Lee Donuts

I was excited to see a small local donut shop and had to stop. Unfortunately it was later in the morning and most of the donut choices were gone. The man told us he was going to bring out a few more flavors in 15 minutes so we waited. He brought out some plain glazed donuts with just a different flavored glaze. I thought the donut were going to be actually different donuts they were not. I gave three stars because the service was friendly but the donut shop is a bit odd. The decor are some parts modern and others seem like you are in Grandma's dining room. It was an odd decor for sure. I think an overall remodel may be needed. I wish I would have had more choices in donuts and the two we had were just yeast donuts with different flavored glaze nothing out of the ordinary. I think a good cleaning, new decor and more unique donuts could make this place great.

Probably the worse donut I’ve ever tried. Pretty sure they are re frying old donuts. Was literally sopping in oil. The flavor was off and obviously terrible due to oil content. Texture was not of a yeast donut but crunchy on the outside and wet dense on inside. Brought it back in and he swapped out for a new one which had the same issue. Decided to just toss it.

This is my favorite local donut shop. Their customer service is fantastic. I frequently order online, and even if they’re out of donuts, I pick, the ensure that they’re replaced with something of my choice when I get there. Best customer service ever! Would recommend to anybody.

This past March marked the very first time actually stepping into the shop. They are really good here and better than most donut shops in the county. Had the donuts off & on several years ago when my mom was working at the VA in North Chicago and used to bring left overs from other co-workers bringing in donuts in the morning. Can't review anything else here except the donuts which are delicious, sorry about that but I'll definitely be in here soon again being I work overnight and can easily stop in before going home in the morning. I've always strived to support local especially in today's economy and I wish for continued success & prosperity for the owner(s).

The donuts are simple, and delicious. We had a glazed and strawberry frosted and both yeast/raised donuts. The glazed donut was soft and sweet from the glaze, didn’t crumble all over my lap or stick to my fingers when I bit into it. Huge plus! The frosting on the strawberry frosted was quite sweet, I brought out my inner child tastebuds to finish it. Will definitely go back for more.

Are there new owners? The last time we stopped in it was probably 6 months ago and the donuts were yummy and the service was great (usually teenagers). Today we stopped in and there were hardly any donuts and what was there did not look appetizing. There was a woman and man in the store and the man greeted us and said he’d be with us in a minute. We waited around awhile and the woman saw us but didn’t get any help. There was a greasy, oily smell that was never there before. It was really disappointing because, as locals, we love Lee’s donuts. Not sure what’s going on.

I’m so sad !! New owners and definitely NOT the same donuts… we’ve been going here for years and it’s been my go-to spot. Please bring back the yummy donuts we know and love ! 🍩☹️

The Glazed donut 🤤 was delicious & Big soft thickness. I feel like it was a bit pricey less than $2, with great taste 😉!

Yes, yes, yes! Moved back to AZ in 2020, this place is still the benchmark for the Apple Fritter. There is NOTHING like it in the USA.

I came here for the first time and I'd say I had a pretty average experience. Walking in, I was greeted by friendly employees. They were helpful and had a decent selection of donuts: the basic glazed, sprinkled, sugar, etc. They had a few seasonal donuts as well. The donuts themselves were pretty good, they were soft and not stale. I'd say that they are good basic donuts, but not ones that will wow you. My favorite from my order was the basic glazed donut, since it was fluffy, doughy, and not TOO sweet. The packaging of the donuts is very cute but the place itself could use some work. Although there were tables and chairs, I couldn't see myself eating there. It was a bit run down, so maybe with some modifications it could be a cute spot to hang out.

This mecca of donuts is simply the best. I've been going here for 30 years and the menu and taste/size of the donuts has stayed the same since Mr. Lee founded the place and handed down his recipes. The buttermilk, Boston cream, fritters, old fashion... all superb. Just get a dunk'n donut and then buy one of these. Look down at your receipt and take a bite. The math works out!!! Lee's 4 life.

What a wonderful place to have a donut or sandwich. Donuts were very good. Very comfy and inviting for families. Also, service was top notch, very professional.

I'm not sure what happened to Lee's, but they are skimping out on the size of their donuts. Their chocolate long Johns are skinnier and taste worse. It's almost like it's being changed into a Dunkin' Donuts.

