Fab Happenings: Top 5 Doughnuts in Chicago by PoweredbyDoughnuts

Doughnuts are by far the hottest trend in the culinary world right now. A quick scroll through Instagram and you’ll find everything from Cronuts, doughnut ice cream sandwiches, the sushi doughnut, even spaghetti doughnuts (ewww…)! If you happen to be in the Windy City looking for the best doughnuts Chicago has to offer, there’s a good chance you may find yourself overwhelmed with all the different options. That’s where I come in.

My name is Steven and I’m not your average doughnut eater. I’m a doughnut lover, a connoisseur, some might even call me an addict. I’ve traveled all over the country in search of the best doughnuts. I like to think of myself as the doughnut king of Chicago.

I’ve eaten just about every doughnut in Chicago. At a rate of roughly a dozen per week, I do my best to stay on top of all the new flavors and concepts from every doughnut shop and restaurant in the city because, well….I care about my fellow doughnuts lovers! I want you all to make the best possible choice the next time you find yourself overcome with anxiety about what to order at the doughnut shop. I know, I know it’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it!

The way I went about this (and how I go about every doughnut tasting) is always considering what counts most…THE DOUGHNUT! Filled with Nutella? Great! Topped with Chocolate? Awesome! But how is the actual doughnut itself?

So, what makes a great doughnut? Well for starters, it’s gotta be fresh. No, I’m not talking about fresh out of the fryer (although, an apple fritter outta the fryer is to die for). I’m simply talking about it being made the same day. Many of these hyped up doughnut shops you see on social media are simply too large to continue the small batch method. Unfortunately, this means a compromise on quality in order to produce higher quantities. One of the steps taken is pre-production where doughnuts are made the day before. I can always tell when this is the case. It really upsets me when I go in early to get a fresh doughnut but get a stale one instead.

The next big thing I look for is flavor balance and quality. I want to taste real vanilla bean. I want that fresh fruit flavor coming from the jelly. I need to taste every spice you claim you use. I need all this while tasting the richness of the dough. I don’t want to taste the oil that you fried it in or have a mouth full of Nutella. While Nutella is great, it is no solution to a bad doughnut. Plus, if I wanted to eat Nutella by the spoonful I wouldn’t venture all the way to the doughnut shop to do so. Last but not least is execution. As I mentioned earlier, people are getting pretty over the top with doughnuts and the flavor combinations. If you’re going to go out of the box with a flavor you better knock it out of the park! It’s too often I find myself asking “did they even taste this before selling it?” Even worse is when the doughnut is named something like s’mores and it tasted NOTHING like a s’more. THIS DRIVES ME INSANE! You will find a few doughnuts on this list that definitely went out of the box but they make this list because they hit their mark.

So, let’s begin, shall we?

5. (TIE) Vanilla Iced Doughnut at Firecakes and Pumpkin Spice Doughssant at West Town Bakery

I’m going to start my list of Top 5 by breaking the rules and adding an extra doughnut to the list. The reason for this is simple. These two doughnuts are too different to compare and thus hard to choose one over the other. It just so happens that these two doughnuts were also co-champions at the 2015 Chicago Donutfest. While the vanilla iced took home the judges’ choice, the doughssant took home the people’s choice.

Starting off with the vanilla iced, Firecakes uses a brioche style dough, which is by far the best dough for doughnuts because it’s very rich in butter and fat. Brioche dough retains its moisture better resulting in a very soft, fluffy, and tender doughnut. The butter and egg create a beautiful yellow color that is very apparent in the vanilla iced doughnut.

The icing is very rich yet still light and has tons of fresh vanilla flavor. You can actually see the specks of vanilla bean in the icing. The icing to dough ratio is also very important. The Vanilla Iced is a very large doughnut so by going with an icing instead of a glaze, the vanilla flavor doesn’t get lost in the dough. To top things off this doughnut is garnished with white chocolate crisp pearls. They add the perfect textural contrast to the fluffy dough!

FAB TIP: Doughnuts can be pre-ordered on their website.

