I would give Matari 4.5 out of 5 stars, so I'm rounding to 5 based on service and ambiance! I heard…read moreabout their fruit mousse cakes online, so we knew we had to stop by to check it out. The cafe is immaculate and service was very friendly. The person who took our order was patient as he explained the different pastries in the case. I wish they had signs explaining what each pastry was so I could have decided while waiting in line. We ended up sharing an iced pistachio latte (delicious and 10/10!), the pistachio cheesecake (10/10!), and the strawberry mousse cake (7/10 - a subtle sweetness, great texture, but needed more cake or crust inside as it was mostly whipped cream and the shell). The mousse cake was $12.00, which felt steep considering it was mostly whipped cream, even though it was obviously beautiful. We would definitely come back for the coffee and to try more menu items! Check this place out!

I wanted to like it. I did. But after a few visits, it's just not for me…read more The first trip, I tried the Matari Tea: Green tea, Himalayan pink salt, milk, and spices, topped with roasted pistachios. Sounds good, right? Alas, it could not have been blander. I couldn't taste any "spices" or even the hint of salt. The profile was that of very watered-down tea mixed with milk, and a ton of pistachios floating on top. Like, barely crushed pistachios. Huge pieces, covering the top of the drink, bobbed around like tiny icebergs, and even they somehow had a toned-down flavor. The drink was definitely a swing and a miss. Fast forward two weeks, and I tried Matari again. This time with a simple cortado. I sat at the table right by the door, and the espresso was pretty good. Solid body, not too bitter. It was on the pricy side ($7+), but I was ok with that. But then, I'm hanging out, sipping my coffee, and I catch a burst of perfume-like scent. I'm shocked, but whatever, I figured someone in heavy perfume walked by, no big deal. A few minutes later, wham, I'm hit in the nose with another burst of perfume. Then, I see it. A slight haze around me. So, not a heavily perfumed woman after all, but an automated air-freshener. After further inspection, I see the unit plugged in on the ground right behind my chair, which sprays up and out on a timer. That's right, an air freshener right next to a table where people consume food and beverages, shooting a mist into the air that slowly rains down onto my head and table, and into my coffee. I ended up tossing the last few sips of my cortado, as I could taste the scented whatever-it-was in my cup. I'd have gone to the counter and asked for a new one, but I was so over my visit by then, I just opted to get out. The staff aren't very friendly. Not rude, but they don't give off a welcoming aura, and I didn't feel like trying to explain the issue. Lastly, can we talk about their little "your order is up" beepers? We've all seen them. The little electronic things that blink and make a noise when your order is ready, so you can go snag it from the counter. When I think of a coffee shop, I think quiet and peaceful, or perhaps a bit louder, with bustling people and well-paired music. At Matari, it's an insane BEEP BEEP BEEP that goes off every few minutes when an order is up. I get it, you don't want to bring the food out to your customers. But does it really need to feel like an airport Chili's? It's a bummer, because Matari is beautiful inside. It's clean, it's chic, and its location is at a notable crossroads in Skokie with plenty of parking, leaving it extremely convenient. They've even got an easy-to-use website, which so many coffee shops simply do not have. There aren't a lot of coffee shops in this particular part of town, which is why I so, so very much wanted to love Matari. But subpar drinks? Air freshener spray intrusions? Frequent and obnoxious beeping? I tried. I'm sorry. I just can't.

I just recently discovered this place. I work in Lincolnwood. It has a great ambiance to talk with…read morefriends, co-workers, or just chill by yourself and sip on coffee. More than enough seating and outlets to do work. My go-to drink is the iced café latte with whole milk. The coffee quality is far superior to Starbucks. Also, I love the gauva empanada with cream cheese! Also its good to know you are supporting a local business. Happy to know 5% of their proceeds go to charity. Overall highly recommend!