Great donuts- 20 bucks for 12 of them so a little pricy. My favorite is the blueberry donut- SO good!! The place itself looks a little ran down and could use some TLC. Workers are friendly.

This small shop is very cozy, the interior is nice with plenty of seating. (also some outdoor seating) very good service and GREAT DOUGHNUTS! They have a large verity of classic doughnuts handmade in the store daily. Coffee was super good. I highly recommend giving them a try.

Well, Lee's famous donuts in Libertyville turned out to be average at best. I arrived a little bit before noon and there were plenty of donuts left. I managed to settle on four donuts to go. I ate the glazed donut before I left and it was run of the mill. The buttermilk was the best out of the bunch. I had no qualms with the service and these donuts would do in a pinch if there were no other options.

I've been to many donut places in my life including this one many years ago. As soon as I walked in, the entire place smelled like dirty fast food oil. I ordered a few donuts and left. In that short amount of time, my clothes picked up the smell. A donut shop should smell nice and inviting - like you want to eat what they make there. I had two bites of the old fashioned I ordered, and it left a dirty frying oil after taste. Maybe my kids will like theirs better. Sadly, I won't be going back. I was hoping it was as good as it was years ago.

Great donuts today for National Donut Day 2022! The service was quick, friendly and masked up for the big Friday sales. They even had pre-boxed selections for quick pickup. The Cro-nut, the Apple Fritter, the Buttermilk and the Red Velvet were so fresh! All of the selections were on point and flavorful. We donated a dozen to the local firehouse to keep the first responders in good graces. Stop in and grab a few and drop off some to your local PD/ FD! A nice gesture goes a long way. Keep this local staple alive. Ps. Get two Bacon Long John donuts to keep the peace. Just sayin'!

We hadn't gone to Lee's in a few years, but decided to go for a treat. We purchased Boston Creme donuts, and were very disappointed. While the dough tasted good enough, there was only a quarter-sized amount of creme filling inside. My husband's was the same, as were the ones we took home. The owner was sitting at a nearby table yelling directions to the worker behind the counter. We did not want to linger at our seats, and left very soon after getting our order.

Hands down the best donuts. Apparently there are new owners but I was assured the chef and the recipes are the same. The place itself could use an update for sure and if you don't get there early, they run out of donuts. The chocolate coconut is my favorite and by 9 a.m. today, I was lucky to get the only one left!

This place is bomb. The red velvet donuts are so good but you have to go early cause depending on the day they sometimes run out

Quality of donuts was good.... But had a faint taste of Kaboom or fabulousa cleaner. This was my first time trying Lee's donuts which I was excited for. Upon walking in to the shop I was hit with an overwhelming smell of Fabulousa cleaner. Now I can appreciate a clean restaurant and have used Fabulousa myself, which I heavily dilute because it is so strong. I brought home the donuts to enjoy with my family and even stopped for coffee along the way, so the donuts sat in my car for about 20 mins (time to dissipate smells from the shop). As soon as I took my first bite I got a subtle taste/smell of the cleaner. The donuts all had a great texture but it was hard to get over the smell of the cleaner. So just a kind suggestion to the owners to perhaps use less harsh cleaners as it is affecting the taste of the donuts.

Terrible service, place is dirty, needs serious restoration. The customer service employee must have been 16. I asked him what kind of donuts does he have in the particular case and he responded with "what do you mean?" He filled all dozen donuts on one bag that almost fell over.

Service was amazing. And the donuts were absolutely delicious. This is my new donut place. Moreover, I would advise you getting their early because these donuts go fast.

