‘Coney Paczki?’: 19 Detroit Area Places To Get Fat Tuesday Polish Treat

DETROIT, MI — Paczki, the Polish pastries that put the fat in Tuesday, are such a part of the Fat Tuesday celebration before Lent begins that bakers and others find interesting ways to fill a paczek. Usually, the celebration of excess that ends the Mardi Gras carnival season means the glazed paczki is filled with jellies and other sweet fillings.

You can still get those. But the truly adventuresome may prefer something off the charts.

The prize for that this year has to go to American Coney Island in downtown Detroit, which has put two Motor City favorites in one meal — the “Coney Paczki.” It’s just what the name implies, a traditional Detroit coney dog (of course, it includes mustard, chili and chopped onions) wrapped in paczki.

The restaurant, located at 114 W, Lafayette Blvd., sent out a tweet Monday that shows diners what they can expect.

Eating paczki (pronounced PONCH-KEE) on Fat Tuesday is such a thing in Detroit that locals call it Paczki Day, according to the website visitdetroit.com. In fact, Hamtramck hosts a Paczki Day Parade, Polish dancing and a buffet of paczki at the city’s many Polish bakeries. “In addition to eating paczki, Detroiters can head to Hamtramck to simply celebrate them,” the city’s website says.

New Palace Bakery at 9833 Joseph Campau Ave. in Hamtramck is the go-to place to pick up a paczek. The 100-year-old institution offers 12 traditional fillings and five specialty fillings.

New Martha Washington Bakery, located at 10335 Joseph Campau Ave. in Hamtramck, is a Fat Tuesday favorite. Its fillings include the traditional prune filling, and here’s a bit of trivia you may not know: The bakery met a challenge to make the largest paczki in Michigan.

Dutch Girl Donuts, 9000 Woodward Ave., Detroit, specializes in doughnuts, but adds paczki to the menu on Fat Tuesday.

West Warren Baking Company, 15708 Warren Ave., in Detroit specializes in European baked goods. Is paczki included? Of course. Are you new?

Avalon International Breads, 422 Willis St., Detroit doesn’t fry its paczki Rather, they’re baked and stuffed with house-made fillings, including vanilla custard, raspberry preserves and lemon curd.

Apple Fritter Donut Shop, 741 E. Nine Mile Road, Ferndale, adds cream-filled paczki to its regular lineup of apple fritters on Fat Tuesday.

Donut Cutter, 28173 Woodward Ave., Berkley, will open at 4 a.m. and remain open until 7 p.m., unless they sell out of paczki first.

Knapp's Donuts, with locations at 500 Main St. in Rochester and 6057 Rochester Road in Troy, is offering fruit and cream-filled paczki.

American Polish Cultural Center, located at 2975 E. Maple Road in Troy, is giving customers the full polish treatment at its Wawel Polish Restaurant.

Tringali's Bakery, 29100 Schoenherr Road in Warren, adds an Italian twist to paczki, adding a cannoli cream filling, as well as offering some of the traditional fruit fillings.

Bommarito Italian Bakery, 21830 Greater Mack Ave., St. Clair Shores, also offers special cannoli paczki, in addition to prune and apple-filled paczki.

East Detroit Bakery, 17530 E. Nine Mile Road in Eastpointe, super-sizes paczki, which are available as glazed pastries or dusted with powdered sugar. Traditional fruit fillings are featured.

Iversen's Bakery, 22041 Outer Drive in Dearborn, will stuff you full of paczki with lemon creme, custard, chocolate creme and raspberry fillings.

Donut Villa, 5875 W. Vernor Hwy. in Detroit, makes the traditional prune-filled paczki. Not your thing? The Polish doughnuts come with custard, lemon, apple, strawberry, raspberry, jelly and blueberry fillings, too.

Chene Modern Bakery, 17041 W. Warren Ave. in Detroit, offers Polish baked goods, including 14 flavors of paczki, including one stuffed with cream cheese, on Fat Tuesday.

G.M. Paris Bakery, 28418 Joy Road in Livonia, is a family-owned Polish establishment. Live music will be featured on Paczki Day, along with pastries filled with prunes, other fruits and custard.

The Looney Baker, 13931 Farmington Road in Livonia, is best known for its cinnamon rolls, but offers paczki on Fat Tuesday.

Photo by Steven Depolo via Flickr Commons