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Photograph: Belen Aquino

The 30 best coffee shops in Chicago

No matter your tastes, these shops will deliver the sweet jolt of caffeine you crave.

Written by
Morgan Olsen
Contributors
Emma Krupp
&
Jeffy Mai
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The best coffee in Chicago offers so much more than a mere caffeine jolt. From community-centric neighborhood cafes to sleek third-wave joints serving pour-overs and coffee tonics, Chicago's coffee scene offers enough diversity to suit the needs of every java fiend. Grab a cup brewed by nationally-lauded roasters like Dark Matter Coffee and Intelligentsia, indulge your sweet tooth with creative flavored lattes or post up in a homey café with a book and linger awhile—in many cases, you can even pair your cup with pastries from some of the best bakeries in Chicago. Next time you're looking for things to do in Chicago, consider a caffeine-fueled field trip to the best coffee shops in Chicago. 

RECOMMENDED: Discover more of the best restaurants in Chicago

Top coffee shops in Chicago

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • New City

There’s only one roast on the menu at Sputnik Coffee Company—a roaster and cafe based out of Back of the Yards—and it’s so good we’re willing to bet you won’t regret the lack of options. Made from a medium roast blend of Brazilian, Colombian and Indonesian beans, Sputnik’s singular coffee is smooth, fragrant and a little chocolatey, with a price point that’s far more approachable than most of its small-batch counterparts. Swing by the Back of the Yards cafe for a cup served in the shop’s signature bright red mugs, or look for bagged coffee at local independent grocery stores (they also sell a bottled cold brew, in case you prefer your coffee chilled).

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • United Center

Dreamed into existence by Caffe Streets owner Darko Arandjelovic and former Intelligentsia roasting manager Xavier Alexander, Metric Coffee is undeniably cool. The modern, public-facing shop and back-room roasting facility are housed on a lesser-trafficked stretch of Fulton Street, making it the perfect destination for a lazy Saturday morning. Grab a cup and listen to Source Code, the cafe's podcast focusing on the ins-and-outs of the coffee industry—everything from how beans are sourced to the nitty-gritty details of production. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Avondale

Don't expect to find pumpkin-spice anything at this tiny but specialized coffee shop in Logan Square. Branching off from its roastery in Back of the Yards—and another in Istanbul—Four Letter Word Coffee offers drip, pour-over, espresso, Turkish-style, cold coffee and tea. Pair your cup o' Joe with a pastry from featured microbakeries (a.k.a. small, independent bakers) and relax for bit in the exquisitely decorated space.

  • Restaurants
  • Cafés
  • Hyde Park

Boasting three locations on Chicago's South Side (plus an additional cafe in the suburbs), Sip & Savor is a coffee empire in the making. Founder Trez Pugh, III has long been committed to empowering his community by creating new jobs and offering space for people to come together. He does just that with Sip & Savor, which centers around fair-trade beans to boot. Get your coffee straight or spring for something a bit more indulgent, like the Bull Frog Mocha, with chocolate sauce, peppermint syrup, espresso and whipped cream.

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Wicker Park
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To get Wicker Park excited about another coffee shop, you’d have to do something pretty crazy. Like, say, install a DeLorean in the front of the store. Okay, Wormhole, you win. So now that this time-travel–themed coffee shop has the neighborhood’s attention, what else is going on here? Some very serious baristas, who use beans from a variety of cult roasters and who cold-brew the strongest iced coffee that’s ever graced our parched, caffeine-starved lips.

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Bucktown
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Located just seconds off of The 606 in Bucktown, this beloved coffee shop helps joggers and cyclists refuel with a variety of seasonal coffees. You can’t go wrong, but we lean toward the signature Ipsento— an espresso drink mixed with your choice of milk, coconut cream, honey and a pinch of cayenne. Don’t skip the delightful mini donuts either, available in flavors like chocolate sprinkle and maple bourbon.

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Wicker Park
  • price 2 of 4

Proving that not every coffee shop must take its inspiration from Seattle in the ’90s, Caffé Streets has the look of a European coffee bar and the coffee expertise to match. The staff is comfortable talking beans (the selection of which changes weekly) and brewing styles, such as pour-over, Chemex and siphon. Pro tip: Pair your latte with a pillowy vegan doughnut from Lincoln Park's Beacon Doughnuts. 

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  • Coffee shops
  • River West/West Town
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Bonafide coffee aficionados should make time to visit Dark Matter Coffee's Mothership, a small shop and coffee bar set up in the front of the brand’s roasting facility that specializes in to-go orders and bags of beans. Looking for something a bit more comfy? Dark Matter's Star Lounge is just around the corner, offering a bit more space and wonderfully knowledgeable baristas.

