When I was growing up in a mid-size Midwest town, donut shops are where the old men hung out and drank coffee all day. After years of dwindling popularity, donuts (or doughnuts?) have made a comeback in a big way. At some Chicago donut shops, you’ll find a line of hipsters out the door, but don’t let that deter you, these shops have the best donuts Chicago has to offer! While I don’t live in Chicago anymore, I still visit and make it a point to scope out the new shops on the Chicago donut scene. If you want to know where to find the best donuts in Chicago, keep reading!
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Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken
Somehow I missed this Chicago donut shop when I lived in Chicago but made a point to hit them up on my most recent visit to Chicago. Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken has multiple locations, from the Loop to Wrigleyville. The tiny storefront on Randolph is reminiscent of my favorite, Donut Vault. There’s just enough room for a few patrons and when they sell out, they go home. I sampled two donuts, a basic glazed and a coconut-filled donut, and spent about $6, which seems super reasonable. They also have gluten free options if you’re into that. The fried chicken sandwiches sound pretty amazing, so it’s possible I’ll be back to Do-Rite Donuts sometime soon for a lunch visit!
Book: Underground Donut Tour: Chicago’s First Donut Tour
The Doughnut Vault
Doughnut Vault started in a tiny hole in the wall (literally) and has grown to include a 2nd location and a food truck! Doughnut Vault is a classic Chicago donut shop, with a small assortment of buttermilk old-fashioned donuts plus one daily special announced on social media every morning. Doughnut Vault is a small-batch operation, so watch for social posts indicating that they’ve run out of doughnuts for the day. There is usually a line on weekends, so grab a friend and a cup of coffee to wait it out. (Bonus: I always bring my dog along as the Vault is within walking distance of my house – the inside only holds a line of about 3 people, so it’s never been an issue as there isn’t indoor seating)
Book: Underground Donut Tour: Chicago’s First Donut Tour
Beaver’s Coffee + Donuts
Beaver’s Coffee + Donuts is located in the Chicago French Market and has a food truck. Beaver’s starts with made-before-your-eyes mini donuts and you choose from powdered sugar toppings (free) or signature toppings like S’mores, Strawberry Bella, or Nutella Dream, which are $1 extra. A $2 Mini order gets you 4 mini donuts, a $4 Small comes with 9, a Medium is $6 for 15 donuts and a Large is $14 for 35. Beaver’s also serves Metropolis coffee, water, juice, and milkshakes! As with all food trucks, follow them on social to see where they’ll be and when. In a time when giant donuts seem to be the norm, I’m even more appreciative of the mini-donuts sold at Beaver’s Coffee + Donuts.
Book: Underground Donut Tour: Chicago’s First Donut Tour
Firecakes
Firecakes has two Chicago locations, in River North and Lincoln Park. Like the Doughnut Vault, they are open until they sell out, which means you know you’re getting fresh doughnuts. They have about a dozen flavors on offer, from the classic glazed doughnuts to Coconut Cream, Red Velvet, and Apple Fritters. Firecakes is just around the corner from the Doughnut Vault, so you could technically hit up both and have a taste test!
Book: Underground Donut Tour: Chicago’s First Donut Tour
Stan’s Donuts & Coffee
Stan’s Donuts is an LA transplant, now with 6 Chicago locations plus 1 in Oakbrook. While researching this post, I stopped by their Mag Mile location, tucked in the corner of Labriola cafe. Pasta and donuts…shut up and take my money! Stan’s Donuts is what I think of as a class donut shop. Sure, you can get some fancy flavors like Toffee Cake or Buttercream Bismarck, but their glazed donut is exactly what a glazed donut should taste like! Perfectly fluffy and sweet, with a sticky glaze that leaves you wanting more fried dough!
Mindy’s Hot Chocolate
I did not visit the original Mindy’s Hot Chocolate location in Bucktown, but they have a small location in the Revival Food Hall in Chicago’s Loop. (I highly recommend Revival Food Hall for a huge variety of food vendors!) Started by Chicago pastry chef Mindy Segal, Mindy’s has a small selection of tasty donuts that are perfect if you’re like me and need a little sweet bite after lunch. The square donuts come in several yummy varieties for a very reasonable price of $2.50 per donut. They also have bagels, cookies, and bars plus hot chocolate, of course!
BomboBar
One of the newest additions to the Chicago donut scene is BomboBar in the West Loop. Officially billed as a “dessert window” this walkup spot has outdoor seating and sundae-style toppings for its donuts. Named after Bomboloni, which is an Italian hole-less doughnut, they offer six varieties of “bombo” plus gelato and ice cream milkshakes. They even have several items on their dog menu! With all the great restaurants in the West Loop, this is a great place to come after dinner.
South Side Donuts: Dat Donut
If you’re looking for Chicago donuts on the South Side, check out Dat Donut. They have great reviews and are known for their old fashioned donuts. Going on my list for my next trip to Chicago!
RIP: Glazed And Infused
One of my favorite donut shops in Chicago, Glazed and Infused unfortunately closed at the end of 2017. Suspiciously, about the same time that I moved out of Chicago. No, I swear I wasn’t keeping their bakery afloat! I will miss their walk-up window and sweet, simple raised sugar donuts.
Wondering where to stay in Chicago? Check out my Chicago neighborhood guide!
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these look wonderful!
Perfect for National Donut Day – These all look so good. Will have to check them out next time I’m in Chicago. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard.
Donuts galore! This post was just in time for national donut day. Did you celebrate? We live in Portland, Oregon so we will be headed to Voodoo donut tonight 🙂 #TheWeeklyPostcard
I did not – I had donuts before and after National Donut Day, but I avoided the crowds on the day itself 🙂
yummy!:) #theweeklypostcard
Great post! Laughed that you said…”sampled for the post”. Anything for your readers, right? LOL I enjoyed your writing style. I’ll b back.
I love donuts and I have to visit this place to try them soon!
Okay! I love this post! I’ve been to the Stan’s in Westwood, LA, and had the Peanut Butter, which is I think their signature donut?! I love the name Doughnut Vault and think I would have to go there just for the name! We did a similar post about LA donut shops, last fall! Such fun! Did you know LA has the most donut shops of any city? #theweeklypostcard
That’s funny, I didn’t think anyone in LA ate carbs!
Soooo good! I think we need to schedule some Chicago time just to verify your findings. 🙂 Thanks for sharing (and making us drool!) on #TheWeeklyPostcard!
I was an adult before I had my first donut 😀 – one of the members of my team brought some to work on his birthday I remember. I was mesmerised by the whole experience!!!! I have shared the love though and my 5 yr old loves them haha! These ones look super yum!
Back in the day, my donut heaven was Puff Fluff donuts at Pratt (6800 north) and Western (2400W) My die for donut was the big fat ones with white stuff in the middle oozing wildly, and chocolate on top. More a Mom and Pop place, no other locations. Anybody know how to make me time travel?
This is perfect! I wish there was a decent (non grocery store) doughnut shop near me. I’m going to Chicago in February though, so I will definitely check out at least one of these places!
Yeah, I guess trendy donuts are not everywhere…I’m still searching for some in Tucson!
Love how comprehensive this list is! Looks like I don’t have to worry about finding a good breakfast place next time I’m in Chicago!