these doughnuts are still amazing and a consistent stop every time we are in chicago. i am not a fan of jelly/jam in doughnuts but the way that beacon doughnuts does it has changed my opinion. the blueberry pancake doughnut is your traditional doughnut shape with a hole but they somehow filled it with jam still. magic i think. the doughnuts are decadent, delicious, to die for. the chocolate glazed brioche is a new favorite of mine. it's an airy yeast doughnut which i prefer over cake doughnuts. the chocolate frosting is rich and the sweetness of the glaze balances out the chocolate. read more

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Beacon is in a class all by itself. Each donut is artistically and thoughtfully made and there are community favorites but they do have specialty donuts that appear for the season or a short period of time.. They operate out of an alley but don't be afraid, this is Lincoln Park and it's clean and families are frequent customers. No drug deals going on here!! As everyone else has suggested, order these online and pick them up at your desired time. By doing this, you get exactly what you want as they do sell out and when they're out, that's it for the day. :) Enjoy these in the car, whilst you're parked or weaving in and out of I-94 traffic, or better yet !!- at home, with a home made latte.. My favorites were, in no particular order: 1 guava cheese danish 2 vanilla bean cronut 3 blueberry pancake 4 apple fritter 5 chocolate ganache 6 Boston cream I guess I put them in order.. FYI, personally, I would pass on the banana bread and chocolate donut. I hope to be back as soon as possible as Beacon differentiates itself from the Big Boys (DoRite, Stan's, and Firecakes), as well as the family owned/neighborhood donut shops. read more

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I loved beacon donuts!!!! We went around 11 or 12 on a saturday and they still had a good amount of donuts left and were not out of anything we wanted to try. Beacon donuts is out of a window in an alley, so not somewhere you can sit down or go inside of. My absolute favorite was the vanilla bean cronut. It was so soft and pillowy and perfectly glazed. The blueberry pancake was also great and filled with blueberry jelly. There was a line when we got there but it moved super quick. Can't wait to go back! read more

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I was able to have the first apple fritter I have had since becoming vegan 15 years ago. So good! I appreciate the ability to pre order as I was in from out of town and would have been disappointed if they were sold out. read more

Beacon Doughnuts - People gathering to pick up donuts. - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Beacon has some of the best donuts I think I have ever had. Their flavors are fun and inventive, but they also have the classics. The blueberry donut was incredible, a clear favorite. the Boston crème was a really fun take on it, and the birthday cake was perfection. It is such a cute little window in an alleyway with great service and really kind workers. read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing donuts! Tried 3 different types all delicious. Blueberry pancake was my favorite. This is a walk up counter and I have heard sometimes the line is long but it wasn't when we went. Service was great, very helpful and coffee was good too. A great spot! read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Boston crème - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I should try them one more time to be sure, but these may be my favorite donuts in the city! We stopped in their alley location and got 4 donuts to go with our coffees from La Colombe. Every one we tried was delicious. I have tried their donuts at other coffeeshops before. Love that they're all vegan as well! You can pre-order, but we chose to wait in line - there were several people waiting, but the line moved pretty quickly since they're just serving up donuts. read more

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Lives up to the hype! Ordered online and came to pick up. Super easy to go right up and grab your order. Got the blueberry pancake cake donut. It was incredible. It is stuffed with pockets of blueberry jam. Topped with powdered sugar. The vanilla bean cronut was also spectacular. Fluffy, with a delicious glaze. Will certainly be back to try more things in the menu. read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Cronut - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Wow! I can't believe how good these donuts were. The vanilla bean cronut was my favorite, with the chocolate glazed coming in at a close second. The layers in the cronut were amazing, soft inside, slight crunch on the outside. I absolutely loved it. The chocolate glaze tasted like a ganache.. best chocolate glazed I've had in a while! It's hard to get the chocolate right but they did it. The blueberry pancake donut was good but I didn't love the cinnamon taste to it. All of the donuts were very fresh & soft. This place is in an alley but is super easy to find. We loved turning the corner & seeing all the bright colors! Service is good, you order online the night before for pick up so it was quick-make sure you have a plan for where to eat them as there's no tables or anything there. I think there's a park nearby, it snowed the day we got them so we went to a nearby coffee shop for drinks & to eat. We will be back in the summer when we're back in town!! read more

