Figuring out where to get paczki in Cleveland mostly comes down to knowing the donut shops, since the filled Polish doughnuts come out of the same fryers that turn out crullers and fritters the rest of the year. The shops below range from family counters on Lorain Road and Pearl Road to large bakeries in Broadview Heights and Maple Heights.
Paczki are tied to the days before Lent, and Fat Tuesday is when the lines form. Flavors and timing change from shop to shop and from year to year, so check with the bakery before you go and ask about ordering ahead.
For the rest of the year, the full Cleveland bakery and donut guide covers bread bakeries, cake shops and pastry cases too.
West side, south side, east side
Bakeries and donut shops that make paczki
Fairview Park
Becker's Donuts & Bakery
Best for: The Fat Tuesday line in Fairview Park
Becker’s is a family-owned donut and pastry shop on Lorain Road in Fairview Park, and on Fat Tuesday it makes paczki all day, with lines out the door. It is also one of the best liked donut shops in the area, so the line is worth planning around.
Outside paczki season, come back for the old-fashioned sour cream donuts, crullers and cakes.
Old Brooklyn
Jack Frost Donuts
Best for: Buckeye paczki in Old Brooklyn
Jack Frost is a family-run donut shop on Pearl Road in Old Brooklyn with a huge rotating case of cake and yeast donuts, crullers and custard-filled pastries. Paczki season brings flavors like buckeye, the chocolate and peanut butter pairing Ohio is known for.
The rest of the year, the plain glazed is the one regulars keep coming back for.
Broadview Heights
Michael Angelo's Bakery
Best for: Bavarian maple and a big selection
Michael Angelo’s is a large bakery on Broadview Road in Broadview Heights, south of the city, and it is well known for paczki in flavors like Bavarian maple.
Because it also makes custom cakes, pastries and chocolates, it is a good stop if you are picking up more than one kind of dessert, or if you need a birthday cake and a box of paczki from the same counter.
Brunswick
Donut Land
Best for: Cream-filled paczki in Brunswick
Donut Land on Center Road in Brunswick is the farthest south of these shops, and it is where to drive for anything cream-filled. Its paczki include buckeye and Boston cream, and the regular case runs past 50 flavors, with powdered peanut butter creme donuts and eclairs among the favorites.
It is also one of the most loved donut shops in Northeast Ohio, which makes the drive easy to justify.
Lyndhurst
Goldie's Donuts & Bakery
Best for: Kosher donuts and paczki in Lyndhurst
Goldie’s is a kosher scratch donut bakery on Mayfield Road in Lyndhurst, with more shops in Ohio City and Brecksville, so it covers the east side, the near west side and the southern suburbs. Paczki are part of its lineup.
The rest of the year it is best known for sour cream and maple cake donuts, honey-glazed crullers and apple fritters.
Maple Heights
Baraona's Baking Co
Best for: Paczki with a cake order
Baraona’s Baking Co. is a cake shop and bakery on Libby Road in Maple Heights, southeast of the city, making custom cakes, pastries and paczki. It draws plenty of attention for a neighborhood bakery.
It is the practical choice if you live in the southeast suburbs, or if you are already ordering a cake and want to add a box of paczki to the same pickup.
Gordon Square
Brewnuts
Best for: Beer donuts and vegan flavors
Brewnuts on Detroit Avenue in Gordon Square works craft beer into its donut dough, with rotating specials, maple bacon donuts and vegan flavors, and paczki are on its list too.
It also pours local beer and coffee, which makes it a different kind of paczki stop from the family counters on this list. It is the closest option for anyone in Detroit Shoreway, Edgewater or Lakewood, and Gordon Square has coffee shops and restaurants along Detroit Avenue if you want to make a morning of it.
Planning a paczki run
Pick a shop by side of town
On the west side, Becker’s in Fairview Park and Brewnuts in Gordon Square are the closest. South of the city, Jack Frost on Pearl Road in Old Brooklyn, Michael Angelo’s in Broadview Heights and Donut Land in Brunswick cover Parma, the Broadview Road corridor and the southern suburbs. On the east side, Goldie’s in Lyndhurst and Baraona’s in Maple Heights are the options, and Goldie’s shops in Ohio City and Brecksville fill in the gaps.
Wherever you go, check with the shop in the week before Fat Tuesday. Pre-orders and flavor lists change from year to year, and a quick call can save you a wait in line for a flavor that is already gone. If you are buying for a group, order ahead wherever the shop allows it.
The rest of the year
Bread and pastry once paczki season is over
Several bakeries in the full bakery guide are better known for bread and pastry. Leavened on Auburn Avenue in Tremont bakes sourdough loaves, baguettes, fougasse, croissants and cardamom buns. Blackbird Baking Co. on Sloane Avenue in Lakewood’s Birdtown makes artisan bread, pastries and sticky buns with a full espresso bar, and Luna Bakery & Cafe in the Cedar Fairmount district of Cleveland Heights is known for croissants, macarons, tarts and reliable gluten-free cakes.
Good to know
Questions before you go.
Is it paczki or paczek?
Paczki is the Polish plural. A single one is a paczek, and the plural is pronounced roughly POONCH-kee.
What is a paczki, exactly?
It is a rich, fried yeast doughnut, usually filled with fruit jam or custard and finished with sugar or glaze. Shops here add their own flavors on top of the traditional fillings.
Where can I get a cake with buttercream for a celebration?
White Flower Cake Shoppe is known for its cakes and buttercream, with a stand at the West Side Market and shops in Woodmere, Strongsville and Solon.
Keep going
See every bakery and donut shop on the map
Neighborhood bakeries, pastry cases and donut counters across the Cleveland area, with a map and local details for each.