Bakery

Walk-up window selling all-vegan doughnuts and juices. Est. 2020 in an alley on the north side of Armitage and west of Halsted. Open Mon-Wed 7:00am-12:00pm, Thu-Sun 7:30am-2:00pm.


Venue map for Beacon Doughnuts
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44 Reviews

First Review by peteycards

FroadEatz

Points +1034

Vegan
07 Dec 2024

Delectable Vegan Donuts 🍩

I love Beacon Doughnuts! We started off conservatively and only got three donuts to try instead of a half dozen because I've been disappointed at other places before. All three were fantastic so we went back on Thanksgiving for a half dozen and a bonus fritter! The Boston Cream donut is like nothing I've had before. I'm obsessed with it now. The glazed brioche ring was so tall and puffy. The beignet with raspberry and grapefruit jam was delightful! We loved every donut we tried. Will definitely be back next time we're in Chicago!

Pros: Vegan donuts ❤️❤️❤️, Creative flavors, Delicious

rikkio16

Points +941

Vegan
04 Dec 2024

Best Chicago Vegan Donuts

The yeast donut was especially tasty! I want to try the chocolate one next time. The cake donuts were good too. The filling in each of them made them stand out!

AlexDikelsky

Points +76

Vegan
27 Nov 2024

Great!

I had glazed & chocolate frosted donuts, they were great! They don’t use tree nuts or coconuts often, but make sure to ask if you’re allergic

mrnicholasking

Points +136

Vegan
18 Nov 2024

Not my favorite

I would rank it 4th out of the 5 vegan donut shops that I’ve been to. The consistency of the donuts is thick and not as moist as I’m used to.

Updated from previous review on 2024-11-17

Vegan Vagabond

21 Nov 2024

Interesting ranking. I have to ask, which are the top 3 vegan donut shops you have been to?

·X·

Points +21590

Vegan
16 Nov 2024

Beacon Doughnuts

Pretty great for Chicago. I liked the vanilla cronut best but it had more icing than I’d care for, so I just ate around that. The chocolate donut was also good and my fiancé loved the apple fritter. Nice to see how packed they were during our visit!

Sampholland8

Points +82

Vegan
04 Sep 2024

Best doughnuts I've ever had

We loved Beacon's so much we got them a couple of times during our few days in Chi Town.

The dark choc and sea salt and apple fritter were our first ventures and set the bar super high- the apple fritter in particular was an incredibly fluffy and the frosting was delicious.

Our second time around we knew two wasn't going to be enough! So we got:
- Blueberry pancake which had a soft and pillowy outer oozing with an amazing jam
- Vanilla iced cronut which may have been my favourite of all the ones we tried. Special.
- Cinnamon & coffee cake which was just like a softer cinnamon bun
- Raspberry pistachio- a really nice frosting but maybe overshadowed by the others just because the other three were so spectacular.

You seem to be able to get them all across the city as well as at their own shop/stalls, so seek them out and eat them all!

diannec

Points +786

Vegan
30 Aug 2024

Amazing show stopping incredible

Yes! Thank you beacon! You’re doing god’s work

sandralukic

Points +32

Vegan
27 Jul 2024

Always a hits the spot

These are not just the best vegan doughnuts, these are the best doughnuts period! Whenever I bring them to the office, they don’t make it to the end of the day. Each one is simply a beautiful to look at and sooooo darn good. If you crave a sweet treat, this is worth the calories! 😌 i love the cronut, the blueberry pancake, and the bismarck. Simple flavors but so satisfying!

Pros: Delicious crowd pleaser, Totally affordable, Small business

Cons: Coffe is not the best

KellyJC

Points +123

Vegan
19 Jul 2024

Lots of options - all vegan!

