Where to get a Cronut in Chicago

Jul 8, 2013

La Boulangerie · 915 W Belmont Ave (between Wilton Ave & Clark St) Chicago, IL 60657 · Neighborhood: Lakeview

I guess I wasn’t too surprised that my friends in Chicago had never heard of the Cronut. After all, this croissant-donut hybrid pastry has just recently caught on in Los Angeles after taking New York by storm this past Spring and it seems to be a fad that only foodies have been obsessing over…

Being that I was a tad underwhelmed from my first sampling at California Donuts just a few weeks earlier, I wasn’t particularly looking for it in Chicago, but as fate would have it, the Cronut gods’ had another idea…

The Chicago rain forced me to duck into Le Boulangerie for cover, and while there, I just so happened to discover this French bakery’s delicious croissants, chocolate eclairs, macarons and pastries… among them, The Crognet.

Since the actual name “Cronut” has been trademarked by the French baker who first created them, Le Boulangerie gave them a new name – but you get the general idea… It’s the Cronut in disguise!

These ($5) donut shaped pastries featured all the standard hallmarks of what a Cronut should be; light fluffy layers of croissant dough (to give the height) and sweet syrupy donut-inspired glaze for effect.

I liked the variety they provided here. A simple sugar glaze…

…a chocolate topped version…

…and my personal favorite, the bacon-maple glazed.

Yes, I know it sounds cliché, but the bacon one truly had the best texture and flavor – sweet and salty, crunchy and flaky.

Perhaps Le Boulangerie has restored my faith in these trendy (possibly overrated?) pastries.

This location is located just off the Belmont Brown line stop but there is also another one in Logan Square. Call ahead before you go, just in case they are cro-not in stock.