The 10 best donut shops in Chicago

Chicago takes donuts seriously, and the city’s best shops fall into two camps. One is the old guard: family bakeries on the South and Southwest Sides that have rolled dough by hand since the 1930s and 1970s and still charge about a dollar or two apiece. The other is the newer wave that arrived downtown and on the North Side after 2011, with $3 brioche, vegan and potato-based donuts that sell out by noon. This ranked list covers ten of them, from a walk-up window in River North to a 1972 fritter counter in Roseland, with two more worth a detour at the end.

The list favors shops that make donuts by hand every morning, keep a signature you cannot get elsewhere, and turn up again and again in independent local coverage. Expect to pay a little over a dollar for a plain glazed at the South Side counters and $3 or more for a brioche or specialty ring on the North Side and downtown. Several shops are cashless, and the ones that sell out early take preorders on their websites.

How we chose

The order reflects how consistently each shop turns up across independent local coverage, including The Infatuation’s Chicago donut guide (updated February 2026), Time Out Chicago’s ranked list (updated September 2024) and its older single-shop reviews, Chicago Magazine’s profiles and Tasting Table, weighted by how long the shop has been open and by named, dated recognition such as Mindy Segal’s 2012 James Beard award for Outstanding Pastry Chef and D&D’s Place’s 2020 Chicago Donut Fest wins. Breadth of reviews across those outlets counted more than any single write-up, and no shop was ranked on a Yelp or Google star rating. Every shop was checked against the business’s own website in September 2026; where a shop has no website, the most recent local coverage is noted in the entry.

Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Doughnut Vault

The line on Franklin Street forms before the window opens at 7:30 a.m., and https://windycitymagazine.com/business/doughnut-vault/ closes whenever the day’s batch is gone, often well before the posted 1 p.m. The shop belongs to Brendan Sodikoff’s Hogsalt group and has been the River North benchmark since the early 2010s. The buttermilk old fashioned is the order; the saucer-sized glazed yeast ring is the backup. Daily specials rotate. There is almost no seating, so plan on eating on the sidewalk. The top spot goes to consistency and coverage: the shop appears on every local list consulted, and the sold-out sign is still the rule more than a decade in.

Hours: Mon-Sun 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., or until sold out

Address: 401 N Franklin St, Chicago, IL 60654

Why they made the list

• A December 2013 Time Out Chicago review counted 750 doughnuts a day and 900 on weekends, most of them sold within about 90 minutes.
• Time Out put the average price at $3 in 2013, so figure a bit more now.
• The shop’s own site describes service as first come, first served, with online preorders available.
• The Merchandise Mart Brown and Purple Line stop is a short walk, which beats hunting for street parking near Kinzie on a weekday morning.

See the full directory listing

Old Fashioned Donuts

Fifty-four years in, the Bulloch family still rolls and cuts the dough by hand in the front window at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/old-fashioned-donuts/, which opened in Roseland in November 1972. The apple fritter is the reason to drive down: a slab of yeast dough loaded with thick-cut apples and cinnamon that Tasting Table weighed at more than a pound. A plain glazed runs a little over a dollar. This is a takeout counter, not a cafe, and the shop has no website. Second place reflects two Chicago Magazine profiles, in 2017 and 2021, and a shop that has changed less than anything else on this list.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: S Michigan Avenue near 112th Street, Roseland, Chicago

Why they made the list

• Blueberry donuts come out only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
• The shop received a $50,000 Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant in 2024, according to an April 2026 Bronzeville Community Hub report.
• That same report lists hours as Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sunday; call (773) 995-7420 before a long drive.
• Bring a friend to split the fritter; one is a meal.

See the full directory listing

Dat Donut

Ask a South Sider where to get a donut and the answer is usually the corner of 83rd and Cottage Grove. https://windycitymagazine.com/business/dat-donut/ hand-cuts cake and yeast donuts from early morning to late evening, and a standard ring still costs close to a dollar, which Time Out Chicago noted as far back as 2011. The buttermilk cake donut is lighter than it looks. The Big Dat, an eight-inch glazed ring, is the shareable order and the reason people drive in from the suburbs. Third place comes from long hours, low prices and a menu that has not needed to change.

Hours: Mon-Fri 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sat 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sun 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Address: 8251 S Cottage Grove Ave, Chicago, IL 60619

Why they made the list

• A second shop at 947 W Wellington Ave in Lakeview brings the same menu to the North Side, with shorter hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
• Breakfast sandwiches, coffee and smoothies fill out the counter.
• The Chatham shop stays open until 9 p.m. six nights a week, so an evening run works.
• Both locations take online orders for pickup and delivery.

