The much anticipated cookie chain Crumbl has opened in Champaign. The new Crumbl is located in the plaza along Neil Street in the spot that formerly housed the chain cupcakery Small Cakes. The bakery’s grand opening was last Friday, and it had a long, long line of customers waiting for the doors to open. I went on opening day with my friend Julie who wasn’t sure about Crumbl cookies. Neither of us had tried the cookie brand before, and we wanted to see what the fuss was all about.
The interior of Crumbl was small because most of the shop housed the bakery. Clearly, cookies were made in house. Beyond a glass divider, customers watched the cookie-baking process as workers whipped up fresh cookies.
The place smelled amazing. I saw bakers stirring batches of dough, hand-rolling cookies, and pulling trays of warm cookies from the oven.
On opening day, our Crumbl had a small menu of five cookie flavors (available in regular size or mini), plus banana pudding cups and cookie dough bites.
In addition to a digital menu board, there was a display of cookies in each flavor and size at the register.
I ordered a four pack ($18) with one of every cookie — except the special Guts by Olivia Rodrigo cookie (purple vanilla cookies with berry jam and sprinkles).
The cookie flavors were waffle, lemon, chocolate chip, and chocolate-covered strawberry ($4.50 each in a four-pack or $4.99 individually). They were yummy, but honestly, I thought they’d be bigger. I don’t know! Everybody said they were so big that I was expecting a gigantic cookie. They each had some pizzaz, and they were not small I guess, but they’re about the same size as my two favorite C-U cookies.
Overall, I liked how tall and thick the cookies were, delivering a satisfying chewy bite of warm cookie. I wasn’t crazy about the waffle one. The cookie was simply flavored and waffle-esque because of butter-flavored frosting (scooped like butter on a waffle — adorable) and a dip in the provided maple-flavored corn syrup. I loved the lemon cookie. The bright lemony glaze matched the seriously lemon cookie for an awesome sweet, citrusy bite. The chocolate chip cookie was pretty standard: full of chocolate chunks, buttery, and rich. Lastly, the chocolate-strawberry cookie was my favorite. The dense, fudgy cookie tasted like a brownie, and though no brownie needs more sugar, that punchy strawberry frosting and chocolate drizzle tasted sinfully delicious.
I also ordered a three-pack of minis ($9.99), but there were options for a six-pack ($16.99) or pack of 12 ($29.99). The mini cookies tasted the same as the regular size, but I really did enjoy the mini cookies. It was fun getting to eat a little bit of a cookie without having to commit to full-size or (worse) have a chopped up, crumbled half-cookie. I’d buy the minis again just for the cuteness.
Besides cookies, banana pudding, and cookie dough, Crumbl did have drinks on the menu. The only beverage choices were milk and chocolate milk — fitting for a cookie shop, but as an adult who is meh on milk, I would’ve liked drip coffee as an option.
I’d say Crumbl is worth a try but not if there’s a line. When we went on opening day at open, the line went very slowly with only one person working a register. Because the store was small, they only let in four customers at a time, which kept the line slow-moving. Over time, I expect the wait time to decrease.
The cookies I bought were yummy, and the brand’s theming was cute. The pretty pink boxes made it feel like I was carrying gifts. This cookie shop will be open six days a week. For more information, click to Crumbl’s website here.
Crumbl
2005 Neil St
Champaign
M-Sa 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
