It’s curl-up-with-a-coffee season … but I get stir crazy in the house. A cozy coffee shop is the perfect winter in-between: social, warm, somewhat quiet.
These are my favorite spots to get caffeinated (and bang out the newsletter).
Cafe Mustache in Logan Square
In case the name isn’t a dead giveaway, Cafe Mustache is an OG hipster haven, hearkening back to 2010. The kooky space has evaded the corporate-ification of the neighborhood with plenty of worn vintage furniture to perch on.
- Work and play: Mustache hosts events almost every night.
Cadinho Bakery & Cafe in McKinley Park
City Cast Chicago producer Michelle Navarro often Zooms in from Cadinho, so you know the vibe is elite (and remote-work friendly). Our social media manager Rick Homuth also swears by their brigadeiros and pasteles de nata — Cadinho is known for their Portuguese baked goods.
Jackalope Coffee & Tea House in Bridgeport
Jackalope captures Bridgeport’s eclectic vibe with vibrant walls and retro furniture, including diner booths. Right now, they’ve also got seasonal drinks on tap. Check back in around Fat Tuesday for homemade paczki — last year’s looked good.
First Sip in Uptown
First Sip is a favorite among my book club. It’s easy to see why. The cold brew is great. It’s cute inside. The hours are newly expanded. It also just put together an illustrated guide to spending 24 hours in Uptown: Check it out.
- History: First Sip is run by the daughters of the Cafe Hoang owners, another Asia on Argyle cornerstone. [NBC 5]
Build Coffee and Books in Woodlawn
Sometimes, I’ll leave my phone at home and go to a coffee shop just to read without distractions. Build is the perfect place to do just that — you can even pick up a new title. Operating as both a bookstore and coffee shop, it’s truly a community hub.
MeLatte Coffee Shop in Logan Square
MeLatte has the quirky charm of your cool aunt’s living room, bursting with color and pops of patterned furniture. There’s lots of space to spread and sit, which is good because once you try their buttery, flaky empanadas you’ll want to stay a while.
- Rec: My fave empanada is the chicken tinga.
Ritual Coffeehouse in North Center
Ritual isn’t small — it’s intimate. It’s also open till 10 p.m. That’s what Chicago needs more of, if you ask me: late-night coffee shops to grind out work or catch up with friends sans alcohol, especially as Dry January approaches …
Bourgeois Pig in Lincoln Park
I used to write poetry at the Bourgeois Pig in high school — corny but true. It’s just such a romantic space, full of nooks and crannies and warm wood panelling. And while there’s nothing as poetic as being a teenage girl, I still find the space just as charming as I did when I was 16.
- Psst: There’s a speakeasy upstairs, but you didn’t hear it from me.
