John’s Donut

Well, my name is John. What else can I give it. That being said, I’m a sucker for Apple Fritters. Love me fried donut ANYTHING. But APPLE FRIED
DONUT!
Foodgasm! Game On!

Best donuts in St. Louis hands down. I’ve been to Strange, World’s Fair, Donut drive-​in, Vincent Van D, but this place is the best. Promise! I’ve tried lots of what they have to offer, and I have never been disappointed!

Went in thus morning & as ALWAYS, the service was AWESOME & with a smile!!! Thus is the ONLY place I go for donuts for the last year or so… DEDICATED & LOYAL customer for life!!!

Pretty darn good donuts. I’m more partial to the frosting at Missouri baking co. and those fancy flavors they have going on at Vincent Van Doughnut, but you can’t beat John’s for your every day donut.
I think it’s a little better than donut drive in!

My sister surprised me with an apple fritter after a long day of traveling to St. Louis, because dayum right I deserve a donut! Who doesn’t?!
Even though it was already a day old (and had spent the meantime in a dorm room) by the time I got my hands/​mouth on it, it was still super delicious. Let’s just say it did not survive very long once I arrived

«SO WHAT IF I DON’T CARE ABOUT THE CUSTOMER?» –Manager, Owner’s Son of John’s Donuts
If you would like to hear about my encounter with the manager (not just an employee, but the OWNER’S SON) of the Johns Donuts shop, then here it is. I called to place an order for 5 dozen doughnuts 10 hours prior to having them picked up for business function. Apparently, there was a new rule set in place stating that large orders be called at least a day beforehand — of which I was unaware. So instead of kindly informing me like any decent professional would, the owner’s son yelled at me over the phone saying that «I told you all a million damn times you need to call in at least a day before placing an order that large!» (Mind you, I placed the exact same order within a similar time frame a month prior with little to no problems — Thank God, I didn’t have a run in with the owner then). When I informed the owner of my prior experience ordering from them, they simply said that that doesn’t matter and then yelled «If you wanted to place such a large freaking order, you should have known!» After being chastised on the phone for over a minute, I informed the owner that i didn’t appreciate his tone and that this was not good customer service and would like an apology. He told me «If I made you feel bad about you mistake, I guess I’m sorry.» I told him that this was not adequate enough as an apology and hung up the phone for fear of saying something I may regret.
3 minutes later after calming down, I recalled the shop and asked to speak to the manager after informing him that this was the same person who called prior. Believe it or not, I was actually calm at the time. IT WAS THEN WHEN I WAS INFORMED THAT THIS BEHEMONTH WAS THE OWNER’S SON! From there, I told him about how I felt disrespected as a customer and that I nor my employer would be returning to their company for business. At this point, I recall this exact exchange:
ME: «The first rule of business is ‘The Customer is always right.’ Any Business 101 class will tell you that. Did you ever even learn that?»
OWNER’S SON/​MANAGER: «You are just wasting my time right now. So what if I don’t care about the customer? If you’re still mad, go on Unilocal.»
So instead of merely being polite and informing a loyal customer about a changed policy from the start, the manager/owner’s son opted to yell at me, swear at me, refuse to apologize (or apologize backhandly — I personally think that is much worse tbh), ignore the fact that he disrespected a customer and then state an implicit company policy that the customer’s needs are only met once you submit to the will of John’s Donuts. You think I’m kidding? HE LITERALLY SAID «SO WHAT IF I DON’T CARE ABOUT THE CUSTOMER?» No amount of sugar, carbs and fats is worth being disrespected and invalidated as a consumer and as a human being.
Not only did John’s Donuts lose one extremely loyal customer, but they also revealed that they don’t actually care about the rest. This may be one account but the ideology of this company entails that it will happen to you before you know it. My word of advice is to instead check out the following shops with not only great products but also wonderful, thoughtful service…
Vincent Van Doughnut:
Strange Donuts:

Everything I’ve had at Johns’ has been awesome! Excellent place to blow your diet or spend your cheat day!

OMG this place is amazing. I mean I really don’t know how to describe it, but if you’re looking for the perfect yeast donut, this is the place to go, especially late night when they come out fresh. I’ve never had an apple fritter before, but was told this was the go to here, I may not ever eat another variety of donut after this experience.
The place itself has some seating, it’s very old timey with little frills. Sometimes at night (I’ve only been at night) it gets crowded with the Wash U crowd so there’s not always a place to sit. Also, know that there are no bathrooms.
Be forwarned, the balding guy behind the counter is rude, but friendly. How does that make sense you ask? I think it’s all part of his sthickt and the charm of the place. I enjoy bantering with him, and he hurls his one liners with a smile. But if you’re the sensitive type, just grab the donuts and move on.

So so so good! My husband and I stop here if we’re out at 11pm to get their apple fritters and they are straight up the best I’ve ever had. Their Apple fritters are enough of a draw, but if you get there at 11pm everything is hot, so the rest of the donuts taste amazing as well. The old fashion cake donuts are to die for. We’ve come in the afternoon before too and yes, you guessed it, the donuts are just as good as when their hot. This place is a must.

