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    Pekara Bakery & Bistro

    3.9 (68 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Pekara Bakery & Bistro Photos

    Business Info

    PEKARA BAKERY & BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Outdoor seating
    Good for working

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    Roasted Red Pepper with Smoked Gouda Soup
    Mary W.

    It's always nice to try new spots. It's a cute little restaurant that I actually almost passed up! You order at the counter and take a number. The young ladies at the counter are nice and helpful. I ordered a cup of soup because it's quite cold inside, but also because roasted red pepper and smoked Gouda sounds tasty! The soup was served up hot and with bread, it was really good and helped me to stay warm as I awaited my entree. I liked tasting the small chunks of cheese?? It was a perfect appetizer while I waited for my French toast, bacon and potatoes... soup and breakfast do not go together I admit, but I enjoyed both! The French toast is made using brioche bread (my favorite) and served with bits of fruit. It was nice and hot and tastes good, with butter of course. Hint: you have to ask for butter, otherwise you receive a cream cheese type spread. It's not bad, but butter and syrup is my preference! The bacon was decent and the potatoes are well seasoned, almost too well, but still delicious! I can certainly appreciate not having bland potatoes! The coffee here is also pretty good. I had regular, nothing fancy. All in all, I'd visit if ever in these parts again!

    Toast mushroom and goat cheese with egg
    Adria H.

    This was a nice local find while visiting my daughter. I ordered the toast with mushrooms, goat cheese and added an egg. My daughter had an omelette. The portions were huge and the food was cooked with skill and good flavors. The coffee was great also. The staff were very friendly and the restaurant itself is spacious and a relaxed setting to engage in good conversation without having to yell, or a good working space with windows.

    Items on regular menu
    Leyang Z.

    When I posted this review, I just had my 106th meal there since June, 2023. If I had to recommend only one restaurant in C-U area, this is THE ONE I would recommend without hesitation. There are many reasons for that. But what attracts me most is its quality of food. In the morning I often see the arrival of freshly baked no-preservative bread; before 11am their bread rack becomes almost empty. The lovely bread is also used for their sandwiches, which are paired with other fresh, well-cooked ingredients. The results are delicious, flavorful foods--almost every item on the menu. Moreover, except those sweet food such as sweet crepe and their pastry, everything was pretty healthy. The food there had a good balance of carb, protein, fat, and veggie/fruit, and they often use healthier ways to cook/make them. For example, their Roasted Veggie Crepe not just had a generous portion of vegetables, but also sufficient cheese. Their Grilled Cheese was made with sourdough bread, and used only slight amount of butter for toasting. Another example is Chicken Salad sandwich, in which the diced chicken was blended with Greek yogurt and topped with fresh lettuce & tomatoes. Service was also great. Everyone seemed to enjoy their job, say hello to each customer, creating a friendly, customer-oriented vibe. As I often have special requests for my food (e.g., no sauce for sandwich), I care a lot about keeping my request correct. Luckily they only made 3 minor mistakes for my orders in my 106 meals. Beyond these was the reasonable price. If you add up all the prices of each single item in Bistro Lunch combo you would see that ordering the combo could save you for up to ~$6. This is quite different from e.g. Seven Saints' combo, which usually save you less than $1. Milk was even cheaper than that in Target. And for $4.95 I could have a Kids Grilled Cheese with a cup of fruit (usually mixed berries)! They also offer half-price bread on Sunday (not easy to get though, as it is often almost sold-out before 9am). I usually dine in about 3-4 times per week, more during the summer break. Have tried almost every item on the menu, as well as their weekly/daily specials. The food there, especially their breakfast, had a "Euro-Cali fusion" style with a Midwest tone. It is hard to say which I like most, because everything was amazing. Some of my favorite dishes/combos for breakfast & lunch, drinks and bread (see picture) They also offer seasonal, weekly, or daily specials. For example, the Croissant XL BLT around Dad's holiday, the Chorizo Omelette in October, Pumpkin Gingerbread near Halloween, Beer Cheese Soup and Beef Vegetable Soup in recent weeks... Just to list a few. They are all quite delicious! Just remember to look at their blackboards at the menu table and the counter so as not to miss the surprises! Finally, not just me, but also my friends enjoyed this restaurant very much. Due to this, and my experience, I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a healthy and tasty meal. For me, I am graduating and not sure whether I will return to Champaign again. But this restaurant has absolutely become an essential part of my life in UIUC. [Also check my 100+ pic on "Photos" :)]

    maple latte and cronut
    Paloma Q.

    SOOOOO FREAKING GOOOD. Their donuts are the best donuts I have EVER had as a huge donut fun. So soft crunchy moist delectable the sugar literaly dissolves in your mouth with the frosting ITS AMAZING U HAVE TO TRY THE CRONUTS IF U COME HERE!!!!!!!! the sandwich crust was buttery and nice and toasted and everything melted so nicely with the focaccia. Also got their maple hot latte and just so nice and foamy and the flavor was perfect for fall. Amazing love this will go here again!!! And service was super sweet and ambience very clean and pleasant!!

    Portabella Veggie Sandwich
    Isabelle P.

