Chicago was just voted one of the best cities in the U.S. for coffee lovers

Chicago has long had strong opinions about hot dogs and pizza but, lately, it’s coffee that’s getting people talking.

The Windy City was just named one of the best cities in the U.S. for coffee lovers, landing on Food & Wine magazine's 2026 Global Tastemakers list. The ranking, based on input from more than 400 chefs, travel experts and food writers, highlights the places where coffee culture is both active and evolving.

Chicago clocked in alongside heavyweights like Austin, New York, Miami and Seattle, but its edge comes from something a little deeper than buzzy new openings. Surprising to some, this is a city with serious coffee history. As far back as 1918, the Knickerbocker Coffee Shop on East Walton served as a hub for Chicago’s German community, setting the tone for cafes as gathering places.

Fast-forward to the 1990s and Chicago helped shape what we now think of as modern coffee culture. Intelligentsia, now a household name in specialty coffee, got its start here, paving the way for a wave of roasters and shops that treat coffee with the same reverence as wine and cocktails.

Today, that legacy shows up in a global-influenced yet hyper-local scene. Metric Coffee is one of the city’s standout roasters, known for sourcing some of the most sought-after beans around. Its newer all-day café, Milli by Metric in Avondale, feels experimental without being precious—the Everything Nice cappuccino, for example, blends juniper, black pepper and bay leaf into something that sounds odd but works.

Elsewhere, Chicago boasts coffee diversity in spades. At Doma, a Croatian cafe featured on The Bear, the menu leans European. In Wicker Park, Oud Coffee Café serves up drinks like pistachio, cardamom and mint lattes, reflecting Palestinian flavors that aren’t often seen on most U.S. coffee menus.

It’s that range that sets Chicago apart right now. The city’s not trying to be the trendiest coffee city in the country, but it’s definitely in the running for the most interesting.

Whether you’re chasing a perfectly pulled espresso or something that tastes like it came out of a spice cabinet in the best possible way, Chicago’s coffee scene is officially worth building a trip around.

Best cities for coffee lovers according to Food & Wine

1. Austin
2. New York City
3. Los Angeles
4. Chicago
5. Seattle
6. Miami
7. Honolulu
8. San Francisco
9. Boston
10. San Juan, Puerto Rico