John's Donuts

I've been trying various donut shops in the area over the last few months. I decided to give John's a try this past Saturday. I was blown away at the selection, one of the largest out of the shops I've been to. The guy who helped me was super friendly. I especially enjoyed the glazed pretzel, raisin square, apple fritter, lemon cake, and the cake donut topped with chocolate and coconut. I'm an early riser, and it was awesome that they were open at 4am. I think I was the second one there. The donuts were fresh and delicious. They're be part of my rotation now, and I look forward to future visits. I highly recommend John's Donuts!

The atmosphere is full of character and history. Donuts were perfect. Not that sticky donut feel, the donuts glazed perfectly and the inside super soft. Unfortunately, my first visit felt rushed and a bit cold — the woman helping me was pushy and not very welcoming, which took away from the experience. I’d consider giving it another try, but it wasn’t a great first impression.

We love this place and the people who work there! They are so welcoming to our family. Best donuts anywhere!!! Nothing can top a Johns Donut!

There is ample free street parking at the location. The neighborhood is quite. The exterior and interior of the location were in good repair. The associate was friendly and was able to answer my questions. There were a variety of donuts available and they had a daily special. The donuts we purchased were fresh and flavorful. They take cash and credit cards but you have to spend more than $5 to use a credit card. I would return to this location and recommend it to others.

It has taken me forever to review this establishment. I have gone here for over 10 years and wanted to keep them my secret. It was really selfish of me. These are the best donuts in St. Louis. The recipe has not changed since I found them. Always fresh, always delicious, always kind and caring employees. I recommend all of them! Of course I have my favorites but you cannot go wrong with anything you pick.

We tried it for the first time today, and it was excellent! The donuts were fresh, there was lots of variety too. It was great price. The service was friendly, and the atmosphere was awesome!

John Donut is the best! Anytime we want donuts we go to John’s. The apple fritters are the best ever, and I highly recommend the St. Louis (Boston) crème, chocolate filled, and glazed old fashioned. The rest are great too, but those are the favorites for our household. To avoid missing out on the high demand items go before 8am, as they open a 4am and close at 11am.

So finally little brother got into this donut shop. The hours leave a little to be desired, as it's 4 am to noon. If he sells out he closes totally. Nit use to a donut ship having such short hours. As Donut Drive-In hours are 5 am to 10 pm and some nights 12 am. OK let's get down to the donuts. The Apple Fritters are smaller than we are used to, the twisted cinnamon glazed is ok. They don't offer vanilla custard filled only chocolate, what if you don't like chocolate? The vanilla iced cake donut is ok. His menu shows donuts, but not the name or price online. Overall it's OK, but I prefer Donut Drive-In for more variety and prices are shown as well. You can order ahead of time and go pick up at their box too. If your in the area for John's go try it, but know he might not be open if he sells out.

This was our last stop before heading back home to Tennessee. I will say, definitely call ahead to make sure they have donuts, because when we walked in, they were almost out! We managed to get some danishes, a long John, a cake donut, and an apple fritter, and everything was a 10! The cream cheese danish was so flaky and the cream cheese filling was sweet, but not overkill. Will definitely be back when we come to St. Louis again!

Whomever said variety is the spice of life must have had John's donuts in mind. A friend recommended this spot to me for their peach fritters. To my delight, they had more than just peach. They also had every kind of donut you could possibly want. There were danish and other treats as well. The space is very small but the team makes very quick work of getting your order together. You're in and out and back on your way. My rating for John's is four stars. To me the fried donuts were heavy and oily. The frying oil had a distinct taste to all of those donuts. Maybe this was a one off. I'll check back again to see.

Good donuts, but, it's never open when the site says it's open. I drive a long way to this business and 7 out of the 10 times they were not open. So I went to Pharaoh's donuts they're always open with delicious donuts great service.

The donuts are amazing! The ladies working there are super nice. Superman on the walls makes it memorable!!

Really enjoyed the donuts from here. The jelly donut actually has a good amount of jelly in it which is hard to find! I'll be back!

The best part of college- going to John's donuts at 11:40pm when the fresh glazed donuts were put out! Another quality memory- going to John's before watching the sunrise at the Arch! They have many selections if you go at a busy time in the morning (not 4am).

Haven't made it to Johns for awhile now and I forgot just how fresh the donuts are! At 9:15 they were already out of a lot of flavors but the butter twist was delicious. No one was in there as we ordered which was surprising for a Saturday morning. The server didn't make us feel rushed as we considered our options. Some of the best donuts in STL for sure!

