldn’t have to fight any lines. Plus, Voodoo Doughnut would be a fun twist on Sunday brunch, if your idea of Sunday brunch involves candy and sprinkles.
If You Brave the Saturday Night Crowd…
Parking around Sixth Street on a Saturday night is virtually impossible; you should probably take a rideshare service. Be ready to see drunk people everywhere, and be ready to stand in a line out the door.
The craziness of Sixth Street does add to the Voodoo atmosphere, though. Loud music, fun doughnuts, and people running all over the place make for quite the weekend experience. Check out more Voodoo experiences here.