51黑料

51黑料 is the best doughnut town in the country.

Classic glazed and raised doughnuts as airy as a cumulus cloud. Blueberry cake doughnuts so moist that you don鈥檛 mind using the word moist. Apple fritters as big as a dinner plate.

Following the same O鈥橣allon, Missouri, to O鈥橣allon, Illinois, ethos that fuels my annual STL 100 restaurant guide, I drove throughout the metro area, finding the best of 51黑料鈥� best doughnuts.

I will tell you a few of my favorite specific doughnuts, but rather than rank the shops, I offer a sort of chocolate-iced, strawberry jam-filled road map for a 51黑料 doughnut staycation.

Don鈥檛 worry. I haven鈥檛 included every doughnut shop in town. You can still get mad at me.

The City

Our journey must begin somewhere. I recommend John鈥檚 Donuts (1618 South Broadway) in the Kosciusko neighborhood immediately east of Soulard. In a project with no shortage of shops that open at 4 or 5 in the morning, John鈥檚 was the only place where I planned to set my alarm earlier than usual to avoid a sold-out display case.

Among John鈥檚 Superman d茅cor, you will find both raised and cake doughnuts worthy of filling your box of a dozen. Also, the fritters at John鈥檚 are sticky and delicious as any in town, but in a rare case of restraint, they are relatively modest in size. If you care about that. If you don鈥檛, order two.

You can sate your doughnut desires without ever leaving the city. You certainly can鈥檛 top the classic glazed, raised doughnut at聽Pharaoh鈥檚 Donuts downtown (202 North 9th Street) and its Central West End satellite (8 Maryland Plaza). This is the ideal of the species, simply sweet. You don鈥檛 chew this doughnut so much as sigh along with it.

Donut Drive-In (6525 Chippewa Street) completes the holy trinity of doughnut shops in the city proper, and its Lindenwood Park building is the metro area鈥檚 most picturesque doughnut destination.

When Donut Drive-In is busy, you might need to wait in line 鈥� few customers can fit inside the tiny space. But your patience is repaid with terrific doughnuts, none better than the signature apple fritter: big, crackling with sweetness, hefty but not leaden, and apple-intensive.

Though old-school, Donut Drive-In has embraced modern dining, with online ordering and a spinoff drive-thru location, Donut Drive-Up, in Brentwood (8950 Manchester Road).

The city also features two standout 鈥渘ew-school鈥� doughnut options. Actually, Vincent Van Doughnut (1072 Tower Grove Avenue) is pretty well established now, but its Grove storefront looks more like a modern cafe than a doughnut joint, and its signature oversized, square-shaped doughnuts still turn heads. Sophisticated creations like chocolate icing dusted with coffee and a peanut butter-chocolate streusel justify paying roughly $1-$2 more than you do elsewhere.

Damn Fine Hand Pies debuted last year in Shaw (4000 Shaw Boulevard), and I named the tiny bakery 2024鈥檚 No. 2 best new restaurant thanks in no small part to its sourdough-brioche doughnuts and otherworldly apple fritter brown-butter fritter. (A vegan version of the latter is also available.)

Finally, Eddie鈥檚 Southtown Donuts (4701 South Kingshighway) might not be a sleek new storefront nor as well-known as the aforementioned trinity, but this Southampton shop hits all the raised, iced pleasure points. And other than John鈥檚, it鈥檚 the only spot during this project where on one visit I found the doughnuts cleared out before 10 a.m.

North

I just wrote 400-plus words on the doughnuts shops of 51黑料 city, but I鈥檇 argue the true heart of the metro area鈥檚 doughnut scene is Florissant and neighboring Hazelwood.

Old Town Donuts (508 New Florissant Road, Florissant) would be a destination if its hours followed a conventional predawn-to-noonish schedule. Even better, Old Town is open 24 hours a day whenever the craving strikes for an apple fritter or 鈥� my favorite here 鈥� the long john with caramel icing and bacon.

