Whispers Cafe

Some people might say, "if you been to one Blue Bottle, you've been to them all", well I beg to…read morediffer when it comes to this location. Located near the Merchandise Mart and overlooking the Chicago River, this location has floor to ceiling windows with amazing views in every direction. Considering the layout, I am sure this place is frequented those who work and/or live nearby. There are plenty of table/chair combos; the perfect setup for laptop and tablet work. I stopped through on Saturday morning and there was a number of people already setup with their respective devices. They also have music playing in the background (at a very acceptable volume level) which for me, just added to the vibe. The staff, were friendly and helpful. Add to that, they did an awesome job of managing the line as it never got too long. As for drinks and food, no complaints here. It's consistent with the Blue Bottle level of quality I have come to expect and appreciate. Overall, I highly recommend checking out this location.

This place does get busy in the morning but it's such a nice place with direct sunlight when you…read moresit just around the corner on the benches. This place has some outlets. There's some seating behind the other side but it gets filled up quickly. The barista are so nice. I got their hot sweet latte and it was so nice and warm. I was able to WFH for around 4 hours here.

0.8 mi•River North, Near North Side

New Orleans- style Iced Coffee

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New Orleans coffee (food not from blue bottle)

TARY Coffee

4.4(227 reviews)

It's so difficult to choose what to eat because everything looks so good!…read more If you want to dine in, make sure to grab a table as soon as you walk in. You have to seat yourself, so secure a table before they're all taken. Once you sit down, time will fly--the vibes are definitely vibing at Tary Coffee! We started with the Scrambled Eggs in Brioche. Fluffy scrambled eggs served on a slightly toasted brioche bun. The light cream cheese spread on the bread added a delicious creaminess that paired really well with the eggs. We also tried the Royal Benedict with Smoked Salmon. The poached eggs were cooked just right and paired beautifully with the smoked salmon. Definitely one of my favorite breakfast combinations! And, for a little treat, we had the Baursaq--fried dough served with a side of raspberry jam. The slight tartness of the jam balanced nicely with the subtle sweetness of the fried dough. Such a great pairing with your morning coffee!

the food is mad good for a quick snack. i love central asia cuisine, and i will most definitely be…read moreback! this place gets busy quick. limited seating, so we got rlly lucky having found a seat right as it got busier in the afternoon.

Interior

American with oat (poured) and a Cinnamon Rollcinnamon

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Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Balkaimak Cream

Caffe Umbria

4.4(388 reviews)

Quick coffee! Only swung by since we passed it but they work really fast and the employees are…read morelocked in. I see they make their own syrups in house and that's a great sign of loving the craft in my book. No complaints!

The sign of a good coffee shop TO ME is if they 1) make their syrups in house and 2) don't charge…read moreextra for plant-based milks - they charge $1 for plant based milk - the honey in my honey oat latte was described as half honey, half water (so a honey simple syrup) - no working space, this is more of a grab & go shop, with bar seats and 2 small tables outside - /+small latte is 1 shot of espresso (could be useful for a late coffee when you don't want to be wide awake). This is the first shop I've been to that offered a single shot in a small latte. + if you like straightforward coffee this is the place for you + my half sweet latte was perfect. Some shops my half sweet latte is still very sweet + they have tea options + clean interior and friendly staff + extra shop of espresso is only $0.50 + honey oat latte was delicious + they sell their beans This coffee shop seems to fit the area, working professionals coming in for their caffeine fix and leaving.

1.0 mi•River North, Near North Side

Coconut cloud (amazing!!)

Coconut cloud

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Hot vanilla latte

Marshall's Landing

4.3(128 reviews)

Happy hour specials

Takes reservations

When I tell you this place and server Ashley will always hold a special place in my heart. I…read morecouldn't ask for a better location, food and server for my 55th bday, I ordered the salmon Dijon ... perfectly cooked , perfectly tasting dish, the combination of oil and sauce sets this dish to another level for me and many others I'm sure. I've never tasted anything like it. Tasting the sweet maple touched with the Dijon mustard richness melts in your mouth with every bite. Then to have the wild rice with broccoli (didn't want Brussels sprouts) added to this dish (excellent job chef9/29 lunchtime) Let's not forget the moist, melt in your mouth carrot cake mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Beautiful location, nice , clean and spacious even being crowded. Thank you again for making my day special

This place is so nice. Plenty of seating! If you're from the main doors just take stairs to 2nd…read morefloor where you're find a coffee area and plenty of seating. I got their flapjacke lattte and it was really good. Service was great and there's individual tables or a long table with outlets. There's a restaurant right next to it.

