A really tasty treat that everyone living in or visiting Chicago should try. Great ambiance and solid donuts.

Doughnut Vault is still top tier, but Do-Rite makes better doughnuts. No shame in being #2. Both are worth trying out for yourself.

I honestly feel this place is overrated for the cult-following it has. If this was a corner-store donut shop without all the acclaim, I may have rated it three stars as an average place. But I've had better donuts at small mom and pop shops in Norman, Oklahoma and at chain stores like Lamar's in Kansas City, Missouri. I wouldn't go back. read more

One of my favorite shops in the city for an old fashion donut (my favorites are the pistachio and almond). Large donuts, not dry, and so so good! This place can be tricky to spot as it really is a vault in the wall. Look for the big blue encasing outside the door. The space inside is also very tight so definitely a grab-and-go spot. Love how lowkey it is! read more

Doughnut Vault - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing donuts!! Few things to note: no seating inside but in the summer there is patio seating. Donuts have sold out early.

We arrived mid morning on a weekday so there was still plenty of selection (although I think there are only 5 choices to start with...) We liked the lemon and the pistachio old-fashioneds best. They do have a patio with a couple tables, so we enjoyed our breakfast in the shade. read more

It really is a "vault" as named: a little alley-like entrance, relavitely small, with a counter to order at; you can see the products in the back as a visual preview, service on a weekday was fast and efficient without a line, but other days they apparently have long lines. The doughnuts really were divine: the perfect mix of textures and multiple flavors. Calorie packed little things: we got a half dozen and made them last a few days, great full breakfast in themselves! The coffee provided wasn't top notch but functional as a warm accompaniment to the amazing Dough. read more

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Came here as a party of two on Saturday at noon. It was relatively easy to locate. Once inside we were greeted and given the list of remaining donut options left. The service was great and quick. We chose the pistachio old-fashioned and an apple fritter. There were plenty of seats outside on the patio. Such a good ambience here, very relaxing. I absolutely loved the pistachio old-fashioned, I think it was the best donut I've ever eaten. The apple fritter was yummy too, it was just huge. I definitely would recommend coming here to get a doughnut if you're local or from out of town. read more

Doughnut Vault - Pistachio Old Fashioned 10/10 & Apple Fritter 9/10 - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Get yourself a ginger stack!! Three delicious donuts. I also got the Chai donut (Thursdays) and it was AMAZING! Great texture. Great flavor. Friendly staff at the register. Check their website for their daily specials. The inside is quite small so you might have to wait outside. I'm told they have 1/2 priced on any donuts left from 12-1PM. read more

Doughnut Vault - Ginger Stack - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I ordered some donuts via DoorDash because I wanted to try them out while we were in town, and I wasn't sure we would be in that area. They arrived very quickly on Sunday morning. We also ordered coffee, which was delicious. I ordered 6 donuts (chocolate old fashioned, buttermilk old fashioned, almond old fashioned, pistachio old fashioned, vanilla yeast doughnut, and an apple fritter). We agreed that the chocolate old fashioned was the best of the bunch. The apple fritter was our least favorite, nothing special, my grocery store's are better. The Vanilla yeast doughnut was very good, and huge. The old fashioned doughnuts were all good, the flavor of icing and toppings made them different. I don't care for almond extract and I tasted that in both the almond and pistachio ones. All doughnuts were fresh and beautiful, the coffee was great. read more

Doughnut Vault - The vanilla bean yeast doughnut was big - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Amazing donuts!! A must-have when visiting the Chicago area they also have some very interesting donut options. Make sure you go in the morning close to opening because the line can be long. Also this is not a store or restaurant, just a little walk-up window so the service is always very quick. There is not much seating outside though so you might be awkwardly eating your donut on the street. read more

Doughnut Vault - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Oh hello doughnut paradise Not only is this the cutest spot the doughnuts are to die for! Old fashioned anything is a go! The service was also very quick and polite. Maybe I should move across the street Hogsalt does it again Tip- didn't see any gluten free options but we didn't ask read more

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This was my absolutely favorite place I visited for doughnuts while I was in Chicago. The cool little spot is packing massive fresh flavor into their creative doughnut flavors. I also love how that even though the place is small they have many tables outside that you can sit at and enjoy your doughnut. read more

