Decided to drop in on a Friday afternoon after reading some cool reviews. Located in Elmwood Park, this cafe/ reading room/ miniature slot machine cafe offers local patrons a space to visit. When I entered there was no one there but the owner. I decided to order Bodega Combo #3 with an upgrade to a Horchata. I was told there were no Columbian empanadas (Bodega combo # 2) so that is what led me to order the other. I swear it took the owner 15 - 20 minutes to make both the empanadas and horchata. The empanadas were frozen, not fresh, and placed in an air fryer. The drink made had tons of ice and just as much cinnamon. Personally, there was no balance. I did not enjoy it. The empanada choices: are spinach & artichoke, chicken, and vegetarian. The best was the vegetarian, then the chicken followed by the spinach and artichoke. In my honest opinion, for an $11.50 meal, you would have been better off grabbing a $3 bag of tostinos pizza rolls and coke from the dollar tree and being more filled and satisfied. I was not impressed and I honestly believe that the space has so much more potential to draw in a larger crowd if the food choices were improved. read more

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Great drinks, so nice to have a good variety of tea and lemonade. Empanadas are delicious. Miss the donuts

Cute, socially acceptable. Great food and service. Will still continue to patron Ashley's.

I've been to Ashley's a couple of times. I always have a good experience. Friendly customer service, good coffee and food(I enjoy the beef empanadas). Love this local spot read more

Ashley's Cafe & Tap - Beef Empanada caramel Drip Coffee - Themed Cafes Near Me - Elmwood Park, Illinois

The empanadas are impeccable, the best I've ever had honestly. The drinks are a huge pleaser too, the empanadas are the star though. The owner, Mrs. T is delightful and provides exceptional service. The passion she has for the cafe is reflected in the quality of the food and drinks. read more

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Great customer service. The empanadas were amazing.. Wish I could have this everywhere in the US.

I came here for lunch at 12:25 pm on a Friday. But they were not open during their normal business hours.

Such an unexpected gem! I'm not a video gaming person so based on the sign in the window I had assumed this wasn't going to be my kind of place, I was wrong. It's a great little coffee shop (gaming is in a separate room) with fun options like horchata lattes in addition to a variety of coffees and teas. They also have donuts and some very good empanadas! Best of all? This place is open late, ADA friendly (easy to nav with a walker or wheelchair, variety of seating options, big roomy bathroom, etc), and 100% dog friendly. Most places your dog is only welcome on an outside patio. Ashley's Cafe welcomes your pup indoors. I got to meet the very kind owner, she really wants to make her business a spot for the neighborhood to come together. Support this small, local business! read more

Love that they have Dark Matter coffee here we moved from West Town neighborhood in Chicago and we always get our coffee from Dark Matter coffee 2-3 times a week. They also have Do rite donuts, my favorite bakery from Wicker Park ( Alliance bakery) and homemade tamales on Sunday .Staffs are nice and friendly. They decorated Christmas theme inside the coffee Shop and so cute in there. The most important part is they are pet friendly cafe so my dog gets his puppucino too! Cute little coffee shop for the neighborhood!!! highly recommended. read more

Ashley's Cafe & Tap - He is so excited for his puppucino! - Themed Cafes Near Me - Elmwood Park, Illinois

I think this is mainly a place to go for gaming. They have good empanadas, but the customer service isnt great. Dont expect great customer service. I went in for dinner one evening and the attendant was close to end of shift and wasnt too friendly. They used to bring your plate and drinks to the table but not the last time I was there. read more

Randomly stumbled across this gem, and it was SUCH a pleasant surprise! Loved the 420 friendly menu, customer service & the ambiance! I've told everyone I could about this spot! Will 100% recommend! read more

Ashley's Cafe & Tap - Themed Cafes Near Me - Elmwood Park, Illinois

I love Ashley's Cafe and Tap. There is a fun vibe and the cheese empanadas and cafe con leche are must have's. I recently tried Ashley's Jackpot Delta 8 party pack. 5 250/50mg gummies. 5 gummies 5 flavors; Astro-Berry, raspberry haze, grape chronic,Pineapple Express and and green apple lush. The flavors are good, my favorite is Green Apple lush. As a bigger guy I usually do not consume gummies since I need more to get me where I want to go. I was pleasantly surprised, tasty and mellow. read more

Ashley's Cafe & Tap - Themed Cafes Near Me - Elmwood Park, Illinois

This is truly a 4.5 star review. I struggle to find anything significant that this place could improve. They have great coffee products, alcoholic beverages, tasty treats and savory eats (love their empanadas). Although I don't gamble, I don't mind the slot arcade - it's nice and clean - and I appreciate the Facebook Live hustle. I love the open mic and music (?) events in the seating area. Free WI-FI and extended business hours, I mean, Elmwood Park is very lucky to have a place like this and I hope the community continues to support their business. Here's my only critique... Don't care much for the THC infused items. To be clear, it didn't bother me that they sold a few CBD products but when they recently expanded to include THC items it kinda took a little something away for me (their CBD/THC items case is bigger now). Walked in there last week and it actually smelled a bit "weedy". Again, I'd really like to see Ashley's be around for a long time and do well so please go there if you haven't already. It's unfortunate the Village has yet to approve their sidewalk seating request! read more

Couldn't get the hibiscus tea that I wanted. However, the Empanadas & tamales were so good.

