Rocket 88 Doughnuts, located at 874 Virginia Avenue on the main drag of Fountain Square, brings something to Indy that has never been as awesome before. Amazing artisanal desserts. We have eclipsed the era of the pre-packaged, elderly ingredients used by restaurants that are merely open for the sake of money. Restaurants now are opened for the sake of food, good food. Rocket 88 truly embodies this transformation, and it does it well.

Rocket 88 was launched through crowdfunding from Kickstarter.com this fall. Unsurprisingly, the shop has already garnered extreme popularity around the Indianapolis area.  The restaurant is located in a tony brick building that builds upon the urban and gritty, yet cozy feeling that the shop seeks. The simplistic logo, which is seen in many places around the shop, includes a rocket flying through a doughnut. Rocket 88 hosts many events ranging from First Friday performances to game nights. The restaurant provides something the neighborhood has needed for a while, a quick place to hop in for a good time. Whereas most restaurants, like Bluebeard and Milktooth, involve a multi-hour gastronomic process, Rocket 88 is a casual place where a person can come in, grab their doughnuts and still know that they are going to be having good food.

Now onto the doughnuts. There are many different types of doughnuts served at this establishment, ranging from vegan to chocolate-bacon doughnuts, and they all are wonderful. Rocket 88 points out that there is a clear divide between doughnuts and donuts. The doughnuts served at Rocket 88 are created with time, with attention being paid to local and fresh ingredients, and their impact on the environment. Each packing its own punch of flavor and unique texture. This past time, I ordered the Cinnamon, which was extraordinarily fluffy and light, the Chocolate Bacon, which oddly satisfies with the mixture of salty-smoky and sugary, the Maple Pecan, which was a little too nutty for me, and the Brown Butter Pretzel, which I can say was the hands-down best doughnut that I have indulged in for a long time. Anyone can see how the doughnuts epitomize the results of the incredibly fresh ingredients. The difference made by the determination by Rocket 88 to use these local, fresh ingredients is clearly evident. These are not your run-of-the-mill Krispy Kreme, or even similar to doughnuts like Long’s, these have a refreshingly soft texture which is a vehicle for a wondrous mixture of flavors.

Rocket 88 Doughnuts truly raises the bar for desserts in the Indianapolis area. Not only does it blast past chains like Dunkin’ Donuts, but it even harshly competes with Indianapolis area mainstays, i.e. Long’s and Taylor’s. Rocket 88 provides a place for Indianapolitans to pick up a fulfilling breakfast or a very bohemian dessert date, in addition to its determination to use the freshest and most local of ingredients around. Like illustrated on the walls in the restaurant, this shop is truly farm-to-table in ways that restaurants in most cities across the country are not able to achieve. 9/10