Wow! These donuts are amazing. We got them on a Saturday morning and they were all fresh. My favorites were the chocolate pea r butter and the vanilla chocolate twist one. Will definitely be back

I've been craving for donuts and John's Donuts came highly recommend from a friend who's a STL native. I made the trip to Soulard mid-morning and have to admit that it didn't disappoint! We got a half dozen donuts and my favorite was the good old plain glazed donut. The long John and apple fritter were the next best ones. According to my friend, they used to open late night/very early morning hours, so it was THE go-to spot after a night out. Of note, there's a minimum for credit/debit card transaction. So make sure to bring some cash just in case.

John took me to his favorite donut shop: John's Donuts. Ironically, he got his usual and his favorite: chocolate long John's. Yes, John took me to John's Donuts and ordered two chocolate long Johns. I, on the other hand, had a cinnamon roll. It didn't have the fluffy taste of a fresh donut. It wasn't great, but also was awful. I've had better. And I've had worst. It was adequate, but not inspiring enough for me to return on my own.

Super friendly, pleasant & prompt service. They had exactly what I needed to provide a delicious morning treat to my co-workers as a random act of kindness. Needless to say the donuts were devoured. Packed in a cute little box. Priced appropriately. Variety of options along with beverages to wash the sugar rush away. Clean, COVID friendly. Masks required upon entry and worn by employees. Ample parking in front.

Incredible apple fritter, views, and signs. Here before SEEK conference per SLU alumnus recommendation.

We're so lucky to live close to John's -- in my opinion, a top STL donut destination. Someone from our family swings in each Saturday morning by 8am to pick up a fresh dozen. Great selection, service, and prices, and the donuts are delicious.

Love the cinnamon swirl donuts this place is a hidden gem. Just make sure you get there early.

Finally got a chance to try out the dones from a Soulard staple, John's Donuts. After years and years of hearing my friends rave about the donuts at John's Donuts, I was very excited to stop by to see what all the hullabaloo was about. The store is located on the east side of Broadway near the Soulard market. Technically it is not Soulard, but damn close enough. The area it's located in is a tad seedy as it's an industrial area and not high trafficked. When you walk into John's Donuts you're immediately overtaken by the sweet scent of grease and years of donuts being served up to hungry patrons. The interior is super decorated. As in, the walls are covered in Superman stuff. So I was expecting some SUPER flavors with all the DC decor. I got up to the counter and was met with an abundance of options. I wanted to get an idea of the offerings at John's Donuts, so I ordered an apple fritter and a cruller. Talk about affordable! My total was just over $2. I couldn't wait to dive in, chomping into the cruller first. My initial reaction was not what I had hoped. The donut was slightly dry, and the cruller was a bit stale. The only flavor in the bite was the chocolate frosting on top. I wasn't blown away and ended up only eating half. The apple fritter was a little bit better, but not much. There wasn't a strong apple flavor. I don't think there was even any apple bits or anything. The fritter was super greasy and that was the predominant flavor. Reading reviews, it seems like John's Donuts is a hotspot for the late night crowd to grab something to soak up their evening. I can totally see how their donuts are a post bar delicacy, but I would prefer something a little lighter on the grease for a sober breakfast.

Great donuts at a good price. The store is very clean, everyone is very friendly and they have a good selection of donuts. This is my go to donut shop.

This isn't a millennial hipster, 4-buck-a-cup coffee shop with a barn wood interior and some fancy pastries. It's an old style donut shop--and a mighty fine one at that. One block from Soulard Market, John's cases are filled with traditional glazed, cake, cream filled, long johns, fritters and other fried dough treats. I didn't experience the owner's personality other Yelpers described. There was, however, plenty of personality on display in the dozens of wall signs that basically stated the customer wasn't always right--but management always was.

Great donuts, worth stopping in. I've driven by a million times without stopping and now I am glad I finally did.

donuts here are simple, no bells and whistles like a lot of the fancy donutteries i've seen, but really tasty. they're also very affordable, a dozen for $15 or so! the apple fritters were my favorite but the yeast ones were also nice and pillowy.