I hate to sound cliche, but walking into Lee's Famous Donuts is like taking a step back in time... But not too far back in time. It's a traditional, homemade donut shop with those hallmark, 1970's -style colors, old school pastry display cases and very traditional menu boards. It'll make you never want to go back to those mass-marketed, machine-made donut drive-thrus. The donut shop has been here for 30 years and it's an establishment in the village of Libertyville. And for good reason -- the donuts are delicious. The mayor of Libertyville has even come by and done a video for the city on how they make their handmade apple fritters... and his arms got tired after chopping and the apples. Real apples, real cinnamon, real maple syrup , you get the idea. Recipes for all of their products have not changed in 30 years. And for good reason -- the donuts...are delicious. We'll get back to the donuts in a minute... On a strip mall had a very busy intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Peterson Road in Libertyville, I can imagine how busy Lee Donuts gets. I was fortunate to be here with only one other customer. The Donut, coffee and ice cream shop was so peaceful, quiet and clean, with only the hum of the ice cream cooler and beverage cooler in the air, no bad music, no screaming baristas, no self-important business people sharing your cell phone calls with the world and no random headhunters conducting off-site job interviews in the corner like so commonly heard and seen in the Big Chain coffee shops. I can imagine, though, regular customers are in and out early in the morning throughout the week and especially Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Heidi, the owner, told me that other small businesses places carry her donuts, and she serves Homer's Ice Cream from Wilmette. The menu is simple, single Donuts, half dozen, dozen, donut holes, fritters, ham and cheese croissants. That's it. They also sell ice cream and milkshakes. And coffee. And of course the cooler of juice, milk, water, pop, and Gatorade. They keep it simple, and delicious. For starters on my visit, I had a maple frosting long-john that put other long johns to shame. The donut bread was doughy and hefty, moist and so natural tasting. You can tell these were handmade. Heidi the owner said she uses real maple syrup in her recipe for the frosting. The difference between these and a mass-market donut or a grocery store donut was so palatable. I moved on to a chocolate-covered buttermilk donut as big as my fist and as heavy as a full size pumpkin. This was a lead weight monster... but when I bit into it my teeth went through the airy yet heavy go easily because it was so fresh. This particular donut was not exactly to my liking, but the owner said this is one of those donuts that many people like to Dunkin to coffee, so I'll try the second half of it at home with coffee tomorrow morning. For the balance of the week, if I don't wolf them down sooner, I've got a pumpkin donut and an apple cider with cinnamon and an apple cider with cinnamon sugar dusted donut. I tasted the apple cider with cinnamon sugar donut already and it is, like the Long John, delicious, natural and homemade. Heidi tells me that not only does she make seasonal Donuts, but for Friday Saturday and Sunday she also offers Peach fritters with real chunks of peach, She carries Bavarian cream-filled donuts, and has a particular customer who comes in once a week for nine vanilla long johns filled with a raspberry or strawberry fruit jelly. She makes a Bavarian cream-filled Long John with a caramelized piece of bacon on top...Oh my goodness... Must... Return... For... This. Something important to note is that the prices here are quite reasonable. Beyond reasonable. You got a fantastically homemade donut for $1.29, which is about the same price as you'd pay for a machine-punched, hardly-fresh donut at Dunkin Donuts. Fresh, wholesome, flavorful, natural Donuts for about 1/3 the price of a donut at Stan's. I'll be back soon!

Great doughnuts, but not the best ever. Make sure to get there before 1030/1045 to get a better variety. Very friendly service, would recommend for sure.

First time here, got there around 11 a.m. on a Saturday - selection was already slimming down. The apple fritter is very good here with good apple taste, not frying it too long (crisp without the burn) and balance of glaze. Chocolate frosted sour cream, French crueller, cherry cake, and chocolate frosted cake rounded out our order.

Just picked up donuts that were undercooked. The service has gone downhill. So sad. Nothing like biting into a donut that has a raw center.

Just had one of their donuts for the first time today at the office. Craftsmanship that I cannot put into a simple review online. A tasty treat that will leave you dreaming.

Donuts are good but too much sugar in them. The food keeps the score high but based on service, it would be 0 stars. Maybe is the reason why you never see anyone in the restaurant. I'm not sure why you have seating where they really want you in and out. Plus they do something illegal by not allowing you to charge on your credit card under $5.

I should have known! Get up early if you want some of these gems. I arrived on a weekend around 9am and while there were still plenty of donuts, the more popular ones were long gone. The lone employee there was working his butt off to tend to the many customers but still managed to be extremely friendly and happy to be there. It's nice to see that someone truly appreciates and enjoys his job. As for the donuts, I can honestly say that I haven't met a donut that I didn't love and these didn't disappoint. The bacon maple long john was killer and the salty sweet mixture can't be beat!

