Whispers Cafe

This spot is bustling! Can't say that I'm surprised given its prime real estate in the heart of…read moredowntown along the water- great for both downtown employees and tourists alike. I ordered a cappuccino and set up my laptop at their wrap around bar to work for a few hours. The energy here is great and I loved the abundance of natural light. The Wi-Fi was strong and the bathrooms were clean. And of course, the coffee was great. Note that it can take a while to get your order given the long lines. They have a variety of seating types for those sticking around. Overall, a positive experience!

The space is super spacious with lots of spots to work, but it does get pretty packed. Still a…read moresolid study/work cafe overall. Service was amazing. The server was really friendly, asked how my day was, and gave great recommendations. The cherry blossom matcha was surprisingly really good and super unique. It has this slightly umami, sweet flavor. First sip was a little unexpected (almost tasted like medicine), but it actually tastes really good after a few sips and grows on you. Not too overpowering either. The grilled ham & cheese was also a standout. Perfectly toasted bread with a really good balance of Swiss cheese and ham. Simple but done really well.

0.8 mi•River North, Near North Side

Shakertini

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New Orleans coffee (food not from blue bottle)

TARY Coffee

4.4(203 reviews)

What a place. This is so much more than just a coffee house. Tons of options, great ambience, and…read moregenuinely kind people. We started with a mocha, a solid, well-balanced drink that wasn't overly sweet and was just perfect. We didn't plan on eating here, but the menu was way too tempting. We ordered the cinnamon roll, and wow. This was insanely good. Most cinnamon rolls in the U.S. feel like sugar-heavy, cinnamon-flavored buns, but this one was light, flavorful, and beautifully made. The irimshik on top really elevated it, subtle, warm, and just sweet enough. Easy 10/10. Next was the cottage cheese pancake, which was also very good. It had a generous amount of cottage cheese stuffed inside, and paired with the sweet irimshik dip, the dish came together really well. 9/10. We then tried the qattama. It was good. flaky, crispy, and reminded me of a paratha. It came with a sour irimshik dip. While each component was good, I felt the qattama would shine more with a gravy-based dish. 7/10. Finally, we ordered the Nan Salma pasta. It's a tarry-based white sauce pasta with a unique flavor profile, and it was genuinely yum. Definitely something different and worth trying. Highly recommend it. 8/10. You have space to sit down and work as well. Service was good too. Some of the dishes might take 7-10mins to get prepared. It's not like your daily coffee shop who have stuff ready to go Overall, a great spot with unique food and a welcoming vibe. Definitely coming back. 9/10

we tried the blueberry matcha. their matcha tastes high quality and they say it's ceremonial grade…read morewhich i believe. i think some places say theirs is ceremonial grade when it isn't. so we really enjoyed the quality of the matcha and it was the perfect amount of sweet from the blueberry. we also tried baursaq which is the fried dough bites. it tastes like a light donut ball. it's not heavy or greasy at all. they give you a dipping sauce which tasted like strawberry to me. overall a really clean and simple lay out for the shop. very minimal and upscale. it's not super busy and loud so it's a nice place to sit in and enjoy your drinks and maybe do some homework/remote work. i only gave it 4/5 just because the drinks were a little pricey but i think that's the norm now as well. hard to find drinks under 8$ these days.

Interior

American with oat (poured) and a Cinnamon Rollcinnamon

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Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Balkaimak Cream

Caffe Umbria

4.4(378 reviews)

Got the hot honey oat latte. This latte was amazing. Super nutty with a nice foam on top, and the…read moreflavor was really balanced. Not too sweet with the perfect amount of bitterness. The space is cute but on the smaller side, so not ideal for long stays. Service was great though, the server was smiling and really welcoming. They're known for their Italian-style coffee blending, using beans from different regions around the world to create a more balanced and complex flavor, which you can definitely taste in the drink.

Caffe Umbria was exactly what I needed that morning. It was cold, wet and I wanted something hot,…read moresimple as that. Small and cozy spot. The kind of place where you slow down without trying. The staff was genuinely nice too. Asked how my day was and even recommended couple of pastries. I ordered a hot chocolate with an almond blueberry financier. The hot chocolate was honestly perfect. Rich but not heavy. You get that dark chocolate hit first, then it smooths out. Creamy. Warm in the right way. The financier was great. Nutty from the almonds, little bursts of blueberry, soft but not mushy. I dipped it into the hot chocolate (had to), and yeah... even better. No regrets there. It's a small place, but if you get there early, you might grab a seat with a really nice city view. Worth it. I'll definitely be back. Especially now that I know there's a solid hot chocolate spot right nearby.

1.0 mi•River North, Near North Side

Coconut cloud (amazing!!)

