PEKARA BAKERY & BISTRO: A HAIKU Polished, quaint menu, a plain panini arrives, pickle steals the show. read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Hot Chicken Parisienne Sandwich - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

A cute, self-service bakery that has delicious quiches, bread and pastries. I find the pastries a bit too sweet for my taste. But the brunch food is delicious and the service is excellent. Fair warning, it is a bit expensive! But it's my favorite bakery within walking distance because the staff is always so pleasant to talk to. read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

We had a lovely brunch here! My coffee was really great- a white chocolate mocha! A real splurge! Try it! Service as helpful and fast! My omelette was so great- did a make my own! Try the sautéed mushrooms they were perfect! Avocado upcharge was worth it! The potatoes are super YUMMY! a must get! My friend said her sourdough was great and I had the gluten free bread.. pretty good. Not homemade they told me but good. Cafe is cute and had plenty of seating for us. We did end up under an AC vent so if you get cold pay attention to that..brrrrr read more

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! read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Roasted Red Pepper with Smoked Gouda Soup - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Unique cafe! The food & service was good. The prices are a bit higher than I expected but I would recommend this place. Try it at least once! The interior seating area was a bit uncomfortable. Too chilly. Had to wear coat while dining in. read more

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. read more

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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" :)] read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Items on regular menu - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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!! read more

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I have been to this shop a number of times over the last 6-9 months and have yet to receive anything fresh, quiche, bread, or pastries! This shop is not a bakery in the truest sense, I'm guessing nothing is made onsite; which is why nothing is ever fresh. I tend to go to a business 4-6 times and try a number of different items before I form an opinion. My opinion is to go elsewhere for your baked goods! read more

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!! read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Portabella Veggie Sandwich - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Cute spot and easy to find but my goodness is it expensive! I bought four individual baked desserts (and a brewed coffee) to take to a friend's for lunch and was shocked that my bill was $45. I guess next time I'll bake, though I'm sure this will be lovely. read more

When I lived in the Champaign area, I used to frequent Pekara often as I enjoyed their teas and the baked goods. On a recent trip, I went back to Pekara and the restaurant is just as good as it ever was. My chai latte came out piping hot and the cinnamon roll was tender and flaky with plenty of icing. There's also plenty of room to spread out, even though the joint gets busy on the weekends. Recommended. read more

Not good no flavor. Server seems to have an attitude. Cashier very friendly lovely smile. Maybe it was just a bad day we caught but food not good at all. And they gave me white onions instead of red onions which it clearly stated came with the sandwich! 3 out of 10 wouldn't recommend. read more

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. read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Special sandwich (cheesesteak) of the day on Friday - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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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! read more

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I know Pekara is a local favorite so I'm going to be as fair as possible. They do some things great and some things not so great. Their breakfast and lunch items are really good. I love their spinach salad and French toast. Tastes amazing. I also love the loaves of breads by the front entrance as I'm always on the lookout for good quality local breads. The staff is always super friendly and courteous. However, the bakery items leaves a lot to be desired. They seem promote their baked/pastry goods more than anything else and people seem to really like it but to me, something's just off about their bakes. The chocolate chip cookie I had was just awful. It was bread-y almost stale and it barely had any chocolate chips. Actually, all their cookies are bad including their pistachio shortbread cookie which was the same way. The cronuts don't have that crisp exterior because they coat it with way too much sugar glaze on top that just makes them soggy and overly sweet. Sometimes they can get your order wrong as well so you have to double check your food before you leave. So, would I go back? Absolutely. But I think I'll just stick to their food items instead. read more

Walking distance and easy to take out. Sunday breakfast most enjoyable and can be shared. read more

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! read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Kitchen Special XL BLT on a croissant - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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

I stopped by for breakfast on a Saturday morning. There was a long line which was a positive indication. While waiting in line there is a case of fresh pastries to gaze upon. Everything looked fantastic and I will return to try all of their pastries. I got the raspberry shortbread and it was excellent. A perfect balance between tartness of the Jam and sweetness of the short bread. I got the roasted red pepper omelette too. It came with sourdough toast and fresh butter which was also delicious. My only criticism is I wish the breakfasts potatoes had more seasoning. They were cooked perfectly but lacked flavor l. read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Roasted Veggie Omelette - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

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Restaurant review We recently had a chance to eat lunch here during labor day weekend. The place was busy given that it was a holiday, but not too long of a wait to place our orders. Given that it was the holiday, the bread shelves were quite bare. Although the different pastries appeared appetizing, I passed and went on to the main meal. Unfortunately I think some of the chain sandwiches are a bit better such as panera or McAlester Deli. The turkey melt seem to lack the flavorful butter that is smeared outside before being placed on a panini press. The ham and swiss melt was an odd combo of a very cold/dry pretzel roll with cold ham and lukewarm melted cheese. Finally we got an order of the side winder fries which is potato wedges with a curve shape to them. They were good but at 3.99 as an add on price you would expect a little more as they were almost 1/2 the cost of the sandwich. Pros: Cafe style shop where you get coffee, sandwich, and your pastries all at once Cons: Small parking lot, sandwiches could use a bit more flavoring Hidden deals: None Health code rating: B, newly open. The bathroom requires going through another set of doors. https://il.healthinspections.us/champaign/estab.cfm?facilityID=2732 read more

