:( So, I came here for the first time in January. It was during a visit that ended with me choosing to move here. It was mildly populated, had an awesome artsy vibe, and a cool staff to top it off. It is now August and what happened?! I am glad they got more business, but it is constantly crowded, they hired new staff that seem to lack social skills for customer service, and honestly the espresso has an unappealing aftertaste. I like the chai, the old staff, and when I can find a seat. I don't really go here any more and it makes me sad that it isn't the same chill spot. read more

Moving to Logan Square in a month and wanted to test the waters on a quality place for some java in the hood. Dropped into NWC last Saturday morning and was muy contento. It's got a vibe, a definite hipster feel but as a relatively unhipsterish dude, I also felt welcome. Lots of art on walls, I liked. Had a straight cup of coffee and the Metropolis blend did not disappoint. Others had a hot chocolate and a mocha- both solid. Did not try the cupcakes but the amount of creamy frosting on them was remarkable- looks scrumptious and I will be back for a taste on another occasion. Servers were "courteously aloof"- not rude at all, just...low key. Overall, a winner. read more

Perfect place to get some work done with a not-so-sweet drink. Went on a Sunday evening and had to wait a bit for a table because it was super packed. But after a few minutes we found a seat and were able to work with minimal distractions. The staff that we encountered were polite and gave us milk options which we preferred ie. Almond, soy or whole. I really liked how the drinks weren't made with 50% sugar syrup leaving you jittery while you work away. This New Wave is my new Sunday Rave!! RR read more

I've been coming to New Wave for years. I've had my ups and downs as far as experiences go, but it was always worth coming back to. Now I'm not so sure. As of the time of my review, they have remodeled all the counters and made it a bit more clean looking. But they also removed a lot of the couches, the TV, and the SNES which made place feel really warm and inviting. Also, with the furniture removed or replaced, most of the individual small tables feel just strewn about in a big area. I could forgive minor design woes though. What really sucks is that they raised the prices up on everything. Bottomless Coffee is now $4.50. Seems a little expensive for drip, considering most people would just get a couple refills. It's barely worth getting this option over the regular orders. They changed most of the pastries too, and they come in at around $3.50-$4.50. I have no issue paying that money for a good pastry, but some of the stuff they've been selling lately has been awful. I got one of their new offerings and it was really hard and not sweet at all. They also got rid of some of the old favorites, like the lovely bake shop bars. Worst of all, the pastries are left out on the table with no lids. There was a fly crawling around on the croissants and the workers were too busy/distracted to care. Really gross. Someone is gonna eat that, y'know? My friend got one of the new sandwiches and she couldn't even finish half of it. It was really embarrassing as I suggested the place. It feels like they didn't really put a lot of thought into the revamping. Just new furniture and higher prices. Some of the baristas are still standoffish, but I'm okay with that. They've always been friendly enough to give me good service when I ask for it, and I see a lot of them doing hard work. For this, I give New Wave coffee 2 stars instead of 1. But, man, the management needs to get this place together. New Wave Owners/managers, if you see this, I'll gladly update my review once the place has improved. read more

I used to love studying here, as this place is so blindingly ugly that I only wanted to focus on my homework. Now I realize that it is crowded, loud, and still ugly. The staff is pretty nice though. read more

I wish you could review places based on various criteria, or at least put together a way of showing the criteria that were important to you. See, for me, the quality of coffee is the most important, particularly the quality of espresso drinks. Food at a coffee shop doesn't matter to me unless it's as good as what you get at like Ch'ava. Ambience matters, but hipsters don't bother me (I'm so sick of reading about people complaining about hipsters in their reviews). Availability of seating is important. As is the cleanliness of bathrooms, quality of the wi-fi, availability of plugs for my computer ... I never have trouble getting a seat, I like the ambience (music choice, etc.), there usually are cute (hipster!) girls to occasionally stare at and then pretend you weren't staring at, etc. Bathrooms are a bit gross. But all in all, this would be a solid 3-4 star place if the coffee weren't so awful. And it really is consistently awful. An Italian friend of mine deemed his espresso the worst he'd ever had. He did it in that Keith Olbermann voice: WORST. ESPRESSO. IN. THE. WOOOOOOOORLD. OK, that is probably a BIT too much, but it certainly isn't great. I go with iced coffee or tea here, b/c the coffee is so bad. There really isn't much near here unless you want to go to Starbucks, so I end up here more often than I'd like. Oh well. read more