Now the doughssant. While I have yet to try the original Cronut from Dominique Ansel in NYC, I have had at least 10 croissant doughnuts and only one bakery in Chicago stands out… West Town Bakery. When you think of croissants you think of buttery layers of dough. THIS THING HAS LAYERS! It’s very obvious that the dough is made perfectly with dozens of even layers of alternating butter and dough.

The dough is fried perfectly leaving you with a SUPER crispy outside and moist buttery inside. By far the stand out feature of this doughnut is the crispy outside layers. With so much butter in the dough, it is very easy to improperly fry it and get a soggy and greasy product. Not here. Not only does the outside provide crunch but the granulated sugar and toasted pumpkin seeds also aids in the crunchy texture. I guarantee someone in the room down the hall from you will hear the crunch as you take a bite.

Then as if this doughssant was not already great enough, it’s filled with a buttercream. Not cream, not custard, but BUTTERCREAM! The heavy texture contrasts the light and flakey outer layers and the pumpkin spice is used sparingly so that the flavor slowly fills your mouth without overpowering everything else.

Now this doughssant would not have made my list if West Town Bakery hadn’t changed the size. Originally the doughssant was made in long john form and filled with way too much buttercream (see above pic). It threw off the balance. They have recently downsized it to smaller squares with the perfect doughnut to filling ratio.

{Location}
Firecakes
River North || 68 W St, Chicago, IL || P: (312) 329-6500
Lakeview || 2453 N Clark St, Chicago, IL || P: (773) 666-5277

West Town Bakery
Ukrainian Village || 1916 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL || P: (773) 904-1414
River North || 15 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL || P: (312) 894-0935

{Price Range}
$ (Under $10)

{Fab Rating: 3.5 Fabs}

4. Apple Fritter at Abundance Bakery

This southside bakery is one of the best hidden gems of the doughnut community in Chicago. I was completely taken by surprise with the sheer size of their doughnuts. Now the thing about oversized food is that it becomes difficult to replicate the same quality of product as their smaller counterparts. The Apple Fritter was spot on! The dough was very soft and fluffy and exploding with huge chunks of apples! The glaze was simple and seeped into every nook and cranny of the doughnut. The cinnamon was in everything from the dough, the apples, and the glaze and brought a ton of warmth and depth to the flavor.

This is the one doughnut on the list that sticks to the basics but it’s done so beautifully, I couldn’t resist adding it to my list. Oh, did I mention that it was only $3? It’s not only the biggest doughnut on the list but the cheapest doughnut on the list!

{Location}
Abundance Bakery
Bronzeville || 105 E 47th St, Chicago, IL || P: (773) 373-1971

{Price Range}
$ (Under $10)

{Fab Rating: 4 Fabs}

3.  Violet Sugar Doughnut at Mindy’s HotChocolate Bakery

If you haven’t heard the name Mindy Segal, you’ve likely been living under a rock for the past few years since she is one of Chicago’s best and most well-known pastry chefs. While I’m a huge fan of her made-to-order brioche doughnuts at her restaurant, Hot Chocolate, it’s the doughnuts at her new location inside the new Revival Food Hall in The Loop that have my heart. Specifically, the violet sugar doughnut.

You know that feeling when you wash your bed sheets and the smell of lavender engulfs you as you jump in, like you’re floating through a field of flowers? Well, that’s kind of how this doughnut makes me feel. Lavender in my opinion, is a tricky ingredient to work with. It can very easily be overpowering. Mindy Segal’s doughnuts are perfectly soft and fluffy but have a bit more of a chewy bite to them. I don’t mean a rubbery chew, either. The gluten in the doughnut is worked just enough so that it’s soft but doesn’t collapse like those Krispy Kreme doughnuts you amateurs rave about.

The doughnuts are rolled in a beautiful violet sugar, which dresses them elegantly to match the heart shaped cut-outs. You might look at the doughnut thinking it’s just a regular sugar doughnut but trust me on this one. If you’re even lucky enough to snag one before the morning rush, DO IT!

FAB TIP: Located inside Revival Food Hall.