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A very nice spot for some quality donuts. A wide selection to choose from that will satisfy anyone's cravings. From what I understand there is usually a line to wait for these but I would definitely say that its worth it. I went during the weekday in the morning so that may have contributed to my much shorter waiting time. Overall great spot for some donuts, give it a try if you haven't already. read more

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This was a tiny hole in the wall (quite literally) spot that closes after their inventory is sold out for the day. There were outdoor tables to sit at. The service was friendly while we decided what to order. 3 donuts were tried. Vanilla Glaze ($3.50) - This was absolutely huge!! It was probably one of the bigger donuts I have seen recently. I liked that the glaze portion covered most of the bottom portion of the donut. It was simple, but a satisfying glaze and the donut had layers that were light. Apricot Jelly ($3.50) - This was a special donut that was being offered. Again, this was large!! The apricot jelly was interesting. There was plenty of it on top and as a filling. It provided a unique flavor profile. It was solid. Vanilla Birthday Cake ($2.75) - This was a cake donut with vanilla glaze and sprinkles. This was actually smaller than the other 2. It tasted similar to the vanilla glaze, but with the added sweetness from the sprinkles. Will I go back? Most likely. read more

Doughnut Vault - Vanilla Glaze, Apricot Jelly, Vanilla Birthday Cake & Doughnut Holes - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Visited on 12/30/23 at 8:00 on Saturday morning. barely a line which we were delightfully surprised at! BEST DONUTS EVER. better than do-rite hands down. They do their sugar glaze so perfectly that it's a delicate crust you get to bite through and doesn't taste like manufactured Walmart sugar frosting like how some donut frostings can emulate. Do-rite had more creative flavors but doughnut vault is better at execution. Make sure to get both cake and yeast doughnut varieties!! You can literally see the specks of vanilla bean in the glaze of the yeast and it's the fluffiest, pillowy-est texture. It's hugeee and I've always been more of a cake doughnut fan but the yeast one became my top two favorites. One con is that a lot of the cake donuts tend to blend together. Like the champagne, coconut(we tried a on a previous day), and buttermilk were almost indistinguishable. I petition to add more champagne because it smelled really good but I couldn't taste it at all. Our ranking of the donuts: 1. Buttermilk - champagne - coconut (tied because they taste very similar LOL) (10/10) 2. Yeast vanilla bean (9.5/10) 3. Pistachio (8/10) - sorta almondy actually They were all so close it was hard to decide! Wish we could try the lemon poppyseed and the almond but let me know your thoughts if you're one of my friends and get to try them read more

Doughnut Vault - Vanilla bean yeast (huge one), buttermilk (top), pistachio (green), champagne (bottom) - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Limited menu, but has daily specials. Great quality and large, very large, yeast donuts. Got the special of churro Carmel old fashion, which was amazing. Would recommend coming back! read more

Probably one of the best donuts I've had. Both the donuts we got were beautiful and airy. The yeast-raised dough used for the jam-filled and donut holes made the donuts light and too easy to eat. The buttermilk donut was surprisingly light - I am used to dense old fashioned donuts but this did not feel like a brick. The donut holes were classic and easy to eat. Washed it all down with a hot coffee. Two orders of donut holes, an old-fashioned donut, a jam-filled donut, and one coffee for $14 - very, very reasonable. Came at 7:30 AM when they opened but I would definitely comeback again. read more

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A must stop spot for the donut enthusiast. The cozy bakery is on Franklin St and is wonderful. The menu is small but you can't go wrong with any of them. "Good is subjective" however I recommend the almond old fashion with the sweet and savory flavor. The service is top notch. Our donut journeyman Julio was attentive, friendly and energetic. read more

