Pharaohs Donuts — Restaurant in St. Louis

Updating the review for the new location: Love these donuts! The new location is great, it's bigger and inviting. This place is pure St Louis, great food and great people.

These are the best donuts in St. Louis. Let me tell you about Pharaoh's donuts. Getting there is like a video game quest. Do not be deterred. These donuts are worth it. Right now,there is a ton of road work happening on the streets around the building. It isn't apparent that the street is even open, and parking can be a challenge. Be resolute. These donuts are worth it. The building itself is confusing. There is no lobby, and the entrance is unclear. Go in the door that is near the sign with a pharaoh on it. You will be faced with three doors. One has a sign saying "other door" with an arrow. The arrow points at a locked door. Choose the third door. You will enter a space that looks nothing like a donut shop. Maintain the course. Turn the corner. You will see a display case. The donuts look standard. Your heart may sink. Keep courage. Choose your donuts. The workers are friendly but firm. All the choices are good choices. The yeast donuts are soft, but haven't absorbed too much oil. They are even better than the yeast donuts from Donut Drive-in. The cake donuts are a revelation. I fear someone may have sold their soul for these recipes. (It was a good trade.) I am an expert at donuts. I know a good donut. I worked in a donut shop in high school and valiently try every new donut joint I come across. And I maintain that these are the best donuts in the St Louis area. Go, now, to...

Battle of the Doughnut 3

Saturday morning is a time for sleeping in, watching cartoons and trying out another doughnut shop that an insistent co-worker suggested. Arriving shortly after the shop opened, I watched a man walk out the door with three boxes of doughnuts. I began to wonder, what was going on in the small business located on the corner of N. 7th St. Don’t expect a fancy shop with massive machines and a dressed-up dining area. This is a straight up, real deal when you push through the one working door. Yeast, cinnamon, and the sweet smell of sugar will pierce your nostrils when you make your way up the slight ramp and turn left to the reach the counter. I started with a simple glaze and cinnamon roll. I stepped over to a counter to check out my purchase and lost my mind. Both items; fresh, and slightly warm, made me shake my head in disbelief. Is this how a junkie feels when he gets his first hit on a pure drug? I was hooked! I had to go back for another cinnamon roll, adding an apple fritter to my order. Just as I was about to reach in the bag, the male clerk said, “You may want to sit down before you eat that.” Oh, it was on and I did what he said. My toes curled in my shoes after I took a bite of the soft, warm, slightly crunchy fritter. Rodney (the male clerk) was right, I will be back for more. Overall: These doughnuts should be against the law but since they’re not, all I can say is you must try them at least once. Great job to the Pharaoh...

Let me paint a picture. It's a cold morning in early March. I'm looking for a place to eat breakfast. No luck until I see this donut shop and a small line out the door. Why would people wait in line for a donut? I certainly wouldn't wait even two minutes for a Dunkin Donut. What a surprise. I finally get to the counter and I say to man, shoot, I was hoping to get some plain glazed. He told me I was in the right place, behind him on a huge bakers sheet were 50 beautiful glazed donuts. They serve them warm and my goodness, I've never had a better donut. Just remarkable. As with any good donut shop, they had white milk and brown milk. The donuts are not fabulous just because they are warm. An employee makes and cuts the dough in right behind the glass so all can see. The cook in the back told me there is an art to donut making. I love to see that kind of pride. My donuts were not overly glazed as sometimes donuts can be. You could taste a hint of the yeast used in the recipe. There are not a lot of small family, black-owned businesses. It was fun to see father, daughter, brother, cousin etc. They were all on the same mission. To make the best donut around. And check this out, if you buy a dozen donuts, you get a bakers dozen. A throw back to a kinder and better time. This is not only a great place to eat, but a cultural site not to be missed on any trip to St. Louis. Yeah Pharaohs....