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Best Donuts Restaurants in Chicago

50 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked

Last Updated: February 2026

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Our Top Pick
Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken – West Loop
Small-batch donuts fried throughout the morning with serious attention to classics.

Notable Picks

$ West Loop Donuts
Do-Rite’s West Loop outpost turns out small-batch, chef-driven donuts alongside fried chicken sandwiches in a compact counter-service space. Daily rotating flavors, strong coffee, and early hours make it a go-to for workers and locals chasing serious old fashioneds and fritters rather than novelty alone.
Must-Try Dishes: Buttermilk Old Fashioned, Candied Maple Bacon donut, Michigan Apple Fritter
What Makes it Special: Small-batch donuts fried throughout the morning with serious attention to classics.
$$ River North Bakery, Donuts
Firecakes is a long-running River North donut shop turning out rich, creative donuts and ice cream sandwiches from early morning through late night. Lines move quickly at the walk-up counter, and the menu leans indulgent with flavors like pistachio old fashioneds and maple-glazed pineapple bacon rings.
Must-Try Dishes: Sicilian Pistachio Old Fashioned, Maple Glazed Pineapple Bacon Donut, Valrhona Chocolate Espresso Cake Donut
What Makes it Special: High-volume donut counter known for inventive flavors and late-night hours.
$ Lakeview Donuts
Stan’s Donuts & Coffee on Broadway is a high-volume Lakeview East cafe where Chicago-style craft donuts, seasonal specials, and strong coffee run from early morning through afternoon. Locals lean on it for everything from cereal-topped Biscoff pockets to old-fashioneds grabbed with a latte before commuting or walking the lakefront.
Must-Try Dishes: Biscoff pocket donut, Pistachio old-fashioned, Pretzel-glazed donut
What Makes it Special: A Chicago-born donut bar pairing maximalist flavors with serious daily volume.
$ Wicker Park Donuts
Stan’s Wicker Park shop is the most donut-obsessed stop in 60622, turning out a huge lineup of classics and specialties alongside espresso drinks. Lines of regulars come for old fashioneds, filled pockets, and vegan or glutenless options that still feel indulgent.
Must-Try Dishes: Lemon Pistachio Old Fashioned, Biscoff Pocket, Brown Butter Glazed with Salted Caramel Drizzle
What Makes it Special: A Chicago-born donut chain where the Wicker Park shop showcases one of the city’s widest, most creative donut lineups.
$ River North Donuts
Opened in 2011 by Brendan Sodikoff’s Hogsalt group, Doughnut Vault is a tiny River North walk-up turning out oversized classic yeast and buttermilk old-fashioned donuts until they sell out. Lines have mellowed from the early days, but it remains a go-to stop on donut tours and morning coffee walks for old-fashioned-style rings.
Must-Try Dishes: Vanilla Glazed Yeast Donut, Buttermilk Old Fashioned, Seasonal Jelly Doughnut
What Makes it Special: A tiny bank-vault space selling old-world-style donuts in limited daily batches until they’re gone.
$ Uptown Donuts
A compact Uptown donut counter built around potato-dough texture—soft, lightly cakey, and sturdy enough for bolder glazes without getting greasy. The smartest move is to pick one classic plus one rotating seasonal flavor, then let the dough itself do the work instead of over-ordering a whole box.
Must-Try Dishes: Vietnamese coffee donut, Sweet potato maple donut, Vanilla sour cream donut
What Makes it Special: Potato-based dough that lands between yeast and cake in texture.
$ Lower West Side Bakery, Brunch
A high-volume Pilsen panadería where the case runs deep with fresh pan dulce, and the move is building a mixed tray of conchas, empanadas, and cookies that still taste right hours later. It’s a grab-a-tray, grab-the-tongs kind of place—fast, efficient, and built for repeat visits and weekend rituals.
Must-Try Dishes: Conchas (including vegan options), Rosca de Reyes (seasonal), Marranitos (molasses pig cookies)
What Makes it Special: Massive pan dulce variety with proven, repeatable freshness at scale.
$ Albany Park Donuts
An Albany Park donut counter that balances classic glazes with filled donuts that lean into matcha and ube cream. It’s a takeout-first stop—go early for the best selection, grab a couple of filled options plus one old-school glaze, and you’ll see why locals treat it like a regular-weekend ritual.