What happened to service? Used to be so good.

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Chicken fries and Brussels during happy hour!

Big Shoulders Coffee

4.4(89 reviews)

1.2 mi•The Loop

Very nice and clean coffee shop! Stopped in for a quick coffee and I got a lavender latte and it's…read moredelicious m! The staff was super sweet too and I appreciated that. The place was definitely busy and I see why!

Came by for coffee the other day and it was a decent experience. The coffee shop had lit vibes as…read morewell as chilled out staff. Opted for an iced mocha and it was ok. The espresso was on the bitter side. Luckily the chocolate wasn't too sweet. They said that the chocolate is made in-house! There were plenty of seats to hang out, including some seats facing the street. $7 for an iced mocha.

Chai tea with lavender

Iced lavender latte with oat

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Counter

Levain Bakery

4.5(225 reviews)

holy shit this was SO GOOD. we got chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate peanut butter, and twice…read morechocolate chip. we got all of them freshly baked piping hot at 10:45pm 15 min before closing they also had a few options left if you don't want to wait for them fresh. the overall store was also super cute, lots of decor and history and merch! CHOCOLATE CHIP WALNUT SO GOOD BEST CHOC CHIP COOKIE???? crispy outside melt chocolate inside so yums dark chocolate peanut butter v rich, same crispy outside gooey inside. p good but kinda too sweet after a few bites twice chocolate chip has hella chocolate chips and also dark chocolate. tasted diff then the og walnut one i think too much chocolate takes away the cookie flavor idk... yummy but not as good as walnut I WOULD GO BACK JUST FOR THE CHOCOLATE CHIP WALNUT AGAIN OMG

Love the cookies here! Crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside…read more A small location that's pretty quiet when we went in. The ones working make recommendations if you ask.

1.1 mi•River North, Near North Side

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie and Vegan & GF Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie

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One of the lovely employees, Heidi P.

Infuse Coffee and Tea Bar

4.0(5 reviews)

This is a delightful little kiosk. Staff is very friendly and the coffee is surprisingly good…read more Sadly, they will be closed tomorrow due to weather, but props to the management for thinking of their workers! I'll need to be sure to get my fix in for today.

Coffee is decent, the bagels are ALWAYS hard and chewy. I miss Cafe Baci.read more

Metric Hellion on Draft!

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Our espresso bar, the commemorative 10,000th La Marzocco FB80 ever built!

Joe & The Juice

3.1(70 reviews)

This place is so cute and awesome. The coffee was super yummy and the good was good. The staff was…read morereally nice and helpful and they are located right by the train station. It's a spot I would like to go back to

I stopped here a few hours before leaving Chicago. I wanted something healthy and quick as I was…read morefeeling a little under the weather from how old it was!!! -2 degrees! I ordered me a sandwich and a "Feel Good" juice which includes Carrot, Turmeric, Ginger, Lemon, Apple, Olive Oil. Super yummy and very delicious. The female at the register was new and still learning the system so I was very patient with her as she was patient with me trying to figure what I'd like to order. She mentioned a few of the popular drinks and I ended up choosing the "feel good". She did make my drink and let me tell you she did not disappoint! She did make a bit extra and offered to pour the remaining juice in a different cup which I thought was very nice of her. This is a mellow, laid back juice bar where once can simply study or simply people watch like I did. I ended up sitting here solo for about 30 - 40 minutes people watching lol! I thought the restroom sign was very unique and had to take a picture of it! Definitely recommend to those in the area or simply visiting.

