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    Nabala Cafe

    4.8 (92 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    NABALA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for working
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Nabala Cafe

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    Front window temporary signs
    Jessica G.

    Nabala cafe is a lovely addition to the neighborhood- perfect for a hot coffee or sweet treat!

    Outside
    Sabrina R.

    Nabala Cafe is a beautiful spot to grab some coffee, a quick bite, and study or catch up with friends. I love the community bookcase, with some great reading material. The space is bright, and the staff were super friendly. This is Uptown, so the parking is always up in the air, but I parked on Wilson because I had some other errands to run, and then walked over to Nabala. The cardamom latte was very good, with nice, but not overpowering cardamom flavor. The spinach pie was great with a nice lemony tang. I grew up in Uptown, and I know how this area was, as well as how it has changed in the last 30 years. At times it's bittersweet, but I can say I love to see new small businesses pop up in the area, especially when they add to the diversity and community that is Uptown.

    Ananya M.

    Was so cute on the inside and has a bunch of fun interesting palestine inspired drinks -- chai, baklava latte, cardamom/rose infused drinks. we got the chai latte with oat milk and it was good for like the first 3 sips then tasted not so good (assuming the sweetner was in the bottom). would've been better if they had mixed the sweetner with the chai concentrate rather than adding it before. also $7.69 for a small chai is a little pricy i think.

    Chai karak
    Chris M.

    Whether it's hanging out with friends/family or enjoying some time to yourself, Nabala Cafe is the perfect place to unwind. With the cozy atmosphere, vibrant decor, and ample natural light, the vibes here are immaculate. Nabala offers a nice variety of food - everything from savory za'atar bread to sweet baklava to numerous other baked goods - and of course they have a fine drink selection. Being a big milk tea fan, I'm personally fond of the Chai Karak. If you order a pot, it comes on a beautiful tray with cute little tea cups. Finally, huge shout-out to the staff here. They're all super friendly and this cafe has been through so much since they opened so if you're remotely near Uptown, swing by and show your support!

    Cardamom Cold Brew
    Anthony D.

    A Palestinian coffee shop located in Uptown. It serves coffee, baked goods, and some food items. The location is on the smaller side, so the limited seating when I showed up at noon was full. It is definitely a popular local spot. The staff was friendly when I asked questions on their specialty drinks and ended up ordering their Cardamom Cold Brew. It was pretty good and definitely has a unique flavor. The food looked pretty good, but I ate before I came so passed on it this time.

    Rohini G.

    Beautifully decorated and cute shop! Stopped in on a Friday evening and ordered a karak chai which was well seasoned and mildly sweetened. Also tried a few mamoul cookies. Staff is very friendly and gave us extra pastries to go before closing. Highly recommend!

    Arielle S.

    Nabala has become a go-to spot when I have visitors in town. It's the perfect setting to sit and chat (if you can get a seat - it gets pretty packed) over a pot of chai or some coffee. We tried some Turkish coffee and chai the last time I went. Love the vaguely herbal flavor in the Turkish coffee, and how the chai wasn't too sweet. Can't recommend this place enough!

    karak chai, pastries
    Sam L.

    Chai was soooo delicious! Cute cafe in a beautiful building and beautiful neighborhood. I've passed by it several times without knowing what it was and finally ended up checking it out. We ordered the karak chai with the spinach and chicken pastries, and loved everything. I will definitely be telling all my friends about this place and hope to be back soon.

    menu
    Maisune E.

    if i lived in chicago, this is where you would find me as a second home. the entire cafe is like a big, warm hug as soon as you walk in. i get emotional in such community spaces so maybe it showed on my face as i ordered, but the servers were family-like kind and sweet. it felt like i was home with my cousins who were making me tea in their home kitchen. i am in love with the grassroots decor, i could spend hours reading every sheet of paper, flyer, and picture inside. the leave a book, take a book concept only added to the connection. i enjoyed my iced mint tea, muhammara, and chicken fatayer. i asked to order zaatar to finish off my olive oil dipping and they provided it complimentary. since we can't enter palestine, this cafe brought palestine to us and im so grateful.

    mint chai, cardamom cafe au lait
    Mona T.

    So glad this spot just opened! It's a wonderful Palestinian-owned cafe and community space with amazing staff, patrons, and books to borrow/browse. Their drink selection is tasty and unique (really enjoyed the cardamom cafe au lait), and the food is solid and affordable too. It's perfect for working remotely, as they have long hours (from 7am-7pm or 10pm on most days) and spacious seating. I only wish that I lived closer that I could frequent this spot more often!

    Inside
    Andrew P.

