Donut Drive-In

Name: Donut Drive-In
Address: 6525 Chippewa St, St. Louis, MO, 63109, US
Telephone: +1 314-645-7714

Drive-In
In St. Louis, Missouri
0.8 mi from Route 66

Donut Drive-In is a doughnut shop in St. Louis, MO, on Chippewa Street, the old Route 66. It has made doughnuts since the early 1950s. The draw for road trippers is its tall neon sign, where glowing doughnuts seem to roll down an arrow toward the shop. Relit in 2008 after years in the dark, it was the first sign saved by the Missouri Route 66 Association's neon committee.

What is Donut Drive-In?

Route 66 followed Chippewa Street through south St. Louis and carried on beyond the city as Watson Road, now Missouri Route 366. The shop stands beside it under a tall roadside sign whose neon doughnuts appear to move down a big arrow pointing at the building.

History of Donut Drive-In

The shop opened in the early 1950s. Its neon had been dark for a long time when the sign was damaged in 2007 and taken down. The owners then, the four Schwarz brothers, chose to restore it, and it glowed again in 2008, helped by a grant from the National Park Service's Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.

Kevin McKernan bought the shop in 2020. He has since opened a second, drive-thru shop, Donut Drive-Up, on Manchester Road in Brentwood.

Visiting Donut Drive-In: tips

Donut Drive-In is right on the old road, an easy stop on a drive along Chippewa. For photos, come after dark, when the moving neon shows best. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard is a short way west on the same street.

Updated October 14, 2026 · Written by Route 66 Trip Guide

Practical info

Address: 6525 Chippewa St, St. Louis, MO 63109
Phone: +1 314-645-7714
Website: donutdrivein.com
Hours: Tu-Th 05:00-22:00, Fr-Sa 05:00-24:00, Su 05:00-14:00
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

On the map

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Donut Drive-In with the 6 closest stops and other places to eat (fork and knife). Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near Donut Drive-In

All of Missouri

Coral Court Motel

Marlborough, Missouri · 0.5 mi from Route 66

A lost Route 66 landmark: the streamlined Coral Court Motel, demolished in 1995 despite a fight to save it.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

2.2 mi from Donut Drive-In

Seiwa-en

St. Louis, Missouri · 0.7 mi from Route 66

A 14-acre Japanese strolling garden with a lake, islands and bridges inside the botanical garden.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

2.5 mi from Donut Drive-In

Missouri Botanical Garden

St. Louis, Missouri · 0.9 mi from Route 66

Shaw's Garden, founded in 1859, pairs gardens for strolling with a world-class plant research center.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

2.8 mi from Donut Drive-In

Monsanto Insectarium

St. Louis, Missouri · 3.0 mi from Route 66

A bug house inside the Saint Louis Zoo, with a butterfly dome and scientists you can watch at work.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

3.0 mi from Donut Drive-In

Saint Louis Zoo

St. Louis, Missouri · 3.0 mi from Route 66

A leading zoo in Forest Park with a little railroad around the grounds and no general admission fee.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

3.1 mi from Donut Drive-In

Saint Louis Art Museum

St. Louis, Missouri · 3.4 mi from Route 66

A big art museum in Forest Park with works from across the world and centuries, free to enter.

MuseumPhoto credit

3.3 mi from Donut Drive-In

More places to eat nearby

All diners →

Custard Stand
Ted Drewes
St. Louis, MO · 0.3 mi from Donut Drive-In
A family-run St. Louis frozen custard stand from 1929, known for concretes served upside down.
Drive-In
Carl's Drive-In
Brentwood, MO · 3.1 mi from Donut Drive-In
A 16-stool burger and root beer counter on Manchester Road, the path Route 66 took out of St. Louis in 1926.
Diner
Spencer's Grill
Kirkwood, MO · 5.7 mi from Donut Drive-In
A small 1947 breakfast diner on a former Route 66 road in Kirkwood, under a neon sign with a clock from 1948.

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