CHICAGO — Have you made plans for Paczki Day, aka Fat Tuesday?
Passing around the beloved Polish doughnuts at home or in the office is a Chicago tradition. Paczki Day this year falls on Tuesday, Feb. 17 and as usual, bakeries in the city and suburbs are firing up their fryers and taking preorders to meet demand.
Paczki, pronounced “pownch-key,” were devised as a way to use up decadent ingredients before Lent. They’re made from a rich yeasted dough that’s fried, filled with jam, custard or fruit, and covered with powdered sugar.
The list of traditional flavors is long and includes apricot, custard, prune and rose, but many bakeries take liberties with the classics by offering trendier fillings like ube, horchata and Dubai chocolate.
Heritage Restaurant Partners is taking a leap into savory paczki at their West Town pop-up at The Beetle, 2532 W. Chicago Ave. in Ukrainian Village, with flavors like pimento cheese with Cool Ranch dust, plus a sweet raspberry doughnut coated with hibiscus sugar that is dairy- and gluten-free.
Ed Marszewski, the owner of Bridgeport’s Marz Community Brewing, 3630 S. Iron St., never lets Paczki Day go uncelebrated. Marszewski, who is of Polish and Korean descent, will host Paczki Fest Sunday at the Bridgeport mothership, featuring traditional Polish dancing and paczki sandos, plus the annual release of Marz’s Packzi Double Milk Stout.
Bitter Pops, 3357 N. Lincoln Ave., is offering its own take on a liquid version of the treat with its raspberry paczki latte being served up at its Roscoe Village coffee bar.
Block Club has compiled a list of Chicago-area bakeries, cafes and restaurants that plan to sell paczki on or before Fat Tuesday. While some bakeries on this list sell paczki for several weeks or even year-round, most of these are a one-day-only affair.
Reserve ahead by phone or online if you can, as paczki sell out quickly and you may be able to bypass the lines if you’ve preordered.
Chicago
- Alliance Bakery, 1736 W. Division St. Order ahead here.
- Andy’s Deli & Mikolajczyk Sausage Shop, multiple locations.
- Ann’s Bakery & Deli, 2158 W. Chicago Ave.
- Au Levain Bakery & Cafe, 4301 N. Lincoln Ave. Order ahead here.
- Bang Bang Pie & Biscuits, 2051 N. California Ave.
- Beatrix, multiple locations.
- Beverly Bakery, 10528 S. Western Ave.
- Bitter Pops, 3357 N. Lincoln Ave. Order online here (supplied by Bennison’s Bakery).
- Chicago Sugar Daddy, 3243 N. Broadway. Order here 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 here.
- Deli 4 You Market, multiple locations.
- Delightful Pastries, 5927 W. Lawrence Ave. Order online here.
- Do-Rite Donuts, multiple locations. Preorder here.
- Euro Homemade Bakery and Deli, 2445 N. Harlem Ave.
- Ferrara Bakery, 2210 W. Taylor St.
- Firecakes Donuts, multiple locations. Order online in advance.
- Forest View Bakery, 6454 N. Milwaukee Ave.
- Gene’s Sausage Shop and Delicatessen, 4750 N. Lincoln Ave.
- Heritage Restaurant Partners. Order online in advance for pickup at The Beetle, 2532 W. Chicago Ave.
- House of Cakes, 6189 N. Canfield Ave.
- Huck Finn Restaurant, multiple locations.
- Kasia’s Deli, 2101 W. Chicago Ave. Order online in advance.
- Kurowski’s Sausage Shop, 2976 N. Milwaukee Ave.
- 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 Feb. 15 as part of Paczki Fest. (Supplied by guest bakers.)
- Misericordia Hearts & Flour Bakery and Cafe, 6130 N. Ravenswood Ave. Pre-order here.
- Montrose Deli, multiple locations.
- pHlour Bakery, 1138 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Order online here.
- 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.
- Racine Bakery, 6216 S. Archer Ave.
- Reuter’s Bakery, 7177 W. Grand Ave. Order online here.
- Roeser’s Bakery, 3216 W. North Ave. Call 773-489-6900 to preorder.
- Rudy’s Bakery, 2038 W. Roscoe. 773-857-0483 (No website, no credit cards.)
- Scafuri Bakery, 1337 W. Taylor St. Order in advance at 312-733-8881.
- Shop & Save, multiple locations.
- Sicilian Bakery Inc., 4632 N. Cumberland Ave. Preorder by calling 773-589-2602.
- Somethin’ Sweet Donuts, 3244 W. Montrose Ave. Order online here.
- Smack Dab, 6730 N. Clark St. Order online in advance here.
- Spoken Cafe, 1812 W. Montrose Ave. Instructions for pre-ordering here.
- Stan’s Donuts & Coffee, multiple locations. Order online in advance.
- Wagner’s Bakery, 2148 W. Cermak Road
- Weber’s Bakery, 7055 W. Archer Ave. Order here online.
- West Town Bakery, multiple locations. Order in advance here.
- Wiklanski’s Bakery, 6006 W. Belmont Ave.
Customers wait in line for paczkis at Delightful Pastries on March 4, 2025. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
Suburbs
- Bennison’s Bakery, 1000 Davis Street, Evanston. Order online here through Feb. 20.
- Ideal Bakery, 1250 Pratt Blvd., Elk Grove Village. Order online here.
- Jarosch Bakery, 111 E. Higgins Rd, Elk Grove Village. The family bakery just relocated and reopened. Call 847-437-1234 to order and stay updated on Facebook and Instagram.
- Karen Lilly Bakery, Order online for pickup at Folklore Coffee, 214 Main St., Lemont.
- Kirsten’s Danish Bakery, 94 Burr Ridge Parkway, Burr Ridge.
- Oak Mill Bakery, multiple locations. Order online here.
- Oak Park Bakery, 904 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park.
- Orland Park Bakery, 14850 S. LaGrange Road, Orland Park. Order online here.
- Palermo Bakery, 7312 W. Irving Park Road, Norridge.
- Talerico Bakery, 7334 W. 63rd St., Summit.
- Witek’s Bakery, 8807 W. 95th St., Palos Hills. Order online here.
- Wolf’s Bakery, 3241 W. 95th St., Evergreen Park. Order online.
Is your paczki spot missing from our list? Do you know of other bakeries that sell paczki? Let us know at [email protected].
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