Best Donuts in St. Louis! We play in a summer volleyball league right next to this place and always go after we have the late games (since it opens at 11pm).

I thought John’s was good, but then I found they make a cinnamon swirl donut, but instead of glaze they put chocolate icing on it. Fantastic. No longer must you choose. All your donut dreams come true. Now I think John’s is great.

This place is legendary. Such an ecclectic atmosphere and fun customer service. Oh yeah, also the best darn donuts I’ve ever had!

My favorite doughnut shop in St. Louis, honestly I take that back the whole world!!! I’ve never had an apple friter that could ever hold up to the standard set by John’s donut! Do not be fooled by the other donut shops in St. Louis, this would be a mistake to pass up!

Absolutely amazing donuts — super friendly staff — great atmosphere– my husband works down there and has talked about them forever — amazing!!!

Back when I was 18 years old and cooking up donut-​esque cakes in my Easy-​Bake Oven, I could only dream of baking something so magnificent as the donuts at John Donut.
Why would anyone ever go to Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme when donut shops like this exist?
My dad is a donut connoisseur and he absolutely loves this place. He lives out in West County, though, so he rarely gets them. I got him a dozen for his birthday and he said it was the greatest gift I ever got him. Even better than the wallet I made for him when I was 6 that said «I love you, dad» on it. He actually tried to return that to Wal-​Mart with a fake receipt the next day.
His absolute favorite John donut, or Johnnie as I call them/​just made up, is the chocolate long john. Mine is the Boston cream. My mom’s is the apple fritter. My brother likes one of the jelly filled ones. As you can see we’re a very disagreeable family. The holidays are a nightmare!
Prices are pretty much on par with any other place I’ve been. 150 – 200 ha’pennies will get you a donut.
I only started drinking coffee recently so I don’t know much about comparisons. Theirs tastes like coffee to me.
Parking is right out front on a wide, empty street.
I haven’t gone to too many of the other STL donut shops. I try to limit my intake as best I can. I’ve heard they’re fattening and go right to the hips. I can’t have that. It’s bikini season somewhere. With that said, I’d rank John next to Donut Drive-​In and ahead of World’s Fair.

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.

Best doughnuts in soulard, however I will never give any of my hard earned money to Johns doughnuts again. I have been disrespected on the phone calling to check business hours. I have also witnessed my friend being disrespected in the store by another or maybe even the same employee. I don’t appreciate giving money to a business and then treated like dirt. I figured the best thing I could do was write a bad review to warn everyone else. If you are a classless rude person working in customer service I understand but you atleast have to fake it!

I’m minorly obsessed that this is so close to home, I can literally feel like less of a fatty and bike up here. I usually get a dozen to share, and I always choose a couple of Old Fashioned’s, Apple Fritters (best I’ve had, ever), the Cinnamon Twists, and Superman (with peanuts on top)!
Cheap, delicious, and filling… what more could you ask for?

Always fresh, and they have very very good customer service. I enjoy their donuts and I love giving them a tip.

I don’t get it. Besides a clever name, there’s not much remarkable about John Donuts. The donuts were similar to what you could buy at Schnuck’s. Meh, indeed.

The donuts are fantastic. Especially the apple fritters. I usually don’t get apple fritters, but a friend I went with recommended them, and boy am I glad I listened to him. This place has the best apple fritters I’ve ever had. The staff is also hilarious.

I wish I lived farther away, that this place wasn’t open at the hours when I’m most likely to be drunk, and that there wasn’t such a great selection of cake donuts on sale for pocket change. I’m doomed.

I go to Soulard Market almost every Saturday for my healthy eating habit and then I walk over to John Donut and get my happy eating fix.
It is true you can get a cake donut at every donut shop. You can also get a hamburger at just about any restaurant. But we all know when we are eating a truly magnificent burger. The same principle applies to these donuts. Crispy exterior that breaks apart in moist, dense chunks held together with chocolate. (I don’t know any reason not to get chocolate dipped) The long johns are light and slightly chewy. The fritters have no equal. They are dense and light at the same time. Crispy exterior with a pillowy center and just enough sweetness to make your teeth want more and your coffee to say, «That’s enough sugar.»
They also have these baseball sized triple chocolate brownie things in the display case on the top shelf to the far right. I should say they sometimes have them because when they are put into the display they go quickly.
Eat more donuts from John Donut.

The best donuts in the city, no frills or gimmicks, just the best sugary dough in St. Louis!

Kinda dirty. Donuts were ok, you could tell the oil needed to be changed. I expect more from old donut places, like old timers complaining about obama, and public employees slacking. When you see those guys, you know you are in a good place.
John’s just had a bunch of dusty crap on the walls and a couple homeless guys drinking coffee.

Help! I live too close to this place. It’s just too quick and easy and always delicious. My temptations are the fritter and the plain glazed. Don’t be a douche to the staff.

