This place is really aesthetically pleasing and I love the record store connected to the cafe. It was fun to explore it while waiting on my order. You don't have many trendy looking places around the area but this place makes the area look pretty cool. read more

We were first hesitant to try the Perkolator as it replaced a coffee shop that we were fond of. After the first visit, we were not disappointed! In fact, we immediately decided that this would be a place that we would visit frequently. The coffee is great. The food is outstanding! The pancake muffin intrigued us and ended being our favorite. The atmosphere and service are perfect. We cannot say enough about having this wonderful coffee shop in our neighborhood! read more

I stop in here every chance I get. They are very supportive of the neighborhood and the working people of the area. Everything I have tried has been great starting with the coffee. I now have all my co workers craving the PerkOlator to help get them through a long work day. Definitely worth a try! read more

Love the location, decor and friendly staff. Coffee is good as are the smoothies. However, as I write this review, I'm still waiting for my breakfast burrito. Its been about 25 minutes so far. My wife's smoothie and scone are gone. Still waiting. I should have ordered a muffin. Message to the kitchen: please work on your efficiency. read more

A pretty good menu for a independent store. Good cup of tea and sandwich. A place I feel comfortable bringing a bit of work to do. Really nice staff. read more

Awesome Cuban sandwich. It's great to finally have a great place to get a good sandwich.

Wish I lived closer - it would be my every day coffee stop! The decor is bright and cheerful, as is the staff. It might be fair to say I am a wee bit obsessed by their Americano. I have worked my way through a variety of their pastries, and every sampling has been delicious. A happy place to start the day! read more

I loveeeeeee this place! The atmosphere is always warm and open and gives off an extremely creative vibe. The staff is always kind and helpful and the food and coffee is always stellar. The space is unique from other coffee shops because of its attached book shop + record store. Seats can be limiting but there usually isn't too much trouble finding a spot. read more

Great coffee, unique place, I love just to stop there in the morning for a cup of coffee and read, very cozy place and nice atmosphere, highly recommended read more

reasonable prices. lots of street parking. cold brew coffee was great.

I love this place. Great for studying, meeting with friends, or just grabbing a coffee to go. The staff was friendly and attentive. They have a few outlets for those on computers. The coffee is awesome and I really liked the breakfast burritos. read more

Fantastic addition to the neighborhood! Great coffee and tea, yummy pastries (you have to try the bacon date scone). Super friendly staff, too! read more

Joe and his crew know what they are doing and are passionate about customer service and quality food and drinks. My go to spot when I need a cup on the run and I'd much rather spend my money here, locally, then at Starbucks. Keep up the good work guys! read more

I created a yelp account today just to rate this place. I happened to come upon this place while parking to go somewhere else. They close at 6 so we figured they were closed. It was a minute or two after 6, but my kids insisted on checking. The amazing owners were more than welcoming. They answered all our questions about the products. My 4 year old daughter wanted some cookies I told her she can pick 6. Melissa the owner helped her count out her 6 cookies. Joseph (also the owner) is someone who is invested in his business and welcoming his guest as well as invested in the neighborhood. They are amazing small business owners, oh and did I mention during our talk with him we found out they actually own the first place we went to visit Thrift And Thrive. We will definitely be visiting again and again. read more

Great staff, great location, great vibes, greatness all around. Everyone has been missing regulus coffee, but the neighbors bought the spot and have brought great coffee back. The different brews and flavored have me coming back here. PS the scones will change your life. read more

If there was a way to give this place 6 stars I would. I came on last week and had a pumpkin Chiffon latte. It was head and shoulders above anything Starbucks has ever made. The service is wonderful. I also had a scone which was super yummy. I've been Here many times and it's such a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. read more

One of my favorite places to hang. Great food, great atmosphere and terrific staff!