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I've only been here once but it was a memorable experience. Randomly strolling about and stumbled upon this spot. Let's be honest, donuts always sound good so I grabbed a couple and can confirm they're worth the hype. Need to get back here sooner rather than later. read more

Flavor!!!! These doughnuts are top tier variety. Tucked away in a alley you see a mural and a random window, (go towards the window), you find a entire bakery just working away. The service friendly and straightforward. Their menu changes so if you come late in the day or have a favorite. Be open to trying something new. Hard to go wrong here. P.S not a doughnut person, but these got me read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Cozy Donut Shop with inventive flavors! The window can be easy to miss, so keep your eyes peeled for the large mural. They have interesting flavors and the ones that work are darn good. We really enjoyed their blueberry pancake, glazed and cake batter donuts. Very flavorful & moist. Their glazed donut is the textbook definition of a perfect glazed. I didn't particularly enjoy the oreo old fashioned or raspberry matcha donuts though. Both were a bit dry and the taste was off. Otherwise, solid spot for a sweet treat. read more

Beacon Doughnuts - 1/2 Dozen: Glazed, Cake Batter, Oreo Old Fashioned, Raspberry Matcha, Blueberry Pancake, & Apple Fritter - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This was top 2 donuts I have ever had. The original and chocolate glaze were by far my favorites out of our six pack we pre ordered the night before. The service is amazing. Our train was delayed and they told us our pick up time can be before they close. The vibe of walking in a back alley to get service is incredible. I will be back when in town! read more

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These are the most delectable donuts ever and they are vegan too! The apple cider donut was probably the best donut I've ever had, the apple cinnamon cake part was light and soft and the APPLE CIDER GLAZE was perfection. Also tried the vanilla vean cronut which was exciting because I've never seen vegan cronuts before, and it was also delicious. Wish I lived nearby so I could come try all the flavors. They do a weekend special flavor that changes weekly and is only available on weekends. Super cool literal hole in the wall in an alley, all staff were wonderful. read more

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Each visit to Beacon is bound to impress! We tried 3 new flavors this trip and loved them all Flavor notes: Danish-bursting with fruit and creamy cheese in the middle. Donut surrounding it all was incredible and had a nice glaze Caramel mocha-Bursting with coffee flavor! Chocolate balances it all out nicely. Top 2 flavor this trip Oreo old fashioned-star of the show. I thought this would be a basic chocolate donut but the combo truly does mimic an Oreo! The glaze provides a nice crunch before hitting the melt in your mouth donut read more

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This place definitely lives up to the hype. I've had donuts from here a handful of times and they have slapped every single time. I get excited anytime someone brings them up and even more excited when I have the chance to try them. My goal is to try one of each on the menu. So far, my favorite has been the basic glazed croissant donut. It's so simply yet so delicious. If you've never had Beacon Donuts, I highly recommend, you're missing out. Plus, they are nice people and I love the artwork. Such a good concept overall. Thank you Beacon Donuts, I'll see you soon. Personal Review: 8.6/10 read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Art work outside / order area - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Stumbled onto this doughnut shop while taking a walk. Loved the outside painting on wall. I ordered a coffee and a raised glazed doughnut and might I Say it was so nice and fluffy. This place is clearly known for their pastries, because I didn't care for my coffee, but THAT doughnut was the TRUTH!!! The cashier was super friendly too. Side-note, I think it's pretty cool it's on the side through an ALLEY!!! read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Easy to order ahead for pickup, and the donuts are always incredible. Don't be scared away by the back alley location! And get there early!

