Doughnut News

Adorable trendy mini doughnuts roll into new Rockwall shop Sugar Llamas

Box of mini doughnuts at Sugar Llamas.

dallas.culturemap.com

Doughnuts of any kind are welcome, and especially trendy mini-doughnuts like those offered by Sugar Llamas, a shop opening in Rockwall, which will serve a pleasing trifecta of mini doughnuts, ice cream, and coffee.

The shop is located at 6601 Horizon Rd., and will host a grand opening on Saturday January 13.

Sugar Llamas is a small chain founded in Tulsa in 2021. It has six locations in Oklahoma, and is expanding into nearby states such as Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Arizona. They made their Texas debut in 2023 with their first location in Keller.

The centerpiece of their menu is mini doughnuts made to order and served hot in options such as plain, powdered sugar, cinnamon, or cocoa. Customers can dress them up with drizzles and toppings, in combinations such as the Flintstone with vanilla drizzle and Fruity Pebbles, or Sopapilla with cinnamon sugar and honey.

A single doughnut is 88 cents, and a dozen is $8.45.

They also serve ice cream in 12 flavors, which can be ordered on a sugar cone or else combined with the doughnuts in dessert concoctions. Examples include the Llama Smash, with ice cream sandwiched between a Bundt cake; and the Summit, a tower of six mini donuts with ice cream.

Lastly, they offer a full-service coffee bar with an extensive selection of hot and iced coffee drinks, as well as creative non-coffee beverages such as the frosted Llamanade, a blend of lemonade with ice and vanilla ice cream; and Red Bull Mixers, with optional boba.

Amazingly, Sugar Llamas is not the only mini-doughnut chain, it's a trend, with other concepts such as Mini Donut Factory, Simply Done, and Dapper Doughnut, which opened a location in DFW in 2018 that has since closed.

The Sugar Llamas in Rockwall is from husband-and-wife Mike and Amanda Ridgeway, who also have a location in Tulsa which they opened in 2022.

"We loved the product, we ate there every weekend and then some," Amanda says.

Both had jobs - Amanda was a nurse and Mike was a helicopter pilot - but their Tulsa store was such a success that they're now fully dedicated and are opening this second store closer to family in Rockwall.

"We started with dirt floors and built the shop completely to our liking," she says. The space features a turquoise concrete stain floor, lots of colors, and seating for 30, with a combination of booths and tables. It has a drive thru, which is a big plus, and it's conveniently located across the street from Dorothy Smith Pullen Elementary School and Cain Middle School.

The couple see Sugar Llamas as more than just a business, but a way to give back to the community.

"We get to staff teenagers as their first job, teach them how to talk to customers," Amanda says. "One of my employees in Tulsa bought her first car - it is amazing to see them grow."

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Cocktail buzz

New Art Deco-inspired cocktail lounge Marlowe shakes into Uptown Dallas

Rendering courtesy of Duncan Design Group

Rendering of the Marlowe cocktail lounge coming to 2912 McKinney Ave. in the fall.

A cocktail lounge coming to Uptown Dallas this fall will give night owls a new place to hang. Called Marlowe, it will open in September at 2912 McKinney Ave., in a space that most recently housed Theory Nightclub Uptown (which closed in June 2025), and before that, Avenu Lounge and Aura Lounge / Club Babalu.

A release calls Marlowe an "a richly layered hospitality experience where design, food, cocktails, music and service have been conceived to work together as one."

It will be open just Wednesday through Saturday, from 5 pm-2 am.

The project is led by Dallas hospitality entrepreneur Alon Abramov, who has more than a decade of experience developing and operating hospitality concepts, the release says. Thomas Menaitreau is operating partner and general manager, while Kyle Buckelew serves as beverage director and Garrett Swain, also known as DJ Zillamatic, is music programming director.

Marlowe is designed as a place where guests can drop in for drinks and a bite, stay for dinner, or swing by after dinner for a late-night drink, the owners say.

While few menu details are available yet, the food will be prepared without seed oils, they say. Early menu items include charred Matagorda Pearl oysters with garlic-lemon butter and parsley, along with beef skewers served with sumac tahini yogurt.

Buckelew, who led the bar team at just-opened Delilah Dallas, is overseeing the cocktail program. One of the early offerings revealed is an espresso martini made with salted caramel vodka, dulce de leche, espresso, and Demerara syrup.

The interior is designed by Duncan Design Group and takes cues from Art Deco and cinematic design, they say. The space will feature wood-vaulted ceilings, curved architectural elements, tiered seating, antique-mirror and marble bars, brass details, velvet seating, and a central stage. There's also an enclosed glass-and-brass patio with a birdcage-inspired structure. Music will be another major component, with Swain overseeing the programming.

Abramov says the idea for Marlowe started with the guest experience.

“Marlowe started with one question I’ve carried throughout my career: how should a guest feel the moment they walk through the door?” says Abramov in the release. “We’ve approached every decision through that lens. The lighting, music, design, cocktails, service and energy of the room all have to work together. We’re not interested in creating the biggest room — we want to create one of the most memorable, and a place people feel connected to enough to return to again and again.”

Menaitreau, who was born and raised in Strasbourg, France, has worked at Michelin-recognized restaurants including Fiola and Bresca in Washington, D.C., and Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas.

“At Marlowe, every element should contribute to how a guest remembers the evening — not individually, but collectively,” Menaitreau says. “Our vision is to pair refinement with warmth and create an atmosphere where excellence feels natural, personal and never overly formal. Ultimately, we want every guest to leave feeling better than when they arrived.”

What is the significance of the name "Marlowe?" The release does not explain the name, and CultureMap has asked. Considering the logo is a penguin, it could possibly be a "Marlowe penguin," referring to the Penguin Classics editions of works by Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe. Stand by for an update on the intriguing name.

The exact opening date, full menu, cocktail list, reservations and entertainment programming will be announced in the coming weeks, the owners say say.

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