clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
A bakery cart filled with trays of paczki. Kim Kovacik/Eater Chicago

Where to Find Paczki in Chicago

Paczki Day 2024 is Tuesday, February 13, but the season is already underway

View as Map

Officially, Paczki Day is Tuesday, February 13 this year, but paczki season is already underway. In Poland, the sweet, filled doughnuts are traditionally eaten on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, not the Tuesday, which in some corners of the city means that Paczki Day will fall on Thursday, February 8. Either way, many of the city’s bakeries are mixing and frying and filling, and the festivities will go on all weekend. For the record, paczki is pronounced “POONCH-key.” Or maybe “PAUNCH-key.” Or somewhere in between the two. But definitely not “PACK-zee.”

Some of Chicago's most adored paczki palaces have closed in recent years, including century-old stalwart Dinkel’s Bakery, Jefferson Park’s Sweet World Pastry, and Beth’s Little Bakeshop in suburban Evanston. Other prominent players have not yet shared menu and ordering details. Stay tuned for an update when their plans come together.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Deerfields Bakery

Copy Link

Deerfields’ three locations pull out all the stops for Paczki Day with more than 20 varieties. This year’s options include banana cream, birthday cake, salted caramel, and many more. Order online through Saturday, February 10 via the bakery’s website or stop in to the shop on Fat Tuesday proper.

Bennison’s Bakery

Copy Link

Bennison’s New World-style paczki come in seven traditional flavors (including cheese, chocolate custard, and prune) and four premium varieties (among them, banana cream and German chocolate). They’re already available for in-store purchase, and customers can order online through Saturday, February 17, by phone or via the suburban bakery’s website.

Popular Evanston bakery Hewn has brought back its special paczki, which are baked rather than fried. They come filled with chocolate pastry cream and are only available on Fat Tuesday. They can be preordered online before via Tock before the cutoff time of 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 10.

KD Market-Krystyna's Deli

Copy Link

This Polish market with suburban locations in Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Mount Prospect, and Wheeling skews toward the traditional end of fillings with rosehip, plum butter, and raspberry. More modern choices like Nutella, vanilla pudding, and blackcurrant are also available. Place orders online for a minimum of a dozen before the deadline cutoff (Tuesday, February 6 for Fat Thursday or Sunday, February 11 for Fat Tuesday).

Smack Dab Chicago

Copy Link

Smack Dab’s paczki are back for Fat Tuesday in a range of flavors such as raspberry lemon curd, chocolate, and vanilla pastry cream. Fans can pre-order boxes of six or three for pickup via Tock. Interested parties would be wise to move fast, as this Rogers Park staple is known to sell out completely.

Delightful Pastries

Copy Link

Delightful Pastries features paczki all year long, but ownership still steps things up for the holiday, some years making more than 50,000 for Fat Tuesday. There’s an assortment of flavors like custard, plum butter, and rose petal jelly, as well as gourmet options like a brand-new Dulce de Leche version. Grown-ups can also indulge in boozy submissions, dubbed “Drunken Paczki,” such as Jameson whiskey with chocolate custard or moonshine and lemon. Customers can place orders over the phone or online before Monday, February 5.

Chocolate-drizzled paczki. Brian Rich/Sun-Times

Somethin' Sweet Donuts

Copy Link

The doughnut experts at Somethin Sweet in Albany Park have opened pre-orders for five types of paczki: cheese, strawberry, Bavarian cream, raspberry, and apricot. Place pre-orders online before the deadline on Sunday, February 11 for six or twelve of a single flavor or an assortment of all the options.

Big Kids

Copy Link

Even though the sandwich shop is closed, on Fat Tuesday, Kelly Ijichi — who wowed fans at Mom’s Chicago with Japanese-inspired fare — is back again with a gloriously goofy paczki party with friends and collaborators Lorraine Nguyen, Rosie Est, and Alisha Norris Jones. Special flavors include a paczki topped with truffles and much, much more. Preorders are going fast.

Kolatek’s Bakery & Deli

Copy Link

Stock up on a host of Polish and Eastern European goods at this West Side shop. Paczki range from standard flavors, like raspberry and cherry, to nontraditional fillings, such as rum, tiramisu, and limoncello. Customers can place orders over the phone, via Facebook message, and in person. There’s a second location in suburban Palatine.

Daisies

Copy Link

White-hot neighborhood restaurant Daisies has racked up numerous accolades since its move to a larger, more modern space in Logan Square just blocks away from its original location. It’s also significantly upped its pastry game thanks to partner and decorated pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky, who’ll offer two kinds of paczki for pickup on Fat Tuesday: black raspberry and vanilla cream.

A round plate of three paczki. Daisies

Beacon Doughnuts

Copy Link

Lincoln Park’s alleyway vegan doughnut destination will offer dairy-free paczki on Fat Tuesday, but there’s no word yet on the flavor options. Given the shop’s top-notch reputation among omnivores and vegans, there’s sure to be more than one hit in the bunch.