See the full directory listing

Firecakes Donuts

The name at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/firecakes-donuts/ comes from the fried dough that co-founder Karen’s grandfather, a logging-camp baker named Billy Hobbs, made in northern Wisconsin in the 1930s, and the original round cutter sits in the Hubbard Street shop. The old fashioned buttermilk, the vanilla iced and a two-donut-tall birthday cake stack are the regulars, with seasonal flavors rotating in. Time Out Chicago reviewed the shop in January 2013 and singled out the apple fritter, crisp and lighter than most. Fourth place reflects the late hours, the three locations and a walk-up window that makes a 10 p.m. donut possible.

Hours: Sun-Thu 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 6:30 a.m. to midnight

Address: 68 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654

Why they made the list

• Second and third shops are at 2453 N Clark St in Lincoln Park and 104 N Maple Ave in Oak Park.
• All three shops are cashless.
• The Oak Park shop closes at 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
• A food truck named Billy works events; the shop’s site says to check social media for upcoming stops.

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Weber’s Bakery

Four generations of Webers have run https://windycitymagazine.com/business/webers-bakery/ since Erich H. Weber, a German immigrant, opened at 45th and Kedzie in 1930. The family built the current Archer Avenue building in 1979, and the customers are Southwest Side families who have been coming for decades. Donuts share the case with breads, coffee cakes and decorated cakes, and the chocolate-covered cake donut is the one The Infatuation calls out in its 2026 guide. Fifth place goes to a bakery that has never wholesaled or opened a second store, and that opens at 5 a.m. most days for people on their way to work.

Hours: Tue-Sat 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sun 5:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Mon

Address: 7055 W Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60638

Why they made the list

• Rebecca Weber, a former teacher who finished the French Pastry School in 2012, is the latest family member to join.
• Saturday mornings are the busiest, so arrive close to opening.
• Paczki preorders are taken by phone at (773) 586-1234 before Fat Tuesday.
• Custom-decorated cakes in fondant and buttercream are the other reason families come in.

See the full directory listing

Stan’s Donuts & Coffee

Chicago’s homegrown donut chain started on Damen Avenue in 2014, when Rich Labriola of Labriola Baking partnered with Stan Berman, founder of the original Stan’s in Los Angeles. https://windycitymagazine.com/business/stans-donuts-and-coffee/ now has more than a dozen shops around the city and suburbs, all made from scratch, but the Wicker Park original by the Damen Blue Line stop is still the one to visit. The menu runs long: Biscoff and Nutella pockets, a lemon pistachio old fashioned, a red velvet cake, a Boston cream, plus gluten-free and vegan-recipe options. Sixth place reflects reliability more than any single donut; Stan’s is the shop to hit when everywhere else has sold out.

Hours: Mon-Sun 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Address: 1560 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Why they made the list

• The LeStan, a pastry-cream-filled croissant donut, is the house showpiece.
• Hours are the longest on this list, 14 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Ordering ahead on the website skips the weekend line.
• Locally roasted coffee is on the menu at every shop.

See the full directory listing

Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken

When https://windycitymagazine.com/business/do-rite-donuts-and-chicken/ opened a tiny storefront on Randolph Street in 2012, Time Out Chicago called out the cinnamon crunch and the bacon-topped ring, and the lineup has barely changed since. The shop belongs to Lettuce Entertain You, the Chicago restaurant group, which is why there are now five locations, including one in south suburban Tinley Park. The pistachio-Meyer lemon cake donut is the signature, the vanilla bean glazed is the safe pick, and there are vegan and gluten-free rings most days. Seventh place reflects a chain-backed operation that every local list still includes, and the fried-chicken sandwiches make this the one shop here where lunch is a reasonable plan.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: Streeterville, Chicago (the shop’s own site does not publish a street address; pick the store in the online ordering tool)

Why they made the list

• Time Out put the average donut price at $2.50 in 2012.
• The other locations are in Wrigleyville, Fulton Market in the West Loop, Willis Tower and Tinley Park.
• Breakfast sandwiches and coffee are on the menu alongside the fried chicken.
• Selections vary by store and by hour, so a flavor at one shop may be gone at another.

See the full directory listing

Mindy’s Bakery

The Infatuation put https://windycitymagazine.com/business/mindys-bakery/ at the top of its 2026 Chicago donut guide, and the reason is the yeast donut: airy, squishy, glazed in cinnamon sugar or salted caramel, and gone by late morning. Mindy Segal, who won the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Pastry Chef award in 2012 after five nominations, opened the bakery in summer 2022 after her restaurant Hot Chocolate closed during the pandemic. Donuts are one corner of a case that also holds bagels, croissants, laminated brioche and challah. Eighth place, despite the top billing elsewhere, reflects a five-day week, a 3 p.m. close and a shop that is a bakery first and a donut shop second.

