I love everything here!!! I just wish they would use the right grill oil/temp, because every time I leave smelling like it for the rest of the day. read more

Local & small establishments is a good place for lunch or a quick pick me up. Nice staff! Only 4 stars because they don't have parking that is convenient or well marked. We had to move our car because a neighbor told us as we were walking up, the spot we took was assigned to a resident. However, there were no signs to indicate this. read more

This place has it all good food service and it's clean do yourself a favor and try the veggie it's the bomb

Well friends - it's a year later and my love for this business has only grown. The way they have weathered this pandemic has been impressive to say the least. From temporarily closing to keep their staff and patrons safe to eventually reopening with protective shields, extra sanitation and social distancing steps in place, these guys are committed to providing great food to the community while making sure they do their part to stop the spread. I have picked up my order in store since their reopening and have felt both safe and welcomed, which is much appreciated in a time like this. There are markings on the ground, touchless payment options, protective shields and kind, masked faces that are happy to take your order. My food was hot, ready quickly and the same great quality I'm used to...I mean their breakfast sandwiches still make the angels sing. I have also had my order Door Dashed several times lately, which is new for me (but also necessary if I'm feeling under the weather or have a work meeting I can't miss.) Everything is always ready quickly, packaged well, made exactly as I requested and the utensils are never missing. Some days I ask for a customization if I order for both myself and my boyfriend and they are always happy to accommodate. Because said accommodation requires some additional containers I never ask for them to do this when it's just food for me (I know margins are thin for all business owners right now) but imagine my surprise when they kindly did it to my order today without me even asking. It shows they have taken the time to get to know their customers, any customizations they prefer and are willing to go above and beyond to give a wonderful experience to their patrons (whether we order in person or virtually.) I chose to update this review today because these guys really deserve a second shoutout. Thanks a million Chris and Kathy! You guys run such a wonderful business and your hard work does not go unnoticed. I know I'm not alone when I say this community appreciates you and your kindness, wonderful food, and most importantly...your COFFEE! read more

Blue Box Cafe - Sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich Iced Turtle - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

This place is shockingly good! The food is so fresh and delicious and homemade with care. We had two sandwiches, the Dalek Delight and the Blue Box BLT, sides of coleslaw and potato salad, and their chili. Oh my goodness everything was so tasty! The chili was fresh and had that homemade taste like it had been simmering for hours. The sandwiches were put together well with a good balance of meat to toppings and the coleslaw and potato salad were super fresh and tasty. If we're ever out this way again we will definitely be going back. It's simple food done really well!! read more

A busy place which the locals patronize. This is mainly a take out place. There is a dining area but nobody used it when I was there. For food mostly sandwiches and salads. Some bakery. They were all friendly and welcoming. It did take a while for the food but probably because it's made to order. I ordered the Reuben. The best part of my sandwich was the bread, which was toasted perfectly. The meat was another story. New York delis would laugh at the amount of beef in this sandwich. One slice of the bread was as thick or thicker than the meat. The dressing was watery and the sauerkraut missing in action. It was a good snack, but a poor Reuben. Would I recommend this place? Unfortunately no. I am all about supporting local businesses but I just can't this time. Disappointed. read more

This place is fun! All Dr. Who fans will enjoy the memorabilia and the Tardis- I had the Clara's chicken salad-Deeelicious.

