I think most of us are guilty of not taking time to be tourists in our cities. Especially those of us in larger cities. I always hear people in LA, NYC, Atlanta, Houston, and even St. Louis talk about how they haven’t really found all of the ins and outs of their city like tourists do. When given a chance to check out special places in Chicago, I always jump because I can add a place or two to take out-of-towners that aren’t really over-touristy but still something different from back home. Enter Do-Rite Donuts. Can you really go wrong with donuts in the first place? Seriously. Look at these and tell me you could walk out without trying at least ONE. I was graciously invited on a media trip to tour downtown Chicago, and Do-Rite Donuts was one of our stops. The walk from the Palmer House Hilton and back in chilly weather was well worth it.
Do-Rite Donuts | A Must on a Donut Crawl
The Do-Rite Donuts shop we visited on 50 W. Randolph is no longer operating, but the closest location can be found at Do-Rite Donuts. It was a small shop with enough room for maybe ten people. At the time of publishing only donuts and coffee were on the menu. Most locations now serve chicken sandwiches. There are often lines out of the door, but this rainy Saturday morning, we lucked up and encountered only two other people in the shop. After we all got our donuts, we sauntered outside to chat, and I started a conversation with an older gentleman on his way to a German class.
I chose a bourbon-glazed pecan-topped donut and a cup of joe to start me out. It was divine. Something about pecans makes me yearn for the days in Memphis with my Granny Blackburn. We would collect all the fallen nuts and sit in her dining room happily cracking them open and eating the sweet insides until we felt like we were going to burst. This donut had the workings of long summers spent with my grandmother, filled with the grown-up and satisfying taste of the sweetened bourbon custard.
We were also informed that the owners opened another small shop (with seating) on Erie that has something that the flagship store doesn’t. Hot sandwiches. Egg sandwiches for breakfast every morning until 10:45 am and chicken sandwiches – which are a bestseller – until close. Mr. Houseful and I are going to have to take a trip to the second store very soon to try these sandwiches out. I guess we’ll get there before 10:45 so we can order a sandwich from both sides of the food options. That’s not crazy right?
If you’re taking kids, the extra large donut outside the Randolph shop makes a perfect photo backdrop. You shouldn’t miss it at all!
So to sum up everything. Do-Rite Donuts. 6 locations in the Chicagoland area. Donut specials rotate in and out all the time, meaning you just have to visit regularly. They range in price from $3-$5 each, and the hot sandwiches are $6-$7. I highly recommend the bourbon pecan, but you probably can’t go wrong with any of the varieties. I just don’t do chocolate because I’m the one person on earth who doesn’t get cozy with chocolate donuts. I’m also going back for this pistachio beauty.
