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Sorry (but, not sorry), but this place isn't it. We went on a weekend, and, as expected, there was a line out the door. However, the line was somewhat moving along, so the wait wasn't as bad. The staff seemed to try to be efficient, but they ended up confusing everyone by yelling out for those who are paying in cash or card to step up - this resulted in more confusion, as the patrons weren't listening or not paying attention; then it became where people were budging and not going in the order of the queue. When we finally go to the register, I ordered one of their 'specials', the Oatmeal Cookie Latte - this was just awful. Not sure who the baristas were on shift that day, but they had no idea to prepare this drink and seemed to not have any training whatsoever. It was literally just hot water with no flavor. I also requested oat milk, which, obviously, wasn't even noted on the cup - not sure what the point was for asking for milk substitutions? They have some table and counter seating, but it can get super tight; surfaces were not tend to by the staff, so seats and the tables were dirty and sticky. So disappointing and very inconsistent - not worth a visit at all. Metered street parking can be found in the area. +hot water for lattes +inefficient staff
You walk into a gem of a place. The patients are laid out beautifully and the food selection is enormous. The coffee is very medium to light roast and has a very nice nutty taste to it. I ordered the 8 ounce latte single shot. Staff is friendly. The seating is great and allows for a good workspace. The coffee is exceptional and the team does a great job at refining the Coffee day-to-day. Overall, the taste is very smooth.
I'm torn on giving this coffee joint either 3 stars or 4 stars. I had 2 hours to spare in Evanston while waiting for my daughter to be done with practice. I figured great - it's about 10:30am on a Sunday and I haven't had my coffee yet. I have a new book that I want to start, what better place to do that than at a cafe and relax for a bit. I go through the doors and it's chaos. The exact opposite of the environment that I was looking for. There's a bunch of people inside like a crowded restaurant, waiting in line to order and get their coffee and pastries, all the while the tables are packed and everyone is so loud! I wanted to run out of there and just go to Starbucks. I thought the inside would be much bigger and not so crowded but I was wrong. I decided to stay and ordered my cappuccino and my pecan tart for dine in. Why I didn't just take my food to go and went with my initial gut, I have no clue. The wait to place my order along with the wait for me to get my actual order was not bad at all. They got that line moving fast, and I was able to place my order and get my order in a matter of 5 minutes. So kudos to those working that chaos and being fast and efficient! On my way to get my order, the place was so packed that I almost knocked another customers coffee out of his hand with my tote bag. Sorry dude, get a better grip on your drink. Of course i got the DEATH STARE from dude, but what do you expect sitting there with your arm out right in the aisle where people are walking??!! Move it or lose it, buddy! Anywho, finally made my way to the counter to grab my drink, and found a large communal table near the back door with some people happily typing away at their laptops. The seats were high stools so not the most comfortable to sit in and not really space to place your purse or jacket except for the stool next to me. I just decided to eat my tart in a hurry and then leave. The tart was actually really good. Not too sweet or too sour and the crust was awesome. The cappuccino was nothing special, but I was already annoyed at the crowdedness of the place that I was not relaxed at all and just wanted to escape that zoo of a coffee shop. I may or may not come again at a less busy time. They had some good looking pastries on display at the counter, but I didn't have a chance to try them. Maybe next time.
Great place for a small breakfast to start the day. Despite a line literally out the door, service was quick. They had a large selection of pastries and sandwiches. I had The Monty and it was the best English muffin sandwich I've ever had! This is not just a slab of Canadian bacon but a pile of shaved ham that was enough to make me want to order just that for Easter. The balance of that with the aoili and pickled onions was amazing. I also had a mocha latte. I'm not a frequent coffee dinner but this was very balanced. I wish this place was near my house! Please open one in the Aurora/Naperville area!
Some friends took me back here and I ordered a latte, I didn't think it was good at all. It's such a shame that they charge a lot for these drinks because it's not worth the price.