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Logan Square

What do you get when you combine lattes and mental health awareness? The world's first ever coffee bar that donates 100 percent of proceeds to support proactive suicide prevention and mental health education. Located in Logan Square, Sip of Hope offers a selection of signature coffee blends and pastries—and while its baristas aren't therapists (just trained in mental health first aid), patrons can find a network of resources on the wall as soon as they walk in. 

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Lincoln Square

Browse pottery, floral arrangements, paintings and more hand-crafted goods at Side Practice Coffee, a Ravenswood cafe that spotlights the small businesses and creative side projects of folks from across Chicago (and serves a pretty good cup of coffee to boot). Follow Side Practice on Instagram to keep up with the cafe's pop-up schedule and don't forget to pair your drink with a sweet treat from the rotating list of local bakers featured in the pastry case.

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  • Restaurants
  • Cafés
  • Logan Square

Brew Brew is the quintessential neighborhood coffee shop, where regulars know staff by name and vice versa. Coffee and specialty lattes are served alongside stacked tortas, like the fan-favorite ham and egg with LTO, provolone and chipotle aioli.

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Avondale

Arlene Luna and Jack Blue moved from California to Avondale (where Luna grew up) to open Moonwalker Cafe, a plant-strewn storefront on Belmont Avenue with a welcoming atmosphere and a menu full of delicious, locally-sourced gems. Creative espresso drinks—like an Almond Joy-inspired latte made from mocha syrup and a blend of coconut/almond milks—are brewed with Dark Matter Coffee, while a rotating list of sandwiches get stacked with everything from Catalpa Grove Farm sausage to house-smoked turkey. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Cafés
  • Lincoln Square

If you’re looking for a health-conscious approach to coffee, this chic Lincoln Square cafe (a second location is in Bucktown) has you covered. The drinks are created with housemade nut milks, superfoods and confections that are free of refined sugars and dairy. Turkish coffee is the specialty, but Oromo also infuses its concoctions with flavors from Africa, India and beyond. Try an exciting option like the hazelnut horchata latte or cold brew float.

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • River West/West Town

Located in the erstwhile space of long-running West Town coffee shop Atomix, Prequel Cafe serves a tight menu of coffee drinks made with beans from Four Letter Word. Don't miss the delightful selection of pastries made in-house by owner Anabel Crespo and partner Shateek Brown, which range from savory (seasonal quiches) to sweet (campfire cookie).

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Humboldt Park

Part coffee subscription service, part brick-and-mortar retail experience, Dayglow is a caffeinated playground for coffee experts and novices alike. The concept originated in Los Angeles and aims to make it easy to get your hands on unique brews from around the world. Before you get lost in their online marketplace, check out Dayglow's shop in Logan Square, where you can sip blends such as Brazilian brand La Cabra or Kenyan company Coffee Collective. There's also a lineup of wonderfully weird drinks that change with the season; guests can expect funky flavor combinations like hibiscus and peppermint or black sesame and activated charcoal. Don't forget to grab a bag of beans for at-home brewing on your way out!

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Bridgeport
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The coffee-roasting operation on the corner of Morgan and 31st Street is a point of pride for Bridgeport and a source of jealousy for almost every other neighborhood. Housed in a prototypically warm-toned, wood-heavy coffeehouse, Bridgeport Coffee sets itself apart by roasting its own beans and brewing them with levels of respect usually reserved for presidents. The pour-over here is a revelation—bright and clean and smooth. The fact that the expert staff and comfortable digs make you want to spend the day in the place is just a bonus.

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Woodlawn

Located inside the Experimental Station (a non-profit in Woodlawn that also houses orgs like South Side Weekly and the 61st St. Farmers Market), Build Coffee is a cafe, used bookshop, event space and community hub all in one. Settle in the shop's cozy interior with a cup of Halfwit Coffee and some lunch or grab a seat on the sun-dappled patio—on warm days, an iced cardamom rose latte won't disappoint.   

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Lake View
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This local coffee chain is all grown up, with outposts across the country, including coffee bars in L.A. New York, Boston and Austin. Back home where it all started in 1995, there are four locations scattered around Chicago, which vary in size and vibe. No matter the locale, knowledgeable baristas keep it real with brisk service, perfect cappuccinos and straight-up drip alongside single-cup brew.

