The 5 Most Interesting Coffee Shops in Chicago
By Kaylin Evans
Whether you’re a coffee fiend like myself, want an introvert friendly hangout place, or you just can’t get work done without your cat crawling onto your laptop, then you may be in the market for a new coffee shop. And while downtown and the north side are full of them, here are some gems hiding in places you may not look on your own.
Sip and Savor (Bronzeville)
While this coffee shop is a chain, the Bronzeville location is a gem in the heart of a historic south side neighborhood. This black-owned business features an extensive menu of espresso infused drinks sure to help kick you into gear for that last minute thesis you’ll spent hours writing there. The store is elegantly decorated and, instantly transporting you into another world with its dimly lit, low key setting. You’ll feel so relaxed that you may doze off. Better order a Red Eye!
L Cafecito Jumping Bean (Pilsen)
You might miss The L Cafecito Jumping Bean Cafe if you didn’t know it was there. Founded in 2006, the L Cafe is stationed just past the entryway of the Damen Pink Line stop. While the indoor seating is limited, the newly built outdoor space is home to beautifully painted benches and tables for your homework doing pleasure. You could also sit and take in some sunshine while stopping to smell the beautiful flowers planted at the forefront of the establishment. And all of this can be done while snacking on one of the many healthy, organic, and/or vegan options available on the menu, from fruits and protein bars to sandwiches and soups.
Robust Coffee Lounge (Hyde Park)
This coffee lounge is truckstop chic in the best possible way. Shrouded by glass walls, the bright, open space mou’re always met with a friendly face and a multifaceted menu of quirky frozen drinks (I highly recommend The Bullfrog), your typical coffee and tea brews, and their selection of pancakes and Belgian waffles which you can top with a wide array of delicious combinations like strawberries, peanut butter, Nutella, and more. It’s easy to stay in this cafe for hours getting lost admiring the wall art, rifling through the book swap shelf, or just trying to make your way through the extensive drink menu. This iakes for a positive, uplifting feeling as you walk through the door and to the counter. There, ys a perfect, Wi-Fi-enabled place to sit for hours and work, yet a lively social environment that is perfect for just meeting up with a friend. There is truly something for everyone in this shop.
Wormhole (Wicker Park)
The best word to describe this coffee shop is funky. This classic movie-themed cafe will send you decades back with its’ 80s movie and 90s video game memorabilia. This may be your one opportunity to sip a French dark roast with E.T. himself while you work on that English paper under a decommissioned DeLorean with all your favorite Star Wars characters lined up to cheer you on.
Kusanya Cafe (Englewood)
I’m not quite sure what it is about this place that makes it the best. It could be the menu, which boasts smile-inducing names like Bernie Mac and Cheese and Tuna Turner. It could be the aesthetic–rustic, woodsey, and homey. It may very well be the baked oatmeal topped with warm cream, fresh berries, and brown sugar that escalates you to a higher sense of self on contact. But it is more likely the sense of community you can feel as you walk through the doors of the shop. Kusanya may be in a neighborhood most students have been warned against, this shop is working to fight the stigma around low-income communities by providing outstanding opportunities for both social change and personal growth. The cafe hosts weekly free yoga classes for the community and organizes events geared toward the cultivation of the minds of young black men and women. Built from a run-down liquor store by student volunteers, it is a cafe whose history is the only thing richer than its coffee.
These shops offer not only quality brews and beautiful scenery; they are stopping points on a journey of reclaiming neighborhoods and erasing stigmas. Supporting these businesses means supporting the future of Chicago’s underprivileged areas by helping break the negative stigmas about these neighborhoods.