My brother and I came by here after swinging by Soulard Farmer’s Market. My brother had always wanted to try this place out, and I love donuts to begin with. We picked up one for my wife (apply fritter) and five for my other brother and his family. The donuts all look delicious and are oh too fresh. The place opens at 11 pm and was busy even when we showed up at 9 a.m. I tried some of my wife’s apple fritter and wow it was so delicious and had pieces of apples in it. I would note that the place has a $ 5 credit card minimum.

John’s is a great old school donut shop. They stick to what they do best and simply sell donuts and coffee, milk, drinks, etc to go with them.
This shop has been around for decades and is located about 2 blocks directly east of Soulard Market. Apple fritters are Johns most popular donuts (92 cents including tax). The custards and glazed are great as well.
Parking is all on the street and there are a few tables inside to use if you want to enjoy your donuts in the shop. The employees are all friendly and have been helpful when I am undecided.
I don’t think I have ever had a bad donut in my life but I’d have to rate John’s and Donut Drive-​In as the best places in St. Louis to get classic donuts.

Okay so I’ve been mean do to this review for a LONG while now!
I found John Donuts Co because I was going to be in St Louis for work one week and needed to pick up about 13 – 15 dozen donuts for some meeting I had. Now maybe there is something I don’t know about but in MO, Dunkin Doughnuts are not on every corner like here in Chicago lol. In fact I when looking a week prior to what will be in the area for Donuts I didn’t find much of anything. But luckily I did find this place!
The reviews cracked me up so I was like what the hell! Why not?
So I called ahead for 13 dozens and set off on my tip. When I got there to pick up my donuts I was at first worried I was heading into the wrong area. Its very industrial and by a tattoo place. but don’t be alarm you are there!
The donuts are about $ 6 – 7 a dozen (can’t remember exactly cause I ordered so much) and they rang me up and offered me free coffee to go with the purchase. Which I thought was sweet cause in Chicago, I’ve made these big orders and never get offered anything free! But even better they guys helped me bring the stuff out to the car. I know it sounds dumb to even mention this. but I have ordered for MANY of MANY places for these meetings and its rare these days for people to want to help you cause they just don’t care.
Here at John’s they are so friendly, and give you a good laugh in the morning. And let me tell you, I also ordered bagels from another retailer and at the meeting the people were going crazy about the donuts asking me where I got them and I was happy to say its only 15 mins away! In fact they were such a hit. I decided to pick up about 8 more dozen for small meetings I had the next day. Once again I stop in and they staff was great and even made me take some free donuts for my self and helped me to my car.
They have this apple crisp donut… and OMG I want to drive all the way back out there just for that. Big chain places have NOTHING on these donuts!
Helpful Tips:
–Don’t be scared GPS is taking you down a strange road… its right!
–Be prepared to have a laugh no matter how early, the staff is a riot.
–Be prepared to be addicted to them, cause they are sweet and so fresh!
–At around closing time they offer dozens for cheaper just to get rid of them so you know they aren’t serving you nasty donuts the next day!

Before writing this update, I removed John Donut Co from my No-​No List. It has been over two years since my first John Donut and I thought it was time to revisit. My last review was based on a box of donuts brought in by a coworker, so I missed out on the ambiance and customer service that is offered at JDC.
When experiencing a donut shop, I use my three classic donuts as a base for judging. They are the traditional Glazed Donut, Apple Fritter and the Chocolate Long John, or Chocolate Bar depending on which name you grew up calling it. The Apple Fritter was good, but the best in my humble opinion Donut Drive-​In still is the best. I grew up calling it a Chocolate Long John and thought this was above average, it goes well with an ice cold glass of milk. Their Glazed Donut, is a true classic. In my earlier review I stated Homer Simpson wouldn’t eat them, I now stand corrected.
Not stereotyping, but I am surprised I did not see any policeman at JDC. It’s a great location in Soulard. It is off the beaten path in the industrial area of Soulard, but still easy and safe to get in and out of on a busy day. It’s not in my hood, but when in the area and craving a donut I’ll be apt to return. If you decide to go remember as most donut joints, it is cash only.

Just when I thought there wasn’t a donut that I didn’t like…
Soulard is known for its decadence. It’s not hard to find a place to indulge one’s self on the Island. However, one aspect that the island lacks is donuts.
You’ll find John Donut Company just on the other side of the tracks, technically in the mostly vacant Kosciusko neighborhood. HIdden in the industrial and overall displeasing hood, JDC provides both poor service and mediocre donuts.
I only came in once, and once was more than enough. I like to document every new place I check out, like many Unilocalers do, and John’s wouldn’t be any different. However, after taking a few photos outside, the clerk behind the counter said something rather sarcastic to me, obsiously not entertained by my touristy gestures. I tried to explain what I was doing, but he wasn’t having it.
Despite our rocky beginnings, I was willing to ignore his sassback if the donuts were spot on. However, they were not. The donuts were dry and seemed overly fried. Also, they were smaller than what I was used to.
Sorry to inconvenience you, John. I just wanted to share your donuts with the rest of the world. Now. .. not so much.