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$16 juice

Doughnut Vault

4.3(1.2k reviews)

These are some of the best, if not *THE* best donuts I've ever had. Chicago has some excellent…read moredonuts... Do-rite, Voodoo, Firecakes, even Stan's under some conditions; Doughnut Vault beats them all! Maybe it's because they were made an hour or two ago? Maybe they use better/fresher oil? I don't know, and frankly, it makes no difference to the smile on my face. The two donuts I had that day were their daily specials. IIRC, one was a Salted Caramel Old Fashioned, and the other was a Yeast Apple(something) filled donut. The Old Fashioned blew me away. The dough had a very light, but nonetheless present crispness from being fried. The dough itself was sweet, and the salted caramel coating was on point, with actual salt notes coming through. The apple-filled was similarly delicious, though I regret cutting this into pieces and enjoying it over three days, for this made it seem like there was not enough filling! Learn from my mistakes, and enjoy these things whole! More to love is that their prices are more than reasonable for the quality, and the service is friendly, knowledgeable, and fast! If there is one quibble that I have, it's that the donuts were just a touch sweeter than I would prefer. However, this is a matter of personal preference, since these are donuts for crying out loud! Final verdict: Best donuts ever! Go! Do!

We got there around 11 AM and unfortunately, a lot of flavors were already sold out. The interior…read moreis very small. You basically walk in and immediately see the donut counter, with room for maybe 4 customers max. Service was amazing! The guy greeted us as soon as we walked in and had such big energy. Before we looked at the menu he showed us the variety he had left. 9/10 service, definitely a fun way to start the day! This was actually my first time trying an old fashioned donut. The pistachio old fashioned was nothing too special. It tasted more like a dense cake, was slightly oily, but I did like how dense and filling it was. 6/10. Definitely want to come back earlier next time to try more of their flavors!

Glazed vanilla

Vanilla Birthday Cake

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Firecakes Donuts

4.1(2k reviews)

0.8 mi•Near North Side

Delicious! Simple house made donuts, fresh espresso and hot chai were perfect. Firecakes offers…read moremultiple locations, with easy access throughout the city, open early and closing late, making it the perfect sweet treat all day long. The raspberry bold orange donut truly was fire, no premade compote here, fresh raspberry filling was a game changer. The cinnamon roll donut was decadent but totally worth it with all the walking you do as a tourist.

FireCakes Donuts in River North felt more like a quick stop-and-go donut shop than a destination…read moreworth seeking out. I wasn't particularly impressed by the selection, and the freshness of the donuts left something to be desired. The presentation also took away from the experience. Seeing donuts sitting exposed in boxes where customers can easily view them isn't particularly appealing and doesn't create the freshest visual impression. I tried the maple pecan glazed donut, which was overwhelmingly sweet. Even after just one bite, the intense sugar rush was immediate and overpowering, making it difficult to enjoy the other flavors. The vanilla donut was the better of the two--pleasantly doughy, though it still lacked the freshness I was hoping for. Overall, this was an average experience. The donuts were serviceable, but neither the selection, presentation, nor freshness gave me much reason to return.

Happy Birthday!

Vanilla Sprinkle Donut

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11 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Jaime H.

15 years ago

Sitting in the triangle at a cafe table, as I have done now for almost 5 years on my breaks. I work across the street at Urbam Oasis Massage Spa. We all go there on our breaks to relax in between clients. Today I decided to buy a chai from starbucks, sit at whislers cafe and read a book while on break. This skinny rude latino guy whos watering the flowers and trees comes over to me and starts harrassing me. Saying I cant sit there if I dont buy from Whispers... I state that Ive been coming there for years and I work across the street. Thinking he'll be considerate considering we both work in the area. He says get your feet off the chair then walks away. He then comes back with two cops and they continue to tell me he has the right to tell me to leave if I havent bought anything... I explain to them I come there daily as do my coworkers and the one day I buy starbucks I get harrassed... well, instead of fighting I got up and walked away. I then stopped and looked around to see that the majority of the people sitting there either had no coffee and were just reading as I was or they had starbucks cups! So, why harrass me I ask???? I work in this area and as a fellow gold coast business person I believe I was treated with disrespect and have posted what happened to me at my spa. I dont believe any of us will be returning to whispers cafe. I also will be explaining this situation to Blue Agave, Dublins, Hunt Club , Gibsons, Carmines, Corner Bakery, Subway, Puma ect, employees that have known me for the years that I have worked in this area.... You may not loose alot of business,but you will loose a good portion of our 'keep our neighborhood economy alive' business... read more

Jen A.

