Doughnut Vault Sparks A Pastry Frenzy In Chicago

Are cupcakes so five minutes ago? Judging by the buzz surrounding doughnuts recently, there's a new sweet treat that's looking to take top billing.

The Doughnut Vault opened less than two weeks ago in the foodie-friendly River North area. Since day one, this pastry place has attracted a long line of sweet-toothed Chicagoans willing to wait hours for a single bite.

To be fair, Brendan Sodikoff (owner of Gilt Bar and Maude's Liquor Bar) never expected his newest venture to become so wildly popular. The tiny, unassuming space is almost hidden except for its light blue door right around the corner from Gilt Bar. While Sodikoff assumed there would be sufficient space for lines on that side of the building, it turns out he was mistaken. The line regularly snakes around the corner regardless of rainy weather or cold temps.

What makes these doughnuts worth the long wait? Bakers at The Doughnut Vault create homemade (not machine-made, as emphasized on their website) doughnuts using only high-quality ingredients every morning, so the results are always fresh and tasty. They stick to some classic flavors, like gingerbread, old-fashioned buttermilk and vanilla glazed, except for the occasional "featured" doughnut, like the crunchy pistachio glazed variety sold this past weekend. Depending on the flavor, doughnuts are priced at either $2 or $3 a piece, a steep price that hasn't appeared to deter customers in the least. Perhaps it's the drool-worthy photos posted on their Tumblr website that has kept the lines long each morning.

Getting a doughnut isn't so easy, unfortunately. The shop doesn't have set hours; it opens around 8 or 9 am each morning Tuesday through Saturday, and closes whenever doughnuts sell out. Customers have started lining up around 7 am each morning, so getting there before 8 am is almost a prerequisite. Fortunately, the shop also sells small cups of coffee for a dollar, so you can get an early morning jolt after the long wait.

If you're hoping to snatch up some of these tasty treats, check out The Doughnut Vault's Facebook and Twitter for daily updates about opening times and featured flavors. One more thing: purchases are capped at a half-dozen per person, so don't stop in planning to buy enough for the whole office.

401 ½ N. Franklin St.

Comments

[lmclaurin]

09:21 AM on 06/04/2011

I don't like the air or huffiness about "we open around this time or that time" and close whenever, and "you can only buy this many". It's a donut, not a blackmarket bodypart. I'll pass.

[Dave Bee]

03:34 AM on 05/11/2011

its true cupcakes are over. if i see one more cupcake tv or one more platter of them at local meetings full of people trying so badly to be trendy, i will yak. Its all about the donut.

[Jack Barron]

05:14 PM on 04/19/2011

$2 to $3 dollars for a freaking donut!? Pass. Never underestimate the stupidity of foodies.

[tissa]

05:13 PM on 04/19/2011

I always hate the places that become tourist attractions, I'll skip it.

[kathy001]

04:28 PM on 04/19/2011

That picture has ruined my diet for the day. Donuts! Must. Have. Donuts!

[Fetus]

04:27 PM on 04/19/2011

Doughnuts are the new cupcakes.

[ARMANDO DE LA ROSA]

02:40 PM on 04/19/2011

If they taste as good as they look you have sold me. However, a casual attitude about when one opens suggest a basic level of disrespect for one's customers. I don't know if this is the by product of underestimating demand or a form of gorilla marketing but either way it is counter productive and will ultimately breed ill will or outright hostility with one's customer. A ready market and what seems a great product now if they focus on right scaling it we may have an institution in the making.

[Montcalms Revenge]

01:56 PM on 04/19/2011

Doughnuts... is there anything they can't do?--- Homer J. Simpson. ;-)