These doughnuts were soooo good. We ordered ahead so they were ready right away! Would definitely come back here to try more flavors. read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm not sure how I've never reviewed Beacon! I come here often, as they have some of the best donuts in the city. They are also vegan, and while I'm not vegan, it's nice to know. The blueberry pancake and basic chocolate glazed are my favorite. They often sell out on the weekends so definitely order ahead online if there are any donuts you are looking forward to getting. Service is always friendly. There can be a long line at times, so again, order ahead to limit your waiting. It's located in an alley off Armitage, but they have a sign so you don't miss it! read more

Beacon Doughnuts is one of my favorite little finds in the city. The location itself is unique and has its own charm--today when I stopped by, someone was even having a mini birthday celebration out front, which just added to the good vibes. I went with a cold brew, a glazed donut, and a chocolate glazed donut. The cold brew is strong (the kind that still holds up even after a 45-minute drive), and the doughnuts are always fresh and delicious. Service is consistently fast and friendly, which makes it easy to stop in whether you're grabbing a quick treat or hanging around for a bit. Definitely a spot worth visiting if you're anywhere nearby. read more

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In the area to look at glasses. We hadn't eaten breakfast so we stopped in at noon for a donut. By the time we got to the location there were limited donuts. Plenty of signage to direct you to storefront. We walked down the alley and promptly put in our order. We got the traditional raised glazed donut and chocolate brioche raised donut. Both were super soft and sweetened just right. Overall we were satisfied with our selection but thought the price was high for traditional donut. read more

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I love donuts, but I'm not a huge fan of cake donuts, so I wasn't sure how much I'd like these. They do have a few other options, but they're mostly cake donuts. My cousin, her fiancee, my husband, and I shared: - Cinnamon Coffee Cake - Birthday Cake Sprinkle - Blueberry Pancake - Apple Cider - Vanilla Bean Cronut - Blackberry Beignet These are probably the best cake donuts I've ever had. The Blueberry Pancake was my favorite. It's not common to have a cake ring donut that's filled and this was incredible. My second pick would be the Cronut, but you really can't go wrong with any of them. They're all vegan which is awesome. I'm not vegan, but I'm always happy to find vegan food that's better than non-vegan food. read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Birthday Cake Sprinkle, Blueberry Pancake, Apple Cider, Vanilla Bean Cronut, and Blackberry Beignet Donuts - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Who knew? As a carnivore, who knew that vegan doughnuts could be so out-of-this-world delicious? Who knew that these divine creations would be found in an alley of all places? Finally, who knew that a literal hole-in-the-wall would not only have terrific donuts, but some of the best coffee I've had in a hot minute? Not me, that's for sure, thankfully someone on social media did. Of course, I did save the post because that's the only way I would remember to Google "Chicago Alley Donuts," because my brain just works funny like that. Now, as donuts and coffee are not as time or money intensive as a restaurant, so I went within a few days. I went for the tried-and-tasted favorite of a glazed donut and a coffee with cream & sugar. First and foremost, the donut was large! I kid you not, when I got this thing in hand, I said out loud "now that's what I call a donut!" However, it wasn't just size where this thing excelled - it was also light, airy, and fresh! The glaze was delightful and in light of the whole thing, the sweetness was not overboard. Then there was the coffee. Some of the strongest and most flavorful gold I've had in a place that wasn't a bougie cafe (blue bottle, or something). Cream and sugar wasn't overdone either, with just enough sweetness to be pleasant, but not so much as to impose a feeling of guilt after having devoured a large donut. Finally, there was the service. While the line was not around the block, it was friendly and prompt. This is when I will tell you a place has the potential to be dangerous. It is a good thing I do not live around the corner, or I can see myself here multiple times a week. Red to brown/purple, and then a couple blocks away is the right distance for Beacon Donuts to be a weekend treat, and not a daily haunt! Now, BRB, it is Sunday and I am craving a donut. read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Beyond impressive that all these donuts are vegan. I honestly didn't even know that before ordering & thought only one I got was vegan. Got a half dozen. 2 Glazed brioche, raspberry beignet, Oreo old fashioned, birthday cake & apple cider. The glazed brioche was delicious but so tall it's a bit awkward to eat. The apple cider was surprisingly the favorite. The only one we didn't dig was the Oreo old fashioned, very sweet and a bit oily tasting. The donuts were cold (being in a Chicago alley obviously doesn't help). They taste better if you take them home and heat them up for a couple seconds. Girl who took my order was so friendly and helpful. Clearly no frills ambiance as it's a pickup window in an alley but these vegan donuts make up for that. read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Amazing donuts! We came around 10:30am on a Saturday and there was a small wait, but they hadn't run out of anything yet. I love all the unique donut flavors and they were very fluffy donuts. Definitely recommend this place if you like donuts! read more