LOVE THIS PLACE! Fun food, drinks, art, and books!

we were recommeded to try this place and stopped in for lunch. we had the cuban sandwich and coffee. great tasting sandwich and the coffee well-made. they have a pretty cool next door record and book store. ambiance is feel-like home and super cool vintage. read more

Perkolator - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I love this place so much. I got out of my comfort zone with coffee. Got the tuxedo coffee with a shot of coconut. Yooooo my favorite and go to drink. Oh and their apple turnovers are the bomb read more

Perkolator is a fun place to hang out. The record shop attached to the cafe has some really good discs and they have a nice selection of muffins, breads & scones!! read more

Pretty good service, coffee and breakfast. It's a really nice local cafe that we try to visit once a week in an effort to support good local businesses. read more

A great little coffee nook. Cheerful, cozy interior and delicious iced coffees. Also had an amazing scone that they warmed up and served to our table. read more

Good coffee! Excellent food ! But rude Customer service! The young lady with blue hair( I Think her name was Angela?) is the worst, Her attitude towards me made me feel like she was talking to me like I was a child. I have no idea how a girl like her with her personality works at a coffee shop. Horrible ! Obviously no one ever taught her manners. read more

We love the perkolator, it's a great neighborhood independent shop and the used book and record store is a fun new addition.

Had a great latte and a scone that was to die for! So great to have such a great coffe shop option in Portage Park!

Great addition to the neighborhood. Came in last Saturday and had cafe au lait and a chocolate croissant. The owners are friendly and engaging. Prices were more than fair. read more

What a fantastic place to soak up some morning sun and enjoy a perfectly brewed cup of coffee. The pastries from local bakeries are really good (caramel apple muffin, anyone?). Staff was friendly and fast, the place is spotless and has lots of seating for solos and groups. Don't even hesitate, just go. read more

Cheerful, friendly, delicious, zero pretension. Need I say more? Enjoy a snack here after an enjoyable browse at the equally delightful Thrift & Thrive across the street. read more

Great coffee house with excellent baked goods. Really friendly staff. Great place to hang out and relax.

Really fantastic neighborhood coffee shop. The coffee is tasty. Love their specialty beverages like the Caramel Perkiato (may not have spelled that right- but you'll find it on their menu board if you're looking). read more

Great place to have a sandwich and Chi late with almond milk. Wonderful interior design with book shelves and there an outside seating area! Guys need to stock up though because my order was changed 3 times because of the lack of ingredients. Otherwise a neighborhood gem! read more

Adorable little cafe right by my house. The owner is very sweet. The atmosphere is great- perfect spot for studying.

Probably one of the rudest experiences I have ever had at a shop, after having paid for street parking and shopping at thrift and thrive I was told that I could find more books and records over at [Perkolator] which is just across the street. I cross the street and walk into the shop, neither am I greeted or anything, there was 2 people in the lobby (men) of the shop and a female barista. I walked in and asked if there was a restroom I could use and the very rude and inconsiderate barrista rolled her eyes at me and she said in a very condescending and nasty way " it's only for customer who are gonna buy something" and didn't bother to even look at my as she was speaking. I stopped and tried to make eye contact and say I am planning on spending money, I just need to use the restroom. I was very very upset and considered just leaving but I spent close to 50 dollars on records and a cup of coffee. Being rude during the holiday season when people are looking for gifts or just in general being rude is uncalled for. I come here all the time and yo thrift and thrive. I will no longer be coming in. This place was cool. read more

"It takes alot to gain a customer but very little to lose one." So says my husband and in this case he's right. New to the Portage Park neighborhood, I made a conscious choice to try this small business twice last week. My latte was very good both times. On my first visit I purchased two Italian cookies. Both were stale and had that "refrigerator taste" that happens when food is in the frig too long or when the frig needs cleaning and a box of soda to absorb the odor. On my second visit I let the barrista know about the cookies. He could easily have said "Oh gosh, I'm sorry about that. How can we make it right?" He didn't, choosing instead to tell me they just got a new box of them......ooookaaaay....... Then someone who appeared to maybe be the owner came along and the barrista mentioned my comment. He said "Well, they are refrigerated......" Okay but they shouldn't taste like a stale frig and be stale. He pretty much shrugged and wandered away. Probably will make the 5 minute drive to Starbucks on Irving Park Road at Kostner rather than going back to Perkolater. read more

