D&D's Tastee Freez - "a touch of the Old Fashioned Donut"

Got the tip-off from Da Beef, and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. It's no secret that I LOVE Apple Fritters. Been my favorite pastry since I was a kid, and i seek them out almost as much as good BBQ. Yesterday i made the trek down to 84th & Kedzie - my journey sealed by the suggestion that the owner of this joint trained under the masterful eye(s) of the good folks over at Old Fasioned Donuts.

This is even more obscure than Old Fashioned, the unbelievable donuts being made in an old Tastee Freeze ice cream joint



This pic (from their Facebook Page) implies they've been opened since May this year. From what I understand, the Tastee Freez has been there for years, but been closed for the past 4-5 years - and re-opened by this lovely couple with the intention of serving ice cream, sandwiches, burgers, and A-MAZING donuts/fritters....

You can smell the delicious aroma of fresh-fried donuts as you drive up - clean oil cooking at the proper temperature provides this sugary whiff, and to me it's as important as the dough itself.

You see the references to Old Fashioned everywhere - from the slogan on their sign "A touch of the old fashioned Donut" to the posters of giant fritters and "Texas Doughnuts". The baker/owner worked at Old Fashioned, and makes all of the pastries from scratch....and let me tell you, it shows. BTW - he specifically mentioned that all of this is being done with the blessing/encouragement of the folks from Old Fashioned, so no rip-off of copy-catting - just an apprentice turning into a master.




Small, clean interior (I didn't take a shot, but it's surprisingly clean for such a small space making so much from scratch)..great service, and pastries to match. I had called ahead to make sure they had fritters, and I was told he had 3 more for the day. I went ahead and requested 6 fresh, and he happily obliged, they were ready about 1 1/2 hours after I called.

These fritters are a bit larger (I know, I know - size doesn't matter and all) than Old Fashioned, and fairly priced (I think they were $4 - and each one feeds 2-3 ppl - or 1 person 2-3 times over 2-3 hours). He only uses fresh fruit, and makes the doughnut dough from scratch. He's making about 2-3 batches each day, and told me that they sold 30 of them on their busiest day last week. I'd love to help him break that record, and boy do they deserve it. He also mentioned frying fritters with other fruit, such as peaches and pineapple - I'm gonna special request those next week if he's in the mood. this place is the real deal!

Pics of the goods:








The blueberry donuts were a hit too - and the 6" giant chocolate frosted "Texas Donut" was created by just as deft of a hand as the fritters. This place blows away any and all of the new trendy donut joints - and to me, this is the epitome of a family owned donut shop - friendly folks serving fresh baked/fried sugary delights with a smile (no line, no pretense, no hipster employees).

I dropped off a few fritters as I made my way back north to Rub's - first stop to my friend Gary at Barn&Co.:

Smiles all around


Also dropped one to a crowd, including Danny, at Toons and the final 3 made it to my joint on the opposite side of the city - to be enjoyed by the crew.

The donuts, the fritters, and the people running this joint all get 5 stars from me....Get down to support these lovely people and their dedication to perfect donuts.

D&D Tastee Freez
8324 S. Kedzie Ave. Chicago, IL

PS - the owner mentioned that he is already working on location # 2 next to Blueberry Hill Pancake house in Lagrange - and that the Tastee Freez corporate owners were working on getting him into Navy Pier next year...FWIW

Thank you very much for this post. I'm only about 20 blocks away and I didn't notice the donut part of the sign when passing by. I went this morning and had two glazed and one apple fritter. The glazed doughnuts are just as good as Old Fashioned and a lot closer. for me. Didn't even make it out of the parking lot before devouring the first glazed donut. I haven't finished the apple fritter but the few bites I had were delicious. It seems a tad less greasy or not as heavy at Old Fashioned, a tad better actually. !

I mentioned the glowing reviews in LTH. He wasn't familiar with the site but the other worker/maybe a relative was and said he would show him the review. He was very appreciative.

Not a big Catfish fan but the other customer said that it was very good and the owner says he sells a lot of dinners.

My only suggestion which I neglected to mention to the owner is have a more prominent sign for the donuts. The only thing I see is the Tastee Freez.

Definitely try these donuts!

rubbbqco wrote:The donuts, the fritters, and the people running this joint all get 5 stars from me....Get down to support these lovely people and their dedication to perfect donuts.

Terrific apple Fritter, and I don't say that lightly. I cut the one Jared kindly dropped off at Barn & Co into eight pieces, took two pieces for myself and passed out the rest to oohs, aahs and where did that little bit of apple fritter goodness come from.

Not yet ready to say D & D's Tastee Freeze equals or surpasses Old Fashion Donuts, but the lineage is obvious and the first bite of D & D's apple fritter made me smile from ear to ear.

D&D's Tastee Freez, count me a fan!

It seems a tad less greasy or not as heavy at Old Fashioned, a tad better actually. !

I agree with this evaluation: I found the fritter to be on the lighter side of greasiness which made me feel slightly better (though still sugar comatose) after finishing two over a 4 hour snacking window.

The other half of the experience that made me want to pay a 2nd visit (To D&D's) was the service. I have found the service/experience of Old Fashioned to be less-than charming on most visits. The front counter staff are pretty vocal about not wanting to be there, (which is not why you're there, I know) but it'd be nice to be greeted with a smile after an hour long drive. I had a far South-sider in my BBQ Class on Saturday, a few days after my inaugural visit to D&D's. We were talking tips and links, and D&D's fritters came up. When I mentioned the connection to Old Fashioned, he (with excited eyes) said: "Man, I've been looking for a new fritter place since I stopped going to Old Fashioned a few years back. After 20 years of patronizing the place, I just got fed up with the bad attitudes of counter staff that were most likely McDonald's drive-thru rejects that don't really want a job anywhere. I don't like handing my money to folks with bad attitudes. (his words, not mine)."

Slight (product) differences aside, I'd say the service and smiles at D&D's makes the experience much better.

Fritter to Fritter: D&D's was slightly less sweet, which I liked (sweetness in the glaze, richness in the dough). D&D's also less grease-laden, which I liked. And, slightly larger - which I'm indifferent to - quality>quantity - but give me both and I'm a happy camper!

More D&D's Please! (YOMV)

Excellent post. This is why I love LTH - I'd never know about this place otherwise.

I was wondering what their hours are, so I called them. They're
open 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday (closed on Sundays).
I entered the hours as a suggested edit to their Facebook page.

I'm keeping this place in mind for the next time I'm headed to the South Side (although it's tempting to just make a special trip there).

wow major bump for this thread!

After an awesome breakfast at Billys Grill on Columbus and Lawndale, my friend Fat Tim and I parted ways as he had to take care of kid at home and I had some VHS tape hunting to do. Im crusin down Kedzie and I spot this little Tasty Freeze and was lookin for some ice cream. The ice cream machine wasn't working and thank god it wasn't. The lovely lady behind the counter said "forget that ice cream, here, try a free doughnut." I said Holy Shit after first bite hahaha. It was really awesome though and such a pleasant surprise. I spoke to her husband for a minute before getting myself a dozen old fashioned for the cruise around.

This place rules and I need to go back soon.