    Came here on their very first day of their soft opening and am just thrilled to have them in the neighborhood. They're a Palestinian coffee shop with options like Turkish and Arabic coffee plus the typical coffee stuff. I also saw pastries/food but did not partake as I was about to have lunch elsewhere. Will need to come back to try them! The employees I encountered were friendly and the vibe overall was nice. I'd imagine as the establishment works through any kinks and whatnot, this place will be a perfect place to come by and do work, read, or catch up with friends. Excited to have you in Uptown!

    Store front
    Talena H.

    I went here to get a latte which is really good it was about seven dollars I believe which is a typical price I pay but it was a nice lowkey coffee shop they were pretty busy inside. I did get my order right away. Most people that was inside was already sitting down working and talking to each other so I got service pretty quickly which is great. It was a lot of information about Palestine inside I believe this is a Palestinian business, so it was nice to see that they were doing well! Also, they had a really cool bookshelf and I wanted to take a lot of the books to read because I love reading books but I didn't so I'm definitely go back to sit and read at some point it was kind of loud in there only because it was a lot of people so I'll probably wouldn't come a day that they're not super busy on the inside so I have some silence but other than that it was very nice

    Oat Chai

    Delicious chai! Super cute and cozy. Great location and amazing service! Would absolutely suggest people check this place out! (:

    Bak Lava

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    4 months ago

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    4 days ago

    Great options to pick from and vibe of cafe. The falesteeni breakfast sandwich and iced chai were great!

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    5 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    10 months ago

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    5 months ago

    Loved the spreads on pita! Super friendly place with great tea, coffee and food. The cardamom drinks are esp good

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    11 months ago

    Great food and friendly staff! I strongly recommend coming in for lunch. The ambiance is also lovely.

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    6 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Friendly, welcoming vibe. Small, but the cozy side of small rather than cramped. The cardamom coffee was fantastic, so don't sleep on that.

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    9 months ago

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    11 months ago

    Can't wait to come have some coffee when I'm in Chicago! Amazing community hub for relaxing and connecting

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    11 months ago

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    Cafe Deko - Iced vanilla latte

    Cafe Deko

    (173 reviews)

    $$

    Lakeview

    Fun spot to grab coffee with a friend or date!! The decor is so cute, love the gold and green and…read moretile theme they got going on. They really went all out!! There's a fair amount of seating considering the size of the place. Wasn't able to get a spot today unfortunately, but we did go at a busy time on a Sunday morning. I got the honey and lavender specialty latte with soy milk. I get mixed feelings about lavender - sometimes it tastes pretty soapy to me. I thought this was delicious! I'd definitely order again and recommend it. Overall, definitely recommend this spot especially if you're able to get a couch or table to enjoy the space!

    I went here with a friend the other day and we ended up spending a good deal of the afternoon just…read morerelaxing and catching up. Even though we were seated at a regular table, the place had a comfortable vibe and it was easy to settle into. The counter women were efficient, nice, and filled our orders promptly. They did give my friend the wrong size coffee at first, but corrected it quickly and without any problem. One thing I didn't love: my cappuccino was served in a Styrofoam cup while we were staying there. If you're drinking in, it really should come on a ceramic cup and saucer. Save the Styrofoam for takeout! The best part was that we stayed for a couple of hours and no one hovered over us, or made us feel like we had to leave. As for the coffee itself, it was just okay. Not bad, but not memorable either. That's a shame too, because the space is so comfy. Still, there are plenty of other coffee spots on the North Side - and this just gives me a reason to explore others in the neighborhood.

    Osmium Coffee Bar - Barrel Aged Mocha

    Osmium Coffee Bar

    (346 reviews)

    $

    Lakeview

    Dark Matter Coffee is great - the Agave Latte is by far my favorite compared to their other lattes…read moreand mochas that I've tried. It's creamy, sweet but not too sweet, and overall a great flavor profile. It seems like a great place to study or work as well. You can often find many people working diligently (and relatively quietly) so the ambiance is great. I don't often write such low of a review but the one star is for the staff. On most occasions I've only encountered the friendliest of people - in fact the first time I visited and had a hard time choosing a drink, the individual at the register was so kind and helped me make a choice based on what I typically enjoy at other coffee shops. However today I had the absolute WORST experience where the barista was so rude to me after they took my order wrong. All I wanted was the coffee I ordered and calmly explained how there must have been a mix up. In return I was basically shamed multiple times for asking for the right coffee instead of the one they tried to give me and I was just baffled by how passive aggressive the staff member was. My family and I will not be returning to this location again. Go for the coffee and the vibes but just be extra careful to triple check your order is taken correctly at the register.

    Pretty standard coffee place. Homemade syrups! Don't taste sage much though. Slightly spicy because…read moreof the black pepper which was interesting. Overall, a good spot to get a coffee if you're in the area. Hipster vibe environment which was cool, very artistic with friendly staff.

    Nabala Cafe - cafes - Updated May 2026

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