This review is only for the coffee which I came in for take out this past weekend. Please don't serve coffee if it tastes like this. Take some pride or have someone who actually drinks it makes it. read more

Food is wonderful. Been going there for years and food is great but pastries and bread are excellent. Great croissants. Customers are friendly and staff is always helpful and knowledgeable. read more

This is a great restaurant to have in the neighborhood. They have a lot of sweets, which I have not tried many of. But their breakfast is great, and its always a good spot to pick up some good, fresh breads. read more

Terrible dense quiche with barely any cheese, mushrooms or spinach as describe. not fresh - microwaved. Scone also dense and dry. Loud minimalist dining area. read more

I would not recommend going there right now. Maybe in fall, they will be better staffed. They have great items, but some of their decisions to eliminate certain items do not make sense. Second, I really like to sit by the window, but I find the high stools unmanageable and uncomfortable at my age (60s) They have some great entrees, but not so great or friendly service. The manager claimed to have talked to me, but I think they spoke to someone else. I was just told they were busy. And in a very brusque way. Hope they get their act together soon. There are lots of bakery options around this town. read more

Nice ambiance. Nice people at the restaurant. The quality of the baked goods has gone down since they moved to the location on Springfield. I ate a stale croissant that was charged as 'Day Old Pastry'. The breakfast sandwiches aren't bad. The macaroons are pretty good too. Unlike most places they pay the staff a living wage (I was told this by someone behind the counter) and don't serve up a tip menu to the customer at the point of purchase. read more

Only problem is it isn't open later! It is a quality bakery. The lunch special is a ton of food. I love that it comes with the fab red pepper soup and cookie. Those tie the meal together. read more

First time here. The latte is one of the best I've had. Love the scone as well will definitely be back read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Latte and blueberry lemon scone. So good! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Worst service by far and no management. Waited over 1 hour fo eggs and bacon and staff was very arrogant with answers read more

I was excited to go to Pekara with a fellow teacher but I was not that sadly impressed today. I had a Banh Mi sandwich and it was not so good. The French bread was too hard (painful to eat!), the pulled pork didn't have enough seasoning and was dry, there was not enough sauce, and the pickled veggies were not the traditional veggies and not as much cilantro as I've had on others. AND it was around $14. --- so I was expecting a quality traditional banh mi. Service was okay--- but my sandwich was just sitting there until I finally asked for it. Ambiance was nice! read more

Very good food. Their breakfast potatoes, YUM! Everyone in our party was pleased. Nice gluten free selections for a family member. Accommodates families with tables that seat 4-10. read more

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

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

Good baked goods and hot breakfast items. Not a dinner place. Nice ambiance and prices are reasonable. Three of us had a brunchy breakfast for $25. read more

I have memories of getting pies and occasionally studying at the Pekara in downtown Champaign so I was excited to check out their new location. My friend and I went here for a brunch date and there were so many options of savory and sweet foods to choose from! We ended up getting a flatbread that they heated up for us, an omelette, and carrot cake to share. I thought their flavors were spot on and we were very full after feasting on these. The environment was very laid back and spacious so my friend and I could catch up with each other without having to worry about being too loud. It's also a prime study location because there's lots of natural light and it was not too crowded when we went. read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

The Springfield location is just down the street from me but I don't go very often. I'm all for supporting local eateries and certainly understand quality ingredients costing more. But many of the items are so overpriced, it keeps me from ordering them, even if they're really good. All that said, I've found the consistency of taste and quality isn't reliable. The quiche is either some of the best you've ever had or dried out and stale tasting. Same goes for the pastries. At this point, Pekara is a special whim visit only for me, whether it's here or downtown. read more

Very good sandwich and soup cafe. Order at front of cafe and it is delivered to your table. I had the smoked salmon on west coast toast. The salmon was very tasty with capers on top. The toast was crunchy and the cream cheese was fresh. Great service and nice atmosphere with available wi fi. They also have pastries and desserts available that looked great although we didn't try any. read more

No complaints! The fries have a nice seasoning, the presentation is cute, and overall the food is good. They also included some orange slices which tasted great :) read more

Pekara Bakery & Bistro - Carmel latte with almond milk + breakfast sandwich w/ avocado added - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

My partner and I visited for the first time this week, ordering a Bistro Lunch, a Beef Au Jus, a cinnamon roll and an iced Americano. We ended up taking a few bites and left, as everything was inedibly bad. In particular the beef was like jerky (as was the chicken in the Lunch) and the Au Jus was pure salt. The cinnamon roll had an odd taste and the frosting was tasteless. The iced Americano arrived at the table with the ice completely melted and was so watered down, after a few sips I couldn't find the point. On top of it all, the food was expensive! Can't justify returning with food this bad and prices that high. A shame because the staff were friendly and I really liked the vibe of the place. read more