This place is the college student's favorite late night snack! Basically all of WashU knows about John's. They're usually open at the hours of 11:00PM-12:00PM, so it's the perfect place to stop by if you're craving a donut late at night. (I did notice their hours changed on google, not sure if that's a permanent thing or due to the current coronavirus pandemic) A lot of random and interesting decorations fill the store (a lot of superman). There are several tables in the shop. Street parking is usually plentiful. Their donuts are amazing! They make my all time favorite classic glazed donut, which are pillowy and soft. I also really recommend the butter twist donut, which is very similar to the classic glazed donut. Also their apple fritters are really good, and probably what they are best known for! They also have cake donuts, old-fashion donuts, and some desserts like brownies to choose from. Note: you can only use a card if the order is over $5

Rating: 4.5 Stars This was my first experience with John's Donuts. A coworker brought them in. As a donut lover, I was excited to try them. I have heard good things; but, sadly, as a Pharaoh's Donuts lover, I never made moves. For this first try, I picked the Glazed Jelly Donut and the Vanilla Iced Long John Donut. The Glazed Jelly Donut had good flavor with a GENEROUS amount of jelly. My only complaint is that the jelly was not uniformly distributed on the inside of the donut and was localized to one corner. Due to this excessive amount in one area, some was lost when I bit into it. Nevertheless, this was still a solid donut. The Vanilla Iced Long John Donut was better. It was very, and the icing was very flavorful and the perfect sweetness. While Pharaoh's Donuts is a better choice, I enjoyed my experience with John's Donuts, and I look forward to trying their other product offerings.

Quality: 5 Stars This place isn't running for most creative. It's for the donut purist. Those who love classic donuts MUST GO HERE! My favorites are the apple fritters and glazed twists. Quantity and Price: 5 Stars Anytime you roll in to this place, make sure to get a dozen! I paid $12 for 12 donuts. Can't beat that. By the time you finish savoring the first bite, you've probably finished the donut. Advice: Get the apple fritter donuts! I've taken these donuts to countless amounts of friends, and all have loved them. Give this hole in the wall a shot! The weird hours do seem unconventional until you are up late at night wishing you were eating a donut.

This place has character!! I loved the inside. I felt like I was in and old school movie. Their hours are weird- they open at either 11 pm or midnight (can't remember and google and yelp say different things) and the workers are sarcastic, but that's what gives this place its charm. What I ordered: apple fritter. Delicious!! Would recommend. My brother got the iced blueberry cake donut and it was also very good. I love the price! All donuts are $1. We got 2 donuts and a milk and it was $3.81. That's a steal! I will be back soon!

Time for another update and this time John is being bumped up to 4 Stars. They are easily my co-workers choice, when it has been designated donut day. Our favorites are the Chocolate Long John and the Glazed Buttermilk. Both are scrumptious. Our dozen is usually 6 of each. Other donuts that you'll find in our box on occasion are; Cinnamon Twist, Apple Fritter, Cinnamon Roll and a traditional Glazed or Sugar donut. Depending on who is working, you may even see a Jelly Donut in our box. The donuts are always super fresh. If you need coffee, I'll warn you, this is not Starbucks. John serves up a good strong cup of black coffee, the way it should be drank. The staff is friendly. They remember their regulars and welcome new customers as if they were regulars. I'd give John 5 Stars, but they're closed on Sunday and sometimes we really need donuts on Sunday morning. Otherwise, they are top-notch donuts. Would I return? - I do every week. When: I'm usually there Friday or Saturday Why: Keep my co-workers happy.

These are the best tasting donuts in St. Louis!!! If you do a taste with any other donut, John's Donuts will win, hands down every time!!!! Try them! You'll LOVE them!

Great donut shop! Donuts are good. Fluffy not heavy. Definitely old school charm. They cater to their regulars and are kinda warm to us newbies. Not the best donuts but pretty good!! The star in my bag was the glazed sour cream! Whoosh that was great with coffee. Jelly donut was filled nicely and sweet but not overly, blueberry wasn't super dry, cheese danish was oddly a little dry. I'll be back!

First time visit, though I had their donuts at least once before. 11am Saturday and still many donut options left. This place is about a block from Soulard market, if you go there, add this place to your list to visit. There were quiet a few tables and many people enjoying their donuts there. Staff was friendly and I asked about their most popular donut - apple fritter! Well of course I had to get that. One apple fritter for a friend. One apple fritter for me. And a glazed for me too since that's what I use to judge donut places. Apple fritter was amazing. Sometimes they're too hard. It this one was soft. It was not greasy at all. There were also large chunks of apple and the right amount of cinnamon. There was a lot of glaze on top but that is normal. This is definitely one of the best apple fritters I've had. Many have a lot of great and this one didn't! I went ahead and had the round glazed too and it also was delicious. Light. Soft. Not greasy. Tasty. Very good. I'm glad I had the chance to make a stop here. I will be back...