Coffee is good, the sandwich I had delicious, but the staff, not so much. Kinda rude and generally apathetic, which I find annoying. Not a smile or have a nice day. Don't like your job, then quit and don't waste my time. read more

the real dope about new wave let me first say: new wave is my neighborhood jam. it's where i go to work, have meetings, read, socialize, etc. in general: i love it. but like most good loves, it is not without flaws. so let's start with the bad so we can end on a positive note. bad things about new wave: -the baristas' obnoxious music selections. some days are good some bad. you want to play "the aeroplane over the sea" all the way through? good. you want to play some experimental metal at a obnoxious volume while people are trying to interact? bad. i'm a lover of all types of music but a greater lover of practicality. worst of all: they make you listen to the click wheel sound on their ipod and have a tendency to change songs (mid-play sometimes) as much as one might expect from someone who grew up in an ipod generation. -most things are super overpriced. all the baked goods -which have a really poor presentation in their dingy case, btw- and sandwiches are marked up about a dollar more than they should be. if i could change one thing about this place this would be it. i'd order food all the time if it were more affordable or at least more filling. the portions are very small. -it's tough to find a seat. at practically any time of the day it's a struggle to find a spot to sit with a friend or a spot with an electric outlet. expect to stand around like an idiot for a while before getting to sit. this isn't so much new wave's fault as it is all the hangers-on (which i guess speaks to how good this place is) but they could throw in some more tables, chairs and outlets. the internet is also painfully slow. good things about new wave: -it's the spot. in my opinion, it's the most fun, coolest spot to hang out at in the square. all my friends enjoy it. the atmosphere is positive and upbeat. the decor is great and they always have amazing art on the walls. everyone checks everyone out pretty heavily, which i think is fun. beats people burying their head in a book and completely zoning out. the place feels lively. -the coffee is pretty good. sometimes the dark roast can taste a little burned but, overall, it's great. the baristas seemed well trained and i've yet to have a bad espresso drink served to me. i'm also big on the fact that they serve metropolis, which i consider to be a superior product to the beloved intellegentsia. the prices on the coffee, at least, are reasonable. -the mix of people is unbeatable. we are talking all demographics, all stereotypes, all races, ethnicity, etc. you can find bevy of hipsters, oldster, families, students, professionals, jocks, dorks and miscreants of all persuasions. the place never feels exclusive or like it has a 'regular' crowd that dominates. (all these reviews focusing on how hipster it is are written by haters with fixating tunnel vision that fails to notice any other type of person). that said, you're still always bound to run into friends when you're there. how can you beat that? there you go. new wave rules. if they'd lower the prices on the food i'd give this place five stars. (the other two points are really negligible.) it's the place to be in the square and we are happy to have it here. read more

This plac should have two ratings. One star and five stars. Let's start with the bad things. Interior. Huge place with a lot of potential, great brick walls, interesting artwork changed every month. Sounds good, but....the tables and chairs- come on. They make enough money to invest something in new chairs. Filthy sofas and recliners are unusable. I would never seat on them. Never. The same story with the counter and space behind. The sell food so it should look at least a little better. And the last thing- service. Its getting better (was terrible) but it still has room for big improvement. Now is the time for pros. Coffee, lattes etc. They know their job. And they know where to buy beans. Metropolis is one of the best in Chitown. Well priced sandwiches and vegetarian options. My best- swordfish trombone. One more suggestion. NW should come back to Beans and Bagel croissants. Fritz pastries are god but not even close to B&B. Alomnd croissant was their brightest star but not anymore. New croissaints are just OK. read more

Our party was pretty dissatisfied with our drinks here, only one of us thought theirs was even acceptable. My mocha tasted strongly of burnt, low quality coffee, and was entirely lacking in any chocolate flavor. Thin and disgusting is not what I want in a frothed coffee drink after dinner, I left sorely disappointed and didnt even finish said drink, nor did my girlfriend. read more