Pierogi Kitchen

Copy Link

This newish Polish American spot from spouses Gosia Pieniazek and Artur Wnorowski (Earl’s BBQ, Ella’s BBQ) is jumping right into the spirit of the season with paczki filled with rose marmalade and candied orange peel. Wnorowski says he’s tested them with his mom (the ultimate seal of approval) and is considering adding them to the dessert selection long-term. Keep an eye out for the sugary treats starting Monday, February 5.

Roeser’s Bakery

Copy Link

Located in Humboldt Park, this 113-year-old Chicago bakery icon sells thousands of its paczki every year for the Fat Tuesday season. Some are iced, and some are simply sprinkled with powdered sugar. Expect flavors such as apple, blueberry, and caramel custard. Call the bakery to place preorders.

Alliance Bakery

Copy Link

Alliance Bakery keeps its Paczki Day game tight with just six flavors: blueberry lemon, chocolate salted caramel, strawberry, raspberry rose, vanilla bean ganache, and apple cinnamon. Customers can preorder online through Saturday, February 10, and paczki will also be available in-store on a first-come, first-served basis starting from Thursday, February 8 through Fat Tuesday.

West Town Bakery & Diner

Copy Link

This playful bakery and diner from Fifty/50 Restaurant Group will offer a limited selection of paczki in flavors like blueberry lemon and strawberry Nutella. Place orders online for pickup at the West Town, LaSalle Street, East Ohio Street, and suburban Wheeling locations.

Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar

Copy Link

A no-holds-barred Paczki Day is in store at Heritage, where the team has a mammoth lineup of options. Pre-order selections include sweet flavors (yuzu curd with powdered sugar, whipped miso caramel ganache with chocolate, java chip, and more), savory ones (everything bagel with whipped feta-Boursin, pimento cheese with Cool Ranch dust), and vegan delights (peanut butter ganache with chocolate, raspberry jam with powdered sugar). On top of all of that, customers can also stop by for a walk-in special: bacon, egg, and cheese on a paczki with spicy aioli. Pre-orders are available by the half or full dozen via Tock for pickup from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fat Tuesday.

Stan's Donuts & Coffee

Copy Link

Doughnut chain Stan’s has paczki available now through Fat Tuesday at all locations. There are six flavors (that’s two more than last year): raspberry, strawberry, chocolate cream, pastry cream and cannoli, and a vegan option with strawberries and dairy-free cream. Pre-orders are open online.

A table laid with packzki and a cup of iced coffee. Stan’s Donuts & Coffee

Canal Street Market and Eatery

Copy Link

Canal Street Market, which opened in 2022 inside the 50-story BMO Tower just south of Union Station, will offer Downtown denizens a smattering of as-yet-unnamed flavors for pickup on Fat Tuesday.

A pastry and coffee counter inside Canal Street Market. Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Marz Community Brewing Company

Copy Link

Marz’s annual Paczki Fest returns to the McKinley Park brewery from noon to midnight on Sunday, February 10. They’ll have four-packs of paczki (raspberry, marmalade, custard, and plum butter) from Wicklanski’s Bakery and other “guest bakers,” as well as Marz’s Paczki Double Milk Stout. Now, that might be too sweet to enjoy with a paczki, but the beermakers insist that because the roast is mild enough that go ahead that they will complement each other. Other festivities will include a traditional Polish dance program by the Wici Song and Dance Theater and a performance by The Environmental Encroachment Marching band.

Racine Bakery

Copy Link

This nearly 40-year-old South Side bakery is taking orders for its paczki, which come in flavors including strawberry jelly, poppyseed, blueberry, and more. They also come as adorable mini-paczki for those trying to moderate consumption. Order the old-fashioned way, by phone, or online on the bakery’s website. Orders must be placed by Monday, February 5 for pickup on Thursday, February 8; or by Saturday, February 10 for pickup on Fat Tuesday.

Weber’s Bakery

Copy Link

Customers can get a teeny bit tipsy off of the paczki at this South Side institution, which adds a splash of brandy (sometimes grain alcohol) to the dough. This year’s selection includes apple cinnamon, strawberry buttercream, and lemon custard; minimum orders are half a dozen. They’ll be available from Thursday, February 8 through Fat Tuesday. Orders can be made in-store, placed online, or by phone.

Pticek & Son Bakery

Copy Link

Croatian bakery stalwart Pticek & Son, originally founded in 1943, offers an abundance of paczki flavors including cheese, peach, almond, and lemon. Call to place orders.

