Did Somebody Say Donuts?!

WARNING: This article may cause serious cravings!

You can't buy happiness, but you can buy donuts, and that's kind of the same thing!”

With my final year of college under my belt, I have realized a few things. First, I should have had more fun and spent a little less time in the library. Second, I should not have gone shopping every time I was downtown. Third, it is time that I move passed the comfort of Dunkin Donuts and find the best donut shops in Chicago. With the help of some friends and my curious nature, I was able to find four that I thought everyone deserved to know about.

Stan’s Donuts

Stan’s started in 1963 in Los Angeles California. Although it started in LA nearly 50 years ago, the owners wanted to bring that California style donut to the Midwest. Not only does Stan’s have delicious donuts, but it also has coffee, bagels and gelato. This iconic shop has all the standard donuts you would hope to see in a donut shop— glazed, chocolate cake and vanilla sprinkled cake. Aside from having amazing standard donuts, their specialty donuts, like their Toffee Cake donut, are to die for. If you are looking for a wide assortment of donuts, Stan’s is your place.

The Doughnut Vault.

Let me just start by saying that this place is just about the most adorable donut shop I have ever been too. I dropped in to one of the Vault's multiple locations in the city. Their shop, nestled in an adorable one room location, has an outdoor space where you can enjoy your morning treat. Unlike some of the other shops I visited, the Doughnut Vault has daily specials, and a changing menu. The menu is quite a bit smaller than some of the other shops around the city, but that does not take away from the overall experience. Quality over quantity, right?

Firecakes Doughnuts.

Similar to Doughnut Vault, Firecakes has a hand full of their special doughnuts that they serve each day. Although their selection is a little larger than Doughnut Vault, they keep their menu at around 12- 14 doughnut options daily. Not only do they have their signature doughnuts, they also have seasonal specialties including: Peanut Butter and Jelly and their famous Apple Cinnamon Fritter doughnuts. If you like the mixture of chocolate and espresso, their Valrhona Chocolate & Espresso Cream doughnut is out of this world.

Glazed and Infused. Although they only have a few options of doughnuts to choose from, theirs tasted the best to me. My favorite part about Glazed and Infused was that they had not only mini doughnuts, but also doughnut holes. After trying doughnuts that were the size of my face, trying a mini doughnut felt just right. Glazed and Infused had the most locations out of all the doughnut shops I ventured into.

After a full day of walking around the city in search of the best doughnut shops I could find, I figured out three things. First, it is really not a good idea to attempt to eat a doughnut or two at every shop you go into, a few bites will suffice. Secondly I figured out that there is a whole world beyond Dunkin Doughnuts (WHO KNEW?!). Lastly, drink a lot of water if you want to take a whole day to find the best doughnut shops, because you will end up tired and dehydrated after your sugar rush wears off. During my adventure I was reminded that not only are there tons of awesome doughnut shops in Chicago, but there are so many amazing places to eat and visit if you allow yourself to explore this city.