Chicago is a blessedly caffeinated city, not just thanks to the plethora of coffee behemoths planted on every corner—hello, Starbucks and Peet’s—but also thanks to the lovely local coffee shops that adorn our city storefronts.
In the spirit of promoting Chicago’s finest bean slingers, then, we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite local shops, most with plenty of character, to find a great cup of joe.
Brew Brew Coffee
3832 W. Diversey Ave.
A group of siblings opened this cute, cultivated shop in Avondale in 2014, and Brew Brew opened its second location, this one in Pilsen, this fall. The cafe pours Metropolis coffee and offers a selection of local pastries.
Build Coffee
6100 S. Blackstone Ave., 773-627-5058
This cozy new space—intimate with bookshelves and exposed brick walls— in Woodlawn goes beyond coffee beans, hosting performances and events from local artists and offering a curated selection of books and zines for sale. The coffee, from HalfWit roasters, is pretty good too.
Cafe Jumping Bean
1439 W. 18th St., 312-455-0019
Now in its 23rd year in Pilsen, this neighborhood classic roasts its own special blend of beans from Chicago’s Coffee and Tea Exchange. The vibrant cafe also serves sandwiches and adorns its walls with local art
Caffe Streets
1750 W. Division St., 773-278-2739
A modern coffee bar in Wicker Park, Caffe Streets serves Metric coffee within some lustrous bamboo walls—a continuous, parallel grain looks super-sleek—and a recessed ceiling that resembles a cappuccino swirl.
City Newsstand
4018 N. Cicero Ave., 773-545-7377
Come to this gem in Portage Park for the coffee (from Uncommon Grounds); stay for the exquisite selection of publications and periodicals, a collection that is second-to-none in the city and can easily occupy one’s mind for hours, especially paired with some tasty joe.
Colectivo
2530 N. Clark St., 773-687-8078
The first Chicago location of Milwaukee’s main coffee crush came to Lincoln Park earlier this year and boasts probably the best, biggest outdoor patio on this list. They also have a full cafe menu, and both cold brew and beer on tap (you read that right).
Common Cup
1501 W. Morse Ave., 773-338-0256
This cute neighborhood spot in Rogers Park brews Counter Culture coffee and serves a scrumptious selection of pies.
Currency Exchange Cafe
305 E. Garfield Blvd., 773-855-9163
Situated in the heart of Washington Park, this coffee shop in an actual renovated currency exchange is also a restaurant that serves “a modern pairing of Southern Soul and Mexican Spice,” per its website, and brews up Back of the Yards Coffee Co. beans.
Ellipsis Coffeehouse
1259 W. Devon Ave., 773-654-1589
This simple coffee shop comes from a local husband-and-wife pair, serving up Counter Culture coffee in a rather simple space, with exposed brick and deep red painted walls providing pops of character.
Fairgrounds Coffee & Tea
1620 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-770-3444
Fairgrounds is perfect for picky coffee consumers, as the shop takes a bar-esque approach to coffee, giving you the chance to not only pick your roast or blend, but your roaster as well. Local favorites like Dark Matter, Metropolis, Colectivo and more all come either via made-to-order pour over or cold brew straight off the tap.
Growling Rabbit
5938 N. Broadway, 773-654-1444
Going beyond coffee, this Edgewater spot is a full on “brunch pub, supper club,” per its website, with food options from waffles to tacos to omelets and most items in between, served in a new, larger space. Growling Rabbit gets its beans from Big Shoulders in Chicago.
Ipsento
2035 N. Western Ave., 773-904-8177
A modern, comfortable coffee shop up in Bucktown, Ipsento sources its own beans and also offers a small selection of breakfast items like sandwiches and pastries.
Intelligentsia
3123 N. Broadway, 773-348-8058
This sleek, starkly colored space was the flagship location for Chicago roaster Intelligentsia, and it still serves cup of coffee that’s as lovely as it is tasty. The location has also added more seating, including a bar area, in recent years.
Heritage Bicycles
2959 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-245-3005
The Heritage coffee shops specialize in two things: bikes and coffee. We’re only concerned with the one you can drink, and we can report that these bikers know good coffee, pouring up their own brand of beans in a clean white space.
