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    Underground Donut Tour

    4.8 (80 reviews)
    Open Open 24 hours

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    Jackson at Stan's Donuts.  Chicago
    Laura D.

    Jackson was our guide. He was fun and personable. I've never seen a guide walk backwards for so long without missing a beat. He made a connection with everyone on our tour and had lots of stories about Chicago history.

    Christa M.

    This is a must do tour when in the city! We had so much fun on this tour and Nick our guide did an excellent job on giving us all the Chicago donut deets. The tour lasted about 2 hours and we visited 4 donut shops. We walked from shop to shop but the walk was not bad and the weather was great. My favorite donut was from the first stop, The Doughnut Vault. The chocolate donut was amazinggggggg! You will sample a handful of doughnuts (in total) so keep that in mind. By the time we go to the last stop, we were having a sugar overdose.

    Raymond J.

    This was a fun tour hosted by a fun dude. If you know of these places you could do them yourself, my opinion is the tour guide knows and understands that if you went to all doughnuts places on your own you would be sick when done. Each place you get to sample 2-3-4 different kinds, he cuts them into 1/4 pieces and allows you to sample without going overboard. The guide provides a bit of historical knowledge and humor. Lots of walking but we enjoyed ourselves

    The tour was enjoyable. The walking wasn't too much. The doughnut stops had great variety and our tour guide was well versed with some architecture he wanted to point out and history of doughnuts in Chicago.

    Stans
    Mitch S.

    OK let's start at the beginning. Does a donut tour really warrant a five star review? I mean I highly doubt Jackson has received a Michelin star. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. That being said, I recommend the underground donut tour to anyone who is visiting Chicago and wants an interesting and tasty walk, albeit a sweet one, around downtown Chicago. We met up with a very high energy Jackson at The Donut Vault. Turns out they had my favorite donut of the day. (Masala Chai cake) Not to say the other ones weren't excellent, but the bar was set very high early. You get a quarter to a third of multiple donuts at each stop. Leaving hungry isn't a problem. To be honest while it is called the underground donut tour of Chicago, I don't necessarily think the donuts are the star of the show. That honor goes to the city of Chicago and, our illustrious tour guide, Jackson In the previous 60+ reviews that have been left, you are given a pretty full understanding of the actual tour. We started The Donut Vault, moved to FireCakes, then Stan's (which has the MOST INSANE selection of donuts including Gluten-free) and finally Do-rite. But from the get-go, Jackson kept us engaged, energized, and enthusiastic while leading us from River North, along the River Walk, down the Miracle Mile and ending near Northwestern University. All in all, about 2 miles of walking over about 2 hours with stops in between. Stunning architecture, funny stories, engaging banter and coffee/donuts. What's not to love? Now back to my score of four. I give it with my tongue firmly planted in cheek. If Yelp allowed 4.75s or even a nice round 4.5, there wouldn't be a problem. But I'll be damned if I'm going to feed the ego of Jackson with YET ANOTHER 5 and let him get fat and happy resting on his laurels. Gotta keep that edge going and have him striving for greatness on every tour. Definitely add this to your list of things to do and, remember, do NOT eat breakfast beforehand.

    Stop number 1
    Ino R.

    Fantastic tour for donut lovers! Plenty of donuts if you can swing a morning tour. Our meetup led us back to the River North area, where we met up with Max - our tour guide and donut expert. The Donut Vault is super small, so keep an eye out for it as this is your first donut hole in the wall. Don't equate the square footage of the donut shops with the quality - the smaller locations had delicious and original donut tastes. Four donut shops, two total donuts+, and a free beverage fill your belly, while your tour guide entertains you with some fantastic bad jokes balanced with a little bit of interesting history. Keep an eye out for the Ys on the bridges, and lightposts... who knew that it was the unofficial symbol for Chicago. Who cares? Eat another donut. Max was great - fun, funny, and kept everybody involved. Our four stops last week were the Donut Vault FireCakes Stans Donuts Do-Rite Donuts We didn't walk that far, less than two miles, with plenty of rest. The only place to really sit down, though was at Stan's. It was a great tour, and a fantastic way to see parts the city. Who doesn't like donuts and coffee? Lots of fun!

    We had a great time on the tour. We were able to visit multiple donut places. Jackson even gave us some history along the way as we walked from place to place. We got to try lots of different donuts , and he was even willing to go in and get some that we were interested in . Jackson is very entertaining and kind . They were very accommodating with our stroller and infant. We were able to keep up and stop when needed. We really enjoyed all the food and drink that they provided. And would highly recommend it to all.

    Maria M.