Must-Try Dishes: Ube-filled bismarck, Matcha-filled donut, Maple bacon donut
What Makes it Special: Filled donuts (especially matcha/ube) done with a light, clean finish.
$$ Near North Side Donuts
On the Magnificent Mile, this Stan’s location functions as a high-traffic donut cafe for tourists and office workers, with a deep lineup of cake, yeast, and pocket-style donuts plus coffee drinks. Strong multi-platform ratings and steady foot traffic make it the most reliable sit-and-stay donut cafe in 60611.
Must-Try Dishes: Lemon Pistachio Donut, Apple Fritter, Nutella Banana Pocket
What Makes it Special: A central Mag Mile cafe pouring coffee alongside a wide, consistently executed donut lineup.
$ West Loop Donuts
Portland’s cult doughnut brand brings its neon-pink chaos to Randolph Street with a long list of raised, filled, and cereal-topped rings. It’s less about restraint and more about over-the-top flavors and late-night availability, drawing visitors and locals looking for dessert after West Loop dinners.
Must-Try Dishes: Bacon Maple Bar, Homer, Voodoo Doll
What Makes it Special: Iconic, colorful doughnuts served late night in a high-energy West Loop setting.
$$ University Village Bagels, Donuts
West Town Bakery & Diner anchors the neighborhood with house-baked bagels, pastry cases, and all-day brunch plates under one busy roof. Locals lean on it for breakfast bagel sandwiches, coffee, and cakes in a casual, family-friendly room that also works for quick meetings.
Must-Try Dishes: Breakfast bagel sandwich with egg and cheese, Bagel with lox and cream cheese, Toasted bagel with veggie cream cheese and side hash browns
What Makes it Special: Big-volume neighborhood bakery where bagels, cakes, and brunch share one counter.
$$ Lakeview Donuts
2d Restaurant is a women- and Asian-owned Lakeview spot where Japanese mochi donuts and Taiwanese fried chicken are served inside a hand-drawn, comic-book-inspired dining room. It functions as both a destination for themed mochi donut drops and a social media backdrop for friends, families, and anime fans working through combo meals and boba.
Must-Try Dishes: Chocolate Reindeer mochi donut, Ube mochi donut, Taiwanese fried chicken sandwich
What Makes it Special: Immersive black-and-white comic interior built around mochi donuts.
$$$ Wicker Park French, Donuts
Alliance Bakery’s Division Street café is a French-inspired patisserie known for macarons, viennoiserie, and elaborate custom cakes alongside espresso drinks. It functions as both a neighborhood pastry stop and a destination for decorated cakes, drawing regulars who treat it as their go-to for sweets and coffee in Wicker Park.
Must-Try Dishes: French Macarons, Almond Croissant, Custom Layer Cake
What Makes it Special: Long-running patisserie turning out French-style pastries, macarons, and decorated cakes.
$$ North Center Donuts
A small-batch donut and pastry program operating with a chef-y, seasonal mindset—more “bakery case hunt” than classic corner doughnut counter. Expect rotating flavors, careful glazing, and a texture-first approach that lands best when you show up early and eat fresh.
Must-Try Dishes: Blueberry Sweet Corn Cream donut, Earl Grey sticky bun, Carrot cake donut
What Makes it Special: Seasonal, pastry-chef-driven donuts with rotating, modern flavors.
$ Near North Side Bakery, Donuts
A Wrigleyville donut-and-coffee counter that stays strongest when you treat it like a donut run first, with fried chicken as a bonus lane. The lineup leans classic-with-a-twist: glazed and old fashioned styles alongside filled and seasonal flavors, built for quick grabs before the neighborhood gets loud.
Must-Try Dishes: Bullseye donut (jam-filled style), Chocolate old fashioned donut, Maple bacon donut
What Makes it Special: A donut-forward counter that keeps a strong classic-and-seasonal rotation steps from Wrigley.
$ Ducktown Donuts
An old-school diner that treats donuts like a real draw, not an afterthought—big, glossy glazed options and classic cake styles that hit best when they’re fresh. Come for a full breakfast if you want, but the simplest win is coffee plus a donut (or two) to-go.