Oak Mill Bakery

Copy Link

With four locations in the suburbs and one in Chicago, Oak Mill Bakery will produce plenty of paczki for Fat Tuesday, with options ranging from an “American assortment” (custard, raspberry, rose, and caramel), a “European assortment” (custard, rose, prune, and advocaat, a creamy Dutch alcoholic beverage not unlike eggnog), and a box of Valentine’s Day paczki (custard with dark chocolate frosting; raspberry preserve). There are even more premium a la carte flavors like coffee bean and Nutella. Place orders online.

Beverly Bakery and Cafe

Copy Link

This TK-year-old coffee house and cafe in Beverly promises a melange of paczki flavors for Fat Tuesday, including apricot, lemon buttercream, pineapple, blueberry, and more. They’ll be available individually or by the dozen. Orders are available by phone for pickup from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, February 12 and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fat Tuesday.

Deerfields Bakery

Deerfields’ three locations pull out all the stops for Paczki Day with more than 20 varieties. This year’s options include banana cream, birthday cake, salted caramel, and many more. Order online through Saturday, February 10 via the bakery’s website or stop in to the shop on Fat Tuesday proper.

Bennison’s Bakery

Bennison’s New World-style paczki come in seven traditional flavors (including cheese, chocolate custard, and prune) and four premium varieties (among them, banana cream and German chocolate). They’re already available for in-store purchase, and customers can order online through Saturday, February 17, by phone or via the suburban bakery’s website.

Hewn

Popular Evanston bakery Hewn has brought back its special paczki, which are baked rather than fried. They come filled with chocolate pastry cream and are only available on Fat Tuesday. They can be preordered online before via Tock before the cutoff time of 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 10.

KD Market-Krystyna's Deli

This Polish market with suburban locations in Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Mount Prospect, and Wheeling skews toward the traditional end of fillings with rosehip, plum butter, and raspberry. More modern choices like Nutella, vanilla pudding, and blackcurrant are also available. Place orders online for a minimum of a dozen before the deadline cutoff (Tuesday, February 6 for Fat Thursday or Sunday, February 11 for Fat Tuesday).

Smack Dab Chicago

Smack Dab’s paczki are back for Fat Tuesday in a range of flavors such as raspberry lemon curd, chocolate, and vanilla pastry cream. Fans can pre-order boxes of six or three for pickup via Tock. Interested parties would be wise to move fast, as this Rogers Park staple is known to sell out completely.

Delightful Pastries

Delightful Pastries features paczki all year long, but ownership still steps things up for the holiday, some years making more than 50,000 for Fat Tuesday. There’s an assortment of flavors like custard, plum butter, and rose petal jelly, as well as gourmet options like a brand-new Dulce de Leche version. Grown-ups can also indulge in boozy submissions, dubbed “Drunken Paczki,” such as Jameson whiskey with chocolate custard or moonshine and lemon. Customers can place orders over the phone or online before Monday, February 5.

Chocolate-drizzled paczki. Brian Rich/Sun-Times

Somethin' Sweet Donuts

The doughnut experts at Somethin Sweet in Albany Park have opened pre-orders for five types of paczki: cheese, strawberry, Bavarian cream, raspberry, and apricot. Place pre-orders online before the deadline on Sunday, February 11 for six or twelve of a single flavor or an assortment of all the options.

Big Kids

Even though the sandwich shop is closed, on Fat Tuesday, Kelly Ijichi — who wowed fans at Mom’s Chicago with Japanese-inspired fare — is back again with a gloriously goofy paczki party with friends and collaborators Lorraine Nguyen, Rosie Est, and Alisha Norris Jones. Special flavors include a paczki topped with truffles and much, much more. Preorders are going fast.

Kolatek’s Bakery & Deli

Stock up on a host of Polish and Eastern European goods at this West Side shop. Paczki range from standard flavors, like raspberry and cherry, to nontraditional fillings, such as rum, tiramisu, and limoncello. Customers can place orders over the phone, via Facebook message, and in person. There’s a second location in suburban Palatine.

Daisies

White-hot neighborhood restaurant Daisies has racked up numerous accolades since its move to a larger, more modern space in Logan Square just blocks away from its original location. It’s also significantly upped its pastry game thanks to partner and decorated pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky, who’ll offer two kinds of paczki for pickup on Fat Tuesday: black raspberry and vanilla cream.

A round plate of three paczki. Daisies

Beacon Doughnuts

Lincoln Park’s alleyway vegan doughnut destination will offer dairy-free paczki on Fat Tuesday, but there’s no word yet on the flavor options. Given the shop’s top-notch reputation among omnivores and vegans, there’s sure to be more than one hit in the bunch.

Pierogi Kitchen

This newish Polish American spot from spouses Gosia Pieniazek and Artur Wnorowski (Earl’s BBQ, Ella’s BBQ) is jumping right into the spirit of the season with paczki filled with rose marmalade and candied orange peel. Wnorowski says he’s tested them with his mom (the ultimate seal of approval) and is considering adding them to the dessert selection long-term. Keep an eye out for the sugary treats starting Monday, February 5.

