Croissant doughnuts, potato chip wine flights offered at neighboring Mesa businesses

MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — If you love trying new foods, you’ve probably encountered a few dishes on vacation that you wish you could recreate at home. TJ and Macee Tillman took it one step further by turning that treat into a business.

Outcast Doughnuts, located on the corner of Main and MacDonald in Mesa, just celebrated its first year this summer. The shop offers croissant doughnuts in over a dozen flavors.

Some have filled layers, some are dipped, and some are topped with salty or sweet garnishes. But all have a signature light, crisp texture, which makes them fun to eat.

The shop takes after its name: Outcast Doughnuts does things differently. It serves creative flavors and doughnut flights with beers or mimosas.

It also serves doughnut ice cream cones called Dopecones.

“We make them out of a fresh made grilled doughnut dough. We take the doughnut dough, we spiral it out, wrap it around a wooden cone, grill it, put a chocolate truffle in, and then we have various toppings with soft serve on them,” TJ Tillman, co-owner of Outcast Doughnuts, shared with Arizona’s Family.

If you’re wondering what creative flavors mean, try The Nafta. It stands for the North American Free Trade Agreement, featuring Canadian-inspired maple glaze, Mexican-inspired jalapeno bacon, and American-inspired bourbon creme drizzle.

Other popular flavors include the Most Dope, which has a hibiscus and dragon fruit glaze, or the Cheeky Monkey, which is filled with Nutella and bananas.

The doughnut flights come with any three doughnuts in a mini version.

For the savory crowd, you can also enjoy a croissant breakfast sandwich. They’re made with the same dough as the doughnuts, just without the extra sugar on top.

It’s not just the food that makes Outcast Doughnuts unique. It’s the neon pink accents, video game corner, and mural inspired by the Southwest, hip hop, and Devin Booker’s car collection.

TJ says, “We wanted to make this just a place where, you know, it’s kind of a respite from the world and you can just come in and vibe and relax and enjoy great food and a cool environment and, I don’t know, make new friends, have fun.”

The Tillmans’ doughnut shop isn’t their only venture. They’re involved in three other businesses in downtown Mesa, including the wine lounge next door.

Macee says the city has plenty of cocktail and beer options but not as many wine options. So, when the space next to the doughnut shop became available, she jumped on it, opening a wine shop with her best friend, Christina Goldsmith.

Rebel Wine Lounge is a modern, casual, and open space. The deep green couches and decorative plants make it feel like you’re going to a friend’s house to catch up and enjoy a glass of wine.

“We wanted to build together, somewhere that people think of when they’ve had a stressful day or a stressful week and just want to unwind and go somewhere and have a glass of wine and be able to sit there and just feel at peace,” Goldsmith shared with Arizona’s Family.

The lounge opened in April and offers over forty wines by the glass or bottle. Most of the wines are on the drier side and come from all over the world, including California, Spain, Italy, and New Zealand.

You can also choose from eight wine flight selections, each paired with specific potato chips or chocolate-covered pretzels.

Beyond wine, the lounge offers a dozen types of beer, mimosas and peach or strawberry bellini spritzes, which are popular during weekend brunch.

If you’re looking for something to munch on while sipping, there’s a handful of delicious, light and fresh dishes.

For starters, try the deviled eggs with bacon crumbles and a balsamic drizzle or spinach artichoke dip.

For a group, the charcuterie board hits all the flavor profiles, from salty to sweet or savory. It includes fig jam and salami with herbs de Provence.

There’s also a selection of flatbreads and paninis.

But don’t overlook the salads. The wedge has everything it should, including a creamy house-made blue cheese dressing, macerated tomatoes, and crispy bacon crumbles.

If you’re craving something sweet, try the chocolate lava cake, or head to brunch.

During the weekend brunch, you can find a piece of the doughnut shop next door in the stuffed French toast.

Macee Tillman says, “we use the Outcast croissant style dough. We stuff it with amazing cream cheese filling and strawberry compote. It’s delicious.”

Savory brunch options include breakfast panini and avocado toast.

Rebel Wine Lounge offers happy hour deals on drinks and food Monday through Friday. It also offers impressive weekday specials, including featured wine bottles for $25 on Mondays, all-day happy hour on Tuesdays, and all-half-price bottles on Thursdays.

“We just want everyone to come in, feel welcome back, and enjoy a bottle, enjoy some food, just leave the cares of the world behind,” said Macee Tillman.

The Tillmans’ other two concepts sit across the street from Outcast Doughnuts and Rebel Wine Lounge. They’ve partnered once again with Christina Goldsmith and her husband, Scott, to open a speakeasy called Alchemy 48. It sits underneath TJ and Scott’s second location, Level One Arcade.

TJ says the city has been working to revitalize the downtown area for a long time, and that “We felt not only would it be a good opportunity for us from a business standpoint, but it would be a great opportunity for the city of Mesa to have four super unique and compelling businesses to come, you know, all at the same time within walking distance of everything.”

The four friends and business partners say they’ve always got more projects up their sleeves.

For now, they’re looking ahead to the cool fall weather so they can reopen the side-by-side patios at Outcast Doughnuts and Rebel Wine Lounge.

Outcast Doughnuts

Location: 104 W Main St Ste 103, Mesa, AZ 85201

Hours:

• Sunday - Thursday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Friday - Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Rebel Wine Lounge

Location: 104 W Main St Ste 107, Mesa, AZ 85201

Hours:

• Monday - Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Friday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m.
• Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 a.m.
• Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2024 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.