    This was a great place for lunch with a friend! My sandwich was so delicious. The inside was really cute, warm, and welcoming. Another thing I loved about this place was that they refuse tips because they pay their workers fair wages. Great place!!

    Special sandwich (cheesesteak) of the day on Friday
    Lilee N.

    I come for the sidewinder fries and west coast toast but they have a variety of options to please everyone. First, the fries. The fries are delicious and fried once you order so hot and crispy every time. Dessert. Lots of good single serving items in their dessert case if you're looking for a sweet indulgence. Sandwiches. Hot sandwiches are solid choices. I ventured off to try a cold hummus sandwich and if like the coarse type of hummus, this is your place. For me, it is a little too gritty and not enough tahini. Other: they make breads and have loaves for sale. Same with whole pies. I think of this "bakery" as more of a local Panera and less of a bakery where I'd come to get a birthday cake.

    Runzer W.

    I didn't even notice this treasure spot when passing by for many times. They provide many different choices of dessert. The space inside is big enough, and good for work or study with your laptops. Will come again in the future!

    Kitchen Special XL BLT on a croissant
    Angie H.

    Great little spot we stopped at while passing through. All of the bakery items looked amazing. We compromised with the tiramisu crepe layer cake, and I had the kitchen special BLT. Service is good, food takes a little longer because everything is cooked fresh. So it's totally worth it!! Bring cash for a tip!

    Roasted Veggie Omelette

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    3 years ago

    I think they have a new baker, because the brownies are much better now. Thank you!

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    2 years ago

    The food was wonderful and ambience was perfect. Jahaira was especially nice and made our family feel very welcomed. Excellent service.

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    Amazing food you have to try the croissant donuts if they have them! coffee is delicious and the areas is really cute

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    Ask the Community - Pekara Bakery & Bistro

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    Stopped in this summer while visiting a friend. She's raved about Bakelab for ages, and I was…read moreexcited to try it. The pastry selection was amazing. We got a couple of croissants and a canele, and we each ordered an espresso drink. It was everything she promised - and more. The croissant was flaky and buttery. The canele had the signature caramelized exterior and soft inside. I intended to only have a bite and save the rest for later, but I couldn't resist finishing it. Would definitely come back on my next visit. In the meantime, I'll just have to ask my friend to bring pastries to me when she visits!

    A cute cafe in the lobby of an apartment/hotel complex. The pastries all looked delicious and there…read morewere plenty of unique drink options. The service was quick and friendly, the barista described the options available and had good recommendations! Good study space with WiFi, bathrooms, and a water fountain around the corner. Just be prepared to wear a jacket on either end of the cafe near the doors, can get windy upon opening! Thai Tea Caramel Canelé {5/5}: The best canelé I've ever had (okay, I admit, I've only had maybe 6 in my life). Great caramel and good Thai tea flavor. The texture was AMAZING with a nice slight crisp and chewy outside and almost custard-like inside. I got 2 more before I left Green Onion Kouign-Amann {4/5}: A caramel shell outside of this very flakey pastry that I had plenty of green onions mixed within the dough. It was a great play on sweet and salty flavors with delicious flakey layers Jade Cloud {3/5}: Peach oolong tea with matcha cold foam. Just a personal preference thing, but the flavor combination of peach, oolong, and matcha was not my favorite. I can see how someone who likes this flavor profile would find this drink refreshing!

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    A beautiful selection of pastries, scones, croissants in addition to the breakfast/brunch hot…read moreitems. We had the breakfast sandwich - featured herbed cream cheese. It was delicious. The $4 cinnamon roll was fresh and large enough to split. The berry scone was amazing. Such a cute atmosphere and really friendly staff. It's a great little spot!

    I am visiting my daughter who lives in Champaign and happened to drive past this cute little cafe…read morewith a big sign in the window that says "Now serving breakfast"! I'm a late riser and was looking for a place still serving breakfast, where I could also get a good mocha latte (my favorite!) This place hit the mark! The inside of the cafe is so cute and welcoming! They have a couch and a comfy chair, and a little gift shop too! And their baked goods looked mouthwatering, but I resisted them as I'm trying to watch my sugar intake! Their menu is great, I got the egg and veggie patty breakfast sandwich which came with the option of roasted potatoes or a salad! A great option!! I chose the salad which was a refreshing balance and allowed me to get some greens in with my first meal of the day! The mocha latte was delicious and so was the food! I was half way thru my sandwich when I remembered I should take a pic to post a review! :-) I will definitely be back to this place and have already shared with my daughter so she can support this business as well! The barista was so kind and sweet also!! Big shouts out to this beautiful local cafe!

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    Moment - Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake 南瓜布丁巴斯克 ($8) - very good! Smooth and creamy, strong pumpkin flavor

    Moment

    4.7(7 reviews)
    1.1 mi

    I love love this bakery! This is a family run bakery that…read moreserves mostly Chinese pastries and cakes. The owner is very sweet and warm greets me with big smile every time I visit. Everything is made in house and not overly sweet. I especially love their whole cakes or cake slices since they are made with whipped cream which is very airy and light. Their toast bread is also great, I always have some for breakfast, they are lightly sweet and super soft. Owner change their offering everyday, so it's always a surprise on what I can find when I visit. I also found out they started doing event catering, so this would be a great option for wedding cake or any sort of events!

