Cartems Donuterie

Went here for the first time today, while visiting Van. I had a cup of regular coffee and an apple fritter. The coffee was wonderful, but the fritter was just so, so. It didn’t seem to fresh to be honest and the flavour was just ok. However, for a basic donut and regular coffee it was $ 6.25, which was way overpriced. It’s pretty bad when you out price Starbucks by a $ 1 on a cup of basic coffee.

This is my first time to the new location downtown.
Bought a dozen donuts to bring home. A few interesting flavours but nothing over the top enough to justify the price. When they first opened they were unique and worth the extra price but now there are lots of other options to fill my donut need.

It is nice to have an option that gives you fresh donuts, and not the reheated crud that Tim Hortons serves.
Alas, Cartems charges an arm and a leg for their product, and I didn’t find it to be really good enough to justify the cost.
Cartems does offer a variable selection of interesting and unusual flavours, but, at the end of the day, it’s still just a fancy donut.

I have been wanting to check this place out for ages and finally did! I tried their Earl Grey tea donut. It was marvelous — fresh, flavorful, and fragrant! They have so many options to choose from it’s hard to pick just one. If I’m in the area again I’ll probably buy a 12 pack and share them with friends, or be a fatty and indulge in them all myself!

Cartems has numerous vegan donut options and they’re all pretty good. I particularly liked the chocolate and Earl Grey ones; the apple fritter was less appealing.
They’re not quite as good as the raised vegan donuts you find at Glam Doll in Minneapolis, Donuttery in Huntington Beach or One Veg World in Pasadena, but seeing as how you can’t get vegan donuts as easily in Canada, I’m glad Cartems is around and doing good work.

We stumbled upon this place when walking in Gastown when we were visiting Vancouver. This is a cute little store with gourmet donuts and coffee. A little pricey, ranging front 3−4CAD, but worth a try. We ordered the smoked maple walnut and it had a nice balance of sweetness with a little bit of savory flavor to it. The dough was soft with a little bit of crunch on the outside, which is key to a perfect donut.
I would recommend trying his place and I would go back if I ever visit Vancouver again to try more flavors. :p

Amazing selection of vegan and GF vegan donuts. They keep the GF donuts in the back to they don’t get contaminated so if you don’t see them just ask! They do sell out sometimes tho. Had the amazing Apple pie Stuffie to celebrate National Donut Day today and was worth. Every. Calorie!

Had the London fog! Quite tasty! Lots of interesting flavors! Not sure what is in this but it was delicious, the filling was a light cream. Definitely want to go back to try more. Minus one star for customer service, I waited a long time before I was helped and they helped a party that came after me.

When I read a Canadian Unilocaler comment that Blue Star Donuts in Portland, OR reminded them of Cartems’ Donuterie, that got my attention real quick since Blue Star has been a standard-​bearer for me when it comes to artisanal doughnuts.
I have been on a Earl Grey kick ever since I had an amazing dessert cake combining dark chocolate, hazelnut, and Earl Grey in a wonderful swirl through of bitter, nutty, and sweet way back when. I often refer to Sir Earl Grey as the non-Asian’s matcha, since they can be substituted for each other in similar dishes/​drinks. The Earl Grey doughnut at Cartems is not only a work of art in its presentation (it looks almost too pretty to eat) but also is a tour de force in texture and flavor. Having had the luxury of arriving there earl-​y on a grey overcast morning, I was able to sample a freshly glazed one off the racks and it was like an afternoon tea party in my mouth beginning with the sweet glaze carrying a strong punch of Earl Grey perfumed with real bits of rose petal, followed by a firm crackle of the freshly fried exterior, subsequently delving into the velvety smooth interior infused with organic Earl Grey tea, and flecks of tea leaves visible on the cross-​section with subtle bittery notes lingering on the tongue between each successive bite.
Perhaps the Earl Grey doughnut was so transcendent it made everything else pale in comparison, since it left me a little underwhelmed with the other flavors that I sampled, including vanilla bean yeast and the root beer float doughnut (hence the omission of one star). The flavor concoctions and execution for the others seemed more Voodoo Doughnuts rather than Blue Star (for those familiar with Portland doughnuts) so I’m left wondering if the creator of the Earl Grey is a different baker than the one responsible for the others, or was it simply a momentary stroke of genius. For the sheer variety and overall originality of flavors, I still prefer Blue Star doughnuts, but the Earl Grey doughnut alone is worth a return trip to Cartems the next time I return to Vancouver.

