We never need an excuse to go eat pączki, but March 4 is their national holiday… And in Montreal, there are some excellent Polish pastry shops and deli’s where you can find some delicious ones!
What are pączki?
It’s a pastry from Poland and, more broadly, from Eastern Europe. It’s like moussaka, everyone says it was invented there. In Russia, it’s ponchiki (пончики), in Ukraine poundiki (пундики) and in Romania gogoși .
In Polish, pączkiare pronounced a bit like “punch-kee” or “pon-ki”.
They’re round doughnuts that are filled with plum or rose jam, or cream -traditionally- and covered with a sugar glaze, but there’s a wide variety of jams and creams available.
They are often eaten before Lent, which begins this year on March 5, 2025, during “Jeudi Gras” or Zapusty, which is tomorrow, Thursday February 27.
Where can you eat them in Montreal?
1.patisserie Wawel
Wawel is Montreal’s holy grail of pączki, and they have two locations in Montreal-one in NDG and the other near Sainte-Marie. Their Ponki are filled with plum, apricot and cream, and dusted with powdered sugar.
Pâtisserie Wawel: 2543 Ontario Street East
Pâtisserie Wawel NDG: 5499 Sherbrooke Street West
2.Goplana
This is Montreal’s most nostalgic patisserie, founded in 2006 and taken over in 2020 by Kamyla Bryla and her mother. It’s the Eastern European family atmosphere that’s warm and sweet-and so are the pączkiwith plum or cream… and at the tiny price of $1.99.
Pâtisserie Goplana: 1187 rue Charlevoix
3.Euro-Deli Batory
The deli is renowned for its goblaki (stuffed cabbage) and pierogi, as well as its wide selection of traditional Polish dishes, and it’s even possible to order on Doordash!
But we want to go, and come back with a bag of pączki(at $1.75/piece) and the biggest glass jar of pickles we can carry home!
Euro-Deli Batory: 115 rue Saint-Viateur Ouest
Bon appétit! Smacznego!