What can I say? I love this place and I have many fond memories. I went to high school just around the corner (Northside) and I spent many after school evenings here kicking back with friends, doing homework and just hanging out (I've also taken many a nap in here). This place is synonymous with my high school experience and I loved every minute of it. The owner is really nice, though many of the rules he's enforcing (like the $7 minimum) are because people have been abusing the free-wifi (I've seen people stay for upwards of 6 hours) as well as breaking things like the free games or messing up the books and magazines (I recall that someone even broke one of the couches...it has a notable slump in the cushions now). The boba is good. The pat bing su is good. The food, though sometimes pricy, is good. Java and Mug's bullfrogs kept me going through my winters at Northside and the Tapioca freezes and bing su's are what welcomed my summers. I seldom come back now that I've moved onto college and live out of the way, but when I do, it's always special. - Eat on! read more

I love the cozy atmosphere,board games, and the food, especially their Hawaiian Fruit Bowl! I love this place!

Amazing place to go if you're with friends and want a nice place to hang out, eat and play games. But because of this fact, I don't recommend going there if you want a more peaceful quiet setting or at least avoid going there on weekdays around late afternoon, as there are many groups of kids going there to hang out. The food and drinks are amazing though. I highly recommend the Bingsoo and Ramyun. read more

I love coming here to study and hang out with friends. But of course what attract everyone there is the fruit bingsoo! Just talking about it make me want some right now. All in all this is a fun place to hang out, there are broad games, cards, and comic book to read. Or you can just bring your laptop and browse, FREE WIFI! read more

This is my favorite North park hangout. The bubble tea is delicious, the place is very clean and extra points for all the board games! The atmosphere of this place is great--its somewhere you can go and hangout with friends or use your computer with their free wifi. I much prefer this place to the outdoor cafe down the block. read more

Went in to Java & Mug Cafe 10 minutes before close only to discover it on yelp while I was at Outdoor Cafe, eep. I took tessa c. review, packed my things, and ran out to get a taste of the taro bubble tea. Best taro hands down? I'm not sure, but definitely worth the rush down the block. It was really good or maybe it was just a relief kinda good, since outdoor cafe didn't hit the spot. Outdoor cafe is nice, but Java& Mug Cafe is more of my style. Chill, dim, comfy, and good taro bubble tea. Not sure if it was powder or real taro, but they are definitely doing something right since I couldn't make out the difference. Gulp, oo that it hit the spot ;) read more

Great place to hang out, play games, and eat Korean shaved ice or drink bubble tea! They have lots of board games you could use. You could also bring your own! It's a very chill place with lots of room to sit. It's very similar to Outdoor Cafe, which is very close. The shaved ice does taste a little different though. I like both, so I would just choose to go to one that has closer parking or isn't as crowded. read more

I love coming here to study! It's a great place to grab some coffee sit down and just think. They also have games to which is really neat. Takes you back to a time when cell phones did not crowd a dinner table. Staff is super friendly and did I mention the yummy desserts! Great great place. read more

I have been here a few times and it is a fun little shop to come visit when you want to get out of the apartment for a bit and have a cup of coffee or tea. This cafe attracts a younger crowd so it is louder than your average coffee shop, so be wary if you're looking for a quiet place to read. However, this is a great spot to meet up with friends and play a board game over a cup or two. They have a wide variety of drink available, ranging from black to milk based coffee drinks, to a wide selection of teas, to bubble tea! I particularly like the mango bubble tea. The owners of this cafe are very kind and go out of their way to ensure you have the best experience there possible. So if you don't have any plans in the evening, stop by and check this place out. Its a nice little gem in the northern area of Albany Park. Cheers! read more

Love the waffle with ice cream. Great dessert!! The ambience is really nice and cozy. I like how there's different types of groups just hanging out. It's a good place for studying! read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Finally a place to get some bingsoo in Chicago! A cute space to catch up with a friend or two with books available to read (in Korean). I can't speak to any of the coffees but the bingsoo is delicious (and they make them in the fall/winter too)! read more

Delicious desserts! Never thought I would like red beans in a sundae but holy cow that was absolutely delicious. Can not wait to go back! My family and I went there for a treat night and had dessert and played the game Battleship! Kids had a blast and we will definitely be going back! read more

I love this place! The bingsoo, lattes, and maccaroons are amazing! The food and the ambiance is great, the service is always polite and friendly. The only drawback is that the people who play board games tend to be very loud. read more

