Arts & Entertainment
Paczki Day Is Next Week. Here Are 5 Bakeries to Place Your Next Order
Growing up with at least one Polish-born parent in Chicago came with a few assurances: a vegetarian 12-dish Christmas Eve spread every year, Saturday morning Polish school classes and mass every Sunday.
And these experiences almost always came with a side of paczki.
I’m not sure how many non-Polish folks realize the fried jam-filled desserts paczki (or paczek for one) are just doughnuts, and they’re eaten any time of the year, whether it’s at parties, at home or after mass.
But come Fat Tuesday every year, “Paczki Day” is celebrated across Chicago and the Midwest, and the doughnuts are recognized as a symbol of Polish culture and pride.
And, yes, if you find the right bakery, they’re good. And there are many more foods and desserts offered by the Poles that are also delicious, savory and mouth-watering.
So come this Fat Tuesday, here are some of my recommendations for where to place an order for paczki, next week or any day of the year. And if not paczki, then explore the other dishes and sweet things these bakeries and restaurants have to offer.
The Polish Paczki Cafe
Paczki made at the Polish Paczki Cafe on Chicago’s Northwest Side are based on a recipe by co-owner Anna Niziolek’s mother. (Nicole Cardos / WTTW News)
Stepping inside this aptly named restaurant was like stepping inside a scene from Poland: I was greeted by an aroma of warm pastries like paczki and szarlotka (Polish apple cake), a fridge filled with apple-mint Tymbark (a Polish brand of fruit juice) and homemade kompot (a beverage made by stewing fresh, dried or frozen fruits), and the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” with a Polish voiceover translation playing over the cashier.
The Polish Paczki Cafe is a cozy eight-table restaurant in Chicago’s Oriole Park neighborhood that serves freshly made paczki, salads, soups and hot dinners Tuesday-Sunday.
Co-owner Anna Niziolek said she opened the restaurant in 2018 after having worked and developed the paczki program at Old Warsaw Buffet on Chicago’s Northwest Side. Niziolek said come this time of year, it’s hard to put a number on how many paczki the restaurant makes.
“It’s just a lot,” she said.
So much so that Niezolek said she and her staff work in shifts over 36 hours starting the Wednesday before Fat Thursday to satisfy pre-orders and the line that builds outside. Niezolek said Fat Tuesday the following week, when she notices many Polish Americans buying paczki for their workplaces, isn’t as demanding but still busy.
The restaurant’s paczki are based on a recipe by Niezolek’s mother. The dough is made with flour, butter, yeast, egg yolks and spiritus, and then filled with a mixture of rose, plum and raspberry jam. After proofing, they’re fried for a handful of minutes and later topped with a powdered sugar-lemon juice glaze and candied orange peel.
My mom, who emigrated from Poland in 1989, had been recommending the Polish Paczki Cafe for years, and rightfully so. The paczki are light and airy, and it’s easy to eat a few before realizing how many you’ve actually had.
Customers can buy day-of or pre-order for orders of 100 or more paczki.
$3.25/paczek; cash and card accepted.
La Blondina’s Traditional Polish Paczki
Agnes Hurtado said she doesn’t sleep for roughly 36 hours in the days leading up to Fat Thursday because she’s fulfilling paczki orders with her business, La Blondina Pastry. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
I first met home baker Agnes Hortado through her paczki and didn’t miss a beat when placing another order the following year.
After closing her bakery La Blondina in 2013, she started baking for friends and family and eventually grew her business out of her Villa Park, Illinois, home. In an interview with WTTW News last year, Hortado said the Polish community eats paczki the week before Lent on Fat Thursday, and that’s also when Hurtado doesn’t sleep for roughly 36 hours because she’s fulfilling paczki orders with her business, La Blondina Pastry.
If you’re interested in trying her rose- or plum-filled paczki (she only makes two flavors), then hurry! Feb. 25 is the last day she’s accepting orders for Fat Tuesday. Customers can place orders on La Blondina Bakery’s Facebook page.
$3/paczek; cash and Zelle accepted.
Oak Mill Bakery’s Elegant Paczki
Oak Mill Bakery in Niles, Illinois, has been my family’s go-to bakery for birthday cakes since I can remember. Standing tall with layers of spongy cake and creamy mousse or designed into intricate shapes with fondant, the bakery’s cakes always rose to the occasion with high-end elegance and craftsmanship.
The bakery, a family business started by Bogna Solak and now run by her son Matthew Solak, also applies that level of detail and attention to its paczki.
This year, Oak Mill Bakery’s five locations are offering 28 paczki flavors — from black currant and forest fruit preserve to signature creations based on their most popular cake flavors, like “Ambrosia” (white chocolate and gianduja hazelnut mousse) and “Temptation” (maracuja peach and passion fruit mousse). And if a box of paczki seems overwhelming, the bakery is also whipping up mini bite-sized paczki with rose, raspberry and custard fillings.
Pre-orders are recommended and accepted through 2 p.m. March 2.
$2.95-$6.95/paczek; cash and card accepted.
Polombia’s “Paisa Paczki”
Polombia will offer five unique paczki flavors this Fat Tuesday. Pictured here are the Polish-Columbian eatery’s apple-mango and passionfruit strawberry cheesecake paczki. (Nicole Cardos / WTTW News)
Being in a city as diverse as Chicago, it seems only fitting to include fusion-style paczki on this list. Polombia, located on the first floor of the Accenture Tower, is run by husband-wife team Phillipe Sobon and Cynthia Orobio, who were raised in Polish and Colombian households respectively. Together they’ve merged not only savory food offerings from each country, but also dessert.
Polombia will offer five different flavors of what they call “paisa paczki” this Fat Tuesday: cafe con leche, kiwi lime coconut, strawberry guava, passionfruit strawberry cheesecake, and mango apple.
“We wanted to differentiate ourselves where you can get something different,” said Sobon, who was raised on Chicago’s Northwest Side by Polish-born parents.
“Every bakery is going to be doing the same thing, and we wanted to stand out,” he said.
Pre-orders are accepted through March 1. Orders can be placed via DM on their Instagram account, by email ([email protected]), or here.
$4/paczek; Half dozen/$23; Dozen/$45; cash and card accepted.
Sweet Generation’s Decadent Paczki
If you’re looking for a bakery that serves paczki filled with cream-based rather than jam-based fillings, then check out Sweet Generation in suburban Wood Dale, Illinois. The small bakery will offer a number of flavors on Fat Tuesday, from velvety coffee- or pistachio-flavored cream to paczki inspired by European candies Kinder Bueno or Raffaello.
And don’t forget to try the bakery’s unique Dubai chocolate-filled paczki that are packed with nutty flavor and crunch.
$2.99-$5.99/paczek; cash and card accepted.