{Location}
Mindy’s HotChocolate Bakery
The Loop || 125 S Clark St, Chicago, IL || P: (773) 770-6241

{Price Range}
$ (Under $10)

{Fab Rating: 4.5 Fabs}

2. Cinnamon Crunch Yeast Donut at Do-Rite Donuts

While this list is about the top individual doughnuts in the city, I can tell you now that Do-rite Donuts is the best doughnut shop in Chicago. No questions asked. Why? Because their yeast dough is made with unicorn tears…or at least that’s what I’m assuming because it is just that damn magical!

To take things even further, they fold layers of cinnamon into the dough just for the cinnamon crunch doughnut! You don’t even need to zoom into the pictures to see the dark stripe of cinnamon running through the middle of the dough. If I could describe this doughnut in one word it would be LUSCIOUS!

Look closer and I want you to check out how the dough “crimps” where the bite mark is left. That is the signature of perfect dough. It’s moist, buttery, soft, and not over mixed. The topping is a cinnamon sugar but I’m convinced there’s something else added to the mix because it’s got more texture than just cinnamon sugar. It tastes and feels more like a streusel topping but it could also just be more unicorn tears. Who knows? I’m just gonna tell you don’t think, just eat!

{Location}
Do-Rite Donuts
Streeterville || 233 E Erie St, Chicago, IL || P: (312) 344-1374
The Loop || 50 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL || P: (312) 488-2483

{Price Range}
$ (Under $10)

{Fab Rating: 4.5 Fabs}

1. Chai Spiced Dolce de Leche Doughnut at Pub Royale

As a single guy, I’ve come to realize after a few years of dating and eating doughnuts that doughnuts and women share one thing in common. You just gotta find one that stands out and you’ll never need another! If there was one doughnut in Chicago that I had to choose to be the only doughnut I could eat for the rest of my life it would be the Chai Spiced Dolce de Leche Doughnut from Pub Royale. First off, when I find a doughnut on the menu at a restaurant that does not specialize in baking, I’m immediately expecting the worst. Majority of the time it’s just another restaurant trying to hop on the doughnut bandwagon serving a subpar doughnut.  Pub Royale on the other hand has gotten creative and utilizes the naan dough that is already on their Indian-inspired menu. The big advantage this doughnut has over the rest is that it is served hot and fresh to order every time!

This thing just looks SEXY!  The colors, the glaze dripping, the presentation, this thing is just beautiful. Then the smell hits you. Since t’s warm, the aroma of the chai spice intertwined with the sweet sugary smell of the dolce de leche just puts you on cloud 9. Don’t even think of reaching for a knife and fork just because it’s still gooey. You have to go hands on with this thing. As you pull it apart you can feel the bounciness of the high gluten naan dough. The heat trapped inside loosens it up so that it’s not tough. Don’t get me wrong, if you let this cool down and think you’re going to enjoy it tomorrow think again. When the dough cools it’s going to seize up on you and get tough. That’s just the nature of gluten but guess what? You don’t have to worry about that because you’re going to devour the entire thing so there will be no leftovers! To go along with this knot of gluten perfection is a glaze so rich I’d suggest you order a gallon to take home and possible bathe in it! Dolce de leche is a very sweet ingredient but the warmth of chai spice tames that sweetness and then the earth parsley garnish cleanses your palate to prepare you for the next bite. If the doughnut isn’t reason enough to go visit Pub Royale, just remember that they have an outstanding list of craft beers. What’s better than craft beer and craft doughnuts? Nothing. Nothing at all…

{Location}
Pub Royale
West Town || 2049 W Division St, Chicago, IL || P: (773) 661-6874

{Price Range}
$ (Under $10)

{Fab Rating: 4.5 Fabs}

This was a really tough list to make and there were a few doughnuts that I could’ve swapped into the mix but many of them are seasonal or were limited time specials. I didn’t want to tease you with anything that you can’t go get right now. I really hope I cleared the air for all my doughnut lovers out there looking to make the most of their calories. If you don’t want to miss out on what’s going on in Chicago’s doughnut world, make sure to follow me on Instagram (@poweredbydoughnuts)!

I plan to expand my doughnut horizons to new cities all over the country this year so stay tuned! There are new doughnut shops popping up every month it seems and I’ll be sure to investigate them all!

-Steven

Note: These items were not complimentary. The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the writer.