15 years ago

3 words: BEST. COFFEE. EVER... ok a bit more. the location is great. the service is great, everything is perfect, whats not to like about the park! all i wish is that they made it more exclusive- meaning if you want to sit you have to actually be a paying customer... there isnt enough space to hold all of those people! that just shows you how amazing this place is, never a seat left in the house. Just take great coffee, mix it with a perfect location, great staff, awesome gelato (and i mean AWESOME), and sprinkle it with a little jack Johnson and you have a masterpiece! oh and to jaime H... you dont go to subway, buy a sandwich, then sit at jimmy johns and eat it do you? didnt think so. these people pay for rent and upkeep of that park, and you sitting there doesnt do anything for them- dont like it sit on a bench- those are public property but actual customers at whispers deserve those seats! read more

Gabby C.

13 years ago

By far one of the best coffee spots in the city. I have been going to Whispers for over 5 years and this "coffee stand" never disappoints. From delicious hot or ice coffees drinks, fresh squeezed juices, smoothies, soda drinks to GELATO (in the summer) ~ Whispers truly has it all. Furthermore, during warm weather it is the BEST people watching/hang out spot at the park. If you are not big fan of bars but still want to do something fun on a weeknight or weekend night, they stay open pretty late when it is warm. The owner as well as the employees are very friendly!! read more

Stanley D.

1 year ago

I swung by Whispers Cafe the other afternoon and had a real gem of a time. I grabbed a cortado and a scoop of pistachio gelato--delicious combo--and a warm almond croissant that was flaky AF. Sat outside in their shaded square spot; felt like a low-key oasis right in the loop. All in, I dropped about $12, which felt fair for the high-quality stuff and chill vibes. The baristas were super friendly too--real laid-back and chatty. If you're in the mood for a solid caffeine kick and top-notch baked goods without the mad hustle, this is your spot. read more

Dubois C.

1 year ago

Visited Whispers Café in the Gold Coast with my family for ice cream, and sadly, our experience was very disappointing. The staff member on duty was unusually rude and unhelpful, refusing even simple requests like sampling flavors. We noticed that other guests seemed to be treated very differently, which made us feel singled out and unwelcome. This was not the friendly experience we had come to expect from this café. read more

Winston F.

13 years ago

Great little cafe in a perfect location with nice classic music. Located right next to Gibson's, Carmine's, and Tavern in it's own little park-like triangle, Whispers has some great coffee, smoothies, and gelato. I had a mango smoothie there just last night and it was great. A very nice place to relax at any time of day while watching people pass by. read more

clare t.

17 years ago

To me, summer hasn't truly arrived until I get that first cup of coffee (hot chocolate, if I'm feeling childlike) and sit late night outside of Whispers people watching on State and Rush. I love it here! read more

Tara H.

17 years ago

What a nice place to hang out on a nice summer day! I enjoy grabbing a cup of coffee and eating a slice of blueberry cake while sitting in the center of Rush street 's entertaining triangle! read more

Dina H.

15 years ago

I love taking friends who have never been here before to this place. The atmosphere here is awesome and there are lots of choices.

Eli S.

12 years ago

Very poor coffee here. Really quite terrible. Nice outdoor seating, but horrible coffee.

Mike Z.

17 years ago

Just an overall great place with the nicest employees.

Whispers Cafe - coffee - Updated October 2026

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We had a toddler date with a friend and her son here at the cafe at the Peninsula. They had some…read morelimited-time St. Patrick's Day specials that caught my friend's eye, including the Pot of Gold, a special dessert only available for the weekend. The food was really excellent, as was the service. But it was ridiculously priced. The reuben sandwich was $28. It was a great sandwich, very lean, but you could get a sandwich as good for half the cost elsewhere. They only have a couple of kid's items, but my friend requested buttered noodles for her kid rather than the cheesy noodles. I got the hibiscus drink and lavender lemonade, both non-alcoholic, and they were very good. My little one especially liked the hibiscus. And we ordered the appetizer of whipped ricotta and honey; my daughter liked this more than anything else we ordered. We didn't have dessert at the restaurant, but ordered to go. The pot of gold was really good. There were little "gold nuggets" on it and that was my daughter's favorite part; good thing since I didn't realize it had a layer with Bailey's in it. It was very rich, and the cauldron was really thick chocolate (and actually was a struggle to get into, a bit!). The restaurant is small but it didn't feel crowded. We never felt rushed or unwelcome, and we were there for a couple hours (longer than I realized; it took an unusually long time to make two reuben sandwiches). Their pastries are really nice but somewhat expensive, like the rest of the menu. It was a nice, sophisticated experience.

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