Got a vanilla latte. It was good. The space is cute and has great seating, tables are a little…read morewobbly though so if you happen to be sitting and working with someone else it can get a little annoying. Employee are nice and get you your order quickly. Will return if I'm ever in the area again.

I hate to leave a bad review but this cafe was a big let down. I will start by saying it's clean,…read moreopen, and bright inside. They have a cute patio out back. They sell art from a local artist. I ordered the strawberry, pitaya, coconut matcha for myself and the salted cardamom latte for my husband. The drinks took a very long time to make and then they tasted so bland we ended up throwing them out after a few sips.

Fabulous espresso drinks, high quality coffee, and a wonderful outdoor seating area! Recommend!read more

Good location, nice atmosphere, clean, bright inside the shop. Good coffee! I had a decaf oat…read moremilk latte! It was yummy!!

This tiny little coffee shop is nestled amongst the apartment buildings and shops on Linden…read more There's only about five seats in the shop, three of them along the front window, so it can get cozy inside but for the warmer months they seem to have lots of outdoor seating. Inside they also have a record player for some ambiance and good music. Their chai is delicious! It was sweeter than I expected but I like it sweet too. On the spicy to sweet scale of chai, this is definitely on the sweet side, so if that's not your bag you'll want to select something else. The menu overall is small, but the drinks are pleasant. They had several scones and although I skipped those, another woman in the shop was buying a scone wheel to bake at home, so I don't deny they piqued my interest. There is a good deal of parking along the street here, but I don't think they have a parking lot. As of March 2023 they are open Friday through Sunday only (see my photo).

Alchemy Coffee House offers a selection of their roastery coffee options as well as their famous…read morescones for purchase. We came here to get a caffeine fix, and tried: +Caffee Mocha +Chai Latte +and, one of their summertime specialties, The Alchemist - blended with bananas, pecans, figs, honey, and milk Beverages come in 3 sizes - 12, 16, or 20 oz. Don't sleep on their scones, as if they are out at the store, you can get frozen ones to-go and bake at home. Great with your choice of butter and jam of choice. Staff were friendly, and there's plenty of street parking in the area. +try their scones +friendly service +plenty of street parking available

Good coffee. Love the vibes they put out. Busy place, but not so much that you wish you'd have…read moregone to another place. The folks who take your order are proficient. Some coffee places you only order coffee since the food selection is weak. That isn't the case at Backlot. I get the Classic( somewhat spicy) and my wife gets the Monty breakfast sandwich. A great start to your day!

They have a wide selection of drinks, pastries and local fare. The staff is very friendly and the…read morevibe is a friendly neighborhood coffee house full of art, plants, fresh pastries and local fare. It's always good to support local.

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.

Friendly staff. Chill seating & pleasant music. Ube latte was delicious. My preschooler liked the…read moreoverhead lights; he said they look like dandelions. Highly recommend.

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!

Super cute place with high quality food and friendly staff…read more I had the St. Patty's Day special and it had amazing big chunks of the most delicious age tender corned beef. The poached eggs were pure perfection, with the whites firm and yolks runny. My husband's huevos rancheros were equally delicious. After breakfast we stop at the bakery section and bought a few pastries to take home. The selection was quite large and they were wonderful. So glad to have discovered this gem!

Excellent bakery & restaurant. I stopped by after it was recommend from a local fellow shop owner…read more Had a breakfast omelette followed by a purchase of scones, cookies and caprese sandwiches for a following lunch from their attached bakery. With this find I will be returning w friends as a newly found space for delicious food and conversation.