Doughnut Vault - Interior of shop - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Some of the best donuts in Chicago. Everything at The Doughnut Vault is handmade with high quality ingredients. Classic flavors, but artisanal. They have several rotating seasonal flavors in addition to the set menu, and serve drip coffee. The shop is in a tiny brick alcove, with space inside for only a few people at a time. There is no seating. I heard that they sell out of flavors quickly, so I arrived just after opening at 7:30am. It was my first time here, and I did not see the door, so I approached the walk up window. The man who slid open the window asked "pick up order?" When I said no, he rolled his eyes, exhaled, and pointed to the door. I felt stupid, and a little offended. Fortunately, the other staff members were nice. The young lady working suggested the Almond Old Fashioned in addition to my other selections, and it ended up being my favorite. I loved the rich marzipan flavor and roasted, salted almond slivers on top. The Birthday Cake was a close second: moist, golden, and the perfect amount of icing. The Strawberry Glazed had authentic strawberry flavor, but I disliked the dry brioche texture. The Apple Fritter tasted like wheat bread (why?) and the Gingerbread Stack lacked flavor. I wished it had more ginger, molasses, nutmeg, clove...anything. The drip coffee was okay. I would come back for the Almond Old Fashioned and Birthday Cake. read more

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Really good ... got them for a business meeting , the client was very happy. I think these limited hours speciality places keep the standards high. Will certainly revisit with the family. read more

Doughnut Vault - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

my bf and i came here on a trip from out of town and designated this as the donut spot of the trip to try while we were here. their donuts look HUGE and all i see are raving reviews. we came here on a thursday morning around 9:30 am and they were already sold out for everything and just had three donuts left!!! so thats a testament to how popular and good their donuts are. its a really small shop that can fit maybe 5 people because you just go in and buy your donut and go out. the guy working there was super nice and informed us of what they had left and also gave us advice that we could preorder/order the donuts online and pick up any time they were open! so theres a little life hack in case you're craving their donuts but dont want to wake up early to beat people to get them. my bf and i typically prefer fluffy raised donuts but all they had left were old fashioned donuts: almond or triple chocolate. so we got one of each because im a major chocolate lover and my bf likes the simpler flavors. theyre like average prices for donuts, around $3.75 for each, and they were worth every cent! theres tables outside overlooking the street which i really liked so we sat out there to enjoy our little breakfast snack. they were sooo good i miss them already!! the donuts had a delicious crispy outside and it was pretty soft on the inside! which i was really surprised by because i expected the old fashioned to be rather crumbly and dry but this one was super moist and soft inside! the triple chocolate is a chocolate base with chocolate chips and chocolate glaze, definitely not for the faint of heart or chocolate haters! but it was a dream for me and i loved every bite of it--it was definitely good quality chocolate too. my bf also really liked his almond old fashioned, which just tasted like vanilla and almonds. i liked that the almond extract flavor wasnt too overpowering and it was topped with almond slices! overall a great donut place and i can see why it has such good ratings and they sell out so quickly. if im ever back in chicago this would be my first stop! read more

Doughnut Vault - almond & triple chocolate old fashioned - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Best doughnuts ever in my life! Chocolate raspberry old fashioned, pistachio, almond old fashioned and chocolate glazed-heart shaped read more

Doughnut Vault - Best doughnuts we've ever tasted!! Chocolate raspberry old fashioned, almond old fashioned, pistachio & heart-shaped chocolate glazed. - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

These are possibly my favorite donuts in the city!! That's saying a LOT as we have soo many good donut choices in Chicago! While I do love Stan's, Beacon, Firecakes and Dorite these donuts at the vault are just soo fluffy and moist!! The glazed donut is by far my favorite glazed donut out of any other place. First of all it's MASSIVE! Secondly the dough is just sooo soft and fluffy. The glaze is the perfect amount and melts in your mouth. Unlike some other donut places this glaze doesn't get hard and crumble or flake. It's just creamy and literal perfection! Also the prices are much better than Stan's! I always tell anyone coming into town from out of town to go to the doughnut vault!! read more

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These donuts are delectable. I do consider myself somewhat of a donut connoisseur. There were so many different options, I ultimately went with the pistachio, almond, apple fritter & chocolate covered cake donut. Upon the first bite I notice how light and yet dense the donuts were. The flavors were distinct and I enjoyed how fragrant the pistachio aroma donut was. Do stop by if you want some awesome donuts. read more

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One of my favorite donut places in the city! I love the chestnut glazed donut and vanilla glazed donut. Very chewy, bouncy and fluffy texture. Unfortunately, the chestnut glazed donut has been out of stock for a while but I am really hoping they come back soon. Old fashioned donuts, jelly filled donuts, and ginger stacked donuts are also great!!! I highly recommend. However, they sell out very quickly! I recently went at 10:30 on a weekday and they had already sold out by then... so definitely go early! read more

