London UK Series: Crosstown Brick Lane Review – 2 Vegan Doughnuts Worth Trying (or Skipping?)

Crosstown Brick Lane – Overview

157 Brick Ln, London E1 6SB, United Kingdom

Crosstown Brick Lane is part of the Crosstown brand, a London-based doughnut and coffee company that has grown significantly in popularity since it first launched. Crosstown started as a market stall in London and eventually expanded into multiple locations across the city. Today, the brand is known for its wide variety of gourmet doughnuts, including many vegan doughnut options, which have become one of its defining features.

Unlike traditional doughnut shops that focus primarily on classic flavours, Crosstown is known for experimenting with unique combinations and higher-end ingredients. The company also produces sourdough doughnuts, which are meant to provide a slightly different texture and flavour profile compared to standard yeast doughnuts.

The Crosstown Brick Lane location sits in one of East London’s most famous and vibrant neighbourhoods. Brick Lane itself has long been known for its cultural diversity, street art, and strong food scene. Historically associated with London’s Bangladeshi community, the street became well known for its many curry restaurants, but over time it has evolved into a broader food destination.

Today, Brick Lane is packed with cafés, bakeries, dessert shops, vintage stores, and street food vendors. On weekends the area becomes particularly busy thanks to nearby attractions like Brick Lane Market and Old Spitalfields Market, which draw visitors from all over London.

Walking through Brick Lane is an experience in itself. The street is filled with colourful murals, independent shops, and food vendors offering everything from traditional bagels to modern desserts.

Within this energetic setting, Crosstown Brick Lane fits naturally into the neighbourhood’s food culture. The shop itself is relatively small and designed primarily for takeaway orders. Customers typically stop by to pick up doughnuts or coffee before continuing to explore the surrounding streets.

One of the interesting aspects of Crosstown is its strong focus on vegan doughnuts. Many bakeries struggle to replicate the texture of traditional doughnuts when removing ingredients like eggs and dairy, but Crosstown has built a reputation for trying to bridge that gap.

For this visit, two vegan doughnuts were ordered: the Vegan Sri Lankan Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut and the Vegan Dark Chocolate Truffle Doughnut.

Unfortunately, both doughnuts ended up being fairly disappointing.

Would return? No.

Vegan Sri Lankan Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut

5/10

The Vegan Sri Lankan Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut from Crosstown Brick Lane was one of the items ordered during the visit.

At first glance, the doughnut looked appealing. Cinnamon sugar is a classic flavour combination that often works very well with doughnuts, delivering a comforting sweetness with a warm spice profile.

However, the main issue with this doughnut was the texture.

The texture of the doughnut from Crosstown Brick Lane didn’t feel particularly pleasant to eat. Instead of having the light, soft, and slightly fluffy texture that many great doughnuts achieve, this one felt heavier and less enjoyable.

It’s possible that the vegan formulation contributed to this issue. Removing eggs and dairy from baked goods can make it more challenging to achieve the same airy texture found in traditional doughnuts.

While the cinnamon sugar coating added some sweetness and flavour, it wasn’t enough to make the doughnut particularly enjoyable overall.

Because of that, the Vegan Sri Lankan Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut from Crosstown Brick Lane ultimately felt fairly underwhelming.

Order again? No.

Vegan Dark Chocolate Truffle Doughnut

5.5/10

The Vegan Dark Chocolate Truffle Doughnut from Crosstown Brick Lane was slightly better than the cinnamon sugar version, though it still had similar issues.

Once again, the main problem was the texture of the doughnut itself.

Like the first doughnut, the dough base felt heavier and less pleasant than what you might expect from a great doughnut. Instead of having a soft and airy consistency, the texture felt somewhat dense.

Because the doughnut texture was similar between the two items, the overall experience of eating them ended up being fairly comparable.

The one positive aspect of this doughnut was the dark chocolate.

The chocolate flavour was actually quite good. It had a rich, slightly bitter dark chocolate profile that balanced the sweetness nicely. This helped elevate the doughnut somewhat and made it slightly more enjoyable than the cinnamon sugar version.

Still, the quality of the chocolate wasn’t enough to fully overcome the issues with the dough texture.

The Vegan Dark Chocolate Truffle Doughnut from Crosstown Brick Lane was decent in flavour but still not something that stood out as a particularly strong doughnut.

Order again? No.

Atmosphere & Experience

One of the highlights of visiting Crosstown Brick Lane is the location itself.

Brick Lane is one of the most interesting streets in London for food lovers. The combination of street art, markets, cafés, and international restaurants creates an environment that feels energetic and creative.

The Crosstown shop itself is small and fairly simple. It’s clearly designed to handle takeaway orders rather than being a place where customers spend a long time sitting and eating.

Most people stop in quickly to pick up a doughnut or coffee before continuing their walk through the neighbourhood.

Because Brick Lane is such a lively area, Crosstown Brick Lane works well as a quick dessert stop while exploring the street.

Even though the doughnuts themselves were somewhat disappointing, the overall experience of visiting the area remains enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

Crosstown Brick Lane is part of a popular London doughnut brand known for its wide range of flavours and strong focus on vegan doughnuts. Located on one of East London’s most vibrant streets, the shop serves as a convenient stop for visitors exploring Brick Lane and the surrounding markets.

Unfortunately, the two doughnuts tried during this visit were fairly underwhelming.

The Vegan Sri Lankan Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut from Crosstown Brick Lane had an unpleasant texture that made it difficult to fully enjoy, despite the classic cinnamon sugar flavour.

The Vegan Dark Chocolate Truffle Doughnut from Crosstown Brick Lane was slightly better thanks to the rich dark chocolate flavour, but it suffered from the same texture issues as the first doughnut.

It’s possible that the vegan formulation contributes to the texture differences compared to traditional doughnuts, though it’s difficult to say for certain.

While Crosstown has a strong reputation and many fans across London, these particular doughnuts did not leave a strong impression.

If you’re already walking through Brick Lane, Crosstown Brick Lane may still be worth a quick stop to see the variety of doughnuts available. However, based on this visit, the vegan doughnuts might not be the strongest options on the menu.