Backlot Coffee is a great place for coffee, meals and treats; a great place to meet others. I met a former classmate to catch up over coffee and breakfast and had a very nice time. We met on an early Sunday morning. Note: if one wants a place to sit, get there early because after about 9am, there is a long line. There is a communal table in the back of the place to eat and/or work. I had regular coffee and 2 Empanadas - buttery and delicious! The staff is pleasantly friendly and attentive. Food items were appealingly placed on a counter behind main counter. Huge coffe bar in a separate section of the coffee shop for custom coffees. I may stop by in the future for a speciality coffee. Cheers! Parking: street parking Features: wheelchair accessible
Speechless.... Absolutely speechless. As soon as you walk in you're greeted with the most beautiful assortment of baked goods. As an indecisive individual, it took me a good 5 minutes to decide which one of the sweet goods to partake in, I chose the peach stone. FIREEE, the marinated peaches on it, chefs kiss. Now the real banger was their HORCHATA COLDBREW. As a Mexican I'm never satisfied, as people usually slap cinnamon on it and call it the flavor... this is genuinely the only "horchata" flavored drink that captures the genuine flavor. You can really taste the rice and cinnamon component and i honestly feel like I'm back in Mexico. Definitely recommend not only for food but for vibes. New favorite coffee
It's pretty loud, and it was packed when school is not in session. There was a diverse crowd: some packs of students, others with families, and others just catching up on work on the benches! I got a small iced cozy cold brew, which had squirrel (house blend?) coffee, homemade chai syrup, oat milk, and cinnamon. It was interesting, but I wouldn't get it again. I definitely noted both the taste of chai and cold brew, but it was a bit milky for me. My New Year's resolution is to not drink my calories, so I think I'll just get their high-quality cold brew next time. :) They even had the compostable plastic straws that don't disintegrate in your drink!
Every time I come here (or drive by here) the line is out the door. It's definitely a fan favorite, and 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. read more
Sorry (but, not sorry), but this place isn't it. We went on a weekend, and, as expected, there was a line out the door. However, the line was somewhat moving along, so the wait wasn't as bad. The staff seemed to try to be efficient, but they ended up confusing everyone by yelling out for those who are paying in cash or card to step up - this resulted in more confusion, as the patrons weren't listening or not paying attention; then it became where people were budging and not going in the order of the queue. When we finally go to the register, I ordered one of their 'specials', the Oatmeal Cookie Latte - this was just awful. Not sure who the baristas were on shift that day, but they had no idea to prepare this drink and seemed to not have any training whatsoever. It was literally just hot water with no flavor. I also requested oat milk, which, obviously, wasn't even noted on the cup - not sure what the point was for asking for milk substitutions? They have some table and counter seating, but it can get super tight; surfaces were not tend to by the staff, so seats and the tables were dirty and sticky. So disappointing and very inconsistent - not worth a visit at all. Metered street parking can be found in the area. +hot water for lattes +inefficient staff read more
You walk into a gem of a place. The patients are laid out beautifully and the food selection is enormous. The coffee is very medium to light roast and has a very nice nutty taste to it. I ordered the 8 ounce latte single shot. Staff is friendly. The seating is great and allows for a good workspace. The coffee is exceptional and the team does a great job at refining the Coffee day-to-day. Overall, the taste is very smooth. read more
2 years ago
I'm torn on giving this coffee joint either 3 stars or 4 stars. I had 2 hours to spare in Evanston while waiting for my daughter to be done with practice. I figured great - it's about 10:30am on a Sunday and I haven't had my coffee yet. I have a new book that I want to start, what better place to do that than at a cafe and relax for a bit. I go through the doors and it's chaos. The exact opposite of the environment that I was looking for. There's a bunch of people inside like a crowded restaurant, waiting in line to order and get their coffee and pastries, all the while the tables are packed and everyone is so loud! I wanted to run out of there and just go to Starbucks. I thought the inside would be much bigger and not so crowded but I was wrong. I decided to stay and ordered my cappuccino and my pecan tart for dine in. Why I didn't just take my food to go and went with my initial gut, I have no clue. The wait to place my order along with the wait for me to get my actual order was not bad at all. They got that line moving fast, and I was able to place my order and get my order in a matter of 5 minutes. So kudos to those working that chaos and being fast and efficient! On my way to get my order, the place was so packed that I almost knocked another customers coffee out of his hand with my tote bag. Sorry dude, get a better grip on your drink. Of course i got the DEATH STARE from dude, but what do you expect sitting there with your arm out right in the aisle where people are walking??!! Move it or lose it, buddy! Anywho, finally made my way to the counter to grab my drink, and found a large communal table near the back door with some people happily typing away at their laptops. The seats were high stools so not the most comfortable to sit in and not really space to place your purse or jacket except for the stool next to me. I just decided to eat my tart in a hurry and then leave. The tart was actually really good. Not too sweet or too sour and the crust was awesome. The cappuccino was nothing special, but I was already annoyed at the crowdedness of the place that I was not relaxed at all and just wanted to escape that zoo of a coffee shop. I may or may not come again at a less busy time. They had some good looking pastries on display at the counter, but I didn't have a chance to try them. Maybe next time. read more
