Riverside Bake Shop Review

Riverside Donuts in McHenry, IL
Photo Credit: Riverside Bakery/Twitter: @RiversideBakry 

Traditional Glazed Donut
Photo Credit: Ryan Magnuson/Mealtime With Mags

Being in the northwest suburbs, we are at no shortage for local, small businesses; restaurants in particular. What I am finding a shortage of in my experience is the number of quality bakery’s who serve up top shelf versions of one of my favorite creations; the donut. Don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to grabbing something Dunkin Donuts from time to time, they get the job done, but I more so look for something with a homey touch. I want to feel like someone actually put the time in to make my day, and I am not opposed to spending a little extra for that. Being close to McHenry County, I had heard a local spot down the road not only served up fresh donuts daily, but also a number of other specialty treats. I had to give Riverside Bake Shop a try.

Riverside Bake Shop or Riverside Bakery, as it is known to locals, has been serving some of the best baked treats to McHenry and the surrounding area for over 40 years. The emphasis and time they put into their cakes, cookies, bread, sweet rolls, and of course donuts, have kept people coming back for years. They use nothing but the freshest ingredients, and are priced fairly based on the work they do. While I cannot personally vouch for anything but the donuts at the moment having been there only once, those who I have spoken to say everything on the menu is worth checking out.

Cream-filled Cake Donut With Vanilla Icing & Sprinkles
Photo Credit: Ryan Magnuson/Mealtime With Mags

Now on to the main focus: donuts. Stepping into the small shop at 1309 N. Riverside Drive in McHenry’s downtown provided me with a pretty cool sight. All the baked goods were put on display in the glass cases in front of you or on racks near the back wall. The staff was very knowledgeable about all products and was prepared to answer any question a new-comer like me had. Of the many different types of donuts, I narrowed down my five to a traditional glazed, a cinnamon roll with vanilla icing, a cream-filled cake donut with vanilla icing and sprinkles, a traditional chocolate cake donut with chocolate icing, and a cinnamon twist. Each donut had a good amount of sweetness to it, but in no way was it overwhelming. The dough, both on the cake and regular, was not as light and airy as some of the places I have been to, but it was extremely fresh and had substance to it. The icing was sweet, also fresh, and complimented the sweetness of each donut well. You can tell a donut has been sitting out for a while when the icing is hard and crumbles off after each bite. Not the case at Riverside. Lastly, the two donuts I enjoyed the most, the roll and the twist, had a good amount of cinnamon in every crevice. Other places I have been to in the past seem to only sprinkle on the cinnamon, leaving me wondering if I had even eaten a cinnamon-laced donut. Riverside made sure I was getting some cinnamon in every bite, which I more than appreciated. It was $6 even for the five donuts, which is good based on the quality. Make sure you bring cash or a check; they do not accept cards of any sort.

Cinnamon Roll With Vanilla Icing
Photo Credit: Ryan Magnuson/Mealtime With Mags

My first time at Riverside Bake Shop was a success, and I will definitely be sure to try out the other wonderful, homemade creations on their menu in the future. If the other products are anything like their donuts, I think you and I are in good hands.

Ryan Magnuson is a Baseball/Food/Nature Writer from the Chicagoland Area