I didn’t think I’d ever use the word «romantic» to describe a donut until I visited Cartems Donuterie. My feelings for donuts are very neutral and I wouldn’t have discovered this gem of a place if it weren’t for my donut crazed boyfriend. What was so romantic about it? Try one of their Earl Grey for yourself and you’ll understand. From the perfume of tea to the sprinkles of rose petals atop the perfectly glazed pastry, everything about it tore through my «donuts are aite» wall and left me craving another bite. This Earl Grey is so sensual, it could very well be a token of affection between two long lost lovers. Our other purchase was the Smokey Maple Walnut and it was amazingly scrumptious as well. If you like a little bit of spice and crunch to satisfy your sweet tooth, that one is a must try. The dough for both were on the denser side and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. We didn’t stay long at the store but I liked how the bakery was right behind the counter and how friendly our super hipster staff was. A tad pricey for desserts but, as my boyfriend would say, «be willing to pay for greatness.»

I’m by no means a donut connoisseur but I found the price here to be way too high for what you get.
When I heard that a local joint was making unique donut creations, it brought Portland’s Voodoo Donuts to mind. But unlike Voodoo, the prices here are getting pretty up there ($ 3 for donut and $ 3.50 for fritter). I decided to try the apple fritter (3.50). The glaze really reminded me of a melted PNE mini donut with elements of brown sugar and cinnamon. The dough itself was kind of interesting though as it was a bit crispy for whatever reason but really chewy and doughy otherwise. Kind of wished there was a bit more apple in it though. Overall, found the donut to be kind of passable… I think Lucky’s Donuts (49^th Parallel) does a better job at this for the same price.
On the plus side, the servers were very kind, patient, and helpful in explaining their creations and making suggestions.

This is a great donut place that reminds me of Brooklyn’s Dough donut. Unique yeast based donuts with flavors such as green tea and salted caramel. The staff was very helpful in explaining the different donuts. The store is in downtown area so exercise caution walking around certain blocks.

I am very critical of my Apple Pies… so I had to try the Apple Pie doughnut.
My goodness.
The doughnut was cooked fresh and balanced — not too sweet or warm; there were plenty of apples with the right amount of glaze; and it melted in your mouth at the perfect rate of indulgence. I was over the moon. They nailed it!
As for customer service: I vlog, so it’s important for me to capture as much footage as I can. I asked if I could film their display of doughnuts and they playfully made jokes with me and engaged in just the right amount of conversation — not knowing that I was on vacation, backpacking alone at that time so I appreciated the interaction. They were friendly and the atmosphere was light.
I highly recommend this place. For someone whose not really a doughnut person (just an apple pie lover), they have made a lasting impression for me. Well done, Cartems Donuterie!

Tasty doughnuts with creative flavors.
I stopped by on a Thursday morning and departed with a box of variously flavored doughnuts. My favorites were the smoked maple walnut (great flavor and nice texture from the walnuts) and the earl grey (good flavor, not overpowering), while I found the honey parmesan interesting but probably not something I would have chosen to pick again. I also thought the pink lemonade was a bit too sweet, but interesting nonetheless. I definitely would come back to try other flavors given the overall quality of their doughnuts.

