Top 5 Apple Fritters in St. Louis, Chosen by Our Critic

Donut Drive-In

The vintage sign at Donut Drive-In (6525 Chippewa Street, donutdrivein.com) shines like a beacon of hope, beckoning doughnut lovers to stop in for one of its glorious apple fritters, which are defined by their mounded round shape, soft interior crunch glaze and cinnamon-kissed apples that are so plump, they're still juicy.

Donut Stop

Food & Wine's pick for the best doughnut shop in the state of Missouri, the Donut Stop (1101 Lemay Ferry Road, Lemay) is the pastry jewel of south St. Louis County. While it can be difficult to order anything but its wonderfully named cinnamon glob, its magnificent apple fritter — oblong shaped, fluffy, studded with large hunks of apple and delicately glazed — is an essential purchase.

Donut Palace

The pride of Ellisville, Donut Palace (37 Clarkson Road, Ellisville; donutpalacestl.com) is a bastion of apple fritter glory thanks to its magnificently massive masterpiece. Roughly the size of a small loaf of bread, these deep-fried beauties are generously studded with large apple hunks and liberally accented with cinnamon. Here the glaze coats the exterior to form a crunch, but also soaks into the interior, which gives it a lovely sweetness throughout.

John's Donuts

One of St. Louis' most beloved doughnut institutions, John's Donuts (1618 South Broadway) boasts an outstanding apple fritter that is encased in beautifully placed apple slices like a fine French pastry. When cracked open, its crunchy, funnel-cake-like exterior yields to a pillow-soft interior that's pure doughnut pleasure.

Pharaoh's Donuts

Sometimes oddly square, sometimes a little more round, the apple fritters at Pharaoh's Donuts (multiple locations including 202 North Ninth Street, pharaohsdonuts.com) are beautifully rustic and look as if the large apple slices and delectable yeasty dough are being held together by little more than the sweet sugary glaze that coats every bite and seeps into all the delicious crevices.