What a great addition to the neighborhood! Stopped in to try this spot that just recently opened and what a wonderful experience. First they were adhering to COVID rules and once in, the people were so friendly and very appreciative for the business. The decor was very modern cafe with a touch of holiday cheer. I had heard about their homemade empanadas so that was definitely on the list. To my surprise they also offered a vegan donut option this happened to be lemon and was delicious. They also has a family secret arroz con leche dessert... offered warm or cold and definitely delicious. We also had the coffee but so delighted and pretty much sidetracked by all the goodies offered. Wishing this business much success. Love the food Love the drink options and LOVE LOVE the food and desserts options! I HIGHLY recommend to support and visit this little gem in Elmwood Park. Worth the visit and revisits !! read more

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Love this new spot in the neighborhood. Brings great coffee/drinks and sweet treats not found anywhere else in the area. Friendly welcoming staff, clean and cool interior decor. read more

Ashley's Cafe & Tap - Themed Cafes Near Me - Elmwood Park, Illinois

Ashley's Cafe is such a gem of a place. The owner Fran is a total business savvy and smart woman. She was able to make a gaming cafe into a come one come all type of space. The cafe has games for kids of all ages and has a wide variety of kid friendly beverages and adult beverages alike. This cafe has a sense of community in Elmwood Park. They have dance parties, djs, face painting, paint nights, markets with local artists as vendors and so much more. The cafe con leche with homemade whipped cream will always have me coming back. I like it warm vs cold but BOTH are great options. Their lemonades and boba teas are legit. The empanadas are very flavorful and unique. They are moist and the dough is scrumptious. They have unique art on the walls and always decorate based on the holiday. This is a dog friendly cafe that my dog will pull me to visit on all of our walks. She even cries when they are closed. Thankfully Ashley's has a great schedule and is even open late - don't miss out on a great space to game, meet with friends, or grab a coffee to start your day! You'll be happy you did! read more

Wait staff friendly and personable but thought my iced latte wasn't very tasty and it is on the pricier side. Finance went a separate time from me and had a similar experience. read more

Very good coffee & friendly staff! Definitely worth checking out! Great addition to the neighborhood

I recently bought Ashley's Jackpot Gummies and I must say WOW. This product is very good . This is a very good product and worth what you pay for. I highly recommend it. If you stop by Ashley's you need to make sure you try the gummies! read more

Long story short, my girlfriend and I were stranded in Elmwood Park when we stumbled upon Ashley's. The empanadas and service were amazing--we're both vegetarian, and there were plenty of veggie options on the menu (we recommend the cheese empanadas). We would return every day if we could! read more

The empanada was tasty. Good coffee selection and drinks. The environment was inviting and cozy with a few options for entertainment available read more

WOW! Hidden gem in elmwood park beautiful location. The iced coffee i had was delicious, my best friend got a lavender butterfly lemonade and it was amazing she says, "an absolute hit" the spot inside is also nicely decorated. read more

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This cafe is amazing! It has everything I love, from the best iced coffee to my favorite donuts by Do-rite. The baristas were super friendly! They're following all covid precautions to make sure their customers are safe. & I'm even able to bring my pup here! This my new favorite local coffee shop. Can't wait to try the rest of their menu. read more

Ashley's Cafe & Tap - Iced latte with do rite glazed donut - Themed Cafes Near Me - Elmwood Park, Illinois

Hey guys .....OMG almond croissant is best thing I ever eat so delicious... guys you have to go there and try .... Is very happy , clean place I love it ‼ read more

What is there not to like about this place? Cool, hip atmosphere with an arty, laidback vibe. Excellent owner with a staff that delivers supreme customer service. The best local options from all over Chicago - Dark Matter Coffee, Do Rite Donuts and house made empanadas. You just can't get any better than that! If you are in the area and don't pop in to grab some refreshments, you're hurting yourself, dog. Do yourself a favor and check it out! read more

We were in the area and chose this place for breakfast based on the reviews. So disappointing. No variety. Burritos were literally in a kind of fridge packed for you to take out. Only one of the 4 types of empanadas available. read more

I LOVE THIS CAFE!!! All my favorite things: coffee, donuts, empanadas. The meat empanadas are amazing, but the cheese are the best. Cafe con leche is delicious, and they will customize whatever you want. The staff is really knowledgeable and it's family owned. I like that I can order ahead, just like Starbucks and pick up my order. read more

I mean, what a joke of a place I will start off by saying the poor girl working there was incredible - she was very kind, but just was given a job to do that could not be done. I ordered from the menu 3 different times to be told each time none of those items were available and that management just hasn't changed the menu. So I finally order something to eat that I didn't really want, sit down, and ask for the wifi - and was told it's new policy to not give out the wifi. Welp that's the only reason I just spent $9 to eat here. I checked, there were two "Ashley's Cafe" WiFi's available - but again, this poor girl was just the messenger of stingy management. I will never go back, absolute waste of money and time. I hope the girl at the counter finds a new job because she's too good for this place, and hopefully this will wake management up because I was the only person there and now they will be empty. read more

Came here for a coffee because I saw they have Dark Matter. The baristas were all very friendly and to my surprise, they had homemade empanadas as well. I grabbed a couple cheese ones and I am now hooked. A latte and empanadas are the best way to start a morning My latte came out with a heart on it, too and that just put the cherry on top. Highly recommend! read more