Fairgrounds Craft Coffee and Tea

I had a deeply disturbing experience at Fairgrounds Coffee and will never be returning. A man who appeared homeless and mentally unwell was loitering inside the shop, loudly yelling offensive and aggressive comments, including repeated attacks on nurses saying they should all be fired. It was extremely disruptive and upsetting for paying customers, especially to myself as a nurse.

I asked the staff if anything could be done. Instead of addressing the behavior or ensuring a safe environment, they brought him water and allowed him to continue on. This felt completely inappropriate and showed a total disregard for customer safety and comfort.

I have never experienced anything like this at a coffee shop in Chicago, and with so many other great options in walking distance you’d think they’d treat their paying customers better.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 1

Small spot along the brown line that's open early. Has a good many available all day with draft coffee pours and pour overs available.

Staff were super friendly and service was quick.

Service: 5

Banana date latte is 10/10

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great place to have coffee and work!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Visiting Chicago and was recommended Fairgrounds to have a good coffee and get some work done. Great drink options and fun vibes. Music was way too loud but aside from that, I’d happily come back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Delicious matcha miel latte. Friendly staff.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Employees are extremely rude and aggressive to teenagers and don’t respect them and assume that they’re only there to cause trouble. A particular employee harassed a few teenagers outside enjoying a public piece of art in Oak Park (for EVERYONE to enjoy, that is not on the property of Fairgrounds) just because they were using the mechanism that plays music.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

ThisFairgrounds is unique in that the quality of the food is quite GOOD! The menu is simple but done nicely - with quality ingredients. As a cook and person who could make all menu items at home, I appreciate this. If I go out for food, this is level of quality I want & this Fairgrounds delivers. It's a nice place to get coffee & breakfast/lunch.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My sister went to this location today and experienced a situation where two homeless men tried to steal her belongings. The staff did not try to intervene or even try to get the men to leave, which it wasn’t even just my sister that they bothered, they bothered another woman also. The staff did not even try to check in with my sister who had been the one bothered by the men. Very disappointed in how the staff handled the situation!

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 5

Service: 1

I don't know how long this place has been open, but it is located right across the street from my office. I've been going there for lunch at least twice a week fairly regularly since they've opened (before the pandemic?) and it used to be OK. The food was made on the premises and was good. You could customize the order and it was all fine. Customer service was always a little iffy -- the same women who normally takes my order twice a week for years never once acknowledges me, or smiles, or thanks me for my being a customer. They need a name and she can't even remember my name -- but I digress. They now have their food made off site so it is all pre-prepared (questionable freshness) and cannot be customized. But the real kicker today was that I had enough points for a free meal. I had a images of this from their chosen website (square) and their system wouldn't accept the points. They kept re-ringing and trying different registers, but nothing. Meanwhile the one person that knows me is in the kitchen staying out of this and the people at the counter are all trying to figure something out without really trying. At a certain point, you just accept the fact the computers aren't working and take care of your customer. Nothing. I walked out. I told them I would be back when they figured it out, but I think I'm done. If you want pre-prepared food and indifferent customer service, this is your place. I'm done.

UPDATE: Three weeks later I receive a response from the owner. I would advise skipping this place and going elsewhere. I've already given this place too many second chances.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 1

As soon as I walked into Fairgrounds, I was excited. A lots of room to work, and I was eager to try something new. I ordered a mango smoothie, and while the person who took my order was friendly, the smoothie itself was underwhelming. For nearly $11, the quality just didn’t match the price and it tasted more like flavored water than a real fruit blend.

After working for a bit, I decided to grab a sandwich and was looking forward to it, until I found out all the food is pre-made offsite and not customizable. As someone who doesn’t eat cheese, I was disappointed that there weren’t any sandwich options without it. When I asked if they could modify an existing sandwich, the answer was a flat no.

For a place in such a competitive area with so many similar cafés, this felt like a major letdown. The space itself is great, but the food options was a disappointment. Great ambiance, but not enough substance to back it up.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 4

I have ordered two times to cappuccinos, but they made are double shot espresso be over burn milk. Croissants almost 3 days old

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 2

It should be a crime to serve a bad coffee. Today (6/26/25), around 8:25am, ordered my usual iced vanilla latte and it tastes horrible! No flavor, just bitter coffee and milk. Do not recommend. Female worker is usually rude and doesn’t speak, literally will not say anything as you’re standing at the counter to make an order (do not know her name but she is usually there by herself).

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

This place is closest to work. Always busy and understaffed. Takes 10 mins to just order. Sometimes they have hot and ready food and sometimes they don’t. Only one person in the kitchen so maybe that’s why. I’m gonna start going somewhere else for morning coffee and breakfast. Too many times of being frustrated here.

Cold Brew was delicious and enjoyed my morning on the sidewalk seating!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5