For a classic raised, glazed doughnut, I bounce between the airy standouts at Kelly鈥檚 Donuts (7919 North Lindbergh Boulevard, Hazelwood) and Doughnut Cupboard (1115 North Highway 67, Florissant).

Kelly鈥檚 is a no-frills option: order your doughnuts inside the tiny storefront and go. Doughnut Cupboard celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and charms you with an old-school vibe. Get a doughnut and a coffee and hang out a bit at a table or the counter.

South

Any guide to 51黑料 doughnuts must include 鈥� and arguably should begin with 鈥� Lemay鈥檚 Donut Stop (1101 Lemay Ferry Road, south 51黑料 County). Any visit to the Donut Stop鈥檚 small standalone building must include 鈥� and arguably should begin with 鈥� the cinnamon glob.

This softball-sized creation fuses the texture of a raised doughnut with the sweet, swirling spice of a cinnamon roll. It belongs with toasted ravioli, pork steaks and Provel on the list of must-try 51黑料 culinary experiences.

翱补办惫颈濒濒别鈥檚 A&A Donuts (5661 Telegraph Road, south 51黑料 County) is a must-visit for fans of long johns. Here, the oblong desserts are as light as a more modest raised doughnut ring. For fans of filled doughnuts 鈥� and those of us who don鈥檛 mind a little bite to our sweetness 鈥� the tart raspberry-filled doughnut is one of the area鈥檚 best.

Speaking of long johns, if I could only eat one long john in 51黑料, it would be the maple-bacon variety at Fenton Olde Towne Donuts (67 Fenton Plaza, Fenton), a springy doughnut that captures a sweet-savory breakfast in one creation.

West

OK, to define 鈥渨est鈥� for this project, I鈥檓 roughly using the long spine of Lindbergh Boulevard as a dividing line. I say roughly because Sweet Spot Cafe (3857 Adie Road) is actually east of Lindbergh. You know what? Who cares. You鈥檙e here for the doughnuts, which alongside the classic varieties includes creations like the cr猫me brulee doughnut with a crackling crisp surface just like the dessert.

And while I鈥檓 not a big fan of doughnuts tricked out with candy, cereal and other gimmicky toppings, I鈥檒l make an exception for the s鈥檓ores-inspired chocolate-marshmallow arrangement at K&J Donuts, which boasts locations in O鈥橣allon, Missouri (114 Triad Center West) and Chesterfield (155 Hilltown Village Center, which still features signature for prior occupant Daylight Donuts).

I celebrated Florissant鈥檚 Old Town Donuts in the North section, but the shop has expanded to Cottleville (3941 Mid Rivers Mall Drive).

East

The Metro East is home to several old-school bakeries that include doughnuts among their wide array of appealing treats: Wood Bakery (115 West First Street, O鈥橣allon, Illinois), Duke Bakery (819 Henry Street, Alton, and 3202 Nameoki Road, Granite City) and Kruta Bakery (300 51黑料 Road, Collinsville).

For a classic doughnut shop, head to Wood River Donut N More (102 West Edwardsville Road, Wood River), where locals sit around the big counter with their doughnuts and coffee, the raised doughnuts are fluffy, the lemon-filled doughnut packs a zing and the blueberry cake doughnut is indeed moist.

The blueberry cake doughnut is a staple of the 51黑料 doughnut experience that had never really blown me away 鈥� until this project. At Mister Donut (2720-A Grovelin Street, Godfrey), the last location in the country of a once-thriving chain, the blueberry cake doughnut is easily the best I鈥檝e ever eaten, as light and airy as a cake doughnut can be and packed with pops of blueberry flavor.

The small dining room features counter stools and booth seats the dull orange color that Pantone should designate Cafeteria鈩�. Should you plan a drive all the way to Godfrey for one blueberry cake doughnut?

If you鈥檝e read this far, you鈥檙e halfway to the car.