Must-Try Dishes: Alaska cake donut, Chocolate glazed donut, Cinnamon roll donut
What Makes it Special: A diner where the donuts are a core reason to stop.
$$ Edgewater Donuts
A nostalgic sweets counter that draws steady neighborhood traffic for dense, old-school frozen custard and a candy-store selection that makes it easy to over-order (in a good way). While it isn’t a traditional donut shop, the pastry case and dessert focus make it one of the ZIP’s most reliable stops when you want a sweet treat that feels like a ritual.
Must-Try Dishes: Frozen custard concrete (choose one mix-in lane), Old-fashioned malt or shake, Pastry-case baked sweets (grab early for best selection)
What Makes it Special: Old-timey dessert-shop energy with consistently dense frozen custard and a deep sweets selection.
$ O'Hare Airport Bakeries, Donuts
A family-run Northwest Side bakery where the donut-adjacent move is the iris—a fried brioche bun filled with cannoli cream—backed by a deep bench of classic Sicilian pastries. It works best as a quick counter stop: pick 2–3 sweets in one lane, add an espresso, and keep the order tight so everything stays crisp and fresh.
Must-Try Dishes: Iris (fried brioche bun filled with cannoli filling), Cannoli, Sfogliatelle
What Makes it Special: A legacy Sicilian bakery where the iris delivers a donut-style payoff with cannoli filling.
$$ West Ridge Donuts
A high-traffic Devon Avenue sweets counter where donuts show up as part of a broader South Asian dessert lineup—best approached like a sampler mission. The move is pairing one donut-style item with a couple of classic milk-based sweets for contrast, then grabbing chai or falooda to round it out.
Must-Try Dishes: Oblong doughnut, Ras malai, Falooda
What Makes it Special: Devon Avenue sweets specialist with donut-style treats alongside classic mithai.
$$$ Avondale Donuts
Tubers Donuts runs out of TriBecca's Sandwich Shop in Avondale, turning potato-based dough into donuts topped with playful, sometimes savory combinations. Limited runs and rotating flavors make it a destination for donut fans seeking something beyond standard glazes and sprinkles.
Must-Try Dishes: Fries In Your Frosty donut, Loaded Baked Potado-Nut, Lemon Pepper Poppy Seed donut
What Makes it Special: Inventive potato-based donuts with rotating, restaurant-chef–driven toppings.
$$$$ West Loop Donuts
Inside Time Out Market, 2d Restaurant brings its comic-book aesthetic to a stall focused on Japanese-style mochi donuts plus boba and Vietnamese coffee. The rings are chewy, photogenic, and often themed, making this a destination when you want donuts that feel more like a dessert experience than a quick snack.
Must-Try Dishes: Ube mochi donut, Glazed mochi donut, Matcha mochi donut
What Makes it Special: Chewy, vegan-friendly mochi donuts served from a highly stylized comic-book stall.
$$$$ Niles Mediterranean, Greek
A Mediterranean-leaning bakery-cafe that plays best as a pastry-and-quick-plate stop rather than a full sit-down meal. The move is to pair one savory pita or small plate with one classic dessert so the order stays focused and fresh.
Must-Try Dishes: Baklava, Chicken souvlaki pita wrap, Bougatsa
What Makes it Special: A bakery-first menu where dessert classics share space with quick Mediterranean plates.
$ Loop Bakery, Donuts
A high-throughput donut-and-coffee stop that’s strongest when you lean into its filled and pocket-style donuts rather than treating it like a full breakfast café. It’s a quick win for a sweet bite on the move, with consistency driven by volume and repetition more than craft pastry nuance.
Must-Try Dishes: Nutella Pocket donut, Biscoff Pocket donut, Boston crème donut
What Makes it Special: A Michigan Ave donut counter built for fast, repeatable cravings.
8.2
$ Loop Donuts
A Taiwanese cafe-bakery in the South Loop where the grab-and-go case is the main event, including a rotating pastry lineup and donuts alongside buns and baked sweets. The best move is to pick 2–3 items max so you can eat them at peak softness and glaze shine, then add a drink only if you’re staying to work.
