Alejandra Daly has always wanted to have a bakery. Her husband, Conor Daly, always wanted to start a business. But the two never dreamed they would be able to combine their passions to open Daly’s Donuts in Lincoln Park.  

 The couple hosted the grand opening of their new storefront at 659 W. Armitage Ave. on March 7, and the spot that has quickly gained regulars. 

“We just put up our patio and the first people who came and sat at it was a dad and his daughter, and … this made my whole week,” Alejandra said. “Little things like that are so cool.”

On opening day, a line formed outside before the doors were even unlocked at 8 a.m. The line continued until they sold out and again the next day. 

Daly’s donuts differ from your typical donut. Summed up by their slogan, the donuts are “Baked, Not Fried.” 

The menu options include classic cinnamon sugar, chocolate churro, chocolate dipped, maple glazed, cinnamon sugar dunkers and their current seasonal flavor, sticky toffee. They also have freshly brewed coffee available. 

The original cinnamon sugar recipe comes from Alejandra’s mom’s side of the family, which she baked all the time while she was growing up.

“When I graduated college, randomly I rediscovered the recipe, made it all the time,” Alejandra said. “Anytime people had them they loved them.”

On Conor’s 30th birthday back in 2022, Alejandra made him her family’s cinnamon sugar donuts. That evening they had a party, where their friends tried the donuts. Alejandra said that was the moment it became apparent just how much people loved them. 

Conor and Alejandra decided to start Daly’s Donuts the next day, turning their apartment into a one-oven bakery.  

Both Alejandra and Conor worked corporate jobs when they started Daly’s Donuts. They would dedicate their weekends to donuts, waking up at midnight to start baking for the next 12 hours. This left them without any days off.

“I feel like we could both agree that sitting at a corporate job for eight hours felt way longer and weirdly way more exhausting than, like, 14 to 16-hour days doing this,” she said.

 Anna Nelson, a recent DePaul graduate and Lincoln Park resident, learned about Daly’s Donuts in spring of 2023 when the couple was passing out free samples and business cards in the neighborhood. 

“Now that they finally have a business front it’s really cool,” Nelson said. “I feel like I’ve seen them grow over the past three years in a way.”

They started taking orders through Toast, an app allowing people to place mobile orders. But business really picked up when they became a vendor at the Green City Market in Lincoln Park. From there, they also began catering corporate events. 

Their upstairs neighbor, DePaul senior Grace Ixpata, said before knowing the couple’s names, she would refer to them as the “donut people.” She said as their business grew, so did the smell of yummy donuts in the building.

 Despite living right above them, Ixpata did not always make it in time for a donut.

 “They would always sell out. It would be kind of a race if we were gonna wake up early enough to put an order in or not,” Ixpata said. 

She said she loves that the donuts are baked because they taste healthier and fresher than fried donuts. 

“It’s the perfect amount of moistness, but it still has a crumble to it,” Ixpata said. “And also, they’re so hot and good.”

 About a year ago, Alejandra and Conor hired their first full-time employee, Conor’s younger brother Colin Daly. 

Colin does not have a part in baking the donuts, which he said means he gets to sleep in until 4:30 a.m. Last year he would work the farmers market, but now he serves up coffee and takes orders at the storefront. 

He said the team feels a lot of love from the community. 

“I’ve been called ‘donut man.’ Little girls have gotten me pictures of hearts and donuts and definitely have connected well with the community for sure,” Colin said. “It’s been great.”  

 Both Alejandra and Conor have enjoyed running their own business together and getting to know the community over the last three years. 

“You work way more but you feel more gratified, I would say. From the work itself and just not having to answer a boss but to each other has been very nice,” Conor said. 

Daly’s Donuts storefront is open Wednesday through Friday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The business will still be at Green City Market this season.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misspelled Conor’s name.

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