I go for a vegan doughnut any chance I get, but it's rare to find a 100% vegan doughnut shop. This place has several options to choose from (10-15 different varieties the day we visited), so you should be able to find something to love. The location is on a side-facing alley off the north side of Armitage Ave., so it can be tricky to find at first. Look for the brightly colored storefront around the side of "topdrawer". The doughnuts were all beautifully baked, and the selection was enticing, so we picked 6 varieties. We found most of the flavors and textures to be great, but a few slightly missed the mark for us. I especially loved the apple fritter (my go-to). It was smaller than other apple fritters I've had, but that said, it was a good size. There were chunks of perfectly cooked apple, a nice amount of cinnamon, a perfectly thin layer of glaze, and it wasn't greasy (A+). I also had the vanilla bean cronut, which I learned is like a mix between a croissant and doughnut. Think of it like a regular glazed but with layers of buttery dough that peel apart making it much heftier and taller than a regular doughnut. It was fun to eat but a bit savory for my taste, and the glaze was a bit too thick on the bottom. My third flavor was Boston cream. It had a lovely custard filling, and the texture was tender and cakey (almost crumbly) rather than yeasted, which is what I prefer. My partner chose 3 cake doughnuts: blueberry pancake (injected with blueberry pie-filling for big blueberry flavor), cinnamon coffee cake (he devoured this, so I guess it was good), and salted caramel mocha (more chocolate than mocha or salted caramel). All were pretty sweet, so we recommend balancing them out with some Beacon Doughnuts coffee.

Pros: Huge selection - all vegan, Creative flavors and varieties, Good coffee

Cons: Some crumbly textures, Glaze pooled on bottom of some doughnuts, No nearby seating

ndamato

Points +20

Vegan
12 May 2024

Perfection

Delicious doughnuts. If all vegan food alternatives were this close to (or in this case better than) the “real” thing, we would probably have a lot more vegans in the world.

We ordered an assorted half dozen and particularly enjoyed the orange poppy and vanilla!

Audreyro

Points +36

Vegan
07 Apr 2024

Wonderful Doughnuts

Edit: Second time we came here. They've added cronuts to the menu and they are tall, flaky, and absolutely divine. 10/10.

We ordered doughnuts ahead and picked them up. 2 vegan brioche, one chocolate glazed and one with caramel drizzle and shortbread crumbles, and 2 cake doughnuts, one double chocolate sea salt and one Boston cream. All 4 were absolutely incredible. Highly recommend!!

Updated from previous review on 2022-05-29

Pros: Fluffy vegan brioche dough , Lots of vegan options

tomtheplantsman

Points +761

Vegan
25 Feb 2024

Must Visit

One of the best doughnut shops around! Don’t worry about it being a storefront tucked into an alley, and make sure you preorder flavors you’re really interested in

beanbeenben

Points +438

Vegan
14 Feb 2024

Heaven omg

At least in terms of Vegan Doughnuts, this place BLOWS Stan's out of the water. Texture is perfect and every flavor I tried was put together so tastefully!

Vegan Vagabond

Points +4158

Vegan
11 Nov 2023

Very tasty yeasty fried donuts

The vast majority of vegan donuts around Chicago are cake donuts. Meh. This place makes very good yeast donuts, such as Boston cream, glazed, iced and some unique flavors. I’ll pick up a box or two and bring them to the office. They usually get devoured in no time. 

EmmaSwendsen

Points +98

Vegan
30 Oct 2023

Amazing Doughnuts!

Made the trek to Beacon while visiting Chicago and am blown away at how delicious their Doughnuts are! We got there near closing so only a few flavors left but love the fact that they offer a variety each day.

I try to get a vegan doughnut every time I travel and it is so often just one or two obscure flavor. This is the first time I've been able to snag a chocolate glaze and I'll be dreaming about it for a while.

It is also well priced and large Doughnuts which is fantastic.

Pros: Great Variety, Good Pricing, Delicious

rjmarciniak

Points +792

Vegan
12 Aug 2023

Best Doughnuts in Chicago

Amazing small doughnut shop in Lincoln Park. Hidden in a side alley, they have the best doughnuts in Chicago. You can’t go wrong with any of their options.

elysek

Points +29

Vegan
10 Aug 2023

Drooling thinking about it

Best vegan donuts I’ve ever had. Classic chocolate brioche is perfection

squirrelboy

Points +333

Vegan
16 Jul 2023

Best donuts of all time

The blueberry pancake donut is the best donut I think I'll ever have.

badlucky

Points +68

Vegan
08 Jul 2023

Believe the hype. Quite possibly the best donuts anywhere.

