I love donuts! Lani knew this and went to The Salty right after they opened and stood in line and brought back donuts. We enjoy them and I’ve been eating at The Salty once or twice a week ever since. They have an excellent delivery service through their app or via DoorDash and I have been partaking in that. We finally took a trip up to The Salty on Saturday afternoon. We drove up in my electric wheelchair, I wanted to drive, so Lani sat on my lap and we cruised up together. The Salty is located on South Congress just across the road from Magnolia Cafe and on the same block as C-Boy’s. We rolled up to The Salty and the first thing I noticed was the accessible parking spot right by the double doors, where there is also an access loading area and a ramp to the front doors. The double doors open wide, so rolling in was not a problem. There is a lot of space inside. At the counter you can order donuts / savory items, such as Terry Black’s brisket and cheese stuffed kolaches and coffee. There is a display of donuts next to the ordering counter and you pick out what you want. Then you roll down the aisle  & pick up your coffee and pastries. Around the corner there are tables inside that are all great to roll up and sit. I am a fan of the cake donut called The Salty Donut. It's a brown butter iced cake donut with sea salt flakes on top. We have tried most of the other donuts and they are all good. They also have really good coffee. The bathroom is super accessible. It is a private accessible all gender bathroom. The space was kind of tight with my big electric chair, we backed in & then had to move the trash can, but it all worked out great. I was able to get in and close and lock the door. The bars are all set up in the right spots. Particularly the horizontal bar on the left side is actually in the perfect place. Most places do not put it in such a good spot. They also have a porch area with a pickup window where you can sit outside, but that area is not accessible. This is a highly recommended place to have donuts, it’s open from 7 to 7, so it fits most schedules.

The Salty
2000 S Congress Ave,
Austin, TX 78704
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Dolce Neve is a gelato shop on South 1st St., it opened in 2014 & it is our favorite gelato place in Austin. The name means, “Sweet Snow”. There are now several locations in Austin and one in Houston, but the location on South 1st St. is the flagship store. It is a very quaint shop, because of the size, there is no bathroom. The gelato is very authentic according to Russ, since I have not been to Italy (YET! I am finally going in June ‘23). One of the owners, Francesca was formally trained Bologna, Italy & her husband is from Northern Italy. There is accessible parking and a ramp which goes up to the front door & the door opens wide and I was able to go through easily. I was in my power chair when we visited Dolce Neve which is quite larger than my manual chair & I had no problems.

The flavors are covered by big silver lids, but they are all at eye level so I have no problem seeing them in my chair. The best part about picking your flavor is when you see them remove the lids, (insert, high vocal: ahhhhhh). There are very unique & delicious flavor profiles, as well as the traditional favorites. It is great to be able to try the flavors before you make your selection - be adventurous & try different flavors - you never know which one you are going to love. The homemade gelato is made with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. They have a rotating menu which includes: Chocolate with Candied Orange Peels, Mascarpone & Figs, Whiskey & Pecan, Ricotta, Honey & Pistachio, Goat Cheese & Blueberry Jam, Fromage Blanc & Apricot Jam but some of the staples you can always find are: Chocolate 100%, Vanilla from Madagascar, Salted Caramel, Stracciatella, Organic Pistachio, Organic Hazelnut and Crema Dolce Neve (Custard with Lemon Zest). We have tried a lot of the flavors but the Organic Pistachio is out favorite, we typically get that with a scoop of Chocolate, it’s a great combo of sweet & salty. That’s the other great thing, you can have multiple flavored scoops in one cup - which is great if you are sharing or indecisive - which is perfect for us.

Once you place your order at the counter, then you pay, which is fairly low and easily accessible. The seating is open and there are several tables, when we were there they were all open when we sat down, so we had our pick. However, once we sat down and were enjoying our gelato, we watched the line form out the door & it filled up quickly. The gelato is really good, so the place is often packed. It is really a one stop place where either get your gelato to-go or you eat it there & leave. They also have amazing Cappuccinos and they serve the classic Italian dessert, Affogato which is incredible. If you have never had it, it is a shot of hot espresso poured over a scoop of gelato.

The staff is awesome & super friendly and helpful, especially when you are having a hard time choosing a flavor. Highly recommend, to cure your sweet tooth. Gustare!

Dolce Neve
1713 South 1st street
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 804-5568
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