I walked in here while waiting for some food at a nearby restaurant. After waiting at the counter for two minutes, a clerk came out and looked at me. And looked at me. Like I had a foot growing out of my forehead. Finally he said, "you waiting for something?" I said that I would like to order. He took my order and went back into the kitchen. 5 minutes later he came back with the ingredients. For coffee. Honestly, I think it's because I was the only white guy in a store with 20 people in it that I wasn't taken seriously. I won't be returning to inconvenience the busy clerk at Java & Mug. PS. Parking was ample. read more

I really like the drinks here. I got a cafe latte bubble tea and it was super nice and creamy. The desserts and sweets are also very tasty. The ambience is really nice, especially if you are sitting next to the window. The atmosphere is very warm. I came here with the intention to work on some stuff. Not too intently. However, with the boardgame aspect, you have large groups of people come in to play. Which I'm cool with. Except you should not expect that they will be willing to keep their voices down or be considerate overall, even if there are a lot of people also trying to work or have light conversation. There can be lots of wooing, jenga pieces knocking down, and general shouting and yelling. Headphones don't really work. I suggest that you be wary if you try to study here, unless you come at a good time. Good for you. read more

This is probably my favorite cafe of all time. I was introduced to this place in summer of 2009. I loved it, but only went once. It was always in the back of my mind but I always lived a bit far. Then I moved closer with my husband and now we are going more and more frequently. When I introduced him to this place, he fell in love too! let me just say that they do EVERYTHING in excellence. the green tea/green tea monster lattes, bubble teas, waffle desserts, ramen and udon, and ESPECIALLY the bingsoo, which I just recently got to try. They even do some awesome latte art in the hot drinks with the steamed milk! I have noticed scripture and christian books, as well as instrumental classic christian worship, which of course, is a HUGE plus for me, which explains why they don't skimp on anything and give the highest quality of everything. i'll be coming here for years to come! please don't ever close. read more

See all

First time here. It's great. Love the cozy atmosphere and there's board games to play while you're waiting for your food. I had the ham panini - which is good. Must try the honey lemon ITS SOO GOOD! Also had bing soo and absolutely loved it. Will definitely be coming here more. read more

Really wonderful, comfy cafe. Great place to go study with good latte art and has a peaceful ambience surrounding it

It's a nice chill place to stay~ I love their bingsoo! It's a cozy place and they also have board games.

I love this place mostly because it's become my go-to place when I need to kick back, relax and do my work. It's usually fairly tranquil in there (they play jazz versions of pop songs, fyi) and the couches really sink you in. The service is friendly and the menu selection is excellent (so long as you're not looking for food). read more

This place is really cute! Lots of comfy seating arranged in several different conversation areas. There are always lots of school aged kids hanging out using computers, playing the board games or playing musical instruments. Love the bubble teas and the staff is great! The hours are a little funky - open later in the afternoons but not the the mornings for coffee??? They give student discounts and stamp cards for frequent purchasers. read more

Java is a go-to! Staff are always nice and everything is always awesome! Once, my friend didn't like the taste of her drink and the owner insisted on making her a new one that tasted better or was better to her liking. If I have to cram for exams, or just want to relax with friends I always come here! This place has been a regular spot for me for a least a couple years and I always love it. Only down side that I can really think of are the loud and obnoxious high school kids every so often. EDIT: Haven't been here in a while, but now every time I come its completely overrun with really loud rambunctious people . . . yes, it is enough for me to knock off two stars =( read more

Decided to spice up my quarterly trip to the King Spa in Niles with a stop at Java & Mug after reading all the amazing reviews. Wow, am I glad I did! I stopped in around 2:30pm on a Friday and it was pretty empty. I walked up to the counter, not sure how the cafe operated, and was politely ushered to a table of my choice with a ton of menus. I was torn between trying the bingsoo and waffles, but ended up going with the waffle and a green tea monster latte (which has coffee it in). I had also asked for a panini, saying that I hadn't eaten yet that day and was really hungry; but the owner very politely suggested it may be too much food and that I might want to wait until I've finished the waffle before I order something more. I found this very admirable because how many owners would seriously tell you to order less food at their business? But he was totally right: the waffle completely filled me up. And it was delicious. I'm talking out-of-this-world, taste buds exploding into fireworks delicious. One of the best things I've ever eaten in my life, for real. You got a waffle, warm and gooey in all the right spots, topped with one giant scoop of vanilla ice cream, one giant scoop of strawberry ice cream, to gallops of whipped cream, a line of sliced banana, a line of sliced strawberries, all topped with drizzled chocolate syrup and a ton of granola. It was heavenly. In addition to the food, I immediately fell in love with the atmosphere and layout of the place. It was lined with comfy couches and had a ton of board games and books you could play/read while you were there. Definitely conducive to doing work, studying, writing, or hanging out with your friends. If I lived closer, this would be my go-to writing place. Tips for visiting (especially if you're from out of town): - Despite what it says on the company's Facebook page, they open at 2pm, not 12:30pm - Parking in front of the store is paid street parking. If you go a block or two over, it's free - It started getting really busy with college (and some high school) students around 3:30pm. If you need quiet time or don't like to be immersed in that kind of crowd, go earlier when they open - When it became busy, people had to go up to the counter to order, since there was limited staff. So if you come in when there's lot of people, don't expect to be served at a table. read more

