Petite Provence Boulangerie & Patisserie

What a delightful breakfast! The food, the service, and the ambience each exceeded my expectations. I will come back again.

We are obsessed with their olive bread and buy loaves weekly. I've never been a bread person, even when living in Italy, but their olive bread is so incredibly yummy; light, airy, a bit chewy and flavorful. If freshly baked they have a nice crunchy crust. I'm a bread-head now and would eat a loaf daily if possible.
PPB is a popular location on Alberta St. We love the neighborhood. We haven't tried anything other than the olive bread. We buy them 2-3 at a time. I pre-order, eat one fresh, and always have 1-3 in our freezer. They thaw great! We are totally addicted.
Please, please don't change your recipe!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delish!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Croissant

Perfect, cozy lunch spot and delicious food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Baked Eggs a La Francaise

This place is run like a conveyer belt. Long line, and you better know what you want when you get to the counter or you’ll get an eye roll, push you along to the register and they’re done with you without a thanks. It’s busy and I get that, but just the slightest bit of warmth in the chaos would make all the difference. Their food is great and worth the unpleasantness of everything else.

Vegetarian options: No vegan options

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Pastries, Bakery

Such a great menu!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I recently visited this place with high hopes of indulging in classic French pastries and a delightful brunch experience. While parts of the visit were enjoyable, the overall impression was underwhelming, especially for a vegetarian.

The highlight of the meal was the croissant sandwich, which was the saving grace of the experience. It was well-prepared, with flaky layers and a balanced filling that showcased the café’s potential. However, the pistachio croissant was a complete letdown. Instead of the light, buttery, and nutty delight I anticipated, it was chewy, dense, and lacked flavor—a far cry from the traditional French pastry it aimed to replicate.

The rest of the menu items, including the coffee and avocado toast, were average at best. The coffee lacked depth and richness, while the avocado toast, though visually appealing, was uninspired in flavor. It felt like the café’s focus might be more suited to non-vegetarian offerings, as the vegetarian options didn’t stand out in terms of creativity or taste.

That said, the ambiance and service were excellent. The staff was friendly and attentive, and the décor created a charming and cozy atmosphere, perfect for a leisurely brunch. It’s clear that the café has potential, but the execution of some menu items—especially the pastries—needs refinement.

For non-vegetarians, this spot might offer more compelling options, but as a vegetarian, I left feeling that the experience was average overall. If I were to return, it would be for the ambiance rather than the food.

Vegetarian options: Vegetarian option not listed was the veggie croissant sandwich which we ordered

Dietary restrictions: But not very many veg options

Parking: No parking lot

Kid-friendliness: Yes

Wheelchair accessibility: No

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Croissant

I’m not one to usually leave reviews. But I used to really love coming here and having breakfast/brunch. But the service here is horrible now (for dine in) I only recommend coming here for take out. The service is beyond slow. Servers here don’t seem to care about the tables they have. We waited 20 minutes just for the check. I understand it can get busy, but there is no urgency whatsoever. Yes the people here are nice but that’s it.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 1

Recommended dishes: Pastries, Croissant

I pop in here about once a year, because it's super close to a regular appointment that I have, but I really should stop popping in here. On roughly half of my visits, they almost go out of their way to make me feel unwelcome. A couple of years back, one of the weird twin owners yelled at me for standing in the wrong line - like glared and literally yelled - and yesterday I was treated like I'd asked for something insane when I asked if I could have my coffee and cake at the counter instead of to-go. I guess they just looked at my Costco jacket and assumed "this one's to go"? I've worked a lot of service jobs, and I don't for a minute think it's the staff's fault. There's not much you could do to keep morale up with owners like that.

The pastries are fine. They're about 10% better than what you'd get out of a Whole Foods pastry case, and about 50% worse than what you'd get from Twisted Croissant. The lattes and such are also just fine, roughly on par with a Pete's or Starbucks. The entrees would be impressive if you encountered them in O'Hare, but up against other brunches even just along Alberta, they're also nothing to write home about.

I gotta remember to stop giving this place another chance.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 1

this is a really nice morning spot! whether you're looking for a big breakfast or just pastries and coffee, everything is delicious and the atmosphere and staff are welcoming. we love this place! (PS, the lunches here are great too)

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Croissant with Jam and Cappuccino, Pastries, Baked Eggs a La Francaise, Croissant, Bakery, Eggs Benedict Croissant

This place is a joke. I have had a decent meal here once after three tries and it was the most basic scrambled eggs, potatoes and toast for $20+. Shari’s does a better job for about half the price. Also the service is awful, the management is awful and the overall experience is awful. I truly think anyone who loves this place needs help. If you want to pay over $20 per person for lukewarm and completely average food, and you want to wait for at least an half an hour to get it, this place is for you. Pathetic.

Parking: Street parking only and it can be a challenge to find anything close. Definitely going to be walking a couple blocks at busy times.

Wheelchair accessibility: Tables are close together and, overall, they are really not set up for wheelchairs. Also they have no elevator to get upstairs. Bathrooms seem big enough but are not set up specifically for wheelchair access.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 2

Amazing and consistent!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Pastries, Corned Beef Hash, Ultimate Polenta, Croissant

Perfect breakfast.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Pastries, Croissant

Food is good. Wine selection is good. Service is fine, but not the friendliest. Might have been just an off day.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 3

My 8 year old was impressed and wanted to leave a review. It was great! Cinnamon roll and hot chocolate. Would recommend water with the food.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5