Cronuts originated in New York City, but lucky for us, they're now available pretty much everywhere. Even luckier for us, bakeries have been adding their own spin to the donut-croissant pastry, making them even better than before. Chicago is no exception, and as a leader in the food industry, there are some top shelf cronuts around. Here are our favorites.
Get The Best Cronuts In Chicago In These 7 Places
Image credit: Rachel Lovinger/Flickr CC-BY 2.0
1. Somethin’ Sweet Donuts
The cronuts here are light and crisp, and are filled with flavors like raspberry, lemon and Bavarian cream, each one better than the last. Some say they're the best in the city! You might be lead here for the cronuts, but don't leave without trying the cake donuts and apple fritters.
2. Alliance Bakery & Cafe
One of the coolest parts about Alliance is that you can call in your order for pickup. No more waiting in lines for cronuts! The standout is the vanilla creme cronut with rose frosting. It's a little bit different, if different means delicious. The chocolate praline cronut is also to die for.
3. West Town Bakery & Diner
They're called "doughssants" here, but what's in a name? Your taste buds definitely won't know the difference, especially when you're biting into a cookies and cream doughssant. They come in bar form here which just means you won't find a hole missing in the middle. Oh yeah, they also have vegan and gluten-free options!
4. La Boulangerie
This place is known for the bread, but their desserts, and cronuts, are out of this world. They're so popular that they've even opened a new location. Don't get confused though. Look for "crognut" on the menu for your donut-croissant pastry fix.
5. Alliance Patisserie
Alliance is a combination of a modern day bakery and French tradition. Here, you'll find amazing French macarons and petits gateaux, but we both know you're looking for cronuts. All of the pastries are delicious, but the crowd favorite is definitely the hazelnut cronut because Nutella is great on everything. The vanilla rose cronut is also a must-try.
6. Glazed & Infused
Glazed & Infused is on a mission to reinvent the iconic American doughnut, and they've definitely succeeded. All of their doughnuts are made fresh daily by hand with the best whole and natural ingredients they can find. They've got amazingly unique donuts to choose from like Nutella Champagne S’more and Key Lime Pistachio. Trust us, they're all good. Their cronuts, of course, will be one of the best things you've ever tasted. Just get there early, because they go fast.
7. Sunny Side Up & Coffee Shop
Sunny Side Up is a great place for breakfast, but if you don't want to sit down for a meal, you can grab a cronut downstairs. Trying the cronuts here is a no-brainer, but you'll probably have trouble choosing which flavor to get! These cronuts err on the croissant side of the pastry, but they're filled with custard and topped with ganache to perfection.
This article was written by Lauren Gaw.
Hero image credit: CCFoodTravel.com/Flickr CC-BY 2.0