    I did the @undergrounddonuttour in Chicago this past weekend! Our tour guide Nick took us to 4 different donut shops throughout the city including @doughnutvault @firecakes @stansdonutschicago and @doritedonuts ! I highly recommend this tour if you are looking to not only try amazing donuts but also learn about the city in a new / fun way.

    Nice skyscraper
    Ann D.

    This was one of the favorite experiences that I went on in Chicago. The donut places we went to were so good. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes and clothing to walk in. You also see a lot of architecture in the city. Also the two guys that are the hosts are very nice and everyone gets a fair amount of donuts so you probably be hungry when you get there be a some people at the end were not able to eat anymore donuts.

    Donuts we sampled at Firecakes
    Nikki R.

    I LOVED the Underground Donut Tour! Our tour guide Jackson was so enthusiastic and structured and amazing tour. I loved that we learned about Chicago history and architecture during the tour, as well as the history of four donut shops. There was plenty of walking but not too much walking, making it great for families or folks who don't usually go sightseeing by foot. I felt like I had all the donuts I could want and was sent home with leftovers to spare. As a local, I thought it was a great way to enjoy an afternoon downtown.

    JD D.

    This is well worth it! While visiting Chicago, I did this tour with my 8-year-old daughter, who just loved it. We did the tour on a 40-degree day and still had a great time. There were four stops on the two-hour tour. We sampled ten donuts total. They give you about a quarter of a donut for each one you sample, and that's more than enough as the tour goes on. Come with an appetite and you will leave the tour stuffed. They'll also get coffee, water, etc. at the different stops if you ask. The guides were great and you'll get a little Chicago history along the way. You'll walk about 1.5-2 miles but it's spaced out between the stops. But wear comfortable shoes. Have fun!

    Max with the pistachio and key lime cheesecake donuts from Firecakes
    Jen M.

    A fun walking tour through downtown Chicago with tour guide Max. Nobody leaves hungry from this tour, you will leave stuffed to the gills with donuts! Your blood sugar might be a bit wonky after so many sweet treats, no problemo, just step into one of the many restaurants near Michigan Ave for a late lunch (we chose Labriola next to Stan's Donuts - Sayat Nova is also nearby and is amazing). Our faves were the chocolate donut at Donut Vault and the pistachio donut from Firecakes. NOMS

    Dapper Doughnuts assembly line
    John H.

    Surprised the Underground Donut Tour didn't have a Yelp review! But glad Tonya P. was on it (we were on the tour together) Totally agree with her review: great way to start the day in Chicago. Sugar, walking, and lots of fun! The tour included four locations. Our guide, Nick was pretty awesome and made the tour fun. He also referred to these shops as the "doughnut renaissance" for Chicago in that there was a period of time in 2012/2013 when all of these shops started opening up. We started in The Dapper Doughnut, then walked to Do-Rite Donuts & Coffee, then Firecakes, and then finished the tour off at Stan's Donuts & Coffee. Our group was about 20 people deep (age-range was very wide, from strollers to canes). Nick was very good about making sure the walking pace was manageable and also had to corral some kids from running on ahead of us. The owner of Underground Donut Tour, Jeff, was also with us and was helping Nick distribute donuts and logistics. I've never seen the owner of a company do that, but I think that just illustrates how he likes to run his company. The donuts were included in the tour ($30), but there was a WEALTH of knowledge you gained aside from just going to the shops yourself. We also got a bit of Chicago architecture and some dueling deep dish pizza restaurants as well. A really great experience. I'll be honest, toward the end at Stans... I was a little sugared out, but just be sure to come hungry and ready to experience all things doughnuts in the bustling downtown of Chicago. I think the tour is also opening up in other cities around the country, so I definitely will be looking for this as a great way to see the city and start your day.

    Carrot cake donuts!!!!!!!

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    8 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Had such a good time!! Donuts were delicious and Emely is a great tour guide! Plus lots of value for the price. Definitely recommend this!

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    11 months ago

    The tour was a lot of fun. And if you love donuts this the right tour. It was my husbands birthday and the guide helped make it a good one

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    2 years ago

    Max was awesome! Small tour group, just my wife and I, but Max made it a blast. Very informative and hilarious. 10/10 would do again

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    2 years ago

    Our tour guide Max was fantastic!! Very knowledgeable, pleasant, and funny!! We had a great time and would recommend this tour to anyone!!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Underground Donut Tour

    Review Highlights - Underground Donut Tour

    Jackson and Addison did a wonderful job leading, keeping interesting and pointing out fun facts throughout the tour!

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    Underground Donut Tour - foodtours - Updated May 2026

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