Boldly traditional. Unapologetically French
French flour and butter. Natural levain. Long fermentation. Dough folded at dawn, baguettes scored before they hit the deck, pastries shaped by hand, sandwiches freshly made, espresso pulled to order.
French bread culture in Chicago, with Chicago coffee culture built in – Sparrow coffee, an open bakehouse, thirty seats, music playing, and plenty of reasons to stay. A little loud, a little irreverent, and unmistakably French.
Pre-order only
Thanksgiving,
the French way.
Your uncle brings the opinions. You bring dessert. For Thanksgiving week we bake a short, very French list: pumpkin tarte with brown butter, apple tarte Tatin, a pecan Paris-Brest, and a brioche loaf for the leftover sandwiches.
Order at the counter by Sunday, November 22. Pick up Thanksgiving morning, from 8AM.
A gift that never goes stale
Croissants still warm, a baguette for the road, a long coffee at the bar facing the ovens. A Guillotine gift card covers all of it, for the amount you choose.
Better than another bottle of wine. Nobody has to pretend to like it.
Buy one online, or at the counter, Thursday to Sunday.
We're hiring a bread baker
Full time. Early mornings, long fermentations, hot ovens, loud music.
Thursday to Sunday
Hours
- Monday — Closed
- Tuesday — Closed
- Wednesday — Closed
- Thursday — 8AM to 2PM
- Friday — 8AM to 3PM
- Saturday — 8AM to 3PM
- Sunday — 8AM to 3PM
Contact
@guillotinebakeryNot your postcard from France
Guillotine started with something simple: we wanted to bring the bread culture we grew up with in France to Chicago.
The kind built around a daily baguette, naturally leavened bread, butter-heavy pastries, fresh sandwiches and a neighborhood bakery that is part of everyday life. We import our flour and butter from France, work with natural leaven and long fermentation, and make everything by hand, every day.
Add Chicago’s coffee culture, Sparrow Coffee and a place to sit and stay awhile.
And France has never been just refinement, white tablecloths and pretty pastries. It is loud, irreverent, opinionated and occasionally revolutionary.
Guillotine is our take on all of it.
The Guillotine way
We bake to revolutionize your experience of French culture
French at the core
Our flour and butter come from France. Not for the flag on the bag, but because they're the ingredients we know, trust, and want to bake with.
Baked in full view
Bread, pastries and sandwiches are made throughout the day in our open bakehouse. Sit at the bar and watch the bakers work right behind the glass. Enjoy the show.
More than a bakery run
Grab a baguette on your way home, stop in for lunch, or settle in with a pastry and a cup of coffee. Thirty seats, music on, ovens going. Stay five minutes or stay awhile.
The founders
Three Frenchies walk into Chicago
All three from France. They came to Chicago with a baguette-a-day habit and no intention of toning it down.