Jackalope Coffee & Tea House
755 W. 32nd St., 312-888-3468
Something like Bridgeport’s banner coffee shop, Jackalope is as creative as its mythical namesake, with a vibrant interior and cups of Counter Culture coffee.
Kibbitznest
2212 N. Clybourn Ave., 773-360-7591
Leave your laptop behind when heading to this Lincoln Park spot—Kibbitznest eschews modern electronics for a quiet, library-esque space that caters to the printed word with a bookstore and book bar. The shop also serves food and pours Peet’s coffee.
Kopi Cafe
5317 N. Clark St., 773-989-5674
Space is a bit tight at this quirky Andersonville shop, but it has plenty of charm to go around, boasting walls bursting with books and a back area that’s actually a boutique. Kopi serves coffee from the Coffee and Tea Exchange.
Metropolis Coffee Company
1039 W. Granville Ave., 773-764-0400
The only storefront location from one of the city’s most popular roasters, Metropolis’s Edgewater location is a pretty standard coffee shop, serving its own beans and a pastry selection from the counter.
Osmium
1117 W. Belmont Ave., 773-360-7553
Dark Matter’s Lakeview location specializes in espresso and rotating, hand-crafted specialty beverages and offers a selection of baked goods within its iridescent-blue walls adorned with surrealist art.
Perkolator Coffee
6032 W. Irving Park Road, 773-853-2261
Despite the name, Portage Park’s Perkolator Coffee does not store its coffee in any old-school percolators, but the space has plenty of retro character, with a tin ceiling, mustard-yellow walls and a large blackboard menu. It serves Metropolis coffee and a selection of breakfast items.
Plein Air Cafe
5751 S. Woodlawn Ave., 773-966-7531
The floor-to-ceiling windows of this expansive- all-white cafe brighten it up in a beautiful way, and loads of lush greenery add a lovely punctuation. For its drip coffee and espresso, Plein Air uses Four Letter Word, while its cold brew comes from Metric.
Portage Grounds
5501 W. Irving Park Road, 773-930-3693
This modern, well-lit shop in Portage Park features an indoor fireplace for cool weather and an outdoor patio for the warm. Grounds stocks its beans from Passion House and donuts from Do-Rite.
Royal Cafe
6764 N. Sheridan Road, 773-761-8100
Stop by this Rogers Park spot to find single-origin Ethiopian Coffee from Royal’s own Royal Coffee. Inside, the space evokes a diner, with a checkered-tile floor and two-tops and booths lining the walls, and it also serves Ethiopian breakfast.
Sawada
112 N. Green St., 312-754-0431
World-renowned barista and latte artist Hiroshi Sawada’s inky, industrial-chic space has a ping pong table, pinball machine and punching bag, plus a painted espresso machine cranking out espressos and matcha-based beverages.
Smack Dab Bakery
6730 N. Clark St., 872-241-9111
Along with egg sandwiches on biscuits and other baked goods, Smack Dab serves coffee from HalfWit roasters in its quaint Rogers Park location.
Spoke and Bird
205 E. 18th St., 929-263-2473
This small shop in the South Loop feels like an airy bistro inside, but the big attraction is its enormous 100-plus-seat outdoor patio. Oh, and the coffee, which comes from Counter Culture.
Spoken Cafe
1812 W. Montrose Ave., 773-769-2000
This charming Ravenswood cafe feels like it could be someone’s living room, only the coffee—from Counter Culture and Milwaukee’s Kickapoo—is probably much better.
Star Lounge
2521 W. Chicago Ave., 773-384-7827
This funky, lively shop from Dark Matter is anchored by an extra-long coffee counter and also boasts an outdoor patio that’s dog-friendly. Word to the newbies: the music is much louder than the Maroon 5 albums playing at your local ‘Bucks.
Wormhole Coffee
1462 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-661-2468
True to its Wicker Park locale, Wormhole is a bit of an eccentric spot, with plenty of fun, nostalgic decorative items (a model Millennium Falcon and a shell of a DeLorean, for instance) bringing life to the semi-rustic space. The coffee is good too, from Halfwit Roasters.
@lucheezy | adlukach@redeyechicago.com
