It's Pączki Time Again. Here Are Five Places To Buy Them

Image Credit: Drew Baker

We're nearing Lent which means bakeries across the city are busy baking pączki in time for Fat Tuesday and Fat Thursday. As WBEZ's Louisa Chu notes, Chicago celebrates both days. Here at Chicagoist, we love a good pączki and leave the arguments over what bakery makes the best one to others.

We will, however, give you a list of five places to buy an amazing pączki. Here we go.

1. Bridgeport Bakery: It's a short walk to this bakery from Chicagoist's headquarters and the walk is necessary, since we keep them in business on bacon buns and kolaczy the other 11 months of the year. Bridgeport Bakery's pączki starts with their flaky, buttery dough, dusted with sugar, and filled with traditional fillings like prunes or creme-based fillings such as vanilla and chocolate. (2907 S. Archer Ave.)

2. Delightful Pastries: Grub Street Chicago's Michael Gebert calls Delightful Pastries' pączki his favorite in the city. And they are amazing, worthy of Delightful Pastries' inclusion on LTHForum's "Great Neighborhood Restaurants" list. (Chicago French Market, 5927 W. Lawrence and 1710 N. Wells St.)

3. Bennison's Bakery: Evanston's popular bakery has been taking orders since last week and, as Chu wrote yesterday, there was still time to register for the bakery's pączki eating contest. The winning team of two is awarded $300. (1000 Davis St., Evanston)

4. Weber's Bakery: Drew Baker's photo above is an example of the fine pączkis made at this Southwest side staple. Weber's adds a touch of brandy or grain alcohol to the dough before frying, preventing the oil from from absorbing too much into it. (7055 S. Archer Ave.)

5. Dinkel's: The quality of craftsmanship of Dinkel's pastries makes us miss the North side once in a while. They also offer gluten-free selections. Call ahead to see if they'll do the same with your pączki. (3329 N. Lincoln Ave.)