I like their bingsoo and also their coffee, I just think this place is a bit pricey because if you order a coffee and a nice desert, your bill will already by 15$ or so. But if you are around the neighborhood, definitely give it a try! Taro bubble tea is the best! read more

Came with friends and played a round of taboo. So it was great fun. It totally is a place to hang with friends

This place is my favorite hang out spot, specially during the Korean festival. I've been going to this place since 2011. My favorite drink is the milk tea with tapioca, I introduced this drink to my hubby and now he is hooked. The decor is just so nice, I love the games that they have, my friends and I always play jenga or taboo. We stay there for hours laughing and playing games. I highly recommend the bingsoo it's just too good to pass by, also their homemade macaroons are delicious a must have. If you want a quite place with great drinks then come here. read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Intense game of jenga with our bubble teas - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Nice place to go to with friends - lots of sofas, seats, really cozy. Usually a peaceful place to study as well. The prices are also pretty reasonable. read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Cappuccino - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I tried hot milk tea with boba and it was GOOD!!

The Caramel Macchiatto is awesome. Not too sweet, not too bitter. WiFi available for paying customers. Not bad place overall.

I have been here quite a few times and while I think they are too expensive, they do have good ice cream desserts and chocolate cake. It is a good place to take a friend and chat for awhile while you share an ice cream (they are big..see the pics). It's great that they have free WIFI, but there are usually a lot of annoying, loud teenagers here so it can be hard to work. Service is good, they are very nice. You are not allowed to sit in the couch area unless you are with a group. Boo. read more

Super cute place to get some great bubble tea and shaved ice! The place is very relaxing- there are comfy couches to sit on and enjoy your treats :) The staff is VERY sweet and they are open till midnight which is pretty awesome considering that most coffee shops in Chicago seem to close a lot earlier. Definitely a good find! read more

This place was great! The drinks were awesome and the service was nice. I love their ice cream and waffle dish. The atmosphere was cozy and I liked the set up. Everything seemed reasonably priced and there is free wifi and outlets everywhere. Great for studying or a get together read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Pineapple bubble tea and ice cream waffle - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The atmosphere is really comforting and warm ! But the prices are kinda ridiculous ... considering they keep adding up every time I go there ! For example, a bowl of instant** noodles, is like $5 when you can make them yourself for free (and they cost less too). But the food is undeniably fantastic ! And the way they prepare it is very clean and nice. read more

I went again, this time around 10 pm--it was way too quiet for me. I felt like I had to whisper with my friends. If you're studying, this might be the place for you. If you want to play games, chitchat with your friends without feeling bad, I would probably check out Outdoor Cafe. read more

Wonderful place to have fun at night playing Jenga to uno. I love this place so much. I wish there was a location closer to the chicago downtown area. The baristas create beautiful designs in the coffees. I highly recommend this place. read more

Although the coffee could have been hotter but the whole place had a very good feel to it. It was casual and chilled out. UIC area needs a coffee place like these. I am gonna try their udon next time. read more

I ordered mocha latte and macaroons. Both are really good. I'll recommend this place to friends.

Been here twice. Apart from lots of other coffee shops, this place makes you feel like home! Cozy decorations and couple couch seats for a large group to hang out; bar-like sitting next to the wall for small groups. And you'll be surrounding with soft bossanova and instrumental music! The owner is a young, genuine Korean man dedicating to serve the community by his small business. The quality of the shop has been drastically improved since the remodeling few years ago. A bookshelf full of Korean books pretty much tells itself. Come here, grab a coffee and chat with him! Oh, did I mention that their boba and frappuccino is really cost-effective compared to many other places in Chicago? read more

A real feel of a seoul korea cafe. I love the atmosphere at night, and the menu has a lot of great choices.

Love this gem! If you really like patbingsu, this is the right place for you! I always forgot to take a picture after I order, I always a little too excited to have it and just dive in. I will post some awesome green tea patbingsu next time! read more