This place sucks there a mess everywhere the store is never clean the donuts are undercooked and Heidi is a terrible owner that scams her employees and doesn't pay them the same hourly wage week to week it always changes she does this because she not making any money and is trying to scam her high school employee don't support her she is a terrible person.

Stopped at Lee donuts today, in Libertyville, (08/18/23) to get a dozen donuts for the weekend. I arrived at about 12:30 to find the door locked and no one there. The hours in the widow clearly stated 5:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Imagine that. Another independent, small business that wants to be supported but doesn't want to cater to customers or live up to what they promise. Unbelievable. There are plenty of other chain donut shops to go to. I'm this case, that's exactly what I'm going to do. That's ultimately not the point though. If you're going to operate a small business, do what you say you're going to do. Is it really that difficult? There is a Dunkin' Donuts a block or two west, on Peterson Rd. They're open and willing to take my money. Guaranteed. As I'm leaving, a gentleman pulled up, grabbed the door and found out Lee Donuts is closed as well. Oh well. You can only try to support a local business, if they're open. He may come back. I won't.

Best donuts hands down. ESP the blueberry Apple Fritters. Old fashioned, cinn crumble Love their selection!

Who doesn't love donuts? But seriously, who actually doesn't love a good donut. Well, at Lee's, you will not have good donuts. You'll have GREAT donuts. The donuts are made fresh every morning. Make sure you come early, they are a hot commodity, and do run out come afternoon. The owner is very friendly as well. This is a great place to grab a tasty treat!

Amazing donuts, great variety, great owner! The seasonals keep things interesting all year. The fritters are amazing, especially the peach fritters on the weekends.

We stopped by Lee's on our way home to Wisconsin because the reviews were great. I am very loyal to Cranky Al's in Wauwatosa and feel like those donuts are the best I've had in southeast Wisconsin, my favorite being the maple long John. Well I picked up an assorted dozen from Lee's and bit into their maple long John, and I was absolutely floored at how amazing it was. The wonderfully friendly owner described how she uses real Vermont maple syrup for the glaze, which makes total sense with how well it tastes. I also bit into the glazed raised and the buttermilk cruller and was again shocked at how flavorful, light, fluffy, yet filling each donut was. I look forward to getting home and finishing off the dozen. I might share a couple with the wife and kids. Great product and genuinely friendly service. I will be sure to stop by again when we visit Illinois.

The young people working here are amazing! I was fortunate enough to see this place on my way home. Although it is my first visit and not something I wish I would have been witness to... a very rude customer came in and was aggressive in his words, however the young man providing service continued to be respectful and kind. Also, huge bonus the doughnuts are DELICIOUS!!!!

This place falls flat. The selection is pretty standard for the most part. The only thing I saw that was interesting was the maple bacon doughnut, but they were out....on a Saturday morning. The chocolate glazed doughnut doesn't have much chocolate flavor. Disappointing overall.

I would recommend coming here early in the morning. These donuts would be so good nice and warm and more fresh. I came at 10am and the options were pretty limited and it was a little bit of a crunchy donut. But come earlier closer to opening and I would have no complaints! Overall a good donut.

Stopped here this morning after looking at some other Yelp reviews! SO glad we did! They had a very large variety with some unique flavors too. The manager was around too which was just a nice touch. The guy working the counter let me sample two donuts that I had asked about the difference between, which was very kind! After making my selection, he even threw the rest of the donut I had sampled on my tray too for free. LEE's has Hansa coffee which I was very excited to try... very good taste! Plenty of space inside as well as parking outside. Easy to find, nestled in the middle of an outdoor strip mall. Will definitely return for more donuts the next time I'm in the Chicago area!

The best donuts. So much better than Dunkin or any other place. They taste so much fresher and more flavorful. A must try.

I don't know what happened to this place. The jelly donuts are half the size with hardly any filling, and the buttermilk donuts are much thinner now. It seems like the owner is trying to save money while still charging the same prices. I know it's been a few years, but the consistency they had under the old owners is gone. For the price they charge, the customers should be receiving a better product.

