If you want something beyond the somewhat bland grocery store paczki, you'll need to order in advance. Most bakeries take orders one to two weeks in advance, and you can't count on getting any just by walking in. While some Chicago favorites (RIP Dinkel's) closed during the pandemic, others are stepping in to take their place.

Best Places To Find Paczki in Chicago

1. Bennison's Bakery — Evanston

This family-owned north suburban bakery is so popular that it starts taking orders on January 17, more than a month before Paczki Day. Choose from apple, apricot, blueberry, chocolate custard, cream cheese, lemon, prune, or raspberry for individual paczki, or get a four-pack of specialty treats like banana cream pie, chocolate praline, German chocolate, or strawberry and whipped cream. 

2. Roeser's Bakery — Humboldt Park

Since 1911, Roeser's Bakery has been serving up delicious European-style treats. They already have their list of paczki flavors out for 2024, and it features caramel custard, guava, PB&J, and Nutella. You can choose icing or powdered sugar on many of the traditional varieties. Insider Tip: Roeser's is close to public transportation and has off-street parking.

3. Alliance Bakery — Wicker Park and West Town

With a new location in West Town, this French-inspired bakery will have twice as many opportunities for families to get delicious treats! The pastries here are a little less traditional but not completely off-the-wall. Last year, the bakery offered blueberry lemon, apple cinnamon, vanilla bean ganache, raspberry rose, strawberry, and chocolate salted caramel flavors. 

4. Weber's Bakery — Garfield Ridge

Traditional favorites are the specialty at this southwest side shop. The fresh strawberry and whipped cream paczki are amazing, but there's something for everyone from prune to peanut butter. The shop takes as many orders in advance as it can, but you can also test your luck and walk into the store on Fat Tuesday; they'll be fully stocked at the start of the day.

5. Kolatek's Baking Co./ Kolatek's Bakery and Deli — Montclare and Palatine

Call in, place an order on Facebook, or order at the counter at these Polish bakeries on the west side and in suburban Palatine. The store offers paczkis year-round in the traditional raspberry, plum butter, rose, blueberry, custard, and apricot flavors and unique fillings like rum, caramel bacon, limoncello, and tiramisu. Kolatek's website was under construction in January, but we found its Facebook page helpful.

6. Bridgeport Bakery 2.0 — Bridgeport

Bridgeport Bakery closed and reopened under new ownership last year, and in its new incarnation, you have to order online in advance to have your goods baked for the next day. The bakery already has paczki available on its website in mostly traditional flavors. Pick plain, poppyseed, or custard, or get adventurous with Oreo, cannoli, or PB&J.

7. Racine Bakery — Midway

Specializing in Eastern European baking, this shop near Midway Airport has bacon buns, Kolacky, Krullers, and Raguolis in addition to selling paczki during all seasons. You can select large or small paczki here, in case you want a size your kids can eat whole. Racine Bakery accepts preorders for Fat Thursday, as well as on Fat Tuesday for great traditional flavors, including raspberry, prune, cherry, and fresh strawberry.

8.  Orland Park Bakery — Orland Park

Paczki Day is more like paczki season at this southwest suburban bakery that begins offering a paczki of the day in the second week of January. Recent selections have included fruity pebble, coconut cream, and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. You can also choose from regular fruit, poppyseed, or custard pastries any time on or before Paczki day.

9. Lezza Spumoni & Desserts — Elmhurst

Although it's decidedly more Italian than Polish, this west suburban bakery has a great variety of the same slightly sweet pastries you'll find throughout the city. All of the traditional favorites from apple to strawberry are here, plus a variety of specialty selections each year. Past specialties have included turtle, Mississippi Mud, and chocolate-covered cherry.

10. KD Market — Schaumburg, Mount Prospect, Wheeling and Schiller Park

This north suburban Polish grocer might have the best prices on paczki at just $11.99 per half dozen. Pick a variety pack or choose just one flavor. KD Market has custard, rosehip, plum butter, raspberry, Nutella, black currant, or mixed fruit paczki. They recommend ordering at least a week before to ensure you get your paczki for good luck and good fortune for the next year!

 
Master Baker Dobra Bielinski of Delightful Pastries. Photo by Cindy Kurman, Kurman Communications LLC

11. Delightful Pastries — Jefferson Park

This spot has a mix of standard flavors (raspberry, apricot, strawberry), unique flavors (German chocolate, Dulce de Leche, and passion fruit), and, for grown-ups, their signature drunken paczki (moonshine & lemon, Jameson & chocolate, vodka, and vanilla bean). All orders must be placed 48 hours in advance and there's a $36 minimum for online orders. It's a perfect combination of traditional European and Midwestern modern.

12. West Town Bakery — West Town

This cute, modern bakery in West Town offers a handful of different paczki each year. Last year's selections included chocolate, vanilla, blueberry streusel, and coffee cream. Enjoy them solo or as part of a filling brunch at the bakery.