*insert clever Doctor Who quote/reference* I have yet to jump on the Doctor Who bandwagon (and probably never will), but my sister is a hugeee fan. While she and my mother were visiting Elgin, we decided to lunch at the Blue Box Cafe, which is some kind of Doctor Who-inspired cafe in downtown Elgin. Yep, the walls are covered with blue phone booths and British coffee mugs and all sort of things related to the Doctor(s). Thankfully, you don't have to be a Whovian to appreciate this cafe. The cafe is otherwise pretty simple & cute, the menu boasts a variety of drinks and sandwiches, and the atmosphere is pretty chill. I had an almond latte and the veggielicious sandwich (with chips), my sister had one of the salads, and my mother had some kind of sandwich, as well. My veggielicious sandwich was realllllyyy good, like.... mmmlicious! It was huge, which was perfect for my hungry tummy. I ate the whole thing and basically licked my fingers afterwards. Mmm. My sister loved her salad and my mom enjoyed her meal, too. We were all happy to have lunch here, and my sister was especially excited to get her Doctor Who fix. Blue Box Cafe is definitely a great addition to Elgin. I hope the downtown area continues to grow. read more

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More of a 2.5 Star scale but I can't do halves...gonna start with the pros and move on to the cons. We ordered the Italian sub, Turkey Ranch sandwich, Wedding soup, Tuna sandwich, potato salad, turtle latte, and a dark chocolate coffee. Pros: easy parking, plenty of room inside, staff was super friendly. Cons: sandwiches are over priced for that you get. Most are $7.99 and after you add a small drink and chips or potato salad, you add on another $2.50. The turkey and the tuna sandwich tasted good, but barely had anything between the bread. The weeding soup was a large and literally had two small meatballs inside, the coffee drinks tasted average, and the potato salad was average. Again, sandwiches tasted good, but not much was there. Really disappointed in the price point for what you get. I will not be returning unless they update the sandwiches. As you can see in my picture, the cheese was thick and the tuna spread was thin! read more

Blue Box Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

This cafe is a welcome addition to downtown Elgin's restaurant scene. It's a quaint little coffee and sandwich shop. The restaurant is clean and the workers are friendly. They have a lot of tasty sandwich offerings. Today, however, I ordered the tuna melt and I was a bit disappointed. It had the least amount of tuna salad I've ever had on a sandwich. I'm attaching a photo but it is deceiving. It was basically a grilled cheese with a schmeer of tuna salad. Maybe it was an isolated incident, so I'm not letting it effect my rating. If you are a Dr. Who fan, you'll love this place. The owner is a big fan of the show, and has lots of references to the show throughout the cafe. read more

Blue Box Cafe - Very little tuna in my tuna melt. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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Delicious food and great service. Reasonable prices. Cafe is clean and inviting. Especially like create-your-own sandwich and soups really hit the spot when it is cold outside! I stop there every chance I get! read more

Good food, during and after covid. We typically use a delivery service. It is definitely worth supporting.

Hello Sweetie! From Gallifrey to Trenzalore these folks have you covered...delicious sandwiches (Reuben reuben oh yeah!) Veggielicious will convert any meat eater from the Master's mind control. Dirty chips, chili, fresh soups of the day....and oh the COFFEE!!! From the standard cuppa joe to any latte/ frappe combo you throw at them, their baristas gotcha covered! Splurged on the large Captain Jack Harkness- chocolate covered cherry latte...like a warm mental hug from the Ood! Service is always great you can tell the staff enjoy working here. Kathleen and her hubby put a lot of love in this place& its not to be missed! read more

Came here a week or so ago just to order some coffee to-go. I ordered an unsweetened Iced latte with almond milk and my bf ordered a cortado. I will say I was a little underwhelmed with the interior. It looked a little... rough? Our coffee also did take longer than we thought it would. My latte was made accidentally with oat milk which tasted good so I wasn't too picky. My BF's cortado was supposed to be to-go, but was in a ceramic mug when we got it. We ended up having to stay there to finish our drinks. Just based on the fact that the coffee was good/ok I'm saying 3 stars. There are cute places out there that serve gross coffee so my preference is always good coffee over ambiance. read more

Amazing and delicious!!! My favorite is the Rueben...yum!! Its a cute little shop downtown elgin!

Awesome food! Love it everything we ordered has been spot on! They never disappoint! Would recommend this to anyone! Have to try it out!

