Au Levain Bakery & Cafe

I discovered this place while driving from work, so I decided to stop by for a nice lunch. The customer service started off badly as this guy ( image below with glasses) didn't take interest in taking my order. Not a "Hello, welcome." I ordered a sausage sandwich and a croissant to begin my review. So far, the croissant had a buttery soft flavor that it was a bit pricey than what they sell at starbucks! The sausage egg sandwich took a surprise twist as it had a giant cooked sausage. The taste was quite delicious, but not necessary to eat, especially for a small breakfast! To sum it all up, this place has earned 3/5 stars for the disappointment of customer service. I know this place just opened, but i expect better than that. They need to train their employees effectively or hire new ones with customer service skills to help gain more customers and make them feel welcome, especially those who are new like me.

Learned about this bakery from a friend last week. Tried it this morning with another friend for brunch. Food was delicious. Pastries were light and flaky. Egg sandwich was nice balance of sausage, egg, cheese, and buttery sourdough. We arrived around 10:30 Sunday morning and a lot of the goods were sold out. Father and son waited on us and were courteous. Very clean. Will definitely go back to try other baked goods.

I was so excited to see Au Levain open a brick and mortar store after enjoying their pastries at the Lincoln Square farmers market this summer! The interior is so cute, the green ceiling is very pretty and the windows let in so much light. My friend and I got the cinnamon roll and the kouign-amann with apple butter and brie. They were both delicious, I would definitely re-order them. We also got lattes and they were good as well, but the pastries were absolutely the star of the show! I’m excited to come back and try everything else on the menu :)

Service was great. Ordered the lox muffin and cajeta latte, amazing! The muffin was fresh, soft and it’s a generous amount. And the cajeta latte was delicious, not too sweet and perfect temperature (didn’t go cold quick). Been a costumer for over a year, so I’m so happy to have them in the neighborhood!

A great little spot. They have a good selection of coffees, and some incredible pastries. Best pistachio escargot I’ve had outside of France!

This bakery is awesome! So glad they opened this spot. The location is great, and the bakery itself is amazing; you've gotta try it. It gets a little crowded, but it's totally worth it.

Came here for the first time today to try the goods. Got the ham & cheese croissant in lieu of an absent pan au chocolat. It was delicious, I love the mustard which made it zesty. I also saw a pack of sourdough english muffins that looks so moist. I got myself a bag. They were outstanding! I ate one by itself, I couldn’t stop biting on it after tasting it. I had my 2nd just with butter, so yummy. Hope it’s a regular item.

We had the breakfast sandwich, the pistachio chocolate escargot, and the Reuben croissant. All 3 were INCREDIBLE! We’ll be back!

I love that Au Levain has a permanent storefront now! This store is full of light and is a space I could spend a few hours in. I popped in on a sunny winter day and did all but curl up in the sunshine after enjoying my breakfast wrap. It was so good! I loved the presentation and that they automatically included sour cream and two salsas. Thank you for using real dishes! The breakfast wrap was beautifully balanced. I got a little bit of everything in each bite. Bacon, egg, cheese, hash brown, avocado...it was really lovely. I am so excited to go back soon to try more menu options and a latte! Parking is paid on Lincoln, but if you just go on any of the side streets you'll likely find free non-permit parking.

This is a new trendy baker in the North Center neighborhood on Lincoln Avenue. There is a lot to like about this place, but some things that need improvement or I wish would change. I've visited twice and on my two trips I got a hot latte (they brew Sparrow Coffee), a babka (my first visit) and their breakfast warp. (My second visit). The Pros: The quality of the food is excellent, at least their baked goods are. The babka I bought on my first visit was delicious, even after a walk and car ride home in the cold weather. I felt for the price, seven dollars, it was good value, given its size. The breakfast wrap that I ordered was good, but excellent. The ingredients were fresh and yummy, but a bit on the small size for the price. They have good coffee. Sparrow is very good coffee and it was nice to find it so close to home. The latte itself was good, not great. They have a good atmosphere. The place is laid back and I didn't get any air of pretentiousness. The Cons: First, it's expensive and I question the value of a seven dollar croissant. I have not tried the croissant yet, but I want to in the future to see if it's worth it. Second, once they run out of something, they don't make any more. The first time I went I got there around 11:00 am and they were already out of croissants. While I liked my babka a lot, that was not what I wanted to order. Third, they don't have ice coffee drinks. I wanted an iced latte, but all they had was a hot one. Not a deal breaker, but it left me surprised and disappointed. Lastly, service was good, not great. On first trip, the person who helped me seem anxious, stressed and curt. On my second trip the staff member who help was nice, but not exceptional. Overall, all service average out to be good. In sum, this is a very good bakery and I look forward to trying more of their pastries and savoy breakfast dishes. It is place you should visit. However, I wish they had iced coffee drinks, would make their pastries bigger (to justify the price) and make more of what they sell so I don't have to get there super early just to buy a croissant.