****LONG POST INCOMING****…read more I wanted to take this time to write a through post about an experience we had at Cupitol this Sunday. We are frequent patrons of the Evanston location (Grove Street) and love it. It was my daughter's baptism, and we had many people traveling from out of town, so the Cupitol location near the highway made the most sense. Knowing that brunch service is semi-self service and there are no reservations, I went to the restaurant beforehand to speak to the manager (Vlad) and maître (Racheal) and give them a heads up about my party's intended arrival time and number of guests. They were very receptive and explained while they could make no promises, they would do their best to help accommodate. Fast forward to morning of, our guest count doubled. The manager, Vlad, had made sure that we had space and even worked with the surrounding guests to see if he could move them to other areas in the restaurant to accommodate our party. He did this in a way that didn't feel intrusive or inappropriate to these other parties (I asked them). Since there are no servers for the brunch service, my wife and I collected the orders, and Vlad did his level best in entering in the order with names, food, and beverage options. Everything came out wonderfully and as expected. If there were items that took longer to prepare, he assured guests were informed and asked if there was anything they needed while waiting. A plus. Moving on to the support staff. Luis and Andres worked diligently to help with drinks (not their job), attended to spills(whoops), deliver food, bring condiments (not their job), pre-buss, and did this all will grace and smiles. They did most without asking and helped with any requests we had outside of the scope of their typical requires tasks. Hats off to these rock stars and their colleagues. All of our guests were blown away at the food, drinks, service, and ambiance. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Did I mention there were 8 children! They had food, drinks, and enough space to prevent any potential melt downs. The owner even came by a couple to ensure that everything was up to par (golf reference intended), and we explained that it was far better than that. Birdie, eagle, double eagle, condor, albatross, or ace. Take your pick. I will recommend to anyone, when looking for a place that goes above and beyond, with a staff that will bend over backward for you and guests, Cupitol is the place. Thank you so much, and you will see us again very, very soon! This is not a paid ad, lol

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.

St. Roger Abbey is nestled in Wilmette, having another location out in Birmingham, MI…read more This cute bakery is run by friendly nuns who are trained in the French art of pastry and baking - super impressive! They offer organic French macarons, bread, cookies, jams, various pastries, and even ready-cooked meals that you can order in advance or pick-up in the store. I loved checking out their shelves of jams, pickled veggies, and other nicely packaged boxes that could be great for gifts! We came here for a caffeine fix, and we ordered: +a White Chocolate Mocha - not brewed well; very weak and watered down; no flavor of the white chocolate +a Cafe Latte with almond milk - not brewed well; very weak and watered down +the Leek Delight - seemed a day or so old; it was dry and extremely bland +the Les bugnes d'Albi - this didn't taste like anything - just a fried, unflavored dough, topped with powdered sugar The organic lemon cookies that I purchased to go were actually delicious - I think it's best to just stick with their packaged cookies here. The nuns were nice. They have limited seating inside, and the place seems pretty popular for pastry orders. Plenty of free parking in the front and in the residential area around the block. +organic lemon cookies +friendly nuns +ample parking

Saturday early in the afternoon, stopped for a cup of coffee. Three employees. Line got longer…read moreafter we placed our order. But our order came out pretty quickly. I got blended hazelnut with cold brew large for $5.70. I did not add any flavors or whipping cream. However, it was still sweet with hazelnut flavor. I loved it! I wonder how sweeter it gets with flavor added with whipping cream. Very local coffee shop with many other pastries and chocolate for sale. Good spot for coffee after a meal in the area!

Stopped by MOTW Coffee & Pastries for a quick visit and was really impressed! The atmosphere was…read morebright, open, and super clean such a refreshing space to relax in. The staff were incredibly kind and welcoming, and the menu had a ton of variety. I ordered a Cortado, which was perfectly balanced and smooth, and tried a beef empanada for the first time warm, savory, and exactly what I needed on a cold day. I also couldn't resist grabbing a baked cookie, which was sweet, soft, and delicious. Overall, this place checks all the boxes: great vibes, amazing service, and quality food and drinks. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area!

Friendly staff. Standard coffees. Giant wall art with a ceramic mug, and yet for table service it's…read morea post-Covid paper cup. The Argentinian chicken empanada was okay but not made in store, and lacked any real savor. Baklava type pastry the size of my big toe was dry as a squirrel turd. Beverage cooler sparsely stocked. One t-shirt dangling from the merch rack. No side table for the wall sofa. This business needs to rethink its posture toward customer comfort. Anyone can sell coffee and pastries from a hole in the wall. I might stop for a take out coffee if my car breaks down outside, but other than that a poor business model tells me to grab a cup at my local greasy spoon.