Coworker bought in a box of donuts from Lee's today! :D French Crullers has always been a top favorite of mine so of course i had to reach for that one. The Cruller was nicely glazed and shaped. The first bite into it was nice and fluffy. But the taste was a little off than what i am used to. Of course i finished the donut! But it did not make me want to get seconds. I'd recommend DD's or Marianos french crullers. They both make delicious ones. Like other yelpers mentioned, ill have to try the apple fritters soon!

donuts are decent. service is not bad. hours are good. cash only if you spend less than five dollars. get there early because they put away donuts before closing time.

The best donuts around! Love the specials they do. Had a mega glazed donut this weekend! So good and enough for the family!!! Thanks Lee donuts!!! We've been going here for 20 years!

This is such a great family owned donut shop! I consider my family to be very well-versed in donut eating.... we love them... and this restaurant does not disappoint! I tend to lean toward old fashioned or cake donuts versus traditional yeast donuts. The blueberry and apple cider donuts are SO GOOD. And the buttermilk old fashioned are super tasty. Only warning is that you need to get here early on a Saturday/Sunday if you want your pick in flavors/types. I've gotten there at 9:30am before and they were out of donut holes. But definitely recommend! This is the best donut shop I've found in the area!

Some of the best cake donuts around. Way better than Stans Lees old fashions and apple fritters are always fresh and tasty

Nice folks, great donuts. Have been enjoying their donuts for the last three years. They supply our monthly after Sunday Mass fellowship with their product.

The best. The maple donut is on another level amazing. My kids like the sprinkle, apple cider and fritter donuts.

Whenever I see famous donuts I think OOH this is going to be bomb-diggity. I did a U-turn when I saw this place and surprisingly it was empty at 10:30. I don't know if I came at an off hour or it's just slow traffic in this area but I stayed regardless. Let me start off my saying my favorite donut places have really good glazed and the best donut places have cronuts (crossaint donuts). Unfortunately, they didn't have cronuts (they don't make it period) but they did have glazed. I ordered half a dozen variety so I could get a good sample of what they made. I ended up getting glazed, chocolate with sprinkles, boston creme, red velvet, cinnamon sugar and peach fritter. Peach fritter, a seasonal item and an item that the worker really really advocated. She said that they don't fill the fritter like most places but peaches are cut up and actually embedded into the donut. Well hey, that sounds like a lot of TLC (tender loving care) so I got one of those too. They sell half a dozen for 7.29 (?) but "specialty" donuts cost more (peach fritter and boston creme). A little bummed but I already committed. Overall: The donuts were a little underwhelming. The peach fritter was a bit too sweet but it did have pieces of real peach. The other donuts tasted too sweet and a little dry. Not a bad donut shop and the customer service is great but I don't think I would say that these donuts are quite famous.

I would have given this place a 5/5 because the donuts that were fully cooked were great, but unfortunately several of the donuts were raw inside, as you can see in the pictures. It was quite disgusting to bite into one of these donuts and get a mouthful of raw dough. I have never experienced this before so I was both surprised and disappointed since I had heard this place was great. The yeast donuts that were fully cooked were wonderful though, as the dough was fluffy, soft, and moist. The icing and glazes were equally as tasty and their donuts could easily compete with some of the big names in Chicago like firecakes or doughnut vault. The bear claw with apple filling was probably my favorite of all their donuts as there were generous amounts of apple inside that tasted great all wrapped around with fluffy dough. The buttermilk bar was also very good, perfectly crunchy on the outside and moist inside. The apple fritter, peach fritter, and cake donuts are not as great. The fritters were so thin and hard, there was no soft dough in the middle. In addition, neither tasted like the flavors they were supposed to taste like. The apple fritter tasted rancid as if it had gone bad and the peach tasted like nothing. Overall, I would stick to the yeast donuts from here but make sure they are fully cooked before biting into one!

