Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Cafe Arbor Vitae

    4.6 (42 reviews)
    Closed 7:30 am - 2:00 pm, 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM

    Cafe Arbor Vitae Photos

    CAFE ARBOR VITAE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - Cafe Arbor Vitae

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos - Cafe Arbor Vitae

    Outside of this great cafe.
    Kathleen M.

    A shout out to Candice G. for her great review (complete with directions) which led me to today's stop on the Caffeine Cruise. By now all my friends and family know I have undertaken this mission and want to be part of it. I wanted to get together with my bud for her bday and she lives in Plainfield. Yelp gave me this suggestion when I searched for Coffee Chops near Plainfield, I love Yelp! First and foremost, this was a total hip hip hooray on the Caffeine Cruise, a smooth and delicious Vanilla Latte which tickled my taste buds and made me awake and happy! But remember, my friend had turned a year older; lunch was in order. I ordered the Egyptian Shawarma Chicken, mild spice, with the soup of the day, chicken vegetable. (My friend ordered a salad, I know, I love her anyway.) The soup and sandwich were divinely fresh, flavorful and unique. Everything was so delicious that it seemed criminal that they were also so reasonably priced! The staff here could not have been friendlier and more helpful. I felt like if I had asked them to balance my checkbook they would have done it and done it well! What terrific customer service. I was glad to see a little crowd gather here around lunch time. All around magnificent day - great conversation, exquisite food, smooth coffee and my friend turned a year older, not me! Cup - mug Cost - 3.90 for 16 ounces Preparation - hand crafted with pride

    a coffee pot with a sticker on it
    Jacqueline B.

    Popped in here with hopes of hanging out for a while with my laptop and enjoying a cold caffeinated beverage. Well, half of that happened... Let me explain. This cafe is located on Naperville's NIU campus. I would have never known it was here if it wasn't for Yelp. But I'm always looking for new coffee joints to hang out at so I decided to give it a try! Thanks to Candice G.'s directions I was able to find the place just fine. I walked into the empty cafe and ordered a blended latte drink. It was taking quite some time for the only guy working to whip this up. He completely apologized for the wait and said he wasn't ready and that he really needs to lock the door. Well now I'm confused... When he rang up the beverage I asked him what time they closed. He said they close everyday at 2pm, but reopen again at 5pm. AH HA. That explains why at 2:10 he was nowhere near ready for my service. All was forgiven and I packed up and left. Honestly, the blended coffee itself was just okay. Cute little shop though so I'll be back another time when they're open and ready for business. Updated review coming soon... Key takeaway: they're closed from 2-5pm!

    the entrance to the cafe
    Howard L.

    They have very freshly made high quality sandwiches here. They are a little pricy though and it was a bit slow on our carryout order of the Egyptian chicken shawarma wrap (delicious) and a roast beef and cheddar croissant. The Middle Eastern owner guy was gracious and friendly and offered us samples of their roasted garlic and cream of chicken soup (very good), as well as a free small cookie (I think it for our wait as the sandwiches were prepared by another). I added the 4th star basically for the touch there. Parking and location tip here for you as the Cafe is not visible - just enter the eastern entrance (there's a western one) on Diehl to the NU campus, and there are two marked parking Arbor Cafe spaces in the lot. The cafe is straight up the corridor as you enter the nearby rear entrance from the parking spots.

    See all

    Photo of Max E.
    0
    11
    0

    21 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Cafe Arbor Vitae

    Review Highlights - Cafe Arbor Vitae

    We were at NIU for a convention and had the pleasure of enjoying homemade soup on our break.

    Mentioned in 10 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Coffee & Tea 1,145 times last month within 5 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Schmaltz Deli

    Schmaltz Deli

    4.0
    (962 reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    3.5 stars, but rounded up because I didn't feel they deserved any deduction…read more I was REALLY looking forward to their #20 Old New Yorker, which I got in their Navel Cut pastrami. It was a solid 7, which is why I place it at 3.5 stars. I may be being picky here but it just wasn't to the level of "melt-in-your-mouth" pastrami standards for me. Not to say it wasn't good, because it was perfectly fine. In fact, it's better than most of the pastrami sandwiches I tried in Chicagoland. Maybe it's the fact that I had to bring it back to the office to eat it, and half hour had gone by and pastrami weren't as warm and the Jewish rye had become soggy by the time I took the first bite. I mean, it goes without saying that the sandwich would have been 3 times better had I sat down immediately and had it. Again, all things considered, it was a perfectly good sandwich. One interesting thing was that I had never been to an establishment that included a half sour pickle instead of a normal one and gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised. Pickles can be a hit or a miss for me. I like my pickles to be crunch, but some places offer overripened ones that become borderline mushy. Schmaltz's half sour pickle was not overly salty or sour, making it very attractive for me. The more I'm thinking about it, I'm convinced that I'll have to go back and try their #14 Sloppy Paul, which is the corned beef with sauerkraut, which is another favorite of mine. And this time, I'll be sure to dine in and give another review of it to see how much I like them better.