Such a great local spot! Yummy sandwiches and coffee - my personal favorite is the rueben. They have a fun vibe and the staff is very helpful and kind. A swell place for lunch or a morning coffee break! :) read more

Blue Box Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

The food is average, they desperately need an exhaust system. Whenever I eat here my clothing smells like grilled sandwiches. The service is slow so come with plenty of time to wait. read more

This place is a gem! As a Doctor Who fan, it's pleasant to walk in and see the Tardis door, an episode playing on the TV, the aptly titled menu options, and just the rest of the decor. The sandwiches are really good and ingredients are top notch. I've had a couple of the barista drinks and they are also made well. I love that they have options for different dietary needs as well! They also support and celebrate the community around them. The cafe often becomes a performing space or podcast recording studio! read more

While I am a major geek, I am not a Whovian...but I brought three to Elgin with me, so of course this was the place for lunch!! Small but well appointed with Dr. Who accoutrements (everything from fan art to cast photos to the crack in the wall of time by the door, not to mention multiple TVs playing the program around the room), this little cafe is every Dr. Who fan's dream. If the food wasn't any good this would simply be a kitschy novelty spot, but they do indeed deliver with solid meal options. My friends and I had an assortment of soups and sandwiches and everyone was happy. My grilled cheese (aka The Melted Goodness) came with your choice of up to three cheeses; I went for the gusto with the max, and I have to say that three was too much! It was overflowing. Next time I would narrow to just swiss and pepper jack. The bread was beautifully griddled though, and a local strawberry lemonade went nicely with it. Service was friendly and fairly fast, even as the place filled up. Whovians, be sure to check out their merchandise (mugs and such)! (PS Make sure you peek behind the tardis door in the corner...Don't blink!) read more

Blue Box Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

The food here is AMAZING. The service the last 5-6 times leaves a less than desirable taste in my mouth. I understand that cooking bacon or slicing meat takes time. But why does it take 20 minutes to make ONE sandwich when there are 4 employees working and 3 people (including me) in line? There were too many employees standing around doing nothing , while only one worker performed the task at hand. It makes me sad, because they have quality product, but don't have proper management to ensure quality service. read more

All in all, a decent sandwich. Great decor! I hope to visit again soon after this covid-19 madness is over. read more

Blue Box Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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This is an interesting place. I had one of the best turkey sandwiches I have ever had and my wife's salad was excellent as well. The restaurant is rather small, but the quality is huge. Overall we were very satisfied with the food and service and will definitely go back. Try it I think you will be very pleased. read more

I really enjoyed the atmosphere, the pictures related to the owner and Doctor Who. My wife and I ordered three sandwiches, loved it. The staff was also very nice. read more

The rueben here is the best ever. You will not be disappointed. We go here all the time after church and the staff are very friendly and helpful. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed! read more

Met friends for lunch on a Saturday. I ordered the Turkey Ranch sandwich (turkey, swiss cheese, applewood bacon, red onion, roma tomatoes and ranch dressing on toasted multi grain bread) and Chai Tea Latte. Everything was good and arrived quickly. Their chai tea was a little spicy to me, but I'm used to Tazo chai tea concentrate There's a small parking lot for the building otherwise good luck parallel parking. read more

Blue Box Cafe is a great place to grab a sandwich and coffee. I created my own turkey sandwich and it was made just the way I like it HoT & with a crunch. They do a perfect job of pressing sandwiches that you get this nice crispy, crunch when you bite into it. Love it! It's perfect! The staff is friendly & patient and makes sure your order is right! They have a great selection of specialty drinks to choose from. Highly recommend Blue Box Cafe! read more

Blue Box Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Theme of the place is awesome and food and coffee are sooo good. Every time I get a chance I stop by. Service is quick and professional

Been stopping in here for years. And I can't believe I haven't posted a review yet. Believe me when I say I don't go out to eat to buy sandwiches in a cafe, EXCEPT FOR THIS PLACE! Awesome, geeky decor, great and friendly staff and amazing food. Stop by every late Saturday afternoon and have a great time. They also offer gluten free options, too. read more