Au Levain is a welcomed cafe to the neighborhood. The croissant was next level delicious and the breakfast wrap was tasty. I had a small coffee and it was excellent. The space is minimal and it's basically counter service. The staff were friendly and the owner was present. I think it was a little pricey, $27 for a pastry, wrap and coffee with a tip. High quality food and a quiet atmosphere makes it worth the splurge.

I was tried the ham & cheese croissant and it was zesty-licious. I also grabbed a pack of sourdough english muffins and were outstanding! So luscious.

New bakery on the block! Exciting to see what they come up with next. I got a delicious pistachio escargot and a small coffee. I tried their cinnamon rolls before when they were a pop up and really enjoyed them. I will come back for sure and try other things on their menu. The only bad side is that they're closed early in the week but that makes sense.

Au Levain deserves 10/5 stars. Exceptional quality food, ambiance, coffee, service. A great example of how beautiful a coffee shop can be, definitely a spot other coffee shop peers should visit. New favorite neighborhood spot!

Hot damn, this is some good pastry! (And I consider myself a connoisseur of sorts). I would go as far as to say this is the best I've had outside of France. Stunning lamination that shatters exquisitely upon first bite. Do not eat it in your car - you've been warned. I popped in on a Saturday morning around 8:30 and it was empty - why? I do not know. This place is one viral tiktok away from having a line around the block. I grabbed a lemon blueberry Danish and an raspberry almond croissant. Both were still warm. Is this heaven? Seriously, what a gift to have in our neighborhood.

Amazing - one of if not the best in the city for sure. Everything made here is just downright delicious. The croissants are so flavorful and they always are experimenting with various new flavors each day that it's always worth return visits. Your only problem will be deciding what to get. My personal favorite is the chocolate croissant which I strongly believe is far and away the best in Chicago. they have also been expanding their breakfast menu to include other items such as breakfast wraps / sandwiches, burrito, and strawberry French toast. All phenomenal. Coffee is Sparrow, which if you're a coffee fan you also know is fantastic. Really only down side of this place is that it's pricey. But given the quality and local nature of the business it's totally worth supporting.

This is not affiliated with the bakery of a similar name in West Loop. I recently learned about this microbakery/virtual bakery and wanted to give it a try. I think it's called micro/virtual because it's not a place with a physical location of its own--it uses the space of Due Lire restaurant on Sunday morning. You can place orders via the website by Friday evening and you'll be able to pick up on Sunday at this location. They do have extra pastries made and available to purchase on site, but they may run out and close early, so if you want to be certain to get what you want you should order ahead or be here when they open. I'd never heard of a chorizo danish, but I needed to taste it. And it was pretty good! The pastry itself was fantastic--flaky and buttery as it should be. The topping included some chorizo, cheese, and an avocado topping as well. It was huge, so you've been warned. I also had to pick up a kouign amann since that's my favorite pastry, and they make it with brie and applesauce. It was so good--the chef knows his way around laminated dough--and the applesauce was too good. Really was more like apple butter. I also got a tin of cookies and they were ok, but not what I'd come back for. The linzer cookies were probably the best but I'd find my gingerbread men elsewhere. There's parking on the street along Lincoln if you're driving, and there's a parking lot across the street as well. Depending upon when you come, it may be empty since it's quiet in the neighborhood at some times on Sunday. The baked good are sold through the window, so if you see a line that's probably what it is. But they're cashless so be prepared to pay for your food via Zelle or Venmo.

I finished a run and headed over to DueLire in hopes of picking up a few treats. I hadn't preordered and couldn't find what time the ability to try for the leftovers started, but I tried my luck. The door was locked but they heard me try the door and came out. They said they don't open up for 30 minutes, but were kind enough to sell to me early through the pickup window. I bought three danish to split with my house guest. The elote, flan parisien and cherry kouigh amann. All were wonderful. The elote was the most surprising as I didn't know what to expect. Loved the kick of flavor. The berries of the flan parisien tasted like they were just picked. All were light and delicious.

The Nutella Babka may be one of the best pastries I have ever had. The croissant is also very, very good and the English muffins were delicious if a little heavy. But the Babka will have me thinking about it for some time

My wife and I stopped in today to grab a latté, espresso and cheesecake. Everything was really delicious and the service was so friendly. The cheesecake was amazing and had a very beautiful toasted top on it, which was similar to the cheesecakes I had in Basque Country in Spain. One of the best I've ever had. I hope this place does great and I can't wait to keep coming back to try new menu items!!

Purchased three pastries that were recommended to me. They were each gorgeous and delicious. I can't wait to go back and try other options. The cafe is adorable and a great addition to the neighborhood.

Outstanding pastries! They are the best I have had outside of Europe and by far, the best in Chicago.

OMG, they have various pastries and croissants, but the plain butter croissant was one of the best I've had in the US!