Pekara is a bakery/bistro in downtown Champaign. The ambiance is a bit utilitarian on the inside--basic tables and chairs, stations with silverware, and other stations with places to bus your dishes when you’re done. There is a cute little patio out the back, but it isn't usable at this time of year. You order at the counter and then they bring the food to your table once it is prepared. So you don't go to Pekara for the ambiance, you go for the food.

This was my first visit to the restaurant and I must say it won't be my last. There were many tasty-looking items in the cases--too many to try on one visit. I had a pick-two lunch special. My side salad (Asian Chicken) was HUGE for a side salad. (And the waiter who delivered it said that if I'd ordered the salad as a main dish it would have been even bigger!) The lettuce was fresh, crisp Romaine. It was topped with mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, crispy chow mein noodles, grilled chicken, and a ginger dressing. The salad was even better than it sounds. I will admit to being a bit dubious about the ginger dressing, but it was delicious as well.

For my main dish, I had quiche Lorraine. The quiche was good, but a bit heavy. My friend had the Asian Chicken Salad and a Prosciutto (an Italian ham) and Swiss crepe. I tried the crepe and it was excellent. Next time I go, I'm ordering that.

For dessert Pekara offers a range of pastries, cookies, and brownies, but we ordered two dessert crepes and split them so we could sample. The first was chocolate and banana (served with Nutella--a hazelnut chocolate spread, bananas, whipped cream and walnuts) and the second was a berry concoction with blueberries, strawberries and cream cheese spread. Both were really good and I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite. In fact, alternating bites brought the chocolaty goodness to the berries as well, so I recommend sharing so you can sample more than one.

The dessert crepes were large enough that we could have shared a single serving. My quiche was normal sized, but my friend’s savory crepe was also quite big and she took half of it home in a box.

All this goodness came at a quite reasonable prize. The pick twos were $6.99 apiece and the dessert crepes were $4.49 each.

Other menu items include sandwiches, heated croissants, and pizza, so even finicky kids ought to find something on the menu to enjoy. The casual atmosphere also makes it conducive to bringing kids. I intend to take mine to try it as soon as possible. There is a Pekara crepe calling my name.



Pekara is located at 116 N. Neil, Champaign and is open from 7 am to 10 pm daily.