Great Coffee shop serving up traditional Italian coffee. Love their lattes. Quick Service and Extremely friendly staff. The seating in the actual cafe is limited but there is some more dimly lit seating in the adjacent lobby. They also have some lovely patio seating outside. Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible cafe and restrooms. The staff always offers to help me carry my latte to the table (I'm a wheelchair user) which I appreciate. Non-dairy milk is available. They also support the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation along with some other organizations so with every strong cup of coffee you're also supporting some great organizations too.
Mayuri A.
Easily my favorite small business cafe in Chicago. It's a small cafe and when you enter, you won't see any seating and would be confused, but there's an alley connected to this cafe with tons of seating. Their coffees are great! My favorite is the Cafe Al Pepe. It's a spicy coffee beverage and is very interesting. I also love the pesto flaky pastry they have. It's mostly out of stock as it is high in demand and they restock the food everyday. The ambience is casual. The alley seating makes you think like you are in Europe. There is no service as such as you have to place an order at the counter and collect the coffee and food back at the counter once they call your name. The baristas are friendly and will help you out with your orders.
Michelle Boston
Not sure the name of the barista who served us on 2/24/24 but he was so delightful and our honey cinnamon lattes were OUTSTANDING!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Christina R.
Great coffee! Exactly what I was looking for! Pastries look great had an almond croissant but definitely will be back to try more!
Mark Hollander
Maybe the best place for an espresso downtown.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tamara
Cozy spot with incredibly friendly service. I’m not a fan of dark roast coffee, which is what they specialize in, so I don’t love their coffee (very bitter), but that’s on me. They have a great selection of specialty espresso drinks. The café al Pepe is my favorite. I also appreciate that they usually have a vegan banana nut muffin option. Overall, really great local spot.Vegetarian options: They have vegan pastry options but they’re not labeled. Just ask!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Rachel B.
I enjoyed the cappuccino al cacao. I thought maybe it would be something special compared to a regular cappuccino but I'm pretty sure it was just your standard cappuccino. It was still good. There is pretty limited seating in the shop but there is a quaint little lobby with additional tables and seating. This was a nice place to stop into on a chilly day.
A
Been here a few times, and its always great. On this visit I got the iced lavender latte, it was so good. The coffee is strong and smooth, not bitter at all. The lavender was strong enough to give good flavor. Everyone is always friendly, and quick.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tanner Crampton
Very cute coffee shop. Very small on the inside. Spent 14 dollars for two coffees a 12oz and 16oz. Nothing special. They only had pastries and very limited amount. I would count on this place for any breakfast.I love lavender so I would recommend the lavender latte or Matcha latte half sweet. The full amount of flavor is very sweet
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 4
Lisa L.
Coffee was good and definitely on the stronger side which we liked. Three sizes to choose from. The staff were nice and our drinks were prepared quickly!
I tried a latte with whole milk, and I have mixed feelings about it. While I found the flavor of the coffee to be okay overall, I must admit that I wasn't overly impressed. However, I found the overall quality of the coffee to be rather mediocre. It didn't have that "wow" factor that I was hoping for. It lacked that extra touch of excellence that separates a good coffee from an exceptional one. The baristas at this coffee place were friendly and helpful. In conclusion, my experience with the latte at this coffee place was a 3/5. The friendly baristas, enticing menu, and convenient bar seating make it a good choice for a quick pick-me-up, but if you're seeking an exceptional coffee experience, you might want to explore other options.
Emilie W.
Delicious coffee & a go-to when we visit Chicago. I got an iced latte and loved the flavor of the coffee. Highly recommend.
wonderboy8
Everything is great. One of the best coffee places along with their tea lattes. Fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Culin
Everything is great. One of the best coffee places along with their tea lattes. Fantastic.
Great Coffee shop serving up traditional Italian coffee. Love their lattes. Quick Service and Extremely friendly staff. The seating in the actual cafe is limited but there is some more dimly lit seating in the adjacent lobby. They also have some lovely patio seating outside. Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible cafe and restrooms. The staff always offers to help me carry my latte to the table (I'm a wheelchair user) which I appreciate. Non-dairy milk is available. They also support the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation along with some other organizations so with every strong cup of coffee you're also supporting some great organizations too.
Easily my favorite small business cafe in Chicago. It's a small cafe and when you enter, you won't see any seating and would be confused, but there's an alley connected to this cafe with tons of seating. Their coffees are great! My favorite is the Cafe Al Pepe. It's a spicy coffee beverage and is very interesting. I also love the pesto flaky pastry they have. It's mostly out of stock as it is high in demand and they restock the food everyday. The ambience is casual. The alley seating makes you think like you are in Europe. There is no service as such as you have to place an order at the counter and collect the coffee and food back at the counter once they call your name. The baristas are friendly and will help you out with your orders.
Not sure the name of the barista who served us on 2/24/24 but he was so delightful and our honey cinnamon lattes were OUTSTANDING!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great coffee! Exactly what I was looking for! Pastries look great had an almond croissant but definitely will be back to try more!
Maybe the best place for an espresso downtown.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cozy spot with incredibly friendly service. I’m not a fan of dark roast coffee, which is what they specialize in, so I don’t love their coffee (very bitter), but that’s on me. They have a great selection of specialty espresso drinks. The café al Pepe is my favorite. I also appreciate that they usually have a vegan banana nut muffin option. Overall, really great local spot.Vegetarian options: They have vegan pastry options but they’re not labeled. Just ask!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I enjoyed the cappuccino al cacao. I thought maybe it would be something special compared to a regular cappuccino but I'm pretty sure it was just your standard cappuccino. It was still good. There is pretty limited seating in the shop but there is a quaint little lobby with additional tables and seating. This was a nice place to stop into on a chilly day.
Been here a few times, and its always great. On this visit I got the iced lavender latte, it was so good. The coffee is strong and smooth, not bitter at all. The lavender was strong enough to give good flavor. Everyone is always friendly, and quick.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very cute coffee shop. Very small on the inside. Spent 14 dollars for two coffees a 12oz and 16oz. Nothing special. They only had pastries and very limited amount. I would count on this place for any breakfast.I love lavender so I would recommend the lavender latte or Matcha latte half sweet. The full amount of flavor is very sweet
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 4
Coffee was good and definitely on the stronger side which we liked. Three sizes to choose from. The staff were nice and our drinks were prepared quickly!
Restaurantji Recommends
I tried a latte with whole milk, and I have mixed feelings about it. While I found the flavor of the coffee to be okay overall, I must admit that I wasn't overly impressed. However, I found the overall quality of the coffee to be rather mediocre. It didn't have that "wow" factor that I was hoping for. It lacked that extra touch of excellence that separates a good coffee from an exceptional one. The baristas at this coffee place were friendly and helpful. In conclusion, my experience with the latte at this coffee place was a 3/5. The friendly baristas, enticing menu, and convenient bar seating make it a good choice for a quick pick-me-up, but if you're seeking an exceptional coffee experience, you might want to explore other options.
Delicious coffee & a go-to when we visit Chicago. I got an iced latte and loved the flavor of the coffee. Highly recommend.
Everything is great. One of the best coffee places along with their tea lattes. Fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Everything is great. One of the best coffee places along with their tea lattes. Fantastic.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really good quality coffee.