Get your paczki fix at these Chicago bakeries

This Evanston bakery is known for its paczki-eating contest, hosted Saturday, February 22, but you don’t have to participate to indulge in the Polish treat. Stop by the store or call ahead for larger orders—either way, there's plenty of fresh banana cream paczki to go around.

All six Do-Rite locations will have paczki stocked and loaded, with flavors like raspberry sugar, salted caramel and blackberry-lemon. These pillowy pockets are available in limited quantities through February 25, so order online if you want to be the office hero.

This sweet family-owned bakery kicks off its paczki celebration early, with jelly-filled doughnuts flying off its pastry racks days before Fat Tuesday. Head in to choose from a handful of delicious flavors—we're suckers for the classic chocolate custard variety.

This old-school Lakeview bakery only brings out the paczki for Fat Tuesday, so it's best to order ahead of time if you want to score a box. Paczki are available in four-packs or by the dozen (go big or go home, right), in flavors like apple-cinnamon, strawberry cheesecake and Parisian lemon.

If you don't feel like battling the lines on Fat Tuesday, Firecakes will deliver your paczki order through Grubhub, which means you can sit back, relax and wait for a box of fluffy, raspberry-filled doughnuts to arrive at your doorstep. That was too easy.

It’s worth taking a ride out to this snug, old-school spot for its seriously tasty take on paczki. Choose from 12 varieties including blueberry, rosehip, cheese and poppy. If you want a taste without committing to a full-sized paczki, four popular flavors (raspberry, custard, apricot and rosehip) are also available in miniature versions.

Much to the dismay of longtime fans, this Bridgeport icon suddenly closed in 2019, only to reopen under new ownership months later. There's no need to fret, as Paczki Day is still on. Choose from a whopping 17 classic flavors, including apple, apricot, peach and pineapple. The bakery will open at midnight on February 25, so be prepared to stand in line if you didn't call ahead.

The Polish pastry specialists at Delightful Pastries keep us on our toes with three "drunken" paczki—named for their fillings, like Jameson-spiked chocolate custard—as well as gourmet selections like passion fruit jelly and pecan-studded German chocolate and from-scratch salted caramel.

This beautiful French patisserie is known for its over-the-top cakes and decorated cookies, but in honor of Fat Tuesday, the bakers are rolling out six filled doughnuts in flavors like raspberry-rose, apple-cinnamon and vanilla bean-ganache. There will be limited quantities in cases at both locations, so go ahead and phone it in 24 to 48 hours in advance.

This bastion of Polish deli fare, imported sweets and Eastern European breads enriched with sprouted grains and other good-for-you ingredients is expanding its year-round paczki lineup with some decidedly non-traditional offerings. Look for quirky flavors like rum raisin, limoncello and black currant.

If you don't need a dozen paczki, West Town Bakery is where it's at—and with locations in River North, Wrigleyville and West Town, you don't have to go far to find some fried dough. The usual suspects (raspberry cream, blueberry jam and chocolate) will be available in cases while supplies last, but if you do decide to upgrade to a box, you'll have to reach out to West Town's wholesale department.