Why would it be that I COULD NOT order a decaf double espresso over ice, to go? The server looked at me as if I'd come from outer space - and rudely remarked that he couldn't let me do that - because I'd "add milk to it". So I asked politely if I could just have the decaf espresso & some ice in a cup. Still glaring at me, he then held up a ceramic mug and small paper cup and pronounced (in a very harsh tone): "then I'll have to sell it to you like this!". He recommended a decaf latte, which I ordered. The latte was expensive & I didn't want that much milk in my coffee - it dilutes the flavor of the espresso. WHAT'S UP W/ THIS PLACE? I've never had such rude service. Will never go back there. Shouldn't folks get up in the morning and be thankful that they have a job to go to? - or are getting delicious cup of coffee? How about a little heart, or a 'pay it forward' attitude in your business? There's nothing New Wave about old-fashioned Dickensian stinginess and rudeness! read more

It's fine. It used to be better. They've cleaned it up a bit which I appreciate but the place lost a lot of charm. I liked the comfy broken couches and the SNES and the shitty artwork on the walls. The prices have also gone up and they took the MacGyver off the menu. Damnit. read more

Sublime! If this coffee were a sound it would be Brahms. It slides over the tongue like a slithering eel. I remember the first time I stopped at New Wave. Based upon the slow moving enthusiasm of the staff to help me actually procure a tasty caffeinated beverage I noticed that they definitely thought they were way cooler than I and I am sure more than one of them feels the same about you. They really didn't like the dude on the phone ahead of me. Buy! Buy! Sell! Sell! or something like that. Or they're really bored and angry. I'm not sure which. Can you be both at the same time? What a bummer! Either way I've had more eager service but hey....it's a coffee shop. If I am antsy over some slow service from some hipstery types maybe I should drink less coffee. No? Anyhoo....I recommend New Wave for a tasty cup of joe, a tasty snack or sandwich and some service from folks whose jeans are probably way more selvedge or way more skinny than yours....or mine. Let's not even talk about the ironic t-shirts. Lovely shop. Lovely atmosphere. Honestly lovely people! 5 Stars! read more

Yay for coffee and ample seating! Can't find anything wrong with this place, besides the fact that half the couches aren't gonna be sat on by me. I got this phobia with old couches and slipping into the cracks, where my imagination invents all kinds of new bacterias. read more

This place has it going on like a horse and buggy. Slow easy ride, fresh wind blowing through your hair. They make good coffee and good sandwiches. Hard to find a seat sometimes but get over it, that's what its all about. read more

Learn how coffee is served before you become a barista. All over the world, asking for a packet of sugar, doesn't mean putting it inside the customer's cup. Hand me the coffee along with the prepackaged sugar (no, I didn't ask to touch common objects during the pandemic, sugar was visible behind the counter in packets). Do not empty the entire packet inside the cup (which is what the barista did) as I like to dose it myself (that is MY right!). When I told the short two-braided barista with glasses just that as she just ruined my cup of coffee, she looked confused and replied she can't hand me a cinnamon jar (didn't ask for that as the jar was shared and I do understand Covid precautious; my point was about me being able to dose sugar from a packet which she could have easily given me). Just needed to say sorry and offer a new cup of coffee. Instead, she seemed so perplexed, she blew up citing my rudeness. Wouldn't give me her name and sent me to Starbucks (LOL!). The exchange ended by her yelling "fuck you" !! as I was walking out. If this is what the owners encourage and tolerate, it says it ALL. Home girl needs to learn a ton about the world and rules of the industry she tries to work. This place has always strived to be hipster, but who needs this kind of attitude? Hipster or not, be PROFESSIONAL. read more

This place is huge, they have Metropolic coffee, comfortable old lay-z-boy chairs, and an 8-bit Nintendo library set-up. Thus, go there for homework and if your soft chair has you feeling sleepy, get another coffee and play a round of Bionic Commando. read more

