Editor's Note: This article was originally published in 2022. Please check store websites for updated hours and offerings.
Every Fat Tuesday, Clevelanders gather around various bakeries in hopes of getting their hands on some delicious paczkis. The deep-fried pastries are filled with a variety of ingredients — from fresh fruit and jelly to cream — and are typically served ahead of Lent as a longstanding Polish tradition. Here are five local bakeries to stock up on some mouth-watering paczkis.
Cleveland Vegan Catering & Café
Paczkis are for everyone, so if you follow a vegan diet, head to Lakewood’s Cleveland Vegan Catering & Café. The café offers four filling flavors — lemon curd, mixed berry, vanilla custard and chocolate. The spot opens at 9 a.m., which is why there is a six-per-person limit, but get there early because last year was an early sell out. 17112 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-221-0201, clevelandvegan.com
Edwin’s Bakery
The bakery with a cause is offering four different flavors of paczkis this year for Fat Tuesday. The recipe is based on a family favorite of founder Brandon Chrostowski’s grandfather, who was born in Czestochowa, Poland. The paczkis are hand-rolled, hand-shaped and feature flavor-intense fillings of cherry, prune, raspberry and lemon filling. $4 each, $23 for a half dozen, $46 for a dozen, 13106 Buckeye Road, Cleveland, 216-675-0896, edwinsrestaurant.org
Goldie’s Donuts & Bakery
Looking to grab a donut alongside your paczki for an extra sugar rush? Check out Lyndhurst’s own Goldie’s Donuts & Bakery which makes delicious paczkis in-house every day just as they have done for the past 50 years. Delicious flavors include blackberry, raspberry, and owner Dustin Goldberg’s favorite, apricot. “Everything in our bakery is handmade from scratch,” says Goldberg. “Our bakers have been doing them for over 20 years. So, we think they're the best in town.” 5211 Mayfield Road, Lyndhurst, 440-683-4746, goldiesdonuts.com
Kiedrowski’s Bakery
This bakery’s enticing food and family atmosphere make for an enjoyable experience. “Our slogan has always been during paczki time, ‘Taste a memory in every bite,’” says owner Tim Kiedrowski, who opened the bakery in 1984. While he tends to stick to traditional recipes, he sells two unique flavors: Polish Rose, which utilizes his mother’s rose paczki recipe, and Edelweiss, a cream mixture from Switzerland. 2267 Cooper Foster Park Road, Amherst, 440-282-2700, kiedrowskibakery.com
Michael Angelo’s Bakery
Located in Broadview Heights, Michael Angelo’s Bakery offers 12 flavors of paczki, including apricot, custard and their increasingly popular, Bavarian maple. The bakery also has an extensive customer base with orders shipping locally and as far as Hawaii. “We started shipping a lot of different things online, and I can't believe it has such a great response,” says co-owner Michael Ciocca. “It's nice to see. It's a good feeling.” 8035 Broadview Road, Broadview Heights, 440-526-0499, michaelangelosbakery.com
Rudy’s Strudel and Bakery
If Clevelanders are in need of a wide variety of sweet and savory paczki flavors, then look no further than Rudy’s Strudel. The bakery, which opened in 1948, serves more than 31 varieties including their newest flavor, the Porco Hurricane Paczki, inspired by the authentic New Orleans hurricane cocktail and Cleveland tiki bar Porco Lounge. Rudy’s will also host a paczki extravaganza starting at 5 a.m. on Fat Tuesday. Tempe is partnering with The Current Year Records and Tapes to host a paczki-meets-Mardi Gras, all-day event with a DJ, live polka music and Polish beer alike. “You’re not going to find a Paczki Day party in California or Arizona,” says Tempe, “You got to be right here in the heart of Cleveland, Ohio.” 5580 Ridge Road, Parma, 440-886 4430, facebook.com/rudystrudel
Stan’s Northfield Bakery
As Stan’s Northfield Bakery celebrates its 61st anniversary serving Clevelanders, head baker Leslie Srodek-Johnson continues to prepare for their Fat Tuesday crowd. The bakery serves delicious paczkis year-round with special flavors offered on the weekends, including their most popular flavor, the fluffy marshmallow merengue. But act fast: paczkis will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. “Paczki day is like the apocalypse of donuts,” says Srodek-Johnson, “During Covid we tweaked our pick up process and at this time we’re trying to determine if that will be an option this year… Or the old fashioned wait in line and Polish drive-through.” 9395 Olde Eight Road, Northfield, 330-467-8655, stansbakery.com
