Au Levain Bakery & Cafe
Bakery · North Center
4301 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
Highlights
Parisian pastries, croissants, danishes, breakfast wraps, coffee
Parisian pastries, croissants, danishes, breakfast wraps, coffee
"On any morning, Au Levain is full of coffee-sipping couples, people grabbing a pre-work pastry, or parents on crumb control duty as their toddler rips into a pain au chocolat. It’s busy for good reason: the pastries at this North Center bakery are excellent. The plain croissants are flaky masterpieces with the ideal sweet-to-buttery ratio and an airy honeycomb interior. Their danishes are equal displays of lamination prowess, from the housemade chorizo and avocado poblano cream to ones with blueberries and lemon curd. And thanks to their sourdough english muffins, you'll be thinking about the sausage egg and cheese even when it's dinnertime." - veda kilaru, john ringor
"Au Levain started out as a pandemic side project-turned-virtual-bakery, but now has a brick-and-mortar spot in North Center. Aside from pastries like croissants and danishes, they also have sausage egg and cheese sandwiches and chorizo wraps." - john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen
"Part bakery and part restaurant, this North Center spot opened just after Thanksgiving and is already making waves. Chef Angel Chavez — whose journey began in his grandfather’s bakery in Mexico City — puts a refined spin on tradition this season. With a consistency similar to panettone, his Rosca de Reyes is made with sweet orange blossom bread and topped with strips of sugar cookie crumble, quince paste, and poached figs. Each rosca serves six to eight people. Place your online order by Friday, January 3." - Brenda Storch
"On any morning, Au Levain is full of coffee-sipping couples, people grabbing a pre-work pastry, or parents on crumb control duty as their toddler rips into a pain au chocolat. It’s busy for good reason: the pastries at this North Center bakery are excellent. The plain croissants are flaky masterpieces with the ideal sweet-to-buttery ratio and an airy honeycomb interior. Their danishes are equal displays of lamination prowess, from the housemade chorizo and avocado poblano cream to ones with blueberries and lemon curd. And thanks to their sourdough english muffins, you'll be thinking about the sausage egg and cheese even when it's dinnertime. photo credit: John Ringor" - John Ringor
"Angel Chavez, the pastry chef at Bistro Campagne in Lincoln Square, uses his employer’s kitchen to bake pastries and pies for his own biweekly pop-up. Key lime, banana cream, and chocolate cream with an Oreo crust, all topped with glorious freshly made whipped cream, are the stalwarts, but check the weekly menu for seasonal specials. Look out: Chavez is close to opening his own bakery." - Ashok Selvam