A true hidden gem - literally in an alley. But truly some of the best doughnuts I've had!! We tried the blueberry pancake, Oreo old fashioned, vanilla bean cronut, and caramel mocha. They were all a hit and so fresh!! I will definitely be coming back time and time again to try all of the flavors and new ones too! read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Oreo old fashioned - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Staying with some friends who happen to be vegan, I asked them to bring me to their favorite spots. So for breakfast one morning, we stopped at Beacon Doughnuts to grab a half-dozen doughnuts and wow, were they delicious! We pulled in and parked along the street very close to the shop a little after 8:30am on a Saturday. Walking down the alley, I was stunned by the awesome artwork all around Beacon Doughnut's window to order and pick-up their treats. There is no spot to sit so this is a pick-up and leave situation but that was fine, we planned on eating our doughnuts elsewhere anyways. The line was somewhat long but was moving fairly regularly, we were there maybe about 10-20 minutes total. The women working behind the counter were incredibly friendly and courteous! We placed our order and it was ready in little to no time and we were on our way. For my two, I went with Beacon's Vanilla Bean Cronut and Cinnamon Coffee Cake doughnut. Both were incredible! The taste, texture, and size were excellent. The Vanilla Bean Cronut was tall and had the texture of a doughnut with the light, fluffy inside of a croissant; I am in love! haha The Cinnamon Coffee Cake doughnut was just as delicious and had the right amount of coffee cake-like topping on top without all of it falling off after each bite. I did my best to savor every bite and was plenty full after. Beacon Doughnuts is an awesome breakfast spot with friendly staff and a smaller, but focused, menu. I definitely want to come back and try more! read more

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Yeast, cake, cronuts, all the options. I feel like I can never find a good yeast donut in this cake obsessed donut culture! But I found a few. I got the glazed, it was perfectly soft, squishy, and so sugary. I fell in love with my first bite. It had some salty tangs in there as well. My son got the birthday cake donut, it was pretty, completely covered in tasty sprinkles. My husband got a coffee cake donut. He said it had a good salt ratio and it was decadent, and with coffee it was a perfect pairing. The coffee was good, we got our donuts in seconds after ordering, and we went on a Saturday morning at 9:30, there were 2 people ahead of us, and when we left there was a line. There is also an incredible mural on the side of the building, adding to the beauty. read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Glazed donut - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Found this place out on TikTok so we came here on the weekend. You have to come in the morning to get it fresh and not a long line. You can place an order online and come pick it up to minus the hassle. We got a half dozen. The donut is vegan and very delicious. Street parking. Would recommend and come back again! read more

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The donuts were excellent and the person who took my order was very kind. They were kind of expensive, can't lie. Also, they close at 12pm on weekdays and like 2pm/2:30pm on weekends so keep that in mind when you plan your trip! read more

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Delicious fresh donuts unique flavors. The pick up window is in an alley with some seating available which almost seems for waiting. The wait in line is fun and feels like a part of the neighborhood, even if you are not. read more

You MUST try these donuts! The vanilla donut holes and "basic" glazed donuts are 10/10. Fun, fancy donuts are fabulous, too. Highly recommend the blueberry pancake one. Fast, friendly service. Reasonable prices. Fun atmosphere (walk-up counter tucked away in an alley). read more

Amazing donuts served up in an alley! As they recommend, preordering is the way to go if you're able to. The popular flavors sell out quick. I really love the Oreo old fashioned, vanilla bean cronut, and the cinnamon coffee cake. There is a separate window for pickup so don't bother waiting in the main line. A Lincoln Park gem! read more

My friends and I stopped here after brunch ~ 1:30 PM on a Sunday and they luckily still had all the donut choices still! I didn't realize how popular this place was since we just walked by the sign and decided to check it out! I got the 2nd to last blueberry pancake cake donut (10/10) and it was delicious and had a large amount of blueberry filling in it which I really enjoyed! My friends got the chocolate frosted glazed (8/10 I'm more of a cake donut girl) and the apple fritter (9/10 good with apple pieces throughout!) I do wish there were spots to sit or at least a table set up to stand at while we ate for the quick minute since they were pretty messy! read more

