For some, it's Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras. For others, its Paczki Day.
Paczki Day — pronounced "punch-kee" — is celebrated on the same day as the Tuesday before Lent, also known as "Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras. Historically, Paczki Day has allowed Polish communities to use up all of their food, so it would not be wasted during the fasting period. This tradition actually began back in the medieval age.
On Paczki Day, some people of Polish descent will use up all their eggs, butter, sugar and fruit to make the traditional dessert called paczki, which are fruit or cream-filled deep-fried donuts with powdered sugar or icing on top.
This year, Paczki Day will be celebrated on Feb. 13.
Here are five bakeries in the Chicago area you can visit to buy the delicious treat:
Deerfield's Bakery - Suburbs
Deerfield's Bakery offers over 20 options of paczki for you to choose from, with varieties ranging from raspberry to chocolate mousse to banana cream.
Local
Prices range from $2 to $5 per paczki.
The bakery has two locations, one in Buffalo Grove and one in Deerfield.
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Both locations are open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays.
Delightful Pastries - Portage Park
Delightful Pastries offers several paczki options from passion fruit jelly to vodka and vanilla bean custard to plum butter.
Prices range from $3 to $6 per paczki.
The bakery is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Fridays and 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Big Kids Chicago - Logan Square
The Logan Square sandwich joint Big Kids Chicago is hosting a paczki party at 5 p.m. on Feb. 13. Attendees can purchase local bakers’ paczkis.
Some included flavors in the pack are truffle honey cream, guava and milk chocolate.
Paczki packs cost $20.
Big Kids Chicago is open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Roeser’s Bakery - Logan Square
Roeser’s Bakery offers 17 flavor options for Paczki Day. The bakery will be open at 6 a.m. on Paczki Day, but the owners suggest pre-ordering to ensure customers get the flavor they want.
Roeser’s Bakery is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays to Sundays.
Stan’s Donuts & Coffee - Several locations
The popular Chicago-area chain Stan’s Donuts & Coffee will offer six flavors at all locations on Paczki Day. The bakery offers raspberry, chocolate cream, strawberries and dairy-free cream and three more options.
The bakery is open 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and select locations are open until 8 p.m.
Looking for an option closer to you?
Here's a list of dozens of places serving up paczki in the region.
Bakeries, Donut Shops and Restaurants
- Ace Bakery, 3241 S. Halsted St.
- Alliance Bakery, 1736 W. Division St.
- Andy's Deli & Bakery Mikolajczyk Sausage Shop
- Beck's Crown Bakery, Crown Point, Indiana
- Bennison's Bakery, Evanston
- Bridgeport Bakery 2.0, 2907 S. Archer Ave.
- Chicago Pastry, Bloomingdale
- Deerfields Bakery, 813 Waukegan Road
- DeEtta's Bakery, Naperville
- Delightful Pastries, 5927 W. Lawrence Ave.
- Donut Den, Joliet
- Do-Rite Donuts, multiple locations at 1027 W. Addison St., 835 N. Michigan Ave., 181 N. Morgan St., 233 E. Erie St. and 50 W. Randolph St.
- Firecakes Donuts, multiple locations including 68 W. Hubbard St., 2453 N. Clark St. and 205 W. Wacker Dr.
- Kolatek's Bakery - 2445 N. Harlem Ave. and in Palatine
- Gurnee Donuts, 4949 Grand Ave., Gurnee
- Harner's Bakery, North Aurora
- Henze's Bakery, Valparaiso, Indiana
- Huck Finn Restaurants, Oak Lawn, South Archer and South Pulaski
- Fleckenstein's Bakery, Mokena and New Lenox
- Kirsten’s Danish Bakery, Burr Ridge
- Kuppie's Bakery, Villa Park
- Oak Park Bakery, 904 S. Oak Park Ave.
- "Original" Ferrara Bakery, 2210 W. Taylor St.
- Orland Park Bakery, 14850 S. LaGrange Rd., Orland Park
- Palermo Bakery, Norridge
- Racine Bakery, 6216 S. Archer Ave.
- Roeser's Bakery, 3216 W. North Ave.
- Smack Dab Chicago, 6730 North Clark Street
- Stan's Donuts, multiple locations including 1560 N. Damen Ave., 28 E. Roosevelt Rd., 2800 N. Clark St. and 259 E. Erie St.
- Toni Patisserie and Café, Hinsdale and Loop locations
- Vanille Patisserie, Lincoln Park and West Loop Gate (Partnership with Benninson’s Bakery)
- Weber's Bakery, 7055 W. Archer Ave.
- Wolf's Bakery, Evergreen Park
Grocery Stores
- Angelo Caputo's Fresh Markets
- Deli 4 You Market
- Jewel
- Mariano's
- Meijer
- Pete's Fresh Market
- Tony's Fresh Market