I've searched the world for the best vegan donuts. I've sampled them across Europe, North America, and Australia. Honestly I think my search is over. I've tried seven different varieties from Beacon in the last 24 hours (yes I am obsessed) and every single one is a winner. As others have noted, when Beacon fills a donut, they are generous. The Blueberry Pancake bursts blueberry sauce with every bite. The Boston Cream has more vanilla cream than I would have thought possible. The donuts are light, the sweetness is balanced, the flavors are innovative, they are rich but never overwhelming. These guys are setting the standard for other donut bakers to follow, vegan or not. I'm only visiting Chicago for a week, but after finishing a Beacon mixed dozen, I think I might have to move here.

UnhealthyVegan

Points +106

Vegan
05 Jul 2023

Boston Creme Donut

These donuts are so good you would walk thru a back alley just to order them. Oh wait! That's exactly what you have to do for these! And honestly it's worth it. The boston cream donut is unlike any other donut I've ever had. The creme is in every bite and it is an experience to have. Sure, the other donuts are good and solid, but even if you don't usually like cream filled donuts, this Boston one is a MUST ORDER.

Pros: Plenty of options, Fresh donuts, One of a kind donut

Cons: Entrance is hard to find, Back of alley

leahk3

Points +566

Vegan
03 Apr 2023

Great vegan donuts

Yummy! Get their brioche based donuts. Not the best vegan donuts I’ve ever had, but pretty sweet and perfect for a pick me up.

jadaruss

Points +1839

Vegan
06 Mar 2023

Delicious treats

I love the donuts from beacon they’re delicious and sweet. Highly recommend.

NoFussVegan

Points +343

Vegan
27 Dec 2022

I’m not even a doughnut kinda person..

Yeah, it’s just… Short ‘n’ sweet: They. Are. The. Bomb.
Flavours are varied. Not too greasy. Not too sweet. I was baffled that I even liked the one with vanilla cream so much. They are the kind of place that makes you wonder: why aren’t all doughnuts a) this good, and b) vegan. Enter at own risk, however, ‘cause they will put you off the Stan’s/run of the mill garbage that’s 99% of doughnuts out there.
Verdict: just go!

Updated from previous review on 2022-12-16

Pros: Plenty of vegan options, Great, great texture and flavours, Amazing service

Cons: None

thevegancreator

Points +626

Vegan
10 Dec 2022

Super delicious vegan donuts

The Boston cream is my absolute favorite but I can highly recommend the Birthday Cake and Old Fashioned Oreo one, too!
This place only has pickup so if you’re looking to sit down to have some donuts you can find their donuts at Dollop Coffee as well 😊

Pros: Lots of different vegan donuts , Boston Cream is the best!!

Cons: Only for pick-up

Davesw

Points +3874

Vegan
07 Oct 2022

OMG! Fabulous!

Amazing donuts! Who needs eggs, butter or dairy? These are great, and there are a lot of flavors!

Cons: Expensive, No parking

Oliviathevegan

Points +151

Vegan
21 Sep 2022

Best donuts ever

I loved the chocolate ganache donuts because it was so much richer than your typical chocolate glazed donut. The best donut for me was the double chocolate sea salt as it was not to sweet, the perfect balance.

Pros: Lots of vegan option, All vegan, Delicious

Cons: Expensive ($3 a donut)

Kallday

Points +301

Vegan
16 Sep 2022

Best Doughnuts in Chicago

Some of the Best Cake Donuts I’ve had in the US! They definitely had the most unique vegan flavors I’ve tried at a vegan doughnut shop & I’ve tried ALOT of places.

One suggestion is delivery. Yes, the bus ride wasn’t bad, but it would be great if they delivered too. Then again if they delivered I’d be fat

Pros: Lots of Vegan Options

Cons: Wish they delivered




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