Beacon Doughnuts - Inside of blueberry pancake donut - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Amazing donuts! We stopped by here once before, but it was later in the afternoon and most of the options had unfortunately sold out. This time we decided to place an online order to make sure we could get some flavors that we wanted to try! It's a cute little place tucked away in an alley with a little sign on the sidewalk to point you in n the right direction. There was a decent line, but the online order window was empty so I was able to walk up and grab my donuts right away. The donuts were all very unique and delicious! I cannot wait to come back and get a half dozen or dozen to try even more flavors! read more

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first time trying Beacon and it did not disappoint. Tried the blueberry pancake doughnut, cronut, and birthday cake. They were all a huge hit. read more

Wow, wow, wow, these delicious vegan donuts are no joke! Absolutely amazing! The perfect balance of sweet, dense cake with high quality ingredients. You can taste the love that goes into making these yummy rounds of sweet doughy goodness fresh every morning. I have passed by Beacon several times and finally stopped by to give it a try. Tucked away in an alley off Armitage street in Lincoln Park, it is a cute little window where you go up and order. I love that you can pre-order what you want up to three days in advance, pay online and can select your pick up time. This process made it super easy and this way you can ensure you get the flavors who want. Highly recommend ordering this way. Every donut was AMAZING! The standouts for us were the Boston Cream Pie and Vanilla Bean Cronut but honestly they were all wonderful! We got half a dozen, which actually came out cheaper than ordering 5 or 6 donuts individually. It was the perfect amount and both my friend and I felt perfectly satisfied after sharing each. :) Prices are reasonable for the quality! I consider myself a donut freak and these are some of the best I have ever had. Love, love, love!!! read more

Beacon Doughnuts - From top left: Apple Fritter, Birthday Cake, Vanilla Bean Cronut, Oreo Old-Fashioned, Cinnamon Coffee Cake. Boston Cream Pie: All delicious! - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I am really upset that I spent over $50 and really went out of my way to try and get these donuts for my husband for Valentine's Day. We both absolutely love stans and donut vault. We had previously had some really really good donuts from Beacon that I had been dying for. They don't deliver and the hours are very select so it's always a pain trying to get there to get the donuts . I ended up doing a Uber pick up which cost me $23 for a $33 box of donuts. My husband and I were so excited for the white chocolate, raspberry doughnut that they had on special for Valentine's Day . I had to have it, especially since it was in a heart shape so I ordered four of those. We both agreed that the donut was dry, except for the cream that was on the inside, which actually had chocolate chips in it, which I'm not a fan of crunchy things inside. Since the donut was so dry, we decided we would try all of the others and I am absolutely shocked that literally every single donut was extremely dry . I'm not sure if this was due to them maybe pre-batching a ton of donuts for Valentines and maybe we got stale donuts or what . The Oreo and red Velvet were shockingly dry and both tasted like nothing other than deep fried grease. The red velevet has a frosting on top but it was very hard. Again, seemed stale. But I can say that I don't think I'll ever go out of my way to get these donuts again . We were both really bummed, and wished that we would have just got Stan's Donuts, which is literally across the street from where we live. read more

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I'm surprised and embarrassed I haven't left a review for my favorite donuts of all time yet! Beacon Doughnuts... definitely the best donuts in Chicago (including non-vegan donuts). I'm not even vegan myself, but I can't help myself from ordering these almost every weekend. My favorites are the Birthday Cake, Lavender Vanilla and Cookie Dough. Unfortunately the last two are just rotating flavors, but I'd love to see them have a permanent spot on the menu! The Birthday Cake is not like a regular vanilla sprinkled donut that you'd see at most other places, it actually has birthday cake flavor to it.. it is beyond incredible! Other donuts I love from here are the Chocolate Fudge and Blueberry Pancake. But if we're being honest.. I've never had a bad donut at Beacon. EVER! Even the people working the counter are always so friendly and helpful.. overall I don't think there's anything that Beacon Donughnuts does wrong ;) read more

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