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My parents and I came in with a restaurant.com gift card $25 with the order of $50. We got the turkey Reuben, the master wrap, the submarine Italiano, the elgin club with sides of Mexican corn chowder, potato salad, and coleslaw! I can't speak for the other sandwiches since I got the turkey Ruben but dang! That turkey Ruben is straight FIRE! My mom and I split the sandwich and it's absolutely delicious. The bread is buttered and what seems like to be pressed or pan fried, thick cute of turkey inside with coleslaw and applewood bacon. I couldn't tell if there was another sauce in there but it may have been the coleslaw. Such a balanced sandwich. Rich but leveled out by the slaw and turkey! My dad was pretty much silent throughout his entire lunch and he had the master wrap. So I'm sure he was having a good time. The potato salad was mustard-based, it was a standard potato salad nothing to complain about. The coleslaw was the same coleslaw in the turkey Reuben but it tasted better in the sandwich. The cabbage in the coleslaw wasn't as crisp as I wanted it to be when enjoying it as a side. We also got the Mexican corn chowder and it wasn't that great. It tasted a bit watered down and it needed more salt and overall flavor. I can't knock off much for this though because the whole experience at blue box was really great. The staff was very accommodating of my large order and I ordered things to go as well and they were very prompt about getting that set up. They brought all of our food out to us. We also got the espresso Macchiato, mocha latte, and iced chai latte. Drinks came out quickly and the hot drinks were served hot! I'm giving it a four out of five because the soup wasn't that great, and the initial waitress I had seemed to have trouble with my order. Otherwise I enjoyed the Doctor Who themed café in the heart of downtown Elgin. We went in around 10:30 AM on a Monday and there was ample seating available. This is a really cute place to come in on a Sunday morning and work on things you have to do on your computer while maybe getting a breakfast sandwich or enjoying a nice solo lunch. I'd imagine it would also be a great place to come here with your date, grab a couple coffees and see the sights downtown. The location is just so great! read more

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I am so heartbroken that the owners have left us, but it's such a wonderful sandwich and coffee shop. Worth frequenting!!

The challenge with theme restaurants is to put as much effort into the food and beverages as they do into the look and feel of the place. Happily, Blue Box Cafe does a very nice job on all fronts. The nods to Dr Who are evident all over the shop, but it's not obnoxious. If you're a fan, you'll get enough to feed the need, to be sure. The names of sandwiches and coffee and tea drinks all appear to nod to Dr Who as well, which is fun. More importantly, everything I had was extremely good. I've had 3 different coffee and tea drinks and all were significantly better than those from a chain. I recommend stretching a bit and trying something you normally wouldn't. On the sandwich front, I tried 3 different sandwiches from a standard BLT which was exactly as it should be to a roast beef wrap with a horseradish mayo that really added a nice punch. It may seem odd to laud a BLT, but, while the sandwich is simple, it's easy to make badly. And I've had a lot of bad BLTs. In the case of Blue Box Cafe, the toast was, go figure, well toasted. Not too much mayo along with extremely fresh lettuce and tomato combined with some very tasty bacon and this was a very memorable BLT. If you find yourself in Elgin, I highly recommend Blue Box Cafe. Enjoy a good sandwich, made well. Break out of the norm and get a drink you normally wouldn't. read more

It's all about the ambiance at Blue Box Cafe. Themed around Doctor Who, Blue Box Cafe is a unique place to stop for any Whovian looking for a place to drink, chat or meet up with friends. It's not the largest of coffee shops, but it's super cute! You'll see little nods to Doctor Who everywhere, perfect for a quick Instagram! They also offer fandom inspired events from time to time. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I can't say if their coffee was as good as their website makes it out to be. I did partake in a sandwich while I was there, though, and that was pretty good! Honestly, though, the reason I visit here from time to time isn't for the food--- it's the vibe. It's just a cool ambiance that you can't find at any other cafe around here! read more

