Federal Donuts Miami

“These were world-class doughnuts. The flavors of the glazes were true and clean... what really caught my attention, though, was the doughnut itself.

Doughnut aficionados tend to revere delicate and tender yeast doughnuts above cake doughnuts, and often they are right. Cake doughnuts can be dry and dense. Federal Donuts sells cake doughnuts, yet they are rich, creamy and light all at once.”

~ Pete Wells, New York Times restaurant critic, in his Critic’s Notebook article, ‘Til the Last Doughnut and Drumstick,” February 1, 2012

When the first Federal Donuts opened in the dawn hours of October 11, 2011, crowds of hungry
Philadelphians intent on being the first to sample the cake donuts and twice-fried chicken descended on the humble shop. Lines snaked out the door and down quiet residential Two Street in South Philly, bringing to life a weird idea dreamed up by partners with deep food experience.

Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook of CookNSolo Restaurants (Zahav, Dizengoff, Abe Fisher and Goldie), and Tom Henneman and Bob Logue, owners of Bodhi Coffee, became friends when Mike and Steve owned a restaurant next door to Bodhi.

Bob and Tom felt that Philly was lacking a really great donut shop. At the same time, Mike had become slightly obsessed with the super-crunchy, super-spicy Korean-fried chicken wings at Cafe Soho in North Philly. Over Bodhi’s pour-over coffee, the five partners (now including food writer and digital marketer Felicia D’Ambro