Bravo to Cartems for customer service and flavor! I went here in the pouring rain to get the April special of blackberry mousse but they did not have it. The girls were so nice and gave me a card for a free donut next time. So kind! Today I ate the blackberry sensation and it was the most delicious donut ever. Huge thanks to Cartems you truly make my day!!!

Cartems… I finally made it to you! After two unsuccessful late night ventures here (1. because they were closed, and 2. they were out of Gluten free choices) my partner and I finally got the hint that we needed to be here earlier.
It was early in the evening so they didn’t have the selection they had in the morning, but they still had some great choices. I got the classic, as it seemed fitting to start out with, while my partner got a double chocolate Gluten free one. Paired our donuts up with some Americanos and we were good to go! Even though we ordered pretty basic flavours, I was impressed. The vanilla bean glaze was pretty damn tasty and you can tell the donuts have great quality. Plus, in the evening, the quiet donut shop makes a great place to just chill-​out and unwind after a hectic day! I definitely got some good vibes from this place. I’ll be looking forward to my next Cartems donut and hopefully I’ll even make it there before lunch!

I’ve heard so much hype about this place that I figured it was time to try it. With all the amazing sounding names and beautifully displayed doughnuts, I figured it was going to be a delicious experience.
My conclusion, Cartems and I clearly don’t agree on the definition of a doughnut. When I think of doughnuts, or rather day dream of them, I think of New Orleans styled beignets or the sufganiyot served for Hanukkah. So I was disappointed when my so called doughnut from Cartems’ arrived on my plate. I had ordered a salted caramel doughnut, although I’m not sure how it came to be named as such. It tasted like chocolate cake with plain icing. Don’t get me wrong, it was tasty but not what I was expecting at all. For all the buzz around this place, the scrumptious sounding menu and pricing, I was expecting more of a wow factor once I actually took a bite.
Lesson learned, you can’t judge a book by its cover, or in this case a doughnut by its fancy name.

By far my favourite doughnut place. I always loved that they had vegan options for their doughnuts but last time it seemed like they had even more of their doughnuts vegan. It’s nice to see a business move everyone to vegan products when it’s possible. It’s not as cheep as Tim Hortons but you pay for what you get. I love the Earl Grey and salted Carmel doughnut. The London Fog was also excellent but it unfortunately wasn’t vegan.

I’ve always loved Cartems, but today that love went to the next level.
I stopped in after my therapist appointment this morning as it was on my way and I was feeling sorry for myself and wanted a little pick-​me-​up. I think the woman who served me could tell that I was having a bad morning, asked me how I was, and when I said flippantly that I’d had better days, gave me a coupon for a free donut on my next visit! Her kindness and the vegan stuffy that I had in lieu of lunch were just the little boot I needed.
Delicious donuts with creative flavours, great vegan options, and genuinely sweet staff make Cartems a win in my books.

Very tasty, perfect cake donut consistency!

My friend took me here promising delicious donuts and I was not disappointed! The store itself is furnished in a minimalist fashion with nice wooden tables and tree stump chairs. Potted plants on every table, of course!
We were greeted by friendly staff and I chose the vegan earl grey donut. I was surprised by how delicious it actually tasted, especially considering the mediocre vegan pastries I’ve had in my life. The earl grey was prominent but not overpowering and the texture of the dough was perfection. All in all, the donut was lovely and even though it was pricier than any donut I’ve had before, I understand why.
Honestly, it’s been three days since I was there and I keep thinking about that donut. I can’t wait to go back and try their other flavours!

Gourmet donut shop. The ambience is really nice. It has a great interior design. The donuts are good but not the best in town, like I have heard. But it is still worth the visit.

The first time we tried to come here they were closed because they were filming for a food network show. So obviously we had to come back. And I am so glad we did!
This donut shop is awesome. They have really unique flavors and a wide variety of gluten free and vegan options. Staff is nice and friendly. The coffee is also really great. Definitely a must visit in Vancouver.

