As a Champaign-Urbana resident, you’ve likely heard of Hopscotch Bakery + Market. I heard whispers of a quaint corner store selling baked goods and coffee while I was still living in Los Angeles and started following their Instagram from a distance, waiting for the opportunity to indulge in their menu. My opportunity came when I moved back to Urbana this summer (thank you, pandemic?) and immediately became a frequent customer.
My go-to move is to order cinnamon buns, veggie breakfast sandwiches, lemonades, and cookies for my husband and me to share in our parked car on a weekend morning. I eagerly await the day that I’m able to safely visit in person, but until then, I will pick up all my Hopscotch treats curbside.
Photo by Megan Friend.
It was a frigid morning when I sampled my Hopscotch food; therefore, a warm drink was in order.
Photo by Megan Friend.
I got the Daybreak, a drink made with oatmilk, espresso, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, and cocoa. It tasted delicious. It was just the right amount of sweet and had enough espresso to give me the energy needed to devour all the other food.
Keeping with the morning theme, I also ordered the breakfast pretzel, jalapeño artichoke quiche, and a cinnamon bun.
Photo by Megan Friend.
The breakfast pretzel was egg, bacon, and Swiss with cream cheese, sandwiched on a pretzel bun. Flavorful ingredients equal a flavorful sandwich. The eggs were soft and scrambled perfectly. There’s never anything wrong with bacon, and cream cheese is inching its way to the top of my breakfast sandwich ingredients at this point. While I love a pretzel bun, I couldn’t help but wonder (okay, Carrie Bradshaw) if I would have liked it more on brioche. Either way, that didn’t stop me from enjoying it wholeheartedly.
Photo by Megan Friend.
I think the real showstopper for me was the jalapeño artichoke quiche. Had this been presented on The Great British Baking Show, I think it would have gotten a handshake from Paul Hollywood for not having a soggy bottom and achieving such a silky egg filling. I had to stop mid-eat to think aloud how they achieved such silkiness. The jalapeño and artichokes were finely chopped and equally dispersed throughout, so I never got huge chunks of either as I ate. The flavors were there, and they were banging. I want to eat this again soon.
Photo by Megan Friend.
Last but not least, the cinnamon bun. If you are a rookie Hopscotch-er, you’ve likely gone to order a cinnamon bun on a Saturday morning at around 10 a.m. and felt the pang of disappointment when you see they’re sold out. Now we know that to enjoy this decadent bun, you either have to be early or pre-order the night before — which is what I did. I take my cinnamon rolls very seriously.
Hopscotch’s bun itself was easily three inches tall and maybe four inches wide with at least four swirls to the gooey center. The bun was moist (ew, I know, but it’s the best word to describe it) which was good because the absolute last thing I wanted was a dry cinnamon bun. There was just enough cinnamon, brown sugar, and cardamom filling. The cream cheese icing was in perfect proportion: not too much, not too melty, just right. I’d eat this until the cows come home.
If you’re looking for breakfast or lunch, you can find it at Hopscotch. I would run, not walk, if you haven’t been.
Hopscotch Bakery + Market
802 W. John St
Champaign
T-Su 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.