My experience was pretty much the reverse of Lauren K., (apple fritter vs other doughnuts) but I agree that there are a million doughnut shops and not all can be the best. But I believe that there is room in any town for at least one independent doughnut purveyor, so hats off to these guys for being a community favorite. I have tried many, many apple fritters and it pains me to review a bad one, but it must be done. I trekked up to Libertyville for this shop and came home disappointed. Number one, the fritter is way, way, way too sweet. The sugar overwhelms any other taste that may or may not be there. Thus, number two--I detected ZERO apples or even apple flavor and very little cinnamon flavor. And number three, texture--it was flat and mostly hard, with no soft interior to complement the crisp exterior. It was basically all crisp, sugar-saturated exterior. So that was unfortunate, but I have to complement their other offerings. Cake doughnut texture is hard to do well, but Lee nails it. In particular, their maple and toasted coconut impressed me across the board. The boston creme was pretty good too. It's a cool place; they cultivate a clean 50s/early-60s vibe which works for them. Nice people, too.

Super good!! The donuts are amazing and the lady working was the absolute SWEETEST thing!!

The apple fritter will heighten your standard for fritters. 4 stars for that fritter alone. I can't describe it any better than Meghan H, so I won't. Just read hers; it's spot on. :) I spoke with Jim, the very friendly & personable new owner who bought the business from the previous Cambodian couple owners 4-7 months ago. I forget whether it was 4 or 7. It's not important. But he did say how the previous owner retired, sold business to him and entrusted them with all the old recipes and techniques. That's good- consistency is key! Plus the "retired" owner still works there making donuts sometimes. Nice! Jim also mentioned how he also bought an Italian restaurant in Highwood with the same basic intent, somewhat failing businesses that are gems to the communities and make improvements overall but still retain the product, and help out the community in doing so. That's really great to hear in a land of Starbucks! Yay for small mom and pop business! Further, there will be an "Uptown Bar", so named after the area of Libertyville that it is in and known as. News to me, but this coffee bar will feature Black Mamba coffee delivered by an Ethiopian merchant who travels back to Ethiopia himself to collect roast and transport these coffee beans to be distributed here in little ole Libertyville, no doubt among other places. But I was really impressed by that. Outstanding! I did taste a sample and I will say it was a robust flavor, strong but not too strong. I am anxious to try out the new coffee bar upon its arrival! I bought 2 doughnuts today (12 pm) for a total of $2.50, the aforementioned gold standard of apple fritters, and a plain cake doughnut with chocolate icing, which I was far less impressed with. At first I thought it would be dry from the looks of the interior. But it really wasn't; it just wasn't anything special. Within an hour of closing, there were still a decent amount of choices left, maybe a dozen varieties or so? I haven't many doughnuts here, but based on the apple fritter, inexpensive costs, upcoming Uptown Bar featuring Black Mamba coffee, and friendliness and community spirit displayed by the new owner, I have to give it 4 stars. Have to. Now, go get that apple fritter! It's worth the headache of current road construction you have to endure to get there. I promise.

Whooaa man, why haven't I reviewed this place yet?! Well, let's just say I'm quite a fan of donuts and this place is pretty up there on the list of my favorite spots. The buttermilk & chocolate buttermilk old fashioneds are really quite delicious. Yes, it tastes like a deep-fried ball of sugary, buttery goodness and that is what I love about it :o But the real star of the show here is the APPLE FRITTER! Don't even get me started on my love for apple fritters - done right, they are the epitome of what a donut should taste like. Flat (no gross apple filling :P), crunchified with that sugary-exterior, and riddled with a subtle cinnamon taste, fritters are just so incredibly delicious and completely addicting. But I digress...I came here around 10am on a Wednesday and many of the donuts were already gone (no long johns at all and no fritters! noooooo) The next time I dropped in was around 10:30am on a Thursday (not the following day-ha! :) and they still had a pretty good selection! So it's definitely hit or miss with that, but generally just try getting there early and you'll be good! Every time that I've dropped in, it's been the same guy behind the counter and he's always super nice and says how much he appreciates me stopping in. This place is definitely deserving of the patronage, and I'm sure they're getting less business with the obstructive construction going on at that intersection of MKE and Peterson :( Really recommend you check this place out!

The lady upfront was super nice. Immediately asked how my day was going and chatted about the Bears winning yesterday. Then I get home to surprise my kids with donuts and OMG are they good! They tasted amazing, super soft, so many flavors. I've driven past this place so many times over the years and I finally stopped in for the first time today and let's just say I will be back! Donuts are amazing here!