Midwest French Markets

Nice Markey. They are Grench so fresh croissants which I love with butter, plain or for making sandwiches.

Very limited weekend hours, sadly.

They have a crepe stand too.

When I lived in Illinois, I loved this French Farmers Market in Wheaton. It had to be one of my first stops when I came back to town. My favorite memory about this market was buying a huge tropical beach painting from one of the vendors. It was one of my hubby and I's wedding presents to each other.

This time around it was as great as I thought it would be. They have tons of little local vendors selling their crafts, food, popcorn, ice teams, clothes, flowers, jewelry, and home décor.

There's a lot to see and several rows of it. It has a nice location by the train station and steps from Downtown Wheaton.

One thing that I noticed after the fact when I had already been through the market is that they are not dog friendly. My dog was walking all throughout the market with no problem. Than at the end, I see the small sign that says no dogs allowed. I don't understand how that could be the case when this is outside. Either way, no one stopped us with him walking around and it was fine.

Another thing is that there really aren't that many food vendors as I thought that would be. there was a popcorn vendor, a bakery, some coffee, and maybe about 2 or 3 more food vendors. There was not much selection, so if you are hungry just keep that in mind and check out something in downtown Wheaton.

Same thing other people have said: awesome French market, but it gets crazy crowded, especially later in the day. That being said, there are a variety of vendors, from produce and flowers to baked goods to meat to clothing and jewelry to books. It is a pretty stable group of vendors, that is, it's pretty much the same vendors in the same place each time.
Everyone I've met is really friendly. Prices do vary quite a bit from one vendor to another, especially with produce.
Our favorite thing is to ride our bikes over on Saturday morning. There's a fair amount of parking, especially in the garage (across from the DuPage Medical Group building), but it's really easy to bike there since it's right off the prairie path.
Convenient access to downtown Wheaton for whatever else you may need/want (i.e. the library, Carlson's hardware, etc.)

This French Market is everything a French Market should be, so it's very crowded! Here you'll find fresh crepes, beautiful flowers, fruit and vegetables, handcrafted soaps, jewelry, knick knacks, it has it all.

There's 4 aisles of local fare and most of the vendors are friendly, save the jewelry lady who was extra snarky. My top pic for jewelry here is Adorn512. Such a delicate and unique but trendy selection.

About the crowds though. I'd recommend either coming early to avoid them and have first pick of the best produce.

I'm taking one star off simply because it gets PACKED! As in you can't move while attempting to walk through the aisles. And then people bring their kids, strollers, and dogs, and you think all hell is about to break loose.

The assortment of vendors is great though. Flowers, produce, meats, bakery, coffee, jewelry, skincare, etc. It's all there, and it's all beautiful and wonderful. I love it when vendors give out samples - we bought several things we otherwise wouldn't have!

Definitely get there early! By 10am, you could see inventory had already starting to decline. Plenty of other shops and restaurants to visit while your in the area, and a beautiful little walking path by the library as well!

This was perfect on this cool, fall morning. There are great stands with a wide variety of items.

The fresh baked goods are wonderful, a large selection of large and unusually shaped and colored pumpkins, fresh and locally grown fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, some craft items, honey from a local farm, cheeses, popcorn, canned salsas and pickles, homemade jams and jellies, it goes on. I have not yet tried the strawberry banana bread, sounds like it will make a great lunch.

Stop and take a look around. It really is one of the better local farmers markets.

Wow! LOVE this French Market! Plenty of goodies to look at and buy from a variety of vendors:
-several "farmer's market" produce stands overflowing with fresh seasonal fruits & veggies

-several bakeries - both sweet & savory offerings

-homemade canned pickles, dilly beans (pickled green beans, yum!), relishes, sauces & other condiments

-a few folks selling several kinds of CHEESE!

-Many vendors of handcrafted jewelry, handbags & scarves @ affordable prices

-a couple people selling the most gorgeous (and pricey!) hanging baskets and planters (both BIG and small) of flowers and other greenery

-flowers & greens available by the stem/stalk to make your own bouquet

-Several food, ready to eat, vendors as well including the local Pad Thai restaurant, Jolly Posh, a gourmet popcorn stand (White Cheddar & Rosemary Popcorn?!? OMG, YES!), a grilled cheese shop, and others I can't possibly remember.

The earlier you get there the better as there is a lot to see but it's all crammed in a very small area - and once those mommies wielding their double-wide ankle destroyers, um, I mean, strollers, get out & about, it's a bit cramped. I wish it was adjacent to a park so you could take a break from the crowd and sit down to enjoy your lunch, breakfast or snack you will inevitably buy while there. At least there is parking garage next door so parking is a breeze!

Indulge much? I had such a great time choosing my indulgences at this market! And most were within reason. It was a win-win!

We went earlier in the day to avoid the crowds that gather here in downtown Wheaton. But by the time we left, it was getting crowded and the strollers had made their way to the aisles. So yes, come early.

I started making purchases almost immediately. I think that may have been a mistake. Similar vendors had similar products at a lower cost as I moved up and down the aisles. If you have the time, I would encourage you to look at everything and then make your decisions. But if there's a limited supply of things - get it while the getting is good!

Let's talk about some of my favorites...

We tried some honey. It was marvelous! Different honey combos jarred up and ready to go. They even had mini jars available so you could take home a variety. I loved that I could taste the options before I purchased. Thank you, Bron's Bee Honey!!

St. Roger Abbey was there complete with nuns and baked goods. Another win when we ate that chocolate tartlet.

Denny's Acres supplied me with Yukon gold potatoes that I split over two dinners and some gorgeous baby asparagus. They had a nice variety of produce to offer and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase from this local vendor again!

I tried tea from two different vendors. Both were good, but I preferred The Tea House. The gentleman working that booth really knew his stuff and I was sold on the Tea-Vine without even tasting it. I've since tasted it and it's exactly as he described. Nice!

There were at least two meat vendors, but I was wooed by Farm Fresh Foodstuffs. Yet another knowledgable man in the crowd. He had a lot to say and I ended up a big fan after a few minutes of chatting. I bought two different types of bacon. My girlfriend bought ground beef. And it looks like they may be able to help with a raw diet for a special Princess I know. :-)

Hahn's Bakery from Geneva was here. I am already a day of Hahn's, so I was on the hunt for a kitchen sink cookie, but alas they did not bring those for the day. Although, I did hear they were asked by multiple people, so it may make its way into their French Market inventory in the future. You never know... What they did provide were fresh baked pretzel rolls and still warm donuts. No, not warm from the sun...but warm from the onsite fryer. They're making that magic happen on the premises. It was a perfect way to wrap up a delicious morning at the market!

My wife and I had a fun time checking out the farmer's market or French market :) It was nice to get out of the house and check out the fresh food and flowers. It was also nice to explore the sights and smells of the market.

There was a variety of things to examine. We tried some apple doughnuts and cinnamon covered almonds. We tried samples of juice and slices of bread! And oh the flowers, lots and lots of flower! In the end we bought some local honey, a baguette, some of those honey sticks (multiple flavors) and a bottle of juice.

We can't wait to go back, when there are more fresh fruits and veggies!!

This market has a variety of things! From fresh veggies, fresh fruit, fresh crepes, fresh coffee, fresh smiles! Just a lovely place to be on a Saturday morning. Plenty of seating and people are so pleasant.