Must-Try Dishes: Assorted donuts (case selection), Pineapple bun, Salted egg yolk bun
What Makes it Special: A Taiwanese-style bakery case that includes donuts plus a wide rotation of baked goods in one stop.
8.1
$$ Bridgeport Donuts
A neighborhood bakery where the sweet case leans celebratory—cakes and pastries—but the donut lane shows up through paczki and classic ring-style picks. It’s strongest when you treat it like a grab-and-go box: two donuts/paczki flavors, then stop before the order sprawls.
Must-Try Dishes: Paczki (seasonal), Sugar donut, Chocolate donut
What Makes it Special: A Bridgeport bakery stop where paczki and donuts anchor the sweet run.
$ Washington Heights Donuts
A neighborhood donut-and-snack shop that wins on fresh-made classics (the apple fritter is the move) plus the bonus lane of flavored popcorn and shaved ice. It’s best used for grab-and-go mornings when you want sweetness with real freshness, not gas-station pastry energy.
Must-Try Dishes: Apple fritter, Glazed donuts, Bow tie donuts
What Makes it Special: Fresh donuts with a popcorn-and-shaved-ice side quest in one stop.
$ Roscoe Village Bakery, Donuts
Rudy's Bakery is a long-running Roscoe Village storefront specializing in paczki, cheesecakes, and classic pastries. It feels like an everyday neighborhood stop where regulars grab boxes of sweets for family, holidays, and casual weekend treats.
Must-Try Dishes: Paczki, Cheese danish, Augusta cheesecake
What Makes it Special: Old-school neighborhood bakery turning out paczki and classic pastries daily.
$ Near North Side Donuts
This small kiosk inside Gino’s East brings the century-old South Side Rainbow Cone brand to 60611, serving stacked multi-flavor cones, cups, and sundaes. While it’s ice cream first, the shop is tagged for donuts and functions as a nostalgic, color-forward sweet stop a block off Michigan Avenue.
Must-Try Dishes: Original Rainbow Cone, Mini Rainbow Cone, Rainbow Cone Sundae
What Makes it Special: A downtown outpost of a classic Chicago dessert brand known for its five-layer Rainbow Cone.
$ Harwood Heights Donuts
A Polish bakery stop where pączki and old-world pastries are the reason to come, especially when you buy early and keep the order focused. It’s strongest as a quick takeout run for fresh, classic fried-dough treats rather than a linger-and-sample bakery crawl.
Must-Try Dishes: Pączki, Powdered pączki, Jelly-filled pączki
What Makes it Special: Polish-bakery pączki and pastries built for early-day takeout runs.

Worthy Picks

7.9
$ Lakeview Donuts
The Lakeview outpost of South Side classic Dat Donut brings hand-cut rings, fritters, and the oversized Big Dat donut to a compact counter steps from the Wellington Brown Line. The focus is squarely on warm, straightforward donuts and coffee rather than cafe frills, effectively turning it into a grab-and-go morning ritual for nearby residents and hospital staff.
Must-Try Dishes: Big Dat giant glazed donut, Apple fritter, Strawberry or pineapple glazed donut
What Makes it Special: North-side counter of a 1990s South Side donut institution famous for giant rings.
$$ Albany Park Donuts
A Korean bakery in Albany Park where donut cravings are best handled through the pastry case—soft, enriched breads and sweet buns that scratch the same itch as a donut run. Go for one filled or sugar-dusted pastry plus one lighter bread, and treat the rest as add-on curiosity, not the main event.
Must-Try Dishes: Sugar-dusted donut-style pastry, Red bean-filled pastry, Castella cake slice
What Makes it Special: Korean bakery case with donut-adjacent sweet breads and fillings.
$$ Elsdon Donuts
A panaderia-style bakery that doubles as a coffee stop, with doughnuts sitting alongside a wider pastry-and-snack lineup. It works best as a quick counter mission: grab a couple sweets, add coffee, and keep expectations on neighborhood convenience over destination polish.
Must-Try Dishes: Doughnuts, Flan, Coffee
What Makes it Special: Doughnuts plus a broader panaderia-and-coffee counter lineup in one stop.
$ West Loop Donuts
Stan’s West Loop cafe pairs a long menu of classic and stuffed donuts with espresso drinks in a bright, grab-and-go–friendly corner space. It functions as an everyday donut stop for nearby offices and residents, with enough variety to cover simple glazed, filled pockets, and fritters.
