BakeLab Pâtisserie and Café easily takes the cake as Champaign-Urbana’s best bakery, surpassing other local establishments in flavor, texture and novelty with its selection of exceptional baked goods.
The closest location to campus is in the lobby of Yugo Guest Suites on the corner of Lincoln and University avenues. While it’s a bit of a walk, it’s well worth the trip. The small café offers an assortment of freshly-made pastries, with croissants, cookies, cakes, danishes and more. The flagship location is off of South Neil Street, just south of campus.
BakeLab offers classic items like the pain au chocolate or butter croissant, as well as pastries that are hard to find elsewhere, such as canelés — small cakes with chewy, custard-like interiors — or kouign-amanns, croissant-like pastries with flaky, buttery textures and caramelized exteriors.
BakeLab is also known for adding unique flavors to its pastries, such as its pistachio croissant, thai tea caramel canelé or pear brûlée cake. Though some items are a bit pricey, the quality is worth the cost. Anyone looking to treat themselves should make the trip to BakeLab for a pastry that tastes as if it’s straight from a French pâtisserie.