On a chilly Spring Sunday morning last year, my friend Rachel introduced me to a delightful little cafe called The Perkolator. At first I imagined a simple, tranquil space similar to a Starbucks. I wasn't necessarily experienced with these up and coming, trendy hipster cafes placed in gentrified neighborhoods in the city. The Perkolator is located right on Irving Park Road in Portage Park. As soon as I walked in I felt as if I had teleported 30 years into the past. It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the colorful, retro decor and decide what they would be drawn to first, then finally landed on the counter where the register was. It was arranged like a bar with tall blue twisty chairs. Walking toward the register, I looked around to the two side walls and discussed the pastel green walls covered in curious artwork with Rachel. I was not only beginning to enjoy the aesthetic atmosphere but also the community rounded spirit I could sense, as the artwork they had hung up there was done by local art students from the neighborhood. When it was time to order the cashier greeted us with a gentle smile behind a few strands of purple hair. We began to order and I decided to get an iced chai latte and Rachel got the same. At first sip I was overtaken by its sweetness but this was prior to my experience of actually working at a cafe, not too far from this one called Portage Grounds, so I had not grown accustomed to bitter drinks yet. However, it was a non-synthetic sweetness unlike the common liquid-sugar-loaded iced drink. I sipped in cold cinnamon accents as Rachel led me through a doorway to the right of the register. Each creaking step on the hardwood floor made this place feel more like a vintage grandma's kitchen. But when we reached the next room it was a mini library of records, tapes, and books. The tapes were stacked on a small desk against a vibrant red wall with rows of framed posters of obscure bands. I started browsing through records and was overwhelmed at how many underground artists I had never heard of before. Halfway through my browsing, I realized I was also already more than halfway through my chai latte, which was another one of the few disappointments I faced during this experience. The Perkolator easily became one of my go-to summer spots last year. Their iced chai latte was always my drink of choice. I also enjoyed their uniquely made grilled cheese. It seems like such a homey-quick-fix item, but their crunchy toasted panini bread perfectly holding together melted cheddar and fresh bacon is the perfect mid day treat. Since summer ended, I did not have a chance to visit the Perkolator in months, until last week. My boyfriend and I went there on a chilly, cloudy day. He had never been there before so I was excited to introduce him to one of my favorite cafes. I knew he would appreciate it as much as I did since he is very interested in music, literature, food and coffee, all which the Perkolator provides. We have even been dreaming of opening up a community cafe in the future ourselves. When we got there it looked slightly different than it did before. Mostly because they had an entirely new collection of art hung up in the first room. This time they had collages students must have made of what looked mostly like their favorite famous figures in music and art dated back to the 60s and 70s to today. When it was time to order, my boyfriend decided on a grilled cheese with roasted red peppers. I wanted to get a taste of something other than my usual so I tried the breakfast burrito. As for drinks, everywhere we go, he gets a black iced coffee. I ordered a regular hot latte. My boyfriend received his ice coffee in about a minute or two. Mine took longer, but after having some previous barista experience myself, I understand why a good latte takes more time.and did not bother to let myself get impatient. When I finally received my latte, it was well worth the wait. I could tell the espresso shot was just the perfect combination of roasty bitterness and a sparkle of sweet, and the milk was steamed to a full, even cream. My boyfriend described his coffee as uniquely rich, he even said it tasted slightly alcoholic, (not that he would know). The breakfast burrito was very unique. I had never seen a burrito with a bright orange corn tortilla before. I personally did not find the strange color of it to be particularly appetizing but it tasted no different from a regular one, it might have even been a bit softer and fluffier. The burrito consisted of red and green peppers, onions, guacamole, eggs and cheese. All in all, I waited long for this burrito and I certainly enjoyed it. My boyfriend and I both agreed the food was just the right amount of filling. We felt well energized instead of slumpy and tired from the fullness, which is an indicator that the food really was fresh and healthy. Perfect for a couple trying to eat healthy and still enjoy great tasting food together! read more