A few weeks ago The Doughnut Vault opened up around the corner from my office and Chicago has never been the same since. All I keep hearing people talk about is “OMG did you hear about this new doughnut place!??!” Especially River North people. While the actual Doughnut Vault location is teeny tiny, the lines are not. They’re very LOOOOONG. Like 100+ people long. Like wait for an hour long. And, as you know the weather these past weeks has been anything but good.

So, why would people wait in line in the cold and rain so long for a doughnut? Well, the doughnuts are homemade in small batches, using high-quality ingredients, fresh every day. The Doughnut Vault makes about 300 – 350 doughnuts and they sell out in just a couple hours. They open up between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., Tuesday – Saturday. You have to check their Twitter to see exactly when they’re opening.. or just go out there and get in line early. There’s always a line before they even open. On Twitter you can also see what flavors are left and when they’re sold out for the day. And they’re really active on their Tumbler site. They post foodie porn photos, give tidbits about doughnuts, and answer people’s questions. So, homemade, small, fresh batches and active social media… it’s the key to a doughnut frenzy.

In my office we couldn’t stop talking about The Doughnut Vault and trying the doughnuts. Finally last Friday, my coworker Taylor stood in line. For a long time. For an hour. In the rain. When it was 40 degrees outside. The maximum number of doughnuts you can get is 6. He got 6. It was $17! Taylor knows that I’ve been wanting to they the doughnuts so he gave me my pick. I chose chocolate glazed.

Look at the size of this doughnut! It is not small! The chocolate glazed was actually twice glazed, once with a vanilla/sugar layer and then chocolate on the top of that and some chocolate sprinkles mixed in as well. The inside of the doughnut was soft and fluffy and the outside had just enough crispness from the fry and the glaze. These doughnuts were dang good. To tell the truth, though, i can’t remember the last time I ate a doughnut.. so I’m no connoisseur… but yeh.. omg.. Delicious. Especially since I didn’t have to wait the hour in the rain!

Doughnut Vault coverage:

• Chicagoist
• Grub Street
• Huffington Post
• Chicago Tribune (It took them 4 days and many hours to get doughnuts!)
• Yelp
• Eater
• Daily Candy

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