Roeser’s Bakery

Located in Humboldt Park, this 113-year-old Chicago bakery icon sells thousands of its paczki every year for the Fat Tuesday season. Some are iced, and some are simply sprinkled with powdered sugar. Expect flavors such as apple, blueberry, and caramel custard. Call the bakery to place preorders.

Alliance Bakery

Alliance Bakery keeps its Paczki Day game tight with just six flavors: blueberry lemon, chocolate salted caramel, strawberry, raspberry rose, vanilla bean ganache, and apple cinnamon. Customers can preorder online through Saturday, February 10, and paczki will also be available in-store on a first-come, first-served basis starting from Thursday, February 8 through Fat Tuesday.

West Town Bakery & Diner

This playful bakery and diner from Fifty/50 Restaurant Group will offer a limited selection of paczki in flavors like blueberry lemon and strawberry Nutella. Place orders online for pickup at the West Town, LaSalle Street, East Ohio Street, and suburban Wheeling locations.

Related Maps

Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar

A no-holds-barred Paczki Day is in store at Heritage, where the team has a mammoth lineup of options. Pre-order selections include sweet flavors (yuzu curd with powdered sugar, whipped miso caramel ganache with chocolate, java chip, and more), savory ones (everything bagel with whipped feta-Boursin, pimento cheese with Cool Ranch dust), and vegan delights (peanut butter ganache with chocolate, raspberry jam with powdered sugar). On top of all of that, customers can also stop by for a walk-in special: bacon, egg, and cheese on a paczki with spicy aioli. Pre-orders are available by the half or full dozen via Tock for pickup from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fat Tuesday.

Stan's Donuts & Coffee

Doughnut chain Stan’s has paczki available now through Fat Tuesday at all locations. There are six flavors (that’s two more than last year): raspberry, strawberry, chocolate cream, pastry cream and cannoli, and a vegan option with strawberries and dairy-free cream. Pre-orders are open online.

A table laid with packzki and a cup of iced coffee. Stan’s Donuts & Coffee

Canal Street Market and Eatery

Canal Street Market, which opened in 2022 inside the 50-story BMO Tower just south of Union Station, will offer Downtown denizens a smattering of as-yet-unnamed flavors for pickup on Fat Tuesday.

A pastry and coffee counter inside Canal Street Market. Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Marz Community Brewing Company

Marz’s annual Paczki Fest returns to the McKinley Park brewery from noon to midnight on Sunday, February 10. They’ll have four-packs of paczki (raspberry, marmalade, custard, and plum butter) from Wicklanski’s Bakery and other “guest bakers,” as well as Marz’s Paczki Double Milk Stout. Now, that might be too sweet to enjoy with a paczki, but the beermakers insist that because the roast is mild enough that go ahead that they will complement each other. Other festivities will include a traditional Polish dance program by the Wici Song and Dance Theater and a performance by The Environmental Encroachment Marching band.

Racine Bakery

This nearly 40-year-old South Side bakery is taking orders for its paczki, which come in flavors including strawberry jelly, poppyseed, blueberry, and more. They also come as adorable mini-paczki for those trying to moderate consumption. Order the old-fashioned way, by phone, or online on the bakery’s website. Orders must be placed by Monday, February 5 for pickup on Thursday, February 8; or by Saturday, February 10 for pickup on Fat Tuesday.

Weber’s Bakery

Customers can get a teeny bit tipsy off of the paczki at this South Side institution, which adds a splash of brandy (sometimes grain alcohol) to the dough. This year’s selection includes apple cinnamon, strawberry buttercream, and lemon custard; minimum orders are half a dozen. They’ll be available from Thursday, February 8 through Fat Tuesday. Orders can be made in-store, placed online, or by phone.

Pticek & Son Bakery

Croatian bakery stalwart Pticek & Son, originally founded in 1943, offers an abundance of paczki flavors including cheese, peach, almond, and lemon. Call to place orders.

Oak Mill Bakery

With four locations in the suburbs and one in Chicago, Oak Mill Bakery will produce plenty of paczki for Fat Tuesday, with options ranging from an “American assortment” (custard, raspberry, rose, and caramel), a “European assortment” (custard, rose, prune, and advocaat, a creamy Dutch alcoholic beverage not unlike eggnog), and a box of Valentine’s Day paczki (custard with dark chocolate frosting; raspberry preserve). There are even more premium a la carte flavors like coffee bean and Nutella. Place orders online.

Beverly Bakery and Cafe

This TK-year-old coffee house and cafe in Beverly promises a melange of paczki flavors for Fat Tuesday, including apricot, lemon buttercream, pineapple, blueberry, and more. They’ll be available individually or by the dozen. Orders are available by phone for pickup from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, February 12 and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fat Tuesday.

Related Maps