Second donut excursion of the week thanks to my friend and his persistent donut cravings.
I seem to be all about trying out new places these days, and I’m so glad we stopped in today.
I wasn’t expecting Cartems to be so cute on the inside! Looks and feels like a super intimate café. We got the earl grey donut (because earl grey is always delicioussssss) and the cinnamon brûlée.
5 stars for sure. I don’t even like donuts but I can’t wait for my next visit (which we planned for the upcoming Monday heh). The cinnamon brûlée was quite good, tasted kind of like a churro! The early grey was AMAZING. Like so delicious I almost wanted another one. I should have gotten another one actually. Regrets.
Looking forward to another earl grey and the whisky bacon on Monday.
My friend and I both think that Cartems is a lot better than Lucky’s. We were at Lucky’s on Monday? Sunday? And weren’t too impressed…
Another nice thing about Cartems is that they have gluten free and vegan options.
Yay Cartems!

I am a sucker for donuts and often hunt for the local versions wherever I visit. Cartems Donuterie offers up gourmet variety rings and has both cake and yeast donut versions of their flavors which is interesting. They also have gluten free choices for the gluten fearful too!
stuff tried:
cinnamon brulee: this was cake donut and like the rest of the cake donuts, seem to be on the smallish size. This was okay not a lot of cinnamon flavor
vanilla bean: yeast donut version, very tasty with flecks of vanilla bean in the glaze! yum!
special donut: I am not sure which flavor this was. some kind of port flavored glaze with a little cookie fused on it? Whatever it was it was really good. I mean, you get a cookie with your donut? score!
These are not Tim Horton’s or Dunkin Donuts so expect to cough up a little more dough than you would at these chain places but if you are a donut person you probably won’t mind.

Oh, for doughnuts that are yummy and non-​traditional! None of that Tims cardboard nonsense here at Cartems. Here, you can indulge in a slightly spicy Earl Grey doughnut, while eyeing its sultry older cousin, London Fog. Or, in my case, have both.
While I really liked the spiced cream filling of the London Fog and that it was less sweet, the Earl Grey was a bit on the drier side (probably since we snuck in near closing and they were trying to get rid of some doughnuts!). My friend reassured me that in the morning/​afternoon they are perfectly fluffy, not a dry crumb to be had. While the doughnuts are on the pricier side, for sure, I do like the variety (including the fact that they offer seasonal pumpkin spice!!).
The ladies serving up these doughnuts are lovely as well, and they play rad music. Love the exterior, like the collaboration with local artists, and the gluten-​free options will likely please some people as well!

What? How could I be so excited and so disappointed?! I talk about donuts every day. I pride myself on it. So my friends made Cartems a must stop on my Vancouver trip.
Got two donuts, stuffed them into my face… well I tried, but I couldn’t justify using my daily calorie intake on these. As disappointed as I was, I think my friends were more disappointed that I was not impressed. They tried my abandoned leftovers and agreed.

I don’t even go to Tim Hortons anymore because those doughnuts are trash compared to Cartems. I will guarantee you that any of Cartems’ cream/​custard/​jelly-​stuffed doughnuts will change your life. They’re the right amount of sweet, the dough is fluffy and moist, and every bite oozes with filling. Lemon meringue, blueberry, coconut cream are just some of the ones I’ve gobbled up.
What I love about this place is that every time I visit, they’ll have different batches of seasonal doughnuts in addition to their classics, so there’s always something new to try. My only regret in life is not having 2 of each flavour I buy, but that’s only because they cost about 3x more than a basic doughnut.

Tried this bad boy out yesterday. I couldn’t believe the prices for what’s essentially just dough and sugar. I got the Vanilla Bean and it was $ 3.50!
As for the quality, it was good, but it wasn’t $ 3.50 good. It basically tasted like a carnival doughnut, just better quality, and without the melt-​in-​your-​mouth charm that comes from a freshly deep fried carnival doughnut.
My coworker got the Earl Grey doughnut; I think I should have gone with that instead. It was much more unique and had better flavour to it.
Within an hour though, both of our stomachs were in knots from a sugar overload. I wouldn’t mind trying another one of these some time, but I’d definitely share it with someone instead of having a whole one to myself.