Doughnut Vault - Vanilla glazed and cold brew - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

While visiting Chicago I tried several donut places and this was my favorite. Best old fashioned donuts around!!! Yeast donuts are huge and delicious. Really enjoyed the gingerbread stack for a nice holiday flavors vibe. Would be the only donut place I return to when in Chicago again. Highly recommend!! read more

Doughnut Vault - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Hands down my favorite donuts in the city. They're always so fresh and delicious. The location is kind of tucked away "hole in the wall" type place, just enough room for 2-4 people to be inside to order. Don't be discouraged if there's a line outside it goes quickly. The donuts do sell out though so if you want a specific flavor, go early. Check their website or Twitter for flavors of the week. Outdoor seating only but it's a nice quiet spot in River North during the warmer months. Street parking only. The donuts are a little higher priced than some competitors but I feel it's fair for their quality and some of them are huge, so it's a good value. 10/10 recommend! read more

Their old fashioned style are my favorite. Also can be found at Sawada coffee (another Hogsalt) favorite.

It's almost deadly to have this Doughnut Vault location be right across the street from where I live because I'd be there every day if I could! Their donuts are spectacular! They have specialty donuts that are different every day and you can usually find which ones they have on each day on their website. We had their cookies and cream old fashioned donut this week, and omg, so good! My mouth is watering just talking about it. I'm personally a huge fan of their gingerbread stack, vanilla birthday cake donut, and their old fashioned donuts smacks. You literally cannot go wrong with their selection. Their coffee is decent, it does the job but I would pass on that if you can get better coffee elsewhere on your way to grab a donut from them. The location is relatively small and there can be a line, depending on when you choose to go. It's on the other side of Gilt Bar with a blue sign. It's literally a tiny brick alcove (lives up to the name of 'vault') so there's no real seating and it's more of a grab-and-go type of deal so be aware. Otherwise, highly recommend and will always be back! read more

Best doughnut place ever in Chicago! You can't miss this if your visiting! Enjoy the pics it's super tiny but lots of fun visiting especially in the rain. Forgot to mention the donuts are very much affordable! read more

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It cannot get smaller or cuter. It's basically a closet that sells some of the best donuts. The pistachio old fashioned being my fave. And bonus...if you get there at the end of the day they're half price. But don't wait for that because they run out and you don't want to miss anything. The flavors change so go back often. read more

Doughnut Vault - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This cute little secret is a fav for us whenever we visit Chicago fam. We were worried it wouldn't live up to the hype, but it is. Brave the Chicago wind to stand in line for when they open for the best selection. The staff are friendly and so nice, and it's a cute little hidden treasure in downtown Chicago. My kids have consistently loved the donut holes. The special raspberry crumble was a perfect combination of tart, sweet, and soft. read more

Doughnut Vault - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was obsessed with Doughnut Vault when I worked downtown, specifically with their chestnut glazed yeast raised doughnut. Their gingerbread stack is delicious too and their old fashioned is delightful if you like a good cake donut. They also have good donut specials as well, so pop in early if you want to try their daily special before it runs out! I love their simple concept that is low frills, and they just focus on the high quality of their doughnuts! If you are ever in the river north area, check out doughnut vault! You won't be disappointed! I still dream about their yeast raised donuts! They also have a donut truck as well I believe so you may be able to catch them around town! They are always a great option for donuts in Chicago and I think they are one of the best in the city! read more

Doughnut vault makes consistently delicious donuts! We ordered the special of the day (samoa) donut, original buttermilk, chocolate buttermilk, lemon poppyseed as well as the Apple fritter. These donuts are a delicious, decadent treat. I can usually only eat 1 at a time because they are on the sweeter side. I do wish that they offered an original buttermilk flavor without glaze as a less sweet alternative for those looking for something lighter. Nevertheless it's worth a try if you're in the area! We came here 20 minutes before closing on a Sunday and they were running a happy hour special with 50% off all the remaining donuts! read more

