Paczki Day 2021 Fat Tuesday Guide: It's All About The Middle

SOUTH SUBURBS — While the rest of us sleep, bakeries around the Southland are busy mixing, scaling, frying, cutting and filling paczki in anticipation of Fat Tuesday, which this year falls on Feb. 16. Paczki (pronounced ponch-key) are Polish donuts filled with different kinds of sweet fillings. Typically offered the Tuesday before Lent, paczki are known to draw lines around the block.

The yeasty Polish pastry offered Christians in Poland one last sweet blast before Lenten fasting. If you have paczki on your mind, Patch has rounded up area bakeries that are offering this sweet Polish treat. The entire region is covered with places, so no one should miss out on the fun. And if you have to stand in line awhile to order paczki, the wait is well worth it.

OUR PICKS - 12 PLACES TO GET A PACZKI IN THE SOUTH SUBURBS

Creative Cakes Bakery & Cafe, 16649 Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park
Doughs Guys Bakery, 12248 S Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights; 13545 S. Cicero Ave. in Crestwood
Fleckenstein's Bakery, 19225 S. La Grange Road, Mokena
Iversen's Bakery, 12948 Western Ave. in Blue Island
The Velvet Bakery, 5168 W. 95th St. in Oak Lawn
Pearson's Bakery, 1 W. 16th St. in Chicago Heights
Witek's Bakery, 8807 W. 95th Street in Palos Hills
Pearson's Southgate Bakery, 18670 Dixie Hwy. in Homewood
Kirby's Korner Bakery, 165 S. State in Manhattan
Calumet Bakery at 18349 Torrence Avenue in Lansing
Wolf's Bakery, 3241 W 95th St., Evergreen Park
Talerico Martin Bakery, 7334 W. 63rd St. in Summit