    Thursday @ 5:30. Immediately greeted and seated. You can either place an order at the counter, OR…read moreyou can be seated for service. We chose the latter. Dustin, our server, was amazing. Lots of fun deli sandwiches to choose from. I chose a French Dip; hubby had a pick two-- a cup of matzo ball soup, and 1/2 corned beef sandwich. Both served with a whole new pickle. Mine was absolutely delicious. Tons of beef, melty swiss, and grilled onion. Served nice and hot with a tasty au jus. Hubby thoroughly enjoyed his as well. Great Jewish deli. Highly recommend whether you're Jewish or not! ;)

    Photos
    Interior dining area
    Interior dining area
    Best Matza ball soup!
    Best Matza ball soup!
    Fresh bakery inside

    See all

    Fresh bakery inside
    Jason's Deli

    Jason's Deli

    4.0
    (221 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    My husband and I stopped into Jake's Deli for lunch and had such a great experience. I enjoyed the…read moresalad bar with added chicken and paired it with a cup of wild rice soup -- and wow, the soup was absolutely delicious! Perfectly comforting and full of flavor. My husband ordered the Beefeater sandwich and really enjoyed it -- hearty, fresh, and exactly what you want from a classic deli favorite. The service truly stood out. The cashier was so friendly and welcoming, and I believe the manager (she had a ponytail and was wearing a black polo) was working next to her and was equally kind. The cashier even asked if we were rewards members. I couldn't remember if I still was, so she kindly looked us up and sure enough -- I was! We even had a free drink on my account, which was such a nice surprise. Great food, friendly service, and little extra touches that make you want to come back. We'll definitely be visiting again!

    This place is rated highly by others, but for me it has been a place of rudeness, small portions…read moreand high prices. I even walked out once because the order taker was extremely rude. Why did I ever come back? Today I ordered the chicken salad with pineapple to go. It looks weird. No wonder, the chicken is GRATED with pineapple. It is weird-tasting and not good. Plus they toasted my whole wheat bun, & why? I didn't ask for that. I am here wondering again why am I here? But for sure I am not returning.

    Photos
    Muffalata, jalapeño chips and gumbo
    Muffalata, jalapeño chips and gumbo
    Menu
    Menu
    New York Yankee

    See all

    New York Yankee
    Pronto Italian Sandwiches

    Pronto Italian Sandwiches

    4.3
    (31 reviews)
    2.4 mi

    I eagerly waited for this shop to open and it was totally worth it! Delicious sandwiches,…read moredefinitely a step up from the usual places. I loved the Pacino, with prosciutto, mozzarella and truffle cream; my husband enjoyed the meaty Coppola. Another friend told me she likes to get the Tarantino. So it seems like you can't go wrong! So if you're in downtown Naperville and considering going somewhere else for a sandwich? Fugghedaboutit! Definitely try Pronto as quickly as you can.

    I was really craving for a good sandwich and this place did not disappoint! I only found out about…read moreit from someone and I'm glad I found it!My review is based on a delivery order. So I'm not sure how busy it can get in there or what it's like yet. There were a few different sandwiches that I was interested in trying but I ordered the regular Pacino. Immediately when I got my order, I could small the deliciousness and truffle right as I was opening it up! I also knew that I wouldn't be able to finish the sandwich in one sitting, but it didn't matter. Haha I took the first bite and all the flavors just hit! I loved everything about it. The mozzarella, truffle pecorino cream, and arugula all went so well together and it was creamy; and then to add the prosciutto for the saltiness. SO GOOD! The bread was more on the crunchy side....still kinda soft but more crunchy. My personal preference is for it to be a little more soft...so it doesn't cut the top of my mouth lol. Will definitely be getting sandwiches from here again! Hopefully, I'll get a chance to go to the actual storefront. But now I know I have a go to spot if I really want a good sandwich!

    Photos
    Busy making sandwiches
    Busy making sandwiches
    $5 worth of soup from Pronto Italian Sandwiches in Naperville.
    $5 worth of soup from Pronto Italian Sandwiches in Naperville.
    Cute decor, kind of looks like an Italian version of the barber shop I work at

    See all

    Cute decor, kind of looks like an Italian version of the barber shop I work at
    Tous Les Jours

    Tous Les Jours

    4.3
    (144 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    OMG OMG... Get the Ube filled brioche donut!…read more I've been to several Tous Les Jours and this location is hands down my favorite. It's fairly large with several indoor spots to sit and stay awhile. The staff members were so nice!! I recommend coming earlier in the day to try and take advantage of everything being stocked. I came in on a Friday around 430pm and although the options were slim, I was able to get a few delicious items. Back to the Ube donut. UGH!! FULLY filled that I spilled so much of it on myself when I took the first bite. Worth it haha. The Ube actually tastes like Ube. AH! I cannot rave enough about how good this was. It was creamy, sweet but not overly sweet and so frickin delicious. The dough of the donut itself was perrrrrrf too. I actually came back the following day and got another 2 Ube donuts haha. I also got a red bean donut, a slice of the strawberry cloud cake a slice of the chocolate cloud cake and the soufflé cheesecake. I normally like red bean but I think bc the Ube donut was so good, it was impossible to compete with. The strawberry (and chocolate) cloud cakes were fluffy and not overly sweet. I had them the day after I bought it and both were still moist.

    My husband and I stopped in Sunday afternoon and bought a bunch of pastries and two large drinks;…read moreone was an iced ube latte and the other was an iced honey ginger. The Ube latte was almost 7 dollars and it was literally all milk with zero Ube flavor at all, it was the most disappointing Ube latte we've ever had. The iced ginger looked like the Korean ginger tea jars they sell at H-Mart, nothing fancy. The name of the bakery sounds fancy because it's in French and there are locations all over Illinois. They sell French and Korean infused pastries and cakes that are a bit pricier than most. I think they should at least have nice boxes to put the pastries in rather than wrapping it up in plastic and stuffing it in a plastic bag. There weren't many options and service was eh. The lady who rang us up wasn't very friendly and ignored my husband a few times.

    Photos
    Tous Les Jours
    Tous Les Jours
    Tous Les Jours

    See all

    Cafe Arbor Vitae - coffee - Updated August 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...