"the stuff donut dreams are made of" - me, about John's Donuts every time anyone mentions donuts or any topic that's donut-adjacent My boss used to bring in donuts from the donut drive in every Saturday morning, until someone gifted our shop with a box of John's. Even at 3pm long after they were baked, the quality still convinced him to make the switch. Over many weekends of donut consumption I've really grown to love a perfect plain glazed donut over any frills and flavors... and theirs is just flawless. Such pillow airy dough that holds in moisture, a slight tang, and a golden brown exterior enveloped by a glaze just thin enough to hold it all together. It's a great example the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, esp when each part is dialed in so well. I really missed them when I left that job and finally started going there myself a few months ago. Got there 1130pm, and what an atmosphere! Not much goes on at that hour nearby, but I bet they get hit after events and games downtown if that's their business on weeknights. A freshly glazed and still warm donut... Is even more heavenly than I could have ever imagined. I've been craving it regularly ever since and probably should never have gone! I usually get 2 for myself - one for the car immediately and one for later - still good up to 12hrs later but nothing beats the fresh in my mind now. All their other offerings are good too. The fillings and glazes aren't overwhelming like many places. Very classic selection. The only thing I'd go to donut drive in for instead is their apple fritter, so maybe don't come here if that's the only donut you like. $5 minimum for cards, the coffee is diner level (great with the donuts!), filled donuts not available until like 2am. A few tables available inside.

There's not many negative things that can be said about John's donuts except one: their hours are super funky, (closed saturday night / sunday morning), and sometimes the guy working is just "not in the mood" but I guess when you have to work 11pm to 12pm everyday I would also want to just get my donuts sold. This place is bomb. Every donut I had was amazing, but the ones that stood out for me were Blueberry!!, apple friters, double chocolate, and glazed. The second best part on top of their donuts being extremely soft, yummy tasting, not too sweet, and just perfect, is that this place is CHEAP! A dozen donuts cost like 10.50 or something ridiculous. You compare this to some of the "nice" donut places in other areas, who charge "$2-3" per just a glazed donut... It's unbelievable how good their donuts are, on top of how cheap it is. I got a dozen just for me and my girlfriend and they lasted and were still good after 3-4 days.

This place was very clean and the service was prompt and friendly. I just asked the server for 2 dozen donuts and she picked out a variety for me that I brought to work. Everyone loved them they were very fresh and tasty. The price seemed very reasonable. Mask are required when going in and all the employees had them on.

I love this donut shop! It's a traditional donut shop like back in the day - traditional donuts with traditional donut pricing. If you are in the market for a $5 donut topped with bacon....this is not the donut shop for you. This donut shop is tucked away not far from downtown St Louis. It's easy to find. Street parking - which is always available. Wonderful view of the Arch - see my photos. The staff is friendly and efficient. I love the donuts here. They are fresh and tasty. They seem to do a good business so I don't think the donuts sit around long before they are purchased. There is a nice variety from which to select. See the photo I posted of the counter. If you want a good donut...make a trip to John's!

My wife and I have eaten tons of blueberry glazed cake donuts from tons of different places. They're always basically the same. But John's? This is a whole other blueberry donut. Best one ever.

Can't think of a single thing wrong with donuts. Espcially ones that are like 6 bucks for a dozen and open super late at night. A dream come true, honestly. We got some glazed, some maples, some fritters, some twists. All amazing. My mouth is watering! I wish I had found this place before I moved out of STL. Will just have to come back and visit!

There is a line out the door early on a Saturday morning, that is a very good sign. No nonsense donuts that melt in your mouth. Lots of choices, old fashioned vibe, quick service. You will be thrilled with the taste, so much better than the chain stores.

When my husband gets off from the fire department on Saturday mornings, the kids and I know John's is for breakfast! We always get at least 2 dozen. Their chocolate long John's and sugar donuts are amazing. Their customer service is wonderful!!

Delicious, fresh, mouth watering, tasty etc... These donuts never let me down!!! Absolutely delicious donuts

I only like yeast donuts. These are my favorites in STL. OG, Apple Fritters, and buttercream filled rule the menu for me but honestly there probably isn't a bad donut in the case. They have a steady stream of customers with a few tables if you want to eat there.

John's Donuts...this is my (and my friends as well) favorite place to get donuts in STL. We will make late night runs to John's donuts when we have free time. My personal favorite donut here is the butter twist donuts. When you take a bite into this donut, you get the nice sweet buttery glaze that goes so well with donut. Once you finish one, you have this urge to eat another one!! This is one of the best glazed-style type of donuts that I have tried. I've tried some of their other donuts, notably the apple fritter, and I find them to be good overall. However, I think the butter twist donut is the star here! Yeah, they got some weird hours (opens at 11pm), but every time that I have come here, there's always people in the store wanting to get donuts. It shows you how much people love John's donuts!!!

