While other varieties might catch the eye thanks to their colorful sprinkles, chocolatey icings or powdered sugar dustings, a classic glazed is the best indicator of whether a doughnut shop is worth its salt. Thankfully, our city is blessed with an embarrassment of riches in the doughnut department, with most shops pulling off a respectable, sugar-glazed round. These five, though, are a cut above the rest.
Pharaoh's Donuts
For two decades, baker Amon Aziz was the secret weapon behind the delectable doughnuts served at area gas stations and grocery stores, but in 2014, he struck out on his own with the outstanding Pharaoh's Donuts (multiple locations including 202 North Ninth Street, 314-351-0285). Its classic glazed is perfection — melt-in-the-mouth soft, delicately glazed and subtly yeasty.
Old Town Donuts
A Florissant institution founded in 1968, Old Town Donuts (multiple locations including 510 North New Florissant Road, Florissant; 314-831-0907) maintains its staying power thanks to its unwavering commitment to doing things the way they've been done since the day it welcomed its first guests. The glazed is a thing of beauty, with a pillow-soft mouthfeel and an almost-vanilla glaze that collects along the sides in a wonderful textured pattern.
Donut Drive-In
For seven decades, the neon sign reading "Fresh Donuts" has stood as a beacon of fried-dough magic for the south side of St. Louis. While fans of Donut Drive-In (6525 Chippewa Street, 314-645-7714) get breathless when talking about the famed apple fritter, its fluffy, quintessential glazed is its north star.
Donut Stop
Food & Wine may have raved about its beloved cinnamon glob when naming it the top doughnut shop in Missouri, but the simple glazed beauty — done flawlessly and in perfect accordance with the standard of the form — shows that south county's Donut Stop (1101 Lemay Ferry Road, 314-631-3333) is serious about its fried dough.
John's Donuts
Once a staple of St. Louis nightlife, Soulard mainstay John's Donuts (1618 South Broadway, 314-241-3360) switched to a daytime operation in 2020 — that is, if you consider a 4 a.m. opening time as daytime. Not that it's difficult to drag yourself out of bed that early for its truly outstanding, pillow-soft and sticky piece of glazed perfection.
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