Celebrating Fat Tuesday with a paczki or two is a Chicago tradition, and there’s no shortage of bakeries catering to demand this year.
The Polish doughnuts, pronounced “pownch-key,” are a holiday staple. They’re made from enriched dough and a bit of grain alcohol, covered with powdered sugar, and filled with jam, custard or fruit.
This year, Paczki Day, as it’s known to enthusiasts, falls on Tuesday (aka Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday), and dozens of Chicago-area businesses are already inviting customers to pre-order. Most businesses expect the pastries to sell out, so order ahead if you can.
Here’s where you can find paczki in the city:
- Ace Bakery, 3241 S. Halsted St. You can order ahead here.
- Alliance Bakery, 1736 W. Division St. You can order online in advance.
- Andy’s Deli & Mikolajczyk Sausage Shop, multiple locations.
- Ann’s Bakery & Deli, 2158 W. Chicago Ave.
- Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits, 2051 N. California Ave.
- Bennison’s Bakery, 1000 Davis Street, Evanston. You can order online in advance.
- Beverly Bakery, 10528 S. Western Ave.
- Bitter Pops, 3357 N. Lincoln Ave. Order online in advance. (Supplied by Bennison’s Bakery)
- Chicago Sugar Daddy, 3243 N. Broadway. You can order online in advance.
- Chicago Sweet Connection, 5569 N. Northwest Highway
- Crema Shop, 1401 W. Wilson Ave. (Supplied by Chicago Sugar Daddy)
- Daisies, 2375 N. Milwaukee Ave. Order online in advance.
- Dear Flo’s, 1313 W. Wilson Ave. Available March 2; these are vegan paczki.
- Deli 4 You Market, multiple locations.
- Delightful Pastries, 5927 W. Lawrence Ave.
- Ferrara Bakery, 2210 W. Taylor St.
- Firecakes Donuts, multiple locations. Order online in advance. Availability through March 4.
- Forest View Bakery, 6454 N. Milwaukee Ave.
- Gene’s Sausage Shop and Delicatessen, 4750 N. Lincoln Ave.
- Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar, 2700 W. Chicago Ave. You can order online in advance.
- House of Cakes, 6189 N. Canfield Ave.
- Ideal Bakery, 4765 N. Milwaukee Ave. You can order online in advance.
- Jarosch Bakery, 35 S Arlington Hts Rd., Elk Grove Village. 847-437-1234
- Kasia’s Deli, 2101 W. Chicago Ave. You can order online in advance.
- Kolatek’s Bakery, 2445 N. Harlem Ave. 773-637-3772.
- Kurowski’s Sausage Shop, 2976 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-645-1692.
- Laramie Bakery & Deli, 3012 N. Laramie Ave.
- Lutz Bakery, 2458 W. Montrose Ave.
- Marz Community Brewing, 3630 S. Iron St. Pre-order online for pickup on March 2 only as part of Paczki Fest. (Supplied by Racine Bakery and other guest bakers.)
- Misericordia Hearts & Flour Bakery and Cafe, 6130 N. Ravenswood Ave. You can pre-order here.
- Montrose Deli, multiple locations.
- Mindful Baking Cafe, 1942 W. Montrose Ave. Order online in advance.
- Oak Mill Bakery, multiple locations.
- Oak Park Bakery, 904 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park. 708-383-1712.
- Orland Park Bakery, 14850 South LaGrange Road, Orland Park. 708-349-8516.
- Palermo Bakery, 7312 W. Irving Park Road, Norridge.
- pHlour Bakery, 1138 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. You can order online in advance.
- Pierogi Kitchen, 1856 W. North Ave.
- Polish Paczki Cafe, 7210 W. Foster Ave.
- Polombia, 500 W. Madison St.
- Pticek & Son Bakery, 5523 S. Narragansett Ave.
- Pullman Club Coffee Shop, 605 E. 111th St. 773-397-3022.
- Racine Bakery, 6216 S. Archer Ave.
- Reuter’s Bakery, 7177 W. Grand Ave. You can order online in advance, but orders close 2 p.m. Sunday.
- Roeser’s Bakery, 3216 W. North Ave. Call 773-489-6900 to preorder.
- Rudy’s Bakery, 2038 W. Roscoe. 773-348-8578 (No website.)
- Scafuri Bakery, 1337 W. Taylor St. Order in advance.
- Shop & Save, multiple locations.
- Sicilian Bakery Inc., 4632 N. Cumberland Ave. Preorder by calling 773-589-2602.
- Somethin’ Sweet Donuts, 4456 N. Kedzie Ave. Ordering online in advance is recommended, as only limited quantities will be available for walk-ins.
- Smack Dab, 6730 N. Clark St. Customers are encouraged to order online in advance.
- Spoken Cafe, 1812 W. Montrose Ave. Full instructions on how to pre-order can be found here.
- Stan’s Donuts & Coffee, multiple locations. You can order online in advance.
- Talerico-Martin Bakery, 7334 63rd St., Summit. 708-496-6200
- Wagner’s Bakery, 2148 W. Cermak Road
- Weber’s Bakery, 7055 W. Archer Ave. You can order online or over the phone in advance.
- West Town Bakery, multiple locations. You can order online in advance.
- White Eagle Deli, 6839 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles. Pre-order online by Friday, or walk in.
- Wiklanski’s Bakery, 6006 W. Belmont Ave.
- Wolf’s Bakery, 3241 W. 95th St. You can order online.
- Wurst Behavior, 4009 N. Elston Ave.