I've had multiple donuts from John's Donut before I've actually visited the store. Fortunately for me, my company gets donuts every Friday, though it doesn't help the waistline, it does make working where I do a little more sweet (pun intended). I finally paid a visit when I had a friend in town. After I opened his eyes to non-chain donuts, he was hooked. We walked in and was met with the super friendly staffed. My go to at a donut shop is always the apple fritters, and do they make a mean apple fritter. I would say that's my favorite I've had from them, but they're fried pieces of dough can you really go wrong? Highly recommended. I will be back to eat all the donuts.

Hands down the BEST donuts in St. Louis! I've been coming here for years and they are top notch. I can honestly say I've never experienced grumpiness from the owner or employees in the many years I've been going here. This is a true classic donut shop made fresh daily. My favorite is the Cinnamon Twist, they are so soft and practically melt in your mouth with no greasy after taste.

Wow! Bought for the first time for my coworkers and I and it was a HIT! Wonderful friendly people! I love sponsoring local businesses

Stopped in on an early Saturday morning. Easy parking along the street at that time of day. I had them pick me a bakers dozen of a mix of donuts. Well, I made sure they put at least one blueberry donut in the box. (my favorite) The kids were asking where in the world that place was and why haven't I brought them home before. Obviously a big hit and will for sure have to return for more.

Wow! This place is amazing :) We came in around 10am, and there was a huge variety of donuts, and of course, the apple fritter. It was my first apple fritter, and I'm sure other ones I eat after this one will fall flat. There are small chunks of apple hidden inside the sugary cinnamon goodness. So sweet, but sooo good! The long john was also delish with its denser doughy texture. Nom nom ^^ I want to try all of them! The donuts aren't labelled though, so you'll either have to ask what every flavor is or just take a risk~ We sat at the table next to the counter, so whenever customers came in and ordered, I would eavesdrop to try and learn which donuts were which. The Long Johns are quite popular~ Six donuts for less than $5. Also, they sell bottled water for 70cents, which is awesome (too tired of paying airport prices!). The store owner is super nice! He joked and told me to hop on the skeleton for a picture XD I asked the store owner what the store hours were, since it isn't listed on Yelp or the front door. John Donut is open from 11pm to around 12 noon every day, but they are closed on Saturday nights and all Sunday. Hope that helps! :D P.S. They accept credit/debit if your total is greater than $7 ^^

My favorite donut shop in the whole city of STL! Delicious blueberry cake and glazed donuts that are perfect after a night of drinking!

Hell yeah. John donut. Store is rad. Owner is rad. Donuts are rad. Just wish they were open on Saturday nights

Freshly baked donuts (Best donuts West of the Mississippi) ...must come in the early am to get the filled donuts but nice selection for arriving a little after opening! Outstanding service with a family feel from the staff that is family own and operated!

There is a review below that is just unbelievably bogus. Jake S, states that many false things happened in his experience at Johns Donuts. This is an amazing establishment. Of my many years of enjoyment from this place, I've never experienced poor service, nor have any of my many friends who've enjoyed John's Donuts with me. I hope nobody reads this review and takes it at face value. These guys will go above an beyond to talk with you as they fill your order. They always have a smile and they even remember the many faces that come through. You can tell because, sometimes when people approach to order you hear comments such as, "She sent you in alone today, huh" (to which I had to chuckle). When I'm not running late, I try to stop in with my extra time to get my same order (Apple fritter and a plain glazed for my co-worker). It's part because you're not going to find better donuts and part because I've kinda grown to really like the people. I hope you guys are around forever. Some of us look forward to seeing your face each day. Keep being great!

I moved back to St. Louis from Memphis back in August. Memphis has an amazing old school doughnut shop that has been featured on food network & other places. Since moving back I have been disappointed! Sure, there is no such thing as a bad doughnut, but man there is such a think as a great doughnut! John's has great doughnuts and the apple fritter was a religious experience! It's a fun little spot with seating! I do wish they had a bathroom being that I have kids and the pee every ten seconds. Other than that, it's a great D-shop!

I picked up a dozen at John's Donuts for work this morning. They were pretty good but nothing compared to the Donut Drive In and even less compared to St. Louis Hills Donuts. I think they would have been a bit better if they were more fresh. They were a bit dry. Onward to the next city donut shop.