Paczki Day 2025: Where To Find Them In Metro Detroit

METRO DETROIT — Paczki Day, also known as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras is just around the corner and the last chance to enjoy your favorite pastries before the Catholic tradition of Lent, which is the traditional 40-day period of fasting before Easter.

Tuesday, March 4, is Paczki Day, where people around metro Detroit will brave the cold weather and stand in lines wrapped around bakeries to get their hands on a Paczek — pronounced "puhnch-kee."

Paczki are traditional Polish doughnuts and are a once-a-year delicacy, traditionally made by bakers trying to use up all their eggs and lard before Lent begins. The tradition is mainly a Midwest celebration, especially in Detroit/Hamtramck, where Polish immigrants began flooding the area in the early 20th century.

Hamtramck, a city located within the boundaries of Detroit, is one of the largest Polish-American communities in the country and is widely recognized for its Paczki Day traditions, which include heated food and drink tens, live music and dancing.

Here are some of the best places around Metro Detroit to get Paczki:

Wayne County

• New Palace Bakery - 9833 Joseph Campau Ave in Hamtramck
• Srodek's - 9601 Joseph Campau St, Hamtramck
• Taj Al-Yemen Restaurant/The Family Donut Shop - 11300 Conant St, Hamtramck
• Dutch Girl Donuts - 19000 Woodward Ave, Detroit
• Pietrzyk Pierogi - 1429 Gratiot Ave, Detroit
• Bartz Bakery - 1532 N. Telegraph Rd., Dearborn
• GM Paris Bakery - 28418 Joy Rd in Livonia
• The Looney Baker - 13931 Farmington Rd in Livonia

Oakland County

• Apple Fritter Donut Shop - 741 E 9 Mile Rd in Ferndale
• Donut Cutter - 28173 Woodward Ave in Berkley
• American Polish Cultural Center - 2975 E Maple Rd in Troy
• Knapp's Donut Shop - 500 N Main St in Rochester or 6057 Rochester Rd in Troy

Macomb County

• Irena's Pastry and Bistro - 40259 Mound Rd, Sterling Heights
• Daily Dozen - 13599 E 9 Mile Rd in Warren, 32701 Woodward Ave in Royal Oak and 11331 15 Mile Rd in Sterling Heights
• Tringali's Bakery - 29100 Schoenherr Rd, Warren
• East Detroit Bakery and Deli - 17530 E 9 Mile Rd, Eastpointe
• Blake Farms - 17985 Armada Center Rd., Armada