Pączki Day Is Tuesday: Where To Get Your Fat Tuesday Doughnuts

TINLEY PARK, IL — Forget Mardi Gras, Carnival, Fat Tuesday or Fasnacht. Tuesday in Chicago’s southland is known affectionately as one thing: Pączki Day, and you should get your pączki before they’re gone.

Pączki are jelly doughnuts made in the Polish tradition. Grandmas would whip them up using the last of the lard, sugar and eggs ahead of Lent, which is a time of fasting and sacrifice in many Christian practices.

In Poland, however, pączki are eaten on Fat Thursday, or Tłusty Czwartek, which is the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent.

The sweet treats sell out faster than hotcakes, so it’s best to call ahead and plan plenty of time to stand in line when you get yours. We’ve done some of the planning for you with our list of the best bakeries – some near, some far – that sell pączki.

Or, you could always try your hand at making the sweet, yeasted dough with Polish American Journal’s traditional recipe.

The trickiest part of these delicacies just might be asking for them. "pączki” — with no “s” — is plural. “Paczek” is singular. You can practice your Polish with BlockClub Chicago’s primer.

Where to find paczki in the southland region:

Zettlmeier’s Bakerei
708-444-2253
17016 Oak Park Ave.

Creative Cakes Bakery
708-614-9755
16649 Oak Park Ave.

Hi-Way Bakery
708-754-3255
2633 Chicago Rd.

Pearson’s Bakery
708-754-1523
1 W. 16th St.

Pearson’s Southgate Bakery
708-798-4411
18670 Dixie Hwy

European Deli & Subs
630-378-4251
1327 Lily Cache Lane

Cakes by Karen
219-838-2310
8632 Kennedy Ave.

Witek’s Bakery
708-233-6603
8807 W 95th St.

Iversen’s Bakery
708- 858-0778
12948 Western Ave.

Orland Park Bakery
708-349-8516
14850 S La Grange Rd.

Milano Bakery, Inc
815-727-2253
427 S Chicago St.

Doughs Guys Bakery
708-931-5199
12248 S Harlem Ave.

Calumet Bakery
708-895-3700
18349 Torrence Ave.

Vesecky’s Bakery
708-788-4144
6634 Cermak Rd.