1. metropolis coffee is just great. 2. multiple types of sitting, couches, desks/chairs, smooshy chairs, regular chairs. theres even a rocking chair. 3. the staff is killer, so nice and will totally be goofy and super accommodating 4. best croissants ever.. chocolate filled profundity. 5. lots of vegan desserts for those weirdos. 6. music is always awesome 7. free wifi 8. couple blocks from my house. (that really wont affect you..) those that think this is a place filled with hipster douche bags is .. well, lets not call names shall we? this is a solid cafe that is comfortable and friendly. Filter had way more bullshit pretension art school fucks. This place is just a bunch of people drinking good coffee in logan square.. read more

the place is huge - plenty of places to post up. and i mean, like hella POST UP: set up your laptop, bring a newspaper, catch up on new yorker magazines, play a game of chess/monopoly/apples to apples. pretty much, it's like a big communal coffee shop where people actually stick around afterwards. people are friendly. staff is laid back. they have a well-rounded selection of small foodsies and drinks to choose from. when i arrived the whole space was practically full - but there were a handful of tables that still had chairs on top of them. it was nearly 10am on a Friday morning, and i had to ask one of their staff to bring the chairs down so I can sit at the table. no big deal. the place isn't perfect, the staff aren't perfect -- but that's kind of the point. Gimme my coffee, and gimme a place to sit :) awesome coffee shop - won't find it anywhere else. read more

This place is great. The sandwiches are good - so are the little candies and fudge at the register. My favorite is the Black Tea Latte (Queen's Tea). It gets busy, but there is always room for a group or a laptop to chat or work. The music is staff picked which can sometimes be great. I enjoy hanging here. read more

Metropolis coffee, donuts from Fritz Pastry. Good things. Lots of tables for when you aren't working in the office, but rather a coffee shop! read more

Love New Wave. Plenty of seats, great atmosphere, good sandwiches and drinks. I recommend the iced Hail Mary. It's my favorite place in the neighborhood to curl up with a book or get some work done. The baristas aren't super chummy, but they aren't snotty either, so that works for me. I took a star off because I hate when they play metal; it makes it impossible to study. read more

Grumpiest baristas of all time... New wave attitude...It's kinda dirty in this coffee shop so I didn't really want to chill there too long. I did enjoy the patio area with my ice coffee however. Also really funny bathroom wisdom so I kinda was into that for a minute or two. And the reviews are totally true, it looks like a urban outfitters catalog in here. read more

Expensive iced coffee ($3+ for a small), rude cashier/barista, and the taste of the coffee wasn't even stellar. Has a large dining space, good to do work in. But I would rather procure my iced coffee at the Starbucks a few blocks down. read more

It's sort of the dive bar of coffee shops. The ambiance is very casual, the drinks are okay-not-great, and the staff are kind of prickly. Don't go if you're looking for something fancy, but if you just want to do some work or studying New Wave is fine. read more

I had poor customer service a year ago when I went for my first time. I go back every now and again hoping that their customer service has improved. I keep getting the same barista every time and she is just the worst. No matter how polite I am when ordering, nor how many times I say "thank you", and no matter how much I tip, she never says a word to me as she prepares my drink. As someone who works in customer service and wants to support local businesses here in Logan Square, I just can't get over her extreme lack of effort and unbelievably apathetic attitude. The rest of the staff lacks effort and is judgmental, but nothing compared to her. read more

I've been coming here for over a year. I used to come here about every week, at least once, in the past year. Their coffee is good. Like gooooood good. I think they really appreciate their locals and regulars. I can just tell in the conversation I have with most of the baristas. I think it's important to say that most of the busy times they are understaffed. Or at least they look like they could use some help. This is not any one the barista's fault. If the farmers market is going then they usually have a really busy house. The line is long. They probably would like to get everyone through. I feel like customers should be understanding of that. If that half and half creamer is empty...give them a minute. This is not a corporate, chain coffee place. Appreciate local business. read more

The rudeness factor of this place has significantly decreased. Great menu and lots of seating.

The lack of Mega Man for the NES console is fucking criminal. Seriously, I waited around for 45 minutes, the service was great and the coffee better. But there was no payoff! SERIOUSLY! WHOSE DICK DO I HAVE TO SUCK TO PLAY SOME MEGA MAN??? read more

I don't care about the linoleum. Or the colors. Or the paintings. I'm not a fan of the tables, but I can deal with them. My problem is the music that the staff plays... the f*ing music. They play it loud. It's distracting. At times it's ok, but at others it can be hard to think or even have a conversation. Maybe it's part of the business model: a place to get coffee and listen to some interesting new music. Or maybe operatic/dramatic musicals and really loud experimental emoPostIndustrialGothPunkPop at 9 in the morning is what the kids are into these days. Maybe it helps if you're dissonantly reading Camus with an Us Weekly on the table or something. Though this place isn't really for me, I'll keep coming because it's conveniently located, but I'll keep getting annoyed at the BS on the PA. read more