Hours: Wed-Fri 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sat-Sun 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; closed Mon-Tue

Address: 1623 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Why they made the list

• Everything is grab and go; there are no tables and no reservations.
• The bakery is cashless.
• The shop’s site says the case often runs out before closing and points customers to Instagram and Facebook for updates.
• The Damen Blue Line stop is a block away.

See the full directory listing

Beacon Doughnuts

Every donut at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/beacon-doughnuts/ is vegan, and most customers would not guess it. Brioche-style raised rings, a Boston cream, an Oreo old fashioned, a blueberry pancake and an apple fritter come out of a kitchen that Time Out Chicago says went viral on TikTok, and the shop has since become a fixture on Armitage. The entrance is not on the street: you walk down the alley off Armitage to a window, order and eat on the sidewalk. Ninth place reflects short hours and frequent sellouts, which the shop says happen often, set against donuts good enough that the vegan label is beside the point.

Hours: Mon-Wed 7 a.m. to noon; Thu-Fri 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sat-Sun 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., or until sold out

Address: 810 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

Why they made the list

• Preorders on the website, accepted up to three days ahead, are the only way to guarantee a specific flavor.
• Orders of more than five dozen go through the catering email at least 48 hours ahead.
• The kitchen is not nut-free and uses gluten, soy, pea protein and coconut, so ask about allergens before ordering.
• The Armitage Brown Line stop is a short walk.

See the full directory listing

Downstate Donuts

Potatoes are the secret at https://windycitymagazine.com/business/downstate-donuts/, a cake donut shop that restaurant veterans Virgil and Peter started in 2018. Mashed potato in the batter keeps the crumb soft and slightly creamy, which The Infatuation and Time Out Chicago both flag as the reason to visit. Flavors rotate with the season: lemon mascarpone, whipped Vietnamese coffee, a Japanese pancake with butterscotch. The Wilson Avenue shop is small and keeps bakery hours, four days a week, sold-out days excepted. Tenth place goes to the newest shop on the list; the potato donut is distinctive enough to earn a spot, and the short week keeps the shop from ranking higher.

Hours: Wed 7 a.m. to noon; Thu-Fri 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sat-Sun 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., or until sold out; closed Mon-Tue

Address: 1132 W Wilson Ave, Chicago, IL 60640

Why they made the list

• The shop says a plain vanilla glazed took first place at Chicago’s Donut Fest four months after the 2018 opening.
• Gluten-free potato donuts are made for weekend preorders only.
• A donut trike works farmers markets and events in warm months, so check the website’s locator before assuming the shop is the only option.
• The Wilson Red Line station is two blocks east.

See the full directory listing

Also worth knowing

On the Southwest Side, Ashburn’s https://windycitymagazine.com/business/dds-place/, near 83rd Street and Kedzie Avenue, won both Judge’s Choice and Crowd Favorite at the 2020 Chicago Donut Fest, and the apple fritters run about 10 inches across. The shop has no website, so call before a long drive.

In Jefferson Park, the family-run https://windycitymagazine.com/business/delightful-pastries/ at 5927 W Lawrence Ave has made Polish paczki year-round since 1998, not just on Fat Tuesday; WTTW reported in February 2026 that the bakery makes 13 varieties and around 40,000 each season.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best donut shop in Chicago?

Doughnut Vault in River North tops this list on consistency and breadth of coverage, with a buttermilk old fashioned that has sold out most mornings since the early 2010s. Old Fashioned Donuts in Roseland, open since 1972, and Dat Donut in Chatham are the South Side answers, and The Infatuation ranked Mindy’s Bakery in Wicker Park first in its 2026 guide for the yeast donut.

How much does a donut cost in Chicago?

A plain glazed runs a little over a dollar at Old Fashioned Donuts and Dat Donut, which have held prices close to that level for more than a decade. Downtown and North Side shops charge more: Time Out put Doughnut Vault’s average at $3 in 2013 and Do-Rite’s at $2.50 in 2012, and both are likely a bit higher now.

Which Chicago donut shops sell out early?

Doughnut Vault, Mindy’s Bakery, Beacon Doughnuts and Downstate Donuts all close when the day’s batch is gone, often before their posted closing times. Beacon and Downstate take preorders on their websites, and Beacon accepts them up to three days ahead. Stan’s Donuts, open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, is the fallback when everything else is gone.

See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.