3 months ago
1 month ago
9 months ago
Great place for a small breakfast to start the day. Despite a line literally out the door, service was quick. They had a large selection of pastries and sandwiches. I had The Monty and it was the best English muffin sandwich I've ever had! This is not just a slab of Canadian bacon but a pile of shaved ham that was enough to make me want to order just that for Easter. The balance of that with the aoili and pickled onions was amazing. I also had a mocha latte. I'm not a frequent coffee dinner but this was very balanced. I wish this place was near my house! Please open one in the Aurora/Naperville area! read more
1 year ago
6 months ago
Backlot Coffee is a great place for coffee, meals and treats; a great place to meet others. I met a former classmate to catch up over coffee and breakfast and had a very nice time. We met on an early Sunday morning. Note: if one wants a place to sit, get there early because after about 9am, there is a long line. There is a communal table in the back of the place to eat and/or work. I had regular coffee and 2 Empanadas - buttery and delicious! The staff is pleasantly friendly and attentive. Food items were appealingly placed on a counter behind main counter. Huge coffe bar in a separate section of the coffee shop for custom coffees. I may stop by in the future for a speciality coffee. Cheers! Parking: street parking Features: wheelchair accessible read more
1 year ago
Speechless.... Absolutely speechless. As soon as you walk in you're greeted with the most beautiful assortment of baked goods. As an indecisive individual, it took me a good 5 minutes to decide which one of the sweet goods to partake in, I chose the peach stone. FIREEE, the marinated peaches on it, chefs kiss. Now the real banger was their HORCHATA COLDBREW. As a Mexican I'm never satisfied, as people usually slap cinnamon on it and call it the flavor... this is genuinely the only "horchata" flavored drink that captures the genuine flavor. You can really taste the rice and cinnamon component and i honestly feel like I'm back in Mexico. Definitely recommend not only for food but for vibes. New favorite coffee read more
It's pretty loud, and it was packed when school is not in session. There was a diverse crowd: some packs of students, others with families, and others just catching up on work on the benches! I got a small iced cozy cold brew, which had squirrel (house blend?) coffee, homemade chai syrup, oat milk, and cinnamon. It was interesting, but I wouldn't get it again. I definitely noted both the taste of chai and cold brew, but it was a bit milky for me. My New Year's resolution is to not drink my calories, so I think I'll just get their high-quality cold brew next time. :) They even had the compostable plastic straws that don't disintegrate in your drink! read more
No pour over here. The drinks are pretty good tasting but they are sweet. A bit sweet for one of us and mine was good. Not too sweet but I do believe these are more for taste than caffeine. They had drip but it wasn't the beans I wanted. I really recommend you read my previous review, but I wanted to add they had decent desserts and even now I believe this is a solid place if you are in the area. Though there are better places! read more
We came here on a Saturday morning at 8am and the line was out the door! Definitely a great sign. While on line, one of the ladies behind us were raving about the pastries. Did all of this influence my decision on what to get? 100% did. The service inside if you're a regular makes you feel like home. You can bring your own coffee mugs and have them fill that instead which is so environmentally friendly. When you walk in there's a huge table of pastries and man they ALL looked so good. Inside there's a decent amount of seating but it was so busy that everyone waiting for things to go is just crowding those tables and it would be hard to just sit and eat and drink in peace. BUT there is outside seating that highly recommend to get away from the crowd of people. We got the ham and cheese empanada which was delicious. It tasted like pizza and I'm all for a pizza tasting pastry bright and early. We also go the monty breakfast sandwich. This was amazing. So good that me and my husband were fighting over the last bite. Moving on to drinks, I think we just ordered wrong. I got the cardamom rose coffee and it was definitely heavy on the cardamom, a little too heavy that I couldn't finish my coffee. My husband got the green tea which he now says he probably should have gotten with simple syrup but he though it was steeped a little too long. But nonetheless we loved this coffee shop! read more
Came with my kids for morning coffee and pastries. They ordered milk steamers and donuts while I got the oatmeal cookie latte and a chorizo and egg empanada. The latte was just okay. The cashier forgot to give me my empanada, so I waited for quite some time before I approached him and then he remembered to give it to me. I will say the empanada is delicious! It was consistently busy in there, and seating was kinda limited, so just keep that in mind. read more
2 years ago
Great coffee. Wish they had more GF beyond sweet donuty type choices. The coconut macaroons are amazing and I get one anytime they have them. Typically a line, but it moves quickly. Super nice service. Some seating inside but usually all taken. Some seating out back as well if it's a nice day. People are chatty, so if you like quiet places to work probably best to get it to go. Great vibes inside. Coffee to purchase. read more
Business owner information
Isaac B.
