World's Fair Donuts Takeaway. Not the best donuts in the world, but they are close. Delicious cake and sugar donuts. My favorite donuts so far in St. Louis are 8.1/10 on the cake-based donuts. I have not had a glazed or apple crawler because they were out when we went. The pudding donut counts as three, and my sons split it. $2.25 for a donut is on the expensive side, as many around here go for $1.15.
A great place to stop if you're going to the Missouri Botanical Gardens. You should stop before the gardens in the morning and not after. They will be partially sold out if you go around 10-11 am like we did. They don't accept credit, but they have Venmo and CashAPP. Service was friendly when we went. We parked in the small dedicated lot in front. It's on a triangle of roads, so getting out can be a little dicey.
World's Fair Donuts Experience Summary
We learned about a not-so-secret secret from Reddit: the Missouri Botanical Gardens are free for St. Louis County residents on Saturday mornings. So we loaded up the family and a friend and went to the gardens.
The kids were all excited to head to the children's playground in the Gardens. But when we saw World's Fair Donuts on the way, they got even more pumped.
Unfortunately, I made the wrong call to do the Gadens and then come back for donuts. I figured they'd have some selection left around 11 am after we got through the plants.
But they didn't, so we were stuck getting whatever was left.
It turned out that it didn't matter one bit.
I got a sugar donut with a jelly filling, my sons got a chocolate pudding, my wife got cake, and their buddy got a chocolate donut.
The cake-based donuts were outstanding, earning an 8.1 / 10 and the honor of the best donut I've had in St. Louis thus far. The kids couldn't finish the chocolate pudding donut because it was so big. They liked it enough, but it wouldn't be my first choice. $2.25 for a donut is on the expensive side.
The Food At World's Fair Donuts
This idea might seem crazy, but we go to World's Fair Donuts for donuts.
I know.
In this case, the cake donut came in a wonderful 8.1 / 10 for me. I like donuts but don't love them, so anything in the 8s is about as high as I'll go. The cake donut had a beautiful airiness but still delivered a tangy bread flavor. Combined with a crisp, almost crunchy coating, the mouth fell, and the texture were top-notch.
My sons really enjoyed the chocolate pudding donut. More like a pudding-filled cake, this thing could fit three normal-sized donuts inside it. It cost more than the standard donut, but the kids easily split it with some leftovers for me to try.
We also had a jelly donut that had a similar airy feel to the cake. It had the appropriate jelly-to-donut ratio and wasn't spilling onto my pants. Jelly donuts aren't my favorite, but they were very good for the slim picking available when we arrived.
World's Fair Donuts Atmosphere And Miscellaneous
World's Fair Donuts has a hole-in-the-wall feel to it. The small old building, mixed with the olde sign, lacks any corporate feel. It's a place for donuts by people who love donuts, much like Baker's Dozen in Olivette.
Strange Donuts recently acquired World's Fair Donuts. I'm not sure how that changed the setup or quality of the donuts. I had never been before the acquisition.
The first thing you'll notice when you walk in, besides the giant case of donuts, is the sign saying how to pay. They only accept cash, Venmo, and CashAPP. They don't take credit or debit, but there's an atm nearby.
The lone man staffing the store was super chatty and friendly when we went. He joked around with us and gave us the tidbit that Strange now owns World's Fair. He said it's hit or miss on exactly when they start to sell out, but before 9 am is your best bet for a complete selection.
Parking At World's Fair Donuts
They have a dedicated lot in front of the building. It's a kind of triangle island surrounded on three sides by crossroads. They have maybe six spaces and then street parking beyond that. Getting into and out of the parking lot takes a bit of paying attention just because you need to figure out where to go and look to get back on your way.
The sugar from the donuts will help with the required logic.
World's Fair Donuts Receipt
