Located on the North Side, Lakeview is one of Chicago’s biggest neighborhoods. As such, the neighborhood offers plenty in terms of cafés, ensuring that coffee lovers will be able to find their new favorite hang out spot with their favorite brew. Here’s 10 of our favorite.
It’s safe to say that Heritage Bicycles is the only place in the city where you can repair or buy a bike and grab some coffee or tea while you wait. This unique concept was developed by Mike and Melissa Salvator and features a full coffee bar with a bike repair shop and retail store in the back. The café offers plenty of seating inside as well as spacious outdoor seating during the warmer months. If you want to have some pastries with your coffee or tea, come in early, as they often sell out by mid-afternoon.
There are several Dollop Coffee shops throughout the city. The Lakeview location is relatively small, but still offers a cozy and calm atmosphere. The simple modern design is free of distractions and there are large tables allowing visitors to spread out and get work done.
The Tea and Coffee Exchange is one of the few coffee shops in the city that roasts their own coffee beans. They used to roast the beans in the back of the café but have since moved to a warehouse in the city to keep up with the high demand. Today, you are still able to get a wide variety of coffee or tea-based drinks at the café as well as tea leaves and grounded coffee beans. The Tea and Coffee Exchange does offer outdoor seating, however, those who want to sit inside are out of luck as the space where tables should be has been replaced by giant barrels of tea leaves and coffee beans.
Like Tea and Coffee Exchange, Asado Coffee Company also roasts its own beans for their coffee drinks and are a favorite among coffee aficionados throughout the city. The café is committed to green coffee sourcing and buys their coffee beans from companies who pay their workers fair wages, making it both delicious and ethical.
Emerald City is located directly under the Sheridan stop on the Red Line. Aside from the occasional train, the café is actually very quiet and is a great place to grab some coffee and get work done during the day. At night, the café often holds live entertainment such as stand up comedy and live music. Along with coffee and tea, Emerald City also offers soup and sandwiches
Yefseis is a Greek café located on Halsted. Along with traditional coffee, Yefseis offers delicious authentic baked goods (their pitas are imported from Greece) and Greek coffee drinks, such as the Greek frappé. The owner and staff are friendly and available to answer any questions that customers have.
Looks like it's closedHours or services may be impacted due to Covid-19
Julius Meinl is the place to go for authentic Austrian coffee. This Viennese coffee house is located on Southport and features a full breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu. If you have your coffee at the café, it comes served on a silver platter with a cookie.
Osmium is a café just off the CTA Belmont Stop and features a relaxed atmosphere with funky artwork on the walls. The café serves a wide selection of coffee and tea based drinks. Favorites include the Mayan mocha and the agave latte. The baristas are super knowledgeable and friendly. Likewise, Osmium sees a lot of regular customers who all seem to know the baristas and each other.
Just off Clark Street on Roscoe lies Two Hearted Queen. The café shares the building with a Laundromat and consequently, can be very easy to miss. Two Hearted Queen is very spacious with rooms of tables and comfy chairs that seem to go on forever. The relaxed setting is a great place to get away from the crowd often found in Wrigleyville.
Bow Truss is another popular coffee shop chain located throughout the city. Their Lakeview location was the first ever and is currently the hub for their coffee education classes as well as the main café where their beans are roasted.
Looks like it's closedHours or services may be impacted due to Covid-19