Must-Try Dishes: Nutella Pocket, Glazed Old Fashioned, Blueberry Fritter
What Makes it Special: Chicago-born donut chain known for stuffed pockets, coffee, and reliable standbys.
$ Wicker Park Donuts, Ice Cream
The Wicker Park outpost of Chicago’s 1920s-born Rainbow Cone layers its signature sliced cones with sundaes and hot, made-to-order mini donuts. It’s where dessert runs turn into full-on sweet sessions built around cones, shakes, and donut-topped creations.
Must-Try Dishes: Fresh Mini Donuts, Cookies & Cream Crunch Sundae, Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Sundae
What Makes it Special: A neighborhood outpost of Chicago’s nearly century-old ice cream brand that pairs its famous sliced cones with fresh mini donuts and sundae-style donut desserts.
$ Lower West Side Donuts
A long-running neighborhood bakery that still earns stops for classic cake donuts and seasonal paczki—more old-school case than trend bakery. It’s best when you go early, pick one donut style plus one filled treat, and let simplicity do the work.
Must-Try Dishes: Old-fashioned cake donut, Paczki, Cheese Danish
What Makes it Special: A classic bakery stop for cake donuts and paczki runs.
$$ Edison Park Brunch, Donuts
A donut-first stop that works best as a grab-and-go brunch build rather than a long sit-down meal. Keep it focused with a signature donut pick plus one simple supporting item so freshness and texture stay at their best.
Must-Try Dishes: Maple bacon donut, Assorted classic donuts, Coffee
What Makes it Special: Donut shop where signature flavors are the whole point.
$ Portage Park Donuts
A Portage Park counter spot that treats donuts like a better-for-you snack—protein-forward and geared for grab-and-go mornings. The donut play works best as a quick add-on with a shake or smoothie rather than a standalone destination pastry run.
Must-Try Dishes: Protein donuts (seasonal box of 6), Protein donut (single), Protein waffle
What Makes it Special: Protein-forward donuts designed as a gym-friendly sweet fix.
$$ Uptown Donuts
A polished Uptown donut-and-coffee stop with a big case built for quick grabs—glazed standards alongside filled “pocket” donuts and richer old-fashioneds. It’s best when you order decisively: one filled donut plus one classic, then a coffee to balance the sugar.
Must-Try Dishes: Biscoff Pocket donut, Double chocolate old fashioned, Croissant donut
What Makes it Special: A wide donut lineup with reliably strong filled options and coffee.
$$$ Near North Side Donuts
Inside The Shops at North Bridge, Te’amo is a polished bubble-tea counter that also fries mochi donuts in rotating flavors. It’s less a traditional donut shop and more a modern dessert bar, but the combination of chewy mochi rings and customizable tea drinks gives 60611 a distinct, Asian-influenced donut option.
Must-Try Dishes: Ube Mochi Donut, Brulee Organic Matcha Latte, Volcano Milk Tea
What Makes it Special: A mall-based dessert bar where mochi donuts share equal billing with intricate milk teas.
7.7
$$$ Bucktown Italian, Donuts
A small, community-minded café where donuts show up as a smart add-on to strong coffee and Guatemalan-leaning pastries. Treat it like a tight order—one drink, one donut, one pastry—so the visit stays quick and satisfying.
Must-Try Dishes: Chocolate glazed doughnut, Cinnamon sugar doughnut, Guava concha
What Makes it Special: Coffee-and-donut stop with a local, small-room feel.
$$ Harwood Heights Donuts
A neighborhood bakery known locally for pączki alongside celebration-grade sweets, where the best visit is a tight pastry pickup rather than a long browse. Treat it as a targeted donut run—grab pączki, then leave the rest of the case for another day.
Must-Try Dishes: Pączki, Pączki (assorted), Pączki box
What Makes it Special: A local bakery stop in 60634 that’s specifically known for pączki.
$$ South Loop Donuts
A small Printers Row coffee stop that becomes donut-worthy when the Beacon Doughnuts lineup is in play. Treat it like a tight-order counter: grab one glazed-style donut and one coffee, then get moving—this isn’t the place for a sprawling spread.
