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.

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.

****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.

Kneads and Wants sits tucked away in downtown Skokie with a cute little store front. There's plenty…read moreof seats to dine in and I was impressed with the space inside. There were two staff working and both were so kind during my visit. I decided to get a breakfast sandwich to go and a pastry for a treat for later. Sandwiches are cooked to order. I ordered The Standard which the menu says is bacon, souffled egg, and hot honey on a waffle. Because I got it to go, it was wrapped in a hot sandwich type deli paper. I didn't taste any hot honey at all but this sandwich was delicious. I loved the souffled eggs which were so light and fluffy. I think my particular sandwich got a liiiitle extra toasty, the waffle was pretty dark and the bacon was bordering burnt, which isn't my preference. This sandwich is deceivingly filling. I couldn't quite finish it but man was I full. I will absolutely be back for this and to try other sandwiches. For later I grabbed a flattened strawberry pistachio croissant from the bakery side. I actually love the flattened part of this because it was so much easier to eat than big fluffy croissants and still had all the flakiness that laminated dough pastries bring. I loved this! I can't wait to go back and try their big soft pretzel and maybe a drink next time! Thank you Kneads and Wants!

Phenomenal breakfast sandwiches. Pricey, yes, but worth a splurge every once in a while. Plus you…read moreprobably won't need lunch afterward. Bakery items are hit or miss: delicious cookies (especially chocolate crinkle), and a killer coffee cake, but bland scones and muffins. Also, I wanted to try their big soft pretzel but there was no salt on it. Come on now.

Stopped by C3 Coffee for a quick visit and was genuinely impressed. The space was extremely clean,…read morethe staff was very kind, and everything felt well thought out from start to finish. I ordered a cortado, which was excellent, and it came with a complimentary sparkling watersuch a unique and refreshing touch. I honestly wish more coffee shops did that. I also grabbed the chicken pesto panini, it was absolutely delicious and way more filling than I expected. Fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with quality ingredients. Overall, a great experience all around. High-quality drinks, great food, and a welcoming atmosphere. I'll definitely be back.

This review is long overdue but well worth mentioning that it's one of my favorite coffee shops!…read more I worked in the heart of Skompton for several months & C3 was my morning grace. Colin and Dolly are two of my favorite baristas of all time! My go-to drink is usually anything seasonal when it comes to their coffee and their iced drinks you can add different flavors of Red Bull. YUM. Really enjoy their photo wall art of all their different customers throughout the years. Overall just a really family friendly place to go if you're in the area getting some shopping done! Support locally!

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!

Unbeknowest to me, I have made it a life mission to visit every Qawah House in the nation. I would…read morenot consider myself a huge jet setter, but I have been to the multiple ones in Detroit and houston, and now in Chicago. This one was no different in the style, and decor of the interior there was also no different in being extremely busy. It might have been our fault for coming on a weekend, but we had no other choice. And it was as busy as ever. However, it was quick.They were quick to bring it our order out, and have it ready, despite being so busy inside.We did have to wait a little bit to find a table for our family as large as ours, but that seems to be the norm, because most tables also seem to have about six people on each. The adeni as always is a must have and always my favorite to get. The honeycomb bread and a smattering of other little treats we got from the display cafe that they have was also good and welcome to have in a typical windy day. I would note that even though it smells delicious in here with the coffee aromas, this does not would not be a good place to come to study. This feels like a very friendly friend of the environment because we saw so many different families here and because of that, it was very loud. Just as a heads up. If you're looking to have tea or coffee after dinner out with a family, then this is the place.

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.

Ambiance - casual, spacious, great place for coffee & dessert…read more Service - only 1 person taking orders/making drinks on Sat night, service slightly backed up Food - hot chocolate + biscoff topping was slightly on the sweeter side

We really enjoyed this chic little cafe in Skokie. We originally were planning to go to another…read morecafe that happened to be closed that morning. Sweet Reserve was around the corner with ample street parking, so we decided to head on in. The location has so much seating, and there were only two other patrons there at the time. The server was really kind and helped us navigate through the menu as hungry first time customers. We opted for a kashmiri chai, an almond croissant, and a jalapeño cheddar twisted bread. The pastry, both savory and sweet, were delicious and the perfect buttery crisp. I really enjoyed the kashmiri chai which warmed me up immediately. Service was prompt, the cafe has a super cute interior, and its relatively quiet for a weekday morning work session or chat. Highly recommend!

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.

3.5 stars because the price is ridiculously high…read more Seen this place on Yelp a lot but never went. It was beautiful inside. Space is pretty big and nicely spread out so you're not sitting on top of one another. Just super expensive, especially for the bakery items! Like almost $15 a slice, which is crazy to me. Drinks are also pricey. XL Dubai chocolate cheesecake - Just ok. Bland and we didn't like the cheesecake texture. It was pretty flavorless overall. Chocolate baklava - Now this was the winner! It had cream inside which we didn't expect. Delicious! Harazi Mufawar (Coffee, cardamom & cream) - Delicious! They recommended adding sugar because it's too strong otherwise. It was still strong w regular sugar, so glad we did. Haraz Latte (Double shot espresso, honey, milk, haraz spice) - Very good! Didn't really come hot though, it was lukewarm Coffee Beans - $30 for a small sized bag. Pricey! Price - Expensive!! 0/5 for price, crazy expensive