Thanks for visiting, Danelle! The macaroons are a favorite of mine,…
2 years ago
Amazing bread pudding! So many tasty looking options. Busy, but easy to find a seat after getting our coffee. read more
After picking up some pastries at Hewn I decided to stop at Backlot to grab some drinks. I quite liked this shop. It's got a lot of space, which includes a communal table in the back of the cafe. There are several other tables and in the middle of the shop near where you pick up your drinks, and in the front along the large bay windows is counter seating. I was here on a weekday around noon, so I haven't experienced the lines. But their drinks are quite good, so I can believe it. I had visited their location in Irving Park a few days ago and their chai was fantastic, and not surprisingly this location is just as good. I ordered a maple latte for my partner and he thought it was excellent. I'm not sure exactly how the two connect, but it sounds like Backlot and Plant Shop Chicago together opened Plant Shop Evanston a few miles away, which gives me an extra warm feeling toward them since I really like Plant Shop Chicago/Evanston. Perhaps their partnership is just that they have many plants in the place, which ostensibly came from Plant Shop Evanston. I'd definitely return to Backlot. In fact, if I was going to Hewn I'd probably make sure to stop here assuming Backlot was open... which will impact my goal to try a chai latte at various shops around! But it's worth it because as I've already said they are experts at their craft. There's street parking only; there are a couple 15 minute only spots and you'll use your Park Evanston app for the others. read more
2 years ago
I came to Backlot with 3 other friends after playing tennis on an early Sunday morning. It was packed with almost no seating available on the inside. Sunday morning I presume is there busiest time of the week. The line still moved fast, and we were all able to order pretty fast. It took around 10-15 minutes to get the food. There was available parking on the street. We needed up sitting outside and eating there. All of us really enjoyed going there, but we do wish there was more seating available. We ordered their classic sandwich and iced coffees. It was all tasty and filling. We were happy with our choice of coming here. read more
My phone didn't eat first- whoops! I went to Backlot on a Saturday morning. It was super busy- we almost couldn't get a table! Luckily we were able to sit and enjoy. The environment was pretty loud for the first half of our time there. I enjoyed an iced chai, and iced mocha, a chocolate Bana's bread loaf, and a cinnamon old fashion donut. Everything was delicious! read more
Backlot Coffee is a hidden gem in Evanston! It has been a while since we've been back as we moved further north for a period of time. The last time we were here, Backlot has just opened and now it has grown to be bigger and better than before! When you first walk in and you see all of the merchandise they have for sale with their branding. The sweaters are super soft and are extremely size inclusive. They carried up to a 3xl! For beverages, we tried the Cardamum Rose Latte and the Lavender Matcha Latte. Both of which were absolutely delicious! The creaminess and the pairing of flavors of the lattes made each sip better and better! When ordering coffee, you can doctor up your coffee by adding syrup and cream at the station. Backlot is a great place to meet up with friends, clients, or event if you just want a different scenery to get some work done. read more
A line up for a coffee shop? I should have walked away but so glad that we didn't. Oatmeal cookie latte? Strange but it was frigging amazing. It had a hint of sweetness but the flavours were amazing and even thought it was 28 degrees I finished the latte. Typically I never can finish a full 12oz but it went down so easy. Also blueberry muffin and blueberry rose scone was so tasty. The service was slow but for the quality of the food and beverage it was worth the wait. Staff was super friendly and helpful so service was top notch. read more
Decided to do a half of my wfh day here because of all the positive reviews. The people working there were very nice. I ordered a drip coffee and couldn't say no to the delicious display of donuts when I found out they were from Do-Rite. The place gives neighborhood vibes where it seems like folks come there to meet up for lunch or work meetings or even just a quick coffee break with co workers. Looking forward to coming back in the near future! read more
10 months ago
3 years ago
My new addiction! The service, the ambiance, and the coffee is always delicious. The guy who takes my order is always the sweetest, not sure if he's the owner but amazing customer service each time! Definitely one of my top places to get coffees in the area. The patio is small and quaint which makes it perfect to sip and read. read more
3 years ago
Good coffee, excellent service, great value, great ambiance, great pastries. However, the bagels are downright antisemitic. I know this isn't strictly a bagel spot, but if an incorrectly named "New York Bagel" is the first item on the menu, you can't get away with serving skinny, stale, misshapen crust loops like this. I highly recommend Backlot Coffee for everything except bagels. You'd have better luck at Panera, which is a heinous thing to say and I'm already sorry I wrote it read more
Backlot Coffee is such a cute place in the middle of a thriving street in Evanston, Central Ave. Overall there is plenty of seating from tables to a bar with high top chairs, but don't be surprised if there is no spot available since it is such a popular location for coffee lovers to go to. They offer a wide variety of coffee, cold brew, and espresso options while also having non-coffee treats. I tried the matcha lavender iced with almond milk. It was unsweetened, which I thought was delicious, but definitely ask for sweetener if you like sweeter drinks. I highly recommend you go and try Backlot Coffee! read more
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More info about Backlot Coffee
2006 Central St
Evanston, IL 60201
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(847) 859-2144
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http://www.backlotcoffee.com
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Ask the Community - Backlot Coffee
Are there lunch foods served here?
They carry a really yummy bean burrito from Blind Faith and some fruit, yogurt, and granola parfaits, but I don't think they have any other lunch food.
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5 reviews that are not currently recommended
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