$3 for a Dixie cup size coffee! Otherwise a delightful brew. The space is a bit on the dirty side. And what coffee shop doesn't off donuts on its menu?! read more

Coffee tastes like coffee to me, no matter where from. I was late to work and the easy street parking made this place my official back-up coffee place in the morning. $0.50 more expensive than my usual place, but that's nothing. I'll keep coming back. read more

Condoms and individual packets of lube in the bathroom...AND COFFEE?!?!?

Stopped here for our drinks going to La Boulangerie, a french bakery. Wife got a Coffee, and I got a Hanks cream soda. Help were casual and friendly, and the line flowed pretty well. The wife's coffee was just ok, but my cream soda was great. read more

This place is a chill place to study. Staff is pleasant overall. Crowd is an interesting mix of hipsters and students. Indie music that's just the right volume, and I never have trouble finding seating. My only qualm is that I don't think their drinks are as good as other coffee shops. So far I've tried latte, soy latte, mocha, even hot chocolate and can't put my finger on why the drinks are not too good. They have daily seasonal soups that are okay, and the roast beef sandwich is pretty good and served warm, but tiny for what you pay for. read more

I have been to New Wave twice. Once was back in the spring to do work on Sunday afternoon. It wasn't crowded and was a nice quiet place to work. The second time was this past Sunday during the Logan Square Farmers Market. The line was almost out the door as there are not other coffee vendors at the market. The staff was still very friendly and provided efficient service. The coffee is always tasty. And, their ATM fee is only $1. :) read more

I'm a pretty basic, white girl and was not phased by the hipster atmosphere one bit. New Wave gave me nostalgia for my old college days, studying in coffee shops. The atmosphere was peaceful and a cozy place to catch up with friends. The barista was very helpful and the drinks were delicious. My mocha was a revival from my typical Starbucks and a sip of my friend's London Fog couldn't have tasted better. I can't wait to go back for more. read more

I did not expect to like this place so much!! It's just a coffee shop right?? Yes, but it's a really spacious, well lit coffee shop with bright colors, lots of tables and friendly staff! The coffee was decent (not excellent), but decently priced, and as long as I can study or hang out with friends and not gag on my coffee, I'm pretty much sold. This is a great place to study or read! There are a bunch of tables, a few couches even. Also it's big enough that you can still come in here and chat and not interrupt the people doing work. The music was good, not too loud. The food looked pretty good too; sandwiches, soup. There's also a ton of cool art on the walls from, I'm assuming, local artists. And on top of all this, there's parking right out front, and you can access the shop from both Logan Blvd and Milwaukee Ave. I will definitely be back, but I have a feeling this place will quickly get crowded as there is little competition in the area. Oh and there's FREE WIFI! read more

Hipster friendly atmosphere, so hip in fact that despite the numerous seating possibilities all were occupied on the Saturday afternoon I went in. If I were to grade on the latte alone, I wouldn't say it's much better than Starbucks, but the atmosphere makes up for that. And IF I was hip, and IF I needed a comfortable place with free wifi, questionably good coffee, and an aging Nintendo system on an equally aging big screen TV this would be my hangout. They seriously need to get some signage up though, it would be nice to know what they offer. read more

easily the best coffee spot in chicago. funny thing - i still do all my writing (first drafts) longhand in spiral notebooks and when i am in there it is a sea of laptops - unlike many spots where people look at you with disdain because you actually know how to hold a pen- the patrons at NW just ignored me - which - if I am having coffee and writing - that is how it should be if I won the lottery I would buy just about every piece of art on those walls - there is some stuff that is so cool that I know if it was in my apartment people would think i'm cool - and not some guy who writes but doesn't own a laptop. i don't know that I would call it hipster because i am about as unhip as you can be and everyone there just seemed to relaxed and didn't make me feel as unhip as i am the staff has always been very kind and courteous the coffee is always delicious this is how a coffee shop should be get in there check it out relax and check out the art - or read a book - or write in a notebook - or use the laptop - just do it there... read more