These are some pricey donuts. Very tasty with lots of different flavors. I had to try the earl grey… it did NOT disappoint.
The fritters were very satisfying too.

Lovely décor, super friendly service, and delicious donuts!
The frosting is actually very flavorful and not overwhelmingly sweet that melts on your teeth but doesn’t sting.
1:Earl grey! Every bite is infused with yummy earl grey, I was amazed!
2:Bacon, looked weird but definitely worth trying.
3:Special watermelon… If you see them on display, just grab them before they run out! It’s soooo good !

Affable service aside, the donut itself was delicious. The pastry was fresh and fluffy, the filling was pieces of juicy peach, not too sweet at all. There was but a whisper of brown sugar and glaze on the outside, which perfectly sweetened the donut without overpowering it.
Edit: Came back a second time and had a lemon meringue donut with some coffee. Both were awesome!

Delicious GF or not, but I can only vouch for the GF donuts and I started with the white chocolate coconut.
Today they had three choices for GF, Honey Parmesan, White Chocolate Coconut and Salted Carmel and they have a larger selection of GF vegan!!!
I’m coming back soon!!! Try this place out better than any other donuterie I’ve been to, including Portland’s own Voodoo (shhhhh).
They would get 5 stars if they accepted Amex!

Oh my… A place in Vancouver that serves donuts similar to M&M’s famous donuts in OC. I’m in!!!
There are definitely a few super star flavors that outshine the rest.
For the old fashion style donuts, that are more like cake inside and less fluffy, the Original & Earl Grey definitely takes the cake. I couldn’t really get into the other flavors I tried (CB&J, Whisky Bacon) because I was still so hung up on the Original and Earl Grey.
Also for the fluffier donuts, I really enjoyed the Raspberry Donut. It was so fluffy and moist, and the frosting was fresh. It was amazing. I tried another one with crumbs on it. I couldn’t get into that either.
I also had a cup of coffee. It complimented the donuts very nicely. It was slow drip, and it had a light flavor that wasn’t too over powering, so i still had an appetite for donuts. I recommend getting one as it really goes well with their donuts. It’s not super strong though, so if you need something stronger you might need to go some where else.
These donuts are delicious. I will definitely be back!

Wow these donuts are sure unique! I love the creativity the owners put into their baked goods and it’s great how their donuts taste high-​quality and substantial, compared to a regular fast-​food donut!
I felt like the bacon whiskey donut was just a bit over-​hyped, but I really enjoyed the earl grey flavour! I also loved the chocolate donuts (there were 3 that I tried?) and the apple fritter one was also very good. The donuts are a bit pricey but they make a pretty good snack if you’re in the downtown area!

I had a ‘treat yourself day’ today when I decided to meet my husband for a quick coffee and donut date after my meeting downtown. It was my first time so I knew I was getting the earl grey flavour as it’s a classic and was my first time here. My husband decided on the smoked walnut donut as he’s never tried before.
These donuts were amazing.
High quality ingredients that taste super fresh and cool/​different flavours. The earl grey was
.zing. I can’t explain it. The smokey walnut was really good as well. It’s loaded with chopped walnuts on top and you can distinctly taste the smokiness of each walnut morsel.
I wish my work was closer to Cartems but I’m sure my wallet does not! For $ 3 per donut it’s definitely a little pricey. You can also buy half a dozen for $ 15 or $ 30 for full dozen of your choice. Coffee and tea goes for $ 3 as well. Definitely try the pour over coffee if you’re a coffee lover. The coffee is from Matchstick Coffee and you know that they have great stuff!
Really neat and minimalistic décor — really cool place to take a short break or grab donuts to go. Definitely looking forward to my next visit.