Such a warm and cozy cafe. Grab something to go or stay awhile, this place is IT. They have…read morecoffees, teas, and specialty lattes. I went with an iced peppermint tea and it was very refreshing. I also tried the guava and cream cheese pastry and my goodness this was insanely delicious. The pastry dough is crispy, flakey and fluffy. The guava jam and cream cheese was sweet and not overly sweet. I stopped in on a weekend morning and throughout my time here there was a constant flow of customers coming and going. Staff members were able to keep up with the influx of weekend customers. Within 5 minutes of placing my order my items were ready to be picked up at the front counter.

Great atmosphere with a refreshing traditional chai. Service was fast and smooth as well.read more

Chic interiors with great coffee and vibes! Pistachio and the usual adeni chai options are nice.read more

5 Stars for Hannah, Love her service! She is the vibe! That's why it's easy to come here…read more Food is good, fries were a little overcooked and ambiance. We need Hannah's service everywhere, she makes the experience pleasant. Location while you shop is great, beats all the fast food.

The food is okay, a bit overpriced and not much vegan or vegetarian options. It seems like they…read morejust want to make money selling things to people who eat dead animals. Plus when the check came, they gave us another table's check which was double, and they said that they cleared it up, but they wouldn't give us avoided receipt. The story, the waitress told us, and the story, the hostess told us were completely different. So we're still not sure if we got charged over $130 for the other tables check. My check was less than half of that, because I only ate by myself and my party that was with me, just had water. They said they fixed the bill, but they charged my card twice, with no voided receipt, shown to us, so you be the judge. They did give me a free vegan cookie, supposedly it was vegan and when when I got home. It was not fresh at all and I threw it out.

Disappointed to see the chicken and waffle sandwich no longer on the menu because I never got a…read morechance to try it. That being said, I tried The Madison, which is described as such: Neuske's bacon, creamy boursin, sharp cheddar, and a souffléd egg paired with fresh tomato, red onion, and arugula, all layered on warm ciabatta. I really liked it! I had never had boursin (a type of spreadable cheese) before. All the flavors melded well together, although I didn't like the texture of the arugula so I removed that after a few bites. Would definitely order that sandwich again. My husband had the Steak & Egg sandwich which he said was good but I didn't care for the flavor combo. It is described as such: Tender roast beef, melted American cheese, and caramelized onions layered with a souffléd egg on a toasted ciabatta. It's interesting in the picture it shows a waffle instead of ciabatta. I guess they got rid of the waffles altogether? They should probably update the sandwich photo is that's the case. Visited: 7/25/26

We did go in for a 6 PM dinner of sandwiches and we were hoping for snacks and such. We ordered two…read moresandwiches a cappuccino and a San Pellegrino. That came to $49 with tax and tip. There's nothing extra included. As you can see, it is very boring looking. There's no music playing. It's very, very basic and highly overpriced. I also wish they would've had a list of ingredients for make your own sandwich. There wasn't even suggestion from the counter person.

Cute coffee shop with unique drinks and longer hours than most cafes. I have popped in here a…read morecouple times when we've made it out this way for shopping. Staff was fast and friendly and prices are not too high!

Love their Red Bull based drinks! Tried one of those as well as their Spanish latte. Definitely…read morecoming back to try other drinks. I love how they have a seasonal drink option as well.

A new place for me that I accidentally found on Google Maps. It looked interesting in the photos,…read morebut in real life it's even more beautiful. A very nicely decorated place with great taste and attention to detail. I went with my friends for an afternoon coffee. We all ordered different types of coffee, and every single one was excellent. Unlike chain coffee shops where everything comes in paper cups, here you actually get a real cup, which I really appreciated. My friends also ordered spinach pie and said they hadn't had such a good one in a long time. The guys who work there are very kind and pleasant. Overall, everything was truly wonderful. I would definitely recommend everyone to visit this place!

Nice opening store with Middle Eastern flavors. Love the…read morecoffee roasting machine sitting in the entrance of the store. Will be fun if we came in a time when they roasting the coffee. The air in the store fills with the really nice Chia aroma. The pastry is a little bit on the sweeter side. We came in around 3:30, and there were no lines. So we got our coffee quickly.

