Champaign-Urbana's Favorite Pastries

Baked goods abound in Champaign-Urbana, and some of the best pastries you’ll ever find are among them

Croissants and other breakfast pastries can be found at bakeries throughout Champaign-Urbana

We have long-loved the many unique donuts (or doughnuts) you can find in Champaign-Urbana. You can also find us swooning over cinnamon rolls and really just any desserts in general, since we have what we consider the best of the best here in our community.

When you’re looking for that perfectly fresh and flaky breakfast pastry to go with your coffee, we think this particular quest deserves a list all of its own. Croissants, turnovers, pain au chocolat (or chocolatines or chocolate croissants…), napoleons and more… this branch of baked goods makes our mouths water just writing about them.

Without further ado, here is our list of the best pastries you can find in Champaign-Urbana.

Editor’s note: We have an incredible list of cottage bakeries and vendors you’ll find at nearby farmers markets that sell baked goods, too. For the purposes of this list, we will focus on brick and mortar bakeries you can visit year-round.

Art Mart, Champaign: A popular stop in the heart of Champaign, Art Mart has long been a favorite for connecting with a friend over coffee and a pastry. Many different options available, selection varies daily. We hear they have debuted a butterscotch banana scone that is delectable.

BakeLab, Champaign and Urbana locations: Found on Lincoln Ave. in Urbana and also inside Lodgic on South Neil St., Bake Lab specializes in croissants of all kinds. They even have croissant loaves!

Caffe Paradiso, Urbana: This campus coffee shop serves up some of our favorite lattes in town and also has a delightful bakery selection for you to enjoy alongside your beverage. Parking is very easy in this part of campus, so don’t be deterred to make a run any time of year.

Hopscotch, Champaign: We do love Hopscotch cinnamon rolls but there’s so much more available in the pastry case than that. Their twice-baked almond croissant is a favorite and while many things rotate daily, you’ll usually find the pain au chocolat, too.

The Literary, Champaign: You can almost always find almond croissants at The Literary, along with other options that vary. The Lit is one of our favorite places to head for its “book bar” atmosphere and being able to grab beverages and pastries is an added bonus.

Mad Goat Coffee, Champaign: This large coffee shop in the heart of downtown Champaign serves up delicious beverages alongside rotating pastries. We’ve found strawberry cruffins a couple days a week in the pastry case, but there’s always a great selection, especially in the morning hours.

Paris Baguette, Urbana: Located within H Mart, Paris Baguette specializes in delectable cakes (sold by the slice or by the whole cake), in addition to pastries like the Feuillete au Chocolat. They do a pretty great job staying stocked into the evening hours, too, which is rare for most bakeries.

Prairie Fruits Farm, Champaign: This artisan creamery has a cafe on site where you can find pastries (even savory ones) as you visit the goats. The herd is not always available for viewing; hours may vary.

RegCakes, Savoy: We are proud to have a gluten-free bakery here in Champaign-Urbana thanks to RegCakes. You can order ahead, if you like. The blueberry crumble cake is very good, and who says you can’t have a cupcake for breakfast?

Rick’s Bakery, Urbana: Quite possibly some of the best pastries we can find in Champaign-Urbana, Rick’s Bakery puts together a wide selection of pastries including tarts, chocolate brioche (pictured below), raspberry snails and almond bear claws.

Six Red Chairs, Mahomet: This delightful cottage bakery-turned-brick-and-mortar serves up stellar pastries several days a week now. Try the apple turnover or the chocolatine, but really you can’t go wrong with anything available when you walk up to Six Red Chairs (and they do sell out).

Suzu’s, Champaign: Many savory items on the pastry menu here at this Japanese bakery; we recommend the matcha scones or the mochi cake. You will find a variety of scones here on rotation!

Champaign-Urbana’s Favorite Pastries

Baked goods abound in Champaign-Urbana, and some of the best pastries you’ll ever find are among them

Croissants and other breakfast pastries can be found at bakeries throughout Champaign-Urbana

Looking for more favorite foods around Champaign-Urbana?