Lukumadness! serves up 'crazy good Greek doughnuts'

Niko Boulougouris hopes his idea to make and sell “crazy good Greek doughnuts” — a risk he confirmed was worth taking on a vacation to Iceland — soon takes his hometown by storm.

His new business, Lukumadness!, 5129 Main St., Downers Grove, opened Nov. 3.

“It's a play on words. In Greece, these doughnuts are called loukoumades,” Boulougouris said. “The madness being the toppings and everything. There's one type of doughnut, these mini doughnuts. And you get to choose the flavor you want on top.”

Boulougouris has wanted to try his hand at this for years.

Doing research, he was surprised that, to the best of his knowledge, a similar shop has not been started by one of the many Greek-Americans who live in the Chicago area.

“I've always thought this was a great idea, but I had a concern that no Greek has ever done this in Chicago,” Boulougouris said. “Greeks have been around for 150 years in the (Chicago area) restaurant business. It made sense to me. When you go to a church picnic in the summer, that's where these are most prominent. The longest lines are for the loukoumades. Everybody likes these.”

The traditional loukoumades in Greece are coated with honey, cinnamon and walnuts.

That is available along with nine other taste combos suggested by the shop. Cookie Monster, Peanut Butter Jelly Time and Caramel Dream are among the nine.

But that's not all.

Customers can combine whatever flavors they want, with “thousands of options,” he said.

Sauce and drizzles include honey, Nutella, milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, strawberry chocolate, vanilla, peanut butter, caramel, jelly and coffee.

Toppings are cinnamon, cinnamon sugar, powdered sugar, coconut flakes, sprinkles, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts, almonds, Oreos, Chips Ahoy, biscoff, caprice wafers, strawberries and bananas.

“It's one of the oldest desserts in the world,” Boulougouris said. “They used to give these as a treat to the first Olympic gold medal winners in Greece.”

The size is comparable to doughnut holes found in many restaurants. Unlike those, loukoumades are best enjoyed while warm.

It takes about five minutes in vegetable oil heated to 350 degrees to properly prepare the doughnuts — “crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside” — that are then flavored.

While he considered this endeavor for years, Boulougouris still had doubts.

But he made a decision on a vacation in Iceland in October 2022 with wife Viki and son Andy celebrating his first birthday.

While they were strolling through Reykjavik, they stumbled across a shop selling loukoumades.

“I turned to my wife and said, 'This is what I'm talking about.' ... We got back and started working on it,” he said. “My wife said, 'Why don't we go to Downers? You grew up there and know everybody.'”

The Boulougouris name may be familiar to longtime residents.

“My family owned the DuPage Inn, a bar on Ogden (Avenue) near (Interstate) 355. My dad, Andreas, had it for 40 years. He passed away in 2010,” he said.

DuPage Inn, which closed six years ago “had a nice long run,” one he hopes is enjoyed by Lukumadness!

Running a doughnut shop is quite a switch from his previous job in mold and asbestos remediation.

“I enjoyed that, but in my heart, I always wanted to do something with restaurants,” he said. “I didn't want to do a bar, I don't want to be out 'til 2 or 3 in the morning.”

Boulougouris, a 2002 graduate of Downers Grove North High School, said students from his alma mater frequently stop in. Overall, business has been brisk so far.

Lukumadness! is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Those hours may expand when summer rolls around.

“The weekends have been phenomenal. So busy. A mix. Moms with young kids, younger people. Older people come in the morning and get their doughnuts. It's been good,” he said.

To set the mood, he plays Greek music on the sound system.

“My wife will try to put on Top 40. She says, 'Oh, people don't know the words.' That's OK. It's a vibe. It fits. ... She's been great. Really helpful. I couldn't do this without her,” he said.

His wife, a real estate attorney, decorated the shop's bright and airy interior.

Boulougouris hopes to open more locations someday, but the first goal is to have a Lukumadness! truck to bring his “crazy good Greek doughnuts” to events. “That,” he said, “would be awesome.”

What's also awesome are customer reviews, like the thumbs-up sign given by Benny Evett, 3, of Downers Grove, after he bit into his first loukoumades.

Benny was there with sister Annaleigh, 6, and their mother Justine for an after-school snack.

“It's our first time. It's nice out, I wanted to get them out. Our neighbors were here and said it was good. They've been (here) a few times actually,” Justine said.

Boulougouris, who currently has five employees, said his wife and mother help when needed making those “crazy good Greek doughnuts.”