Every time I come here (or drive by here) the line is out the door. It's definitely a fan favorite,…read moreand for good reason. I came here on Labor Day to do work and I had to share a table with someone else who was also there doing work, because it was packed (which is a good thing! Yay for supporting local). Also, they have insanely good vegan donuts from Do Rite, which I impulse bought and had no regrets.

The coffee shop was average, no wow factor. It felt earthy and chilled. Yes coffee is tad too sweet…read moreso if you do like definitely go. Yes they do have avocado toast. Will give an update. You can order the coffee you want, and there is no non fat milk expect skim milk, no coconut milk too. Their matcha is from china from a local place.

We LOVE Sweet Reserve! It's such a lovely spot to step out of the hot (or cold!) and enjoy a coffee…read moreor tea. They have a great variety for everyone and even have a selection of fresh pastries and cakes. I go here often and the baristas are always so kind. The shelves of art and jewelry made by local artists is always fun to look at and I love the support for the local community! Highly recommend Sweet Reserve in Skokie!

The cake menu has some interesting options. Unfortunately, the online ordering process is a pain,…read moreand you can't call in. The bakery offers large cakes - and yet they will.not customize in any way, not with any kind of birthday message, or anything to recognize a special occasion. We went to pick up the cake, the young kids working there didn't even seat the cake well in the box - didn't close the box properly, and when we got home, the cake had shifted so that it had rubber against the side of the box. The chocolate cake layers themselves in the Ferrero cake were excellent - a slightly denser texture with some chew, but not overly so, and nice and moist. The hazelnut cream was ok. Overall it was hard to taste that this was a Ferrero cake, although I could see a few crushed up pieces of the Ferrero chocolate inside. But the white frosting was awful - tasted something between flowers and soap. I do not enjoy a soapy cake. In terms of the cafe itself , it's an industrial space that put minimal effort into feeling like a modern/minimalist cafe. Not somewhere I see myself enjoying a latte in. I don't see myself returning any time soon.

This is my second time here and it's amazing as it was the first time. I love coming here later in…read morethe evening or at night as they stay open late. It's very family friendly, and there is plenty of seating. I ordered their pineapple passionfruit refresher and my boyfriend got their cloud matcha latte. He said it was very good and I loved my refresher. We also tried the mango pastry and the Oreo cheesecake. Both were 10/10. Unfortunately I spilled my boyfriend's matcha everywhere and felt so guilty. The cleaning staff was super polite and told us not to worry about it. On the bright side, my boyfriend took the opportunity to try another drink that had also got his attention. I will definitely be coming back and won't spill anything next time!

I was craving cardamom coffee and we decided to stopped by Haraz to try it out. Very spacious and a…read morelot of parking spot. They even had a quiet room with door for coworking/studying. Went with their all spice mofawar, and a cleaner palate one Qishr since hubby wanted something tea-like. After ordering all that, we noticed there's a separate tea option that had a citrusy flavor so we got the sunlit tangerine also. The drinks were very strong in a whole mix of spice flavors, which I actually really liked, but it is a little too watery, not dense or creamy enough, and the coffee flavor lean a bit more too acidic/sour. It's not bad, but I think it's just not exactly to my liking. What I didn't realize was that a lot of the spices sunk to the bottom so when I remixed the thic layer of spices with oatmilk at home, it tasted pretty good with the right consistency. All of the drinks were pretty diluted in our opinion, and I think it's too much spice for my husband although I liked it. I also ordered some pastries, but the server packed the wrong one. If I didn't look closely enough I might've missed that. There was one last Dubai pistachio cookie which I asked for, but they gave me the Biscoff cookie instead which was a less expensive one. Anyway, they were fine switching it out after I pointed out, but no apologies or anything. While we weren't impressed with the drinks at first, the medovik mouse/honey layered cake was really good-- it was pretty dense where the buttery parts were, and it was pretty sweet so it balanced well with the acidic coffee. We didn't know the cookie had more fillings on the inside until we got home. The fillings had crunchy flakes which adds a really nice texture, and the filling is not too sweet. Really good. We liked the pastries a lot more than the coffee. Perhaps we just aren't used to the flavor and taste profile of the coffee. I'd be willing to try more here.