    Moment Bakery is a Chinese-style bakery on Green St, located near the university campus. In…read moregeneral, their cakes are not overly sweet, and they're relatively light. They're my favorite bakery in the area: I'm a really big fan and have tried many of their items (as you can see from my many photos...). My favorite items here are their cream cakes, milk bread (which they call toast), and the cakes with taro and/or mochi. I also highly recommend ordering custom cakes from them: I've ordered three custom cakes (including my wedding cake) and they were all delicious, beautifully decorated, and reasonably priced, especially for the quality. The character designs they do on cakes are super cute. Their menu changes every day, and the milk bread usually comes out later in the afternoon, around 3:30. If you can read Chinese, they have a WeChat group where they post their daily menu. They also sometimes have specials for holidays, e.g., mooncakes for Mid Autumn Festival. I've tried too many of their products to list here, but here are a just few of my favorites (you can check my photos for more details): -Cream Cakes (about $8-9 per slice, depending on the flavor) - these are light and not too sweet, and I really like the whipped cream. My favorites have been the black sesame cream cake, durian cream cake, taro cake, and jasmine milk tea cream cake; the fruit cream is also a classic and is delicious as well. I loved the black sesame cream cake so much that I got it for my wedding. -Toast (Milk Bread) - this comes in two sizes and several flavors; a small is around $5 and a large is around $9. My favorites are the taro and the pork floss flavors, but all the ones I tried have been great. It's very fluffy, soft, stretchy, and slightly sweet, and it's especially great when it's still warm. It's by far the best option for milk bread in town (it's much better than the version at Suzu's Bakery, for instance). -Purple Rice Cream Cheese Bun ($6) - bread with cream cheese, mochi, and purple rice filling. The mochi and purple rice combo is delicious, especially when the bun is still warm. -Taro Mochi Cake ($9) - layers of sponge cake, mochi, pork floss, and taro. The perfect combo in my opinion. I also like their Taro Roll and Mochi Roll, which are smaller versions with sponge cake, pork floss, and one of taro or mochi in the filling. -Mille Crepe Cakes (around $10 per slice, depending on the flavor) - these have relatively more cream compared to crepe. My personal preference would be for more crepe, but I really liked the durian mille crepe and the sakura matcha mille crepe that I tried here. In addition to cream cakes, they also make a variety of other styles of cakes, including mousse cakes, cheesecakes, Basque style cheesecakes, and tiramisu. The cream cakes are my favorite, but the mousse cakes and cheesecakes are great too and are not too sweet. The tiramisu is one of the sweetest cakes I've tried here, but I really liked it as well. The service is really kind and sweet. For custom cake orders, they're very friendly, kind, and thorough. I definitely recommend giving them a visit!

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    Moment - Inside of Taro Sheet Cake - sponge cake, whipped cream, taro paste

    Inside of Taro Sheet Cake - sponge cake, whipped cream, taro paste

    Moment - Taro Cake 芋泥奶油蛋糕 ($8.50) - regular sponge, whipped cream, and taro paste. I like this cake flavor.

    Taro Cake 芋泥奶油蛋糕 ($8.50) - regular sponge, whipped cream, and taro paste. I like this cake flavor.

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    The Cake Artist's Studio - strawberry mango, shirley temple, and carrot cake cupcakes

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    4.1(49 reviews)
    1.6 mi
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    This is my go-to bakery, because the cake is the absolute best you will ever taste. For my wedding…read more10 years ago, I tasted several cakes in town, and this was the best by far. My guests agreed, because I got rave reviews on the cake. The buttercream is so light and not overly sugary, it almost tastes like whipped cream. The fillings are also all fresh and yummy. Now, I'm a big fan of dropping in to pick up a 7" cake or some individually wrapped cupcakes, or ordering ahead of I want to be sure to get a certain flavor combination. Their cookies - shortbread and chocolate chip are also to die for. Make this your next stop for a cake or just a fun impromptu treat. You won't regret it!

    Six years later, and I am thrilled The Cake Artist's Studio is still thriving and rocking it in the…read morecake world! Things I thought to myself on THIS visit: - "Stuffed cupcakes! Those are new. I want one!" (The $5.50 stuffed cupcakes are jumbo, about twice the size of a standard one, and have fillings injected into the cake!) - "Brown sugar oatmeal is still available! Love the torched, burnt flavor of the coconut topping!" - "Petit fours!!!" - "Pretty packaging." (My 3 selections - in their individual plastic cupcake holders - were placed inside a colorful, floral printed plastic bag. Nice touch.) Standard gourmet cupcakes are $3 now, and more flavors are available than I recalled. I've recently also tried lemon lime, salted caramel, and peanut butter mousse. Generally, I'm not a huge buttercream fan, as it usually is too heavy on the butter for me, so the lemon lime and salted caramel were not my absolute faves. If I lived in this area, I would definitely want Ashlee to make my wedding or any special occasion cake!

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