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • West Loop
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Chicago restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff and Japanese latte artist Hiroshi Sawada teamed up to bring this funky cafe to an unused corner of Green Street Smoked Meats. The main attraction is the military latte, Sawada's signature drink that's visually stunning and quite strong. It's roasty from espresso, slightly bitter from the green tea and sweetened with gentle notes of white chocolate. The rest of the offerings include straightforward espresso drinks, plus spiked options like shochu and iced coffee or Benedictine and chai.

  • Restaurants
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  • Beverly

Light roast coffee—unpretentious and tasty—takes center stage at this Beverly cafe, which relocated from Auburn Gresham. Grab a coffee later in the morning so you can stick around for snacks from the cafe's expansive lunch menu, where you'll find sandwiches, paninis, wraps and salads that pay homage to different Chicago neighborhoods (like the Auburn Gres-Ham panini, which piles prosciutto, tomato, provolone and spring mix onto sourdough bread). 

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Logan Square
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Co-founders Tristan Coulter and Zak Rye have taken their experience in the local coffee trade (both worked for Metropolis) and applied it to a rustic-hipster aesthetic (think reclaimed wood, vintage lanterns and requisite taxidermy). Swing by the cafe for a cup of pour-over coffee—made either from beans roasted in-house or from a rotating list of guest roasters—alongside a sweet treat from Aya Pastry or Do-Rite Donuts. 

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Avondale

Settle in for retro, vaguely MCM-inspired vibes at this homey Avondale coffee house, which reopened under new ownership in early 2021 after closing during the pandemic. New owners Kati Paiz (who was a general manager at the former Avondale Coffee Club) and Adam Paronto have preserved much of the cafe's charm, with the addition of top-notch beans from their suburban roastery Reprise Roasters. When the weather allows, grab a seat on the patio with an iced latte and pastries from Bennison's Bakery. 

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Edgewater
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No doubt you've seen their beans all over town—from menus at cafés and high-end restaurants to the shelves of your local grocery store. This father-son–founded coffee company has a roastery in Avondale as well as a public-facing café in Edgewater. Before you commit to a bag of beans, taste the offerings at their shop, where you can sip hot and cold drinks and nosh on gluten-free treats from Defloured.

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • River West/West Town
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Tim Coonan, a chef and home roaster, marries the efficiency of second-wave coffee (e.g. Starbucks) with the clean design and small-scale ethos of the third wave (e.g. Intelligentsia) at this corner coffee bar. He caters to Blue Line commuters at the West Town location with cheap “fast drip” (available in a self-serve machine) and to laptop lingerers with “slow coffee” (pour-over) and espresso drinks. Feeling indulgent? Order the toasted marshmallow latte, which is accompanied by a perfect campfire-singed 'mallow.

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Loop
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Hero Coffee Bar has four locations throughout Chicago, but its walk-up window on Jackson Boulevard in the Loop is by far the cutest. Duck into a narrow alleyway festooned with string lights and bistro tables and grab a cup of coffee and a bagel sandwich, or indulge with seasonal drinks like the Spring Blossom—a lavender-flavored latte with sweet white mocha.

  • Shopping
  • Sports
  • Lake View
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When you choose a custom ride at Heritage Bicycles, you have a few extra decisions to make—including regular or decaf. This Lakeview shop isn’t your typical bike store: It’s disguised as a coffee shop featuring cold brew, specialty lattes, drip coffee and fresh pastries. Grab a seat in the front of the store or head to the back to shop gear and bikes while you sip.

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Streeterville
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With more than a dozen locations throughout Chicago, there's a good chance you're closer to a Dollop than you think. The brand roasts its own coffee and crafts specialized pastries and breads in its bakehouse, meaning everything on offer is incredibly fresh. We love pairing the tumeric chai latte with the veggie sandwich, which comes stacked with goat cheese spread, tomato, roasted red peppers and cucumber.

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Hyde Park
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Situated next to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House on the University of Chicago campus, Plein Air is a bright and airy French-inspired cafe. You’ll find lots of students studying and refueling with a hot or cold cup of java, which showcases beans from artisan roasters. When the weather’s nice, grab a seat outside on the patio.

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  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • North Center

On a busy six-way intersection in Roscoe Village sits this sleek coffee shop with a large and cozy outdoor patio. Swing by for a cup of barrel-aged coffee and a pastry during the day, or grab an after-work cocktail in the evening. It’s the type of versatile spot every neighborhood needs.

  • Restaurants
  • Coffee shops
  • Lincoln Park

This Milwaukee import is making busy Chicagoans swoon with a large outdoor patio, delicious seasonal pastries, beer on tap and, of course, fantastic coffee. The sprawling cafés in Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Logan Square and Andersonville are colorful and cheerful, making Colectivo an ideal destination for a pre-work boost or winding down after a long day.

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