13. Oak Mill Bakery — Niles, Des Plaines, Harwood Heights, Arlington Heights, and Garfield Ridge

These paczki are small, round, and adorable and come in different flavors each year but often include strawberries or cherries with whipped cream. Other featured flavors have included red velvet, currant, and PB&J. 

14. Bittersweet —Lakeview

This Lakeview bakeshop is opening a Pilsen location soon and it will also have some of its delicious selection of paczki. Bittersweet has a limited suite of flavors that usually include vanilla, chocolate, sweet lemon, and raspberry. Can't make it to one of the places on our list? Bittersweet used Dwell Social last year to deliver paczki to suburban locations.

15. Pticek & Son Bakery — Garfield Ridge

Family-owned traditional European bakery Pticek & Son has had the same 13 flavors of paczki for many years now: cheese, apricot, prune, poppyseed, almond, cherry, raspberry, peach, pineapple, apple, fresh strawberry, blueberry, buttercream, lemon, custard (with chocolate or powdered sugar topping), whipped cream, and fresh fruit with whipped cream. They're topped with a generous amount of powdered sugar and a great traditional bite.

16. Deerfield's Bakery — Deerfield

Deerfield's mixes traditional paczki with some akin to donuts, such as the Boston Cream and Birthday Cake varieties. You can start ordering from this northwest suburban shop on January 30, and they will have paczkis available on Monday and Tuesday for preorders or walk-in customers. For a twist on Fat Tuesday, you can order King Cakes or Mardi Gras-themed cookies.

17. Sweet Ali's Gluten Free Bakery — Hinsdale

Celiac and other gluten-free families can still enjoy this treat at Sweet Ali's in Hinsdale. The west suburban shop has sandwich-style paczki and always has custard, chocolate, and raspberry flavors, with a fourth flavor that rotates annually. Preordering is recommended, but the bakery had plenty for walk-ins last year. 

18. Ideal Bakery —Jefferson Park

If you're looking for something to fill the niche left by Austrian bakery Dinkel's—this may be the place. Ideal Bakery has a variety of Eastern European treats, including kolaczki, poppy seed rolls, and krullers. You can pre-order paczki now in four packs of strawberry, apricot, cherry, raspberry, and Bavarian cream flavors. The bakery also delivers to local European grocery stores if you can't make it to Jefferson Park.

19. Hewn Bakery — Evanston

Preorder your Fat Tuesday treats now on Tock from this independent woman-owned artisan bakery in Evanston. They have just one flavor: Chocolate custard. But you can also order King Cakes to round out your Mardi Gras!

 
Paczki photos courtesy of the Stan's Donuts

20. Stan's Donuts — Multiple locations 

Most of Stan's offerings are a little more like donuts than traditional paczki, but if your kids like sweet foods, these may be the way to go. They come as individual servings or in packs of 3, 6, 9, or a dozen and feature four flavors: cannoli, cherry, pastry cream, and chocolate. They're available at Stan's locations in many different neighborhoods, and you may even be able to find them in some grocery stores.

21. Do-Rite Donuts — Downtown, West Loop, Streeterville, Wrigleyville, Tinley Park, and New Lenox

We haven't been able to confirm that Do-Rite is making paczki again this year, but they do have many Dwell Social deliveries scheduled in the suburbs for February 13. In previous years, they have offered unique flavors like raspberry vanilla bean, blackberry lemon sugar, and caramel custard, and they pack big flavors in a traditional paczki package.

22. Jarosch Bakery — Elk Grove Village

If you like your paczki with a lot of filling, this is the place to go. Jarosch slices its paczki in half and spreads on delicious fruit fillings from apple to strawberry. You must order ahead at this suburban bakery, so make your selections starting on January 29.

23. Kuppie's Bakery — Villa Park

All of your favorite flavors are here at $2.50 per paczki. Choose between apple, raspberry, cheese, apricot, prune, cherry, poppyseed, blueberry, buttercreme, strawberry, custard, peach, lemon, pineapple, and chocolate chip cream cheese at this neighborhood bakery in the western suburbs. Placing a preorder is recommended at Kuppie's Bakery. 

24. Heritage Restaurant and Caviar Bar — Humboldt Park

If you want something a little more unusual—this is the place. You can get something close to normal (a house jam paczki) or vegan (strawberry jam or peanut butter ganache and chocolate), or you can pick a fun modern flavor like yuzu curd, whipped miso caramel ganache, java chip, or London Fog. You can also change it up with savory paczki flavors like everything bagel, whipped feta, boursin, spinach, or pimento cheese with Cool Ranch dust. All the flavors have gluten-free options, and be sure to preorder for guaranteed choices or take your chances and grab what's left with a day-of walk-up order.

25. Chicago Pastry — Bloomingdale

You can preorder paczki now from this DuPage County pastry shop. Many flavors come with icing instead of the traditional sugar: pick from apple, apricot, cherry, custard, blueberry, cheese, raspberry, fresh strawberry, lemon, cannoli, Nutella, and peach.