Coconut cloud

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Hot vanilla latte

Marshall's Landing

4.2(123 reviews)

Happy hour specials

Takes reservations

Came here just to grab coffee and ended up loving the space. The pistachio latte was amazing. I…read moreordered it hot but got it iced, and honestly... if it were hot, it might've been the best pistachio latte ever. The flavor was still really good. The collagen protein latte tasted okay for what it was. The ladies were very nice and offered to remake the drinks. The space is huge with comfy chairs, lots of room to work, and water stations which I always appreciate. Great chill spot if you want to get work done or just see the river.

Came here for lunch with my team and enjoyed our time. The staff was very friendly, i like how they…read morehad a name card ready for our table( a nice touch). The food was pretty average American cuisine. The star of the show were their homemade potato chips. Yall they were so good, i couldn't stop eating them. Still thinking about them till this day! Ambiance is very nice can sometimes get a little loud as it gets quite busy. But would definitely come back for a casual lunch.

Salmon Special

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What happened to service? Used to be so good.

Big Shoulders Coffee

4.4(86 reviews)

1.2 mi•The Loop

So surprised by how goood these lattes are. We tried cardamom, orange rose, and brown sugar miso…read more If I were to rank them, I still liked the cardamom the best, the nutty flavor is hard to beat. Brown sugar miso was also very good, but I'd prefer maybe a bit stronger miso/savory flavor. The orange rose was also very good, although I think my husband and I just don't really like fruity coffee in general so it's more of a personal preference. It is still better than most of the fruity coffee we have tried.

The folks here are nice and make a great brewed latte--nicely flavored espresso, and the milk was…read moresteamed well. Came here for my daily cup while in the area. Appreciated the lack of much line too (maybe luck?) even though there were people at the tables every time I went. They have a few pastry and breakfast sandwich options, but I didn't try them.

Chai tea with lavender

Iced lavender latte with oat

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Counter

Levain Bakery

4.6(202 reviews)

My eat healthy all day mindset cracked at about 7pm when I was hankering for something sweet. I…read morepulled up Yelp and found this sweet little gem just a few blocks from my hotel- too convenient, I clearly caved. I stopped by to grab a still warm chocolate chip walnut cookie and it did not disappoint. It was very dense and large so, I stretched it over two days... it was lovely. You can smell their cookies down the street and the staff were friendly during my visit. I believe they have multiple locations throughout the city. Enjoy!

Levain Bakery is a worthy stop to make while in Chicago. Some of the tasty cookie flavors include…read moreTwo Chip Cocolate Chip, and chocolate chip walnut. These cookies are the real deal - great taste and when fresh, they melt in your mouth. Cookies that have been taken home can also be reheated and still taste great. To heat up a cookie, put a damp paper towel over the cookie and heat up the cookie for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.

1.1 mi•River North, Near North Side

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie and Vegan & GF Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie

One of the lovely employees, Heidi P.

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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(68 reviews)

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.

The staff was very nice and welcoming. I needed an energy boost, so I got the Pick Me Up and subbed…read morethe apple juice base with coconut water. It was very easy to make the modification, which was much appreciated. The outcome was just what I needed!

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$16 juice

Doughnut Vault

4.3(1.2k reviews)

Geeeeez my sis *inhaled* the old fashioned donuts lol. She's a big fan of old fashioned donuts and…read moreclearly she enjoyed the ones that we got here. :p For me, they were a little too sweet (I have old AzN lady taste buds in which "not too sweet" is a strong compliment), but wow the crispiness for old fashioned donuts was on-point! The buttermilk one particularly gave county fair funnel cake vibes and the lemon poppyseed one reminded me a lot of a lemon bar lol verrry lemon-y (in an indulgent-good way). Friendly lady at the interior counter nook. We visited on a Monday at 9 am and there was no line at all.

We shared: 1. Pistachio & Triple Chocolate Old Fashioned…read more2. Chocolate Glazed 3. Banana Custard Old Fashioned donut texture were textbook - crunchy exterior with a dense cake-y interior. Pistachio flavor was missing. Chocolate needs to be richer and creamier in the glazed donut. Banana Custard cream donut was excellent. Service was friendly and helpful. Takeout only.

Glazed vanilla

Vanilla Birthday Cake

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Vanilla Birthday Cake

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.

Firehouse Donuts is a classic, no-frills donuts done right atmosphere. It has that old-school…read moreneighborhood feel--simple, welcoming, and focused on goodness. The donuts are fresh, soft, and perfectly sweet. You really can't go wrong with anything here. We ordered the Carrot Cake and Boston Cream, which were delicious. Service was quick and friendly. It's an easy go-to spot when you're craving a solid, satisfying donut.