Doughnut Vault - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is a tiny hole-in-the-wall, and it's such a cute shop! Came here on a Tuesday and was able to try the blueberry crumble old fashioned and praline cream dream along with the classic vanilla glazed, chocolate glazed, and classic old fashioned. I wasn't expecting these donuts to be so massive, especially the glazed ones! As I'm more of a glazed donut gal, I really enjoyed the vanilla one the most -- it was so soft and fluffy! I also enjoyed the old fashioned donuts. Although it's not usually my preferred, I thought the blueberry and the classic old fashioned was really good. Overall, I really enjoyed these donuts, and I would love to come back to try the other special flavors! read more

Doughnut Vault - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I always view road trips as opportunities to find my new favorite donut. This road trip did not disappoint! I hit 4 donut shops in downtown Chicago, but Doughnut Vault won by a landslide. So much so that I went back and ordered again the day I was leaving so I could head out of town with a fresh batch. I ordered the lemon poppyseed old fashioned, as well as the daily specials. The lemon poppyseed was just the right texture, amount of icing, and pop of lemon flavor. I also ordered the strawberry crumble old fashioned and the birthday cake (specials of the days). I thought the birthday cake might be a little lackluster because it looks like a regular sprinkle donut, but this place really elevated it! There are sprinkles throughout the cake portion of the donut and I was more than pleasantly surprised! Ordering is a breeze with the online QR code available at the door, or you can order straight from the website. Both times, my order was packaged up and ready in less than 5 minutes! read more

Doughnut Vault - Birthday cake - Donuts Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Out of the 4 doughnut shops I tried in Chicago (all in one day!), this place was hands down my favorite. I went during their happy hour which means all their donuts are half off (12-1pm). They do close at 1pm so plan accordingly. Also, you are left with whatever options they have left. The shop is tiny and you order at a window! I have never experienced this before. I opted for the donut holes, 2 glazed old fashioned and 2 almond glazed old fashioned. The guy gave me a giant box and no bag so it was a bit hard to carry. Also, I felt like he acted like I knew items on the menu when I was trying to see what options they had available to describe them. As I was just visiting Chicago, I was unfamiliar with their options. Well the donut holes were delicious. The old fashioned donuts were the perfect donuts. They were so moist and flavorful. Honestly, they were so good! The guy in front of me got chocolate donuts that looked incredible. I hope to come back again one day and try more of their donuts! read more

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List of things going direct to a landfill, brought to you by @doughnutvault: * paper cup and plastic lid * 2x creamer packs * 2x wooden stir sticks * 2x cane sugar packs * 2x "ecoStick" (lol) stevia * pack Organic raws sugar * "trukraft" paper sleeve I drink my coffee black and brought a travel mug. There's a lot of bad environmental policy and customer service out there in the name of "covid safe." I'm for keeping folks safe . But lbs of waste per customer is not it. Both goals can be achieved... it's time to adjust. Not to mention the terrible customer experience of a person standing there but refusing to take your voice order (10 secs) and telling you to hand type CC# into your phone and create an account sigh (6 mins). No google pay or apple pay or paypal allowed. And the app can't do "coffee, black." Which is why they handed me tons of extra waste. To top it all off, the staff member who refused to take my order... was not wearing a mask. But was handing orders to people within 2 feet. So much for covid safe. Now xtra waste and bad CX doesn't even have a shaky justification. And not just me. the guy who walked up right after me... who was also perplexed... how many times a morning does he tell people he won't take an order? I get when we were all worried in March about washing groceries and stuff --we just didn't know. But the science is pretty clear that people aren't getting covid from that. I can easily tap my credit card or phone on a touchless mobile payment device... and since nearly every other restaurant in Chicago is doing that, and the city health dept has no regulations on this, this obviously isn't much of a thing. Also consider pouring coffee into travel containers from any kind of standard restaurant quality carafe, which would not be touched by the customer. Ain't nobody getting covid from pouring a beverage. Doughnut Vault donuts still taste great. I've been coming for 6 years, so I know (and recommend the almond old fashioned or chestnut glazed). But this is for Hogsalt to look more carefully at its wasteful policies. read more

i've been trying to eat my way through all the hogsalt restaurants, and doughnut vault was one of the last ones on my list! needless to say, like so many of their other establishments, this place was incredible. the tiniest doughnut shop i've ever been in, but with the most charm. i went early so there wasn't much of a line, but service was on point, and the doughnuts themselves were remarkable. i will definitely be coming back every time i'm in town! read more

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