I saw a line out the door, so I knew I had to check it out. I grabbed a hazelnut latte, and it was…read moregreat! The staff are super friendly and impressively quick, even when it's busy. I would not wait in line but it is a solid coffee.

But the barrels... they're so tempting!…read more Running right across the middle of the shop, there are barrels full of different kinds of coffee beans. It is so tempting to open them and start smelling, only the signs very nicely ask you not to. Wanting a break from dime-store coffee and tea (Folgers - no hate, it has a place), I decided to get something a little less "meh". Added bonus is that I am able to support a family business, as opposed to the Walton family and their associated shareholders. The staff at The Coffee & Tea Exchange was wonderful! They helped me select three different coffees to take home, speaking to the roasts and what makes them unique. I'd also like to award some bonus points for just the right grind of coffee for my reusable Keurig pods. My amazement does not stop at coffee, either - this also applies to teas. I went home with a few varieties of some of the more flavorful loose-leaf teas I've had! The kicker? The prices were very reasonable! True, it is not as cheap as a large can of Red or Blue coffee from the grocer's, but at the same time, not as expensive as something a corporation (maybe with a two-tailed siren??) has convinced you comes from a magical place called Seattle. Final verdict: My freshman year roommate had 4 open tubes of toothpaste because "variety is the spice of life." I have one tube of toothpaste, but coming up on a dozen different coffees and teas in my cabinet. Once I start running low, The Coffee & Tea Exchange is the first place I'll go to restock.

We had a lovely evening listening to great music in a clean, safe environment. Staff was so…read morefriendly and helpful. Loving the coffee I brought hime.

Incredible coffee! The flavor and taste is smooth yet savory and is unique in its originality…read more Can't wait for this to open! Come on city of AH.

I went back this morning and I have to say the eggs in purgatory and matcha with ube foam in the…read moresecond floor were delish. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the sauce was tomato basil flavorful matched perfectly with the sour dough bread. The ube matcha iced hit the spot too since I had been walking for a bit. It was not super sweet and the ube foam complements it well. The service was okay, they were busy. I had to wait for a while. I noticed they would leave partial orders on counter until the rest is out. I would recommend they provide food and drinks as they come out instead of food cooling and iced drinks diluting. My drink was sitting and I asked if I could take it. My eggs in purgatory took a bit. I didn't mind waiting. The ambiance there's a lot of seating and so long as people keep moving which most are seats get emptied. I sat in a community table.

A quick trip to Chicago isn't complete without a visit to the 5 story massive Starbucks reserve…read moreroastery right in the middle of downtown. I've been mourning the loss of Seattles reserve roastery, and was ecstatic to see that the merch still say Seattle on it (for now). I got some exclusive cask espresso cups to commemorate all of the global locations as well as tried many of their specialty drinks and snacks. We enjoyed the seasonal paradise duo, the seasonal matcha + ube + espresso martinis, the matcha butterfly pea tea roll cake, the pistachio cookie, the coconut mousse. We found seating, had easily accessible water, elevators, escalators, and wifi. The worst part were the lines; I waited over 40 minutes for my espresso martini sampler, most of which was spent in line to order, since no kiosks or online ordering was available.

Great local coffee - staff super friendly! There's a nice deal on Fridays where if you buy a bag of…read morecoffee beans, you get a drink for free.

Cool place to have a coffee, hang out. Lots of nooks, alcoves and spaces if you're looking for a…read morepeaceful place to work. The coffee itself is bold and delicious. I had a tumeric ginger chai latte which I will now refer to as calm in a cup. It was just what I needed. Scones were great too.

This was our first stop in Chicago. Cool little place and the staff was nice. No up charges for…read morealternative milks which is awesome. I got the brown sugar miso latte which was a great salty sweet combination. The iced drinks have 4 shots of espresso so I'd say you get your moneys worth.

We enjoy grabbing sacks of whole bean coffee while traveling and after reviewing their selections…read moreonline this made our list. Two sacks stuck out the most with our palate. NIGHT SHIFT: -- online tasting/sniffing notes: full body; deep chocolate; malty notes; dark chocolate; peanut butter; caramel; toasted marshmallow -- for me I noticed this more on the nose than the mouth, and especially when I "buried my beak" in the grounds after brewing -- the taste is nutty, smooth, nothing sour or bitter to speak of, caramel and light PB with some dark choc coming through...marshmallow only on sniff I believe RATING = A COLOMBIA (house drip): -- sack to be reviewed at a later date, too many sacks in the house right now STAFF were polite and efficient. No free drip cup offered with sacks purchase. Store is small but nicely appointed. It was not too far of a walk from our hotel which was a plus.

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.

Beef empanadas is super addicting. Chicken tamale had a…read morenice spicy kick, I do wish it didn't fall apart so easily though. Beignets are always fire Horchata Coldbrew was delicious

Cute cafe! The place was hopping on a Sunday morning. Despite the busyness we received our order…read morequickly. We tried the horchata cold brew. It was really good! A perfect mix where you tasted both horchata and coffee. The prices were average for Chicago.