Must-Try Dishes: Beacon Classic Glazed Doughnut, Beacon Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut, Beacon Chocolate Glazed Doughnut
What Makes it Special: A coffee counter in Printers Row that pairs specialty drinks with Beacon Doughnuts.
$$ Greektown Bakery, Donuts
A convenient Stan’s outpost for classic cake and old-fashioned donuts paired with coffee in a grab-and-go rhythm. It’s best when you keep the order tight—one old-fashioned lane plus one filled option—so the textures stay distinct instead of all-sweet, all-soft. Stan’s was founded in Chicago in 2014, and this location functions as an efficient weekday sugar-and-caffeine stop.
Must-Try Dishes: Lemon Pistachio Old Fashioned, Vanilla Glazed Cruller, Caramel Marshmallow Pocket
What Makes it Special: A tight lineup of classic donuts with dependable grab-and-go speed.
$ North Center Donuts
Inside Mariano's Roscoe Village, Stan's Donuts runs a counter stocked with the brand's cake and yeast donuts plus packaged mini-donut boxes. Shoppers use it as a convenient way to grab recognizable specialty donuts without making a separate cafe stop.
Must-Try Dishes: Stan's Donuts Chocolate Dipped Mini Donuts, Stan's Donuts Birthday Cake Mini Donuts, Stan's Donuts Chocolate Dipped Donut Box
What Makes it Special: Grocery-embedded counter offering Stan's signature donuts alongside your weekly shop.
$ West Ridge Donuts
A Devon Avenue sweets shop where the most satisfying “donut” experience often comes via syrup-soaked, dough-based classics rather than American glazed rings. Go for one fried-and-syrupy item plus one cold dessert or tea, and keep the order tight so textures stay right.
Must-Try Dishes: Gulab jamun, Jalebi, Falooda
What Makes it Special: Donut-adjacent South Asian sweets with syrup-and-dough textures done right.
$$ Portage Park Donuts
A Portage Park gelato-and-cafe setup where donuts show up as part of a broader sweets-and-coffee menu rather than the main event. It’s best for a mixed-order stop—one fresh donut plus gelato or espresso—when the group wants options.
Must-Try Dishes: Fresh donuts, Spumoni gelato, Limoncello gelato
What Makes it Special: A wide sweets menu where donuts are a side-by-side option with gelato and coffee.
$ Morgan Park Donuts
A Morgan Park neighborhood grocery that earns its donut inclusion through the in-store bakery counter—useful when you want fresh-ish sweets without a dedicated donut shop stop. It’s not a destination donut run, but it’s a practical local move for a quick box on the way home.
Must-Try Dishes: Glazed donuts, Cake donuts, Donut holes
What Makes it Special: A neighborhood bakery counter option when you need donuts fast.
$ Gage Park Donuts
A low-key neighborhood bakery where the appeal is inexpensive, grab-and-go sweets and a wide pastry case that includes donuts. The best experience is keeping it simple—pick one donut style plus one supporting pastry and eat it fresh while everything’s still at peak texture.
Must-Try Dishes: Donuts, Cinnamon rolls, Danish pastries
What Makes it Special: A bargain-priced pastry case with donuts that hit best eaten immediately.
$ West Loop Bakery, Donuts
A mochi-donut counter inside the French Market focused on a chewy-centered donut texture with rotating flavors, plus Korean-style corn dogs for a savory add-on. It’s strongest as a two-item order: one mochi donut flavor you’re genuinely excited about and one shareable corn dog, then stop there. Best for a casual snack run when you want novelty more than classic pastry finesse.
Must-Try Dishes: Ube mochi donut, Oreo mochi donut, Cheese Korean corn dog
What Makes it Special: Mochi-donut chew plus Korean corn dogs in a market format.
$$ Hyde Park Donuts
An Asian-Latin counter-service spot where the donut play is a dessert-side add-on: warm, filled donut bites dusted for a sweet finish after savory mains. Best as a targeted order—get the donut bites for the table and don’t overcomplicate dessert.
Must-Try Dishes: Nutella Donut Bites, Nutella Donut Bites (4 pieces), Nutella-filled donut bites with cinnamon & sugar
What Makes it Special: Nutella-filled donut bites that work as a shareable dessert finish.