Donut Lovers, 3 Of America’s Best Donut Shops Are In Illinois

As a donut lover (which you must be, or you wouldn't have started reading this), you probably already know that the first literary mention of donuts happened way back in 1809 in "A History of New York" by Washington Irving (the guy who wrote about the headless horseman in The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow) when he described:

"Balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog's fat, and called dough-nuts or olykoeks."

If you ran a donut shop in 2025 and described your offerings like that, there's every chance you would go out of business in a couple of weeks.

I don't know if our love of donuts can be traced back to Washington Irving, but I do know that consumption of donuts in America went into high gear after the 1933 Chicago World's Fair described donuts as being "The Hit Food of the Century of Progress."

Boston may have the most donut shops in the country per capita, but Illinois is where the real love of donuts began.

Before Getting To The 3 Highly Rated Illinois Donut Shops That Landed On The List Of America's Best Donut Shops, Here Are A Couple More Donut Facts For You

When it comes to donut consumption, the United States would be the undisputed champion of the world if it weren't for our neighbors to the north.

Canada has the highest donut consumption per capita in the world, while the United States comes in at number-two. Coming in third place is Japan. The United States produces roughly 10 billion donuts per year, which is the most, but per capita, the Canadians out-eat us every year.

One more donut fact, courtesy of MentalFloss.com: There are 10 people living in the United States with the last name of "Doughnut" or "Donut."

At least that was the total in 2011. It's unclear whether "Doughnut" was their given last name, or whether they changed it out of passion for the pastry. Meanwhile, 13 people have the first name “Donut,” making it the 245,396th most popular name in the United States.

Alright, Let's Get To The Illinois Donut Shops That Hit "The Top 50 Donut Shops In America" List

The rankings come courtesy of Yelp.com, or more specifically Yelp Elite Squad members, based upon their reviews, ratings, and photos. Let's start with the highest rated donut shop in the state:

Beacon Donuts: (810 W Armitage Ave, Chicago) "Tucked behind a charming alley in Lincoln Park, Beacon Doughnuts is a hidden gem serving up small-batch, vegan delights that surprise and satisfy. Yelp Elite pro tip: pre-order days in advance and you can skip the line."

Next comes a south-side favorite.

Old Fashioned Donuts: (11248 S Michigan Ave Chicago) "Old Fashioned Donuts has been serving up massive, hand-cut doughnuts for decades, with no shortcuts and no gimmicks. Come early—they sell out fast, and the legendary apple fritters are always worth the wait."

And the third Illinois donut shop to land on the list isn't in Chicago.

Country Donuts: (181 W Virginia St Crystal Lake) "Country Donuts is a hometown staple where the donuts are made fresh daily and the coffee is always hot. Yelpers swear by the apple fritters and long johns, and the friendly staff make everyone feel like a regular."