I have been to this cafe twice now. My husband and I stumbled upon it while walking down Chicago Street. I have been pleasantly surprised both times I've come. My husband got an Egg and Cheese Sandwich and a Hot Coffee. He enjoyed both. I have to eat gluten free and was excited to see that they had gluten free bread. I opted for the Reubin Reubin Sandwich and an Iced Coffee with hazelnut. After we sat down, one of the servers apologetically informed me that they were out of gluten free bread, so I opted to have the ingredients placed on a salad, with thousand island dressing of course . It was absolutely delicious, and it should totally be something they offer on the menu for gluten free customers. I can only imagine how yummy it must be heated up and on bread. And now today, I'm currently sitting in the cafe near the front window, enjoying the ambiance, my Egg, Cheese and Bacon Sandwich on Gluten Free Bread, and this delicious Iced Coffee with hazelnut. I've found my new favorite place! Oh, and P.S, every employee I've had the pleasure of meeting has been courteous, helpful and good humored. You guys rock! Thank you read more

Doctor Who. Need I say more? Went with bro and kiddo to a special event at the BBC (blue box cafe). They have theme food, drinks, and decorations. Even the weeping angels are hiding waiting for unsuspecting patrons. The place was packed because of the special event so well have to go back and try more food. They did have foods that are themed, and most of the food looked home made. Got a Groupon for here for next time, too. Yay Doctor Who and fun events and places. read more

Blue Box Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

The staff is a hoot! They're great at answering any questions and customizing anything that they can. I've always loved the coffee here, and that is still 100% true. My fiance got an iced turtle, and I got an iced cinn-turion. Both were delicious! Great coffee flavor, whole milk creamy-ness, whipped cream on top. The cinn-turion has a mix of caramel, vanilla, and cinnamon. I was a little worried about how sweet that would be, but it wasn't overly sweet at all! Each flavor was perfectly balanced, and I didn't feel like I was drinking an cup full of sugar. Each large iced coffee was $5.10 I think (slightly pricey, but it wasn't filled to the top with all ice like some other places will do, so totally worth it!) We finally ordered food this time around. I really enjoyed the creamy potato and bacon soup. Very comforting on a drizzly day. My fiance had the Mexican corn chowder soup and he liked it as well. All my love was given to that "reuben reuben" sandwich though. The bread is so crispy, the corned beef is so good, the cheese is stringy. I was in heaven the whole time. Thankfully my fiance only requested one small bite of it. ;) He ordered one with a turkey and tomato and onion and some sort of dressing. I can't find out what it was called, but again - great crispy bread and such yummy flavors! We make it a point to stop by here every time we are in the Elgin area, which we just might have to be more frequently now! (Quick note: Our two large iced specialty coffees, two sandwiches, and two small soups came out to around $32. While not the most affordable lunch, everything tasted so good!!!) read more

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I love the Blue Box and come here 6 or more times a year and it is an hour away from my home. I've come here for viewing nights, podcasts, lit night and just plain old weekend with no special events. Aside from the decor, atmosphere and events the food and drinks are also worth the visit and drive. I soooo wish I lived closer. I would be a regular. read more

Love Blue Box. Perfect brunch for the coffee and sandwich enthusiast. Great location too.

coffee and lattes are better than starbucks hands down and customer service is phenomenal ! Love their vibes ! also my favor sandwiches are the tuna melt and then turkey reuben IT IS SO DELISHH read more

The cold coffee was expensive but ok. Haha it's actually cheaper at Starbucks but I support local businesses. I did just watch the guy behind the counter make someone a sandwich. He didn't have gloves on and when he was done putting the meat on the sandwich he wiped his hands on his dirty apron and then went back in one of the containers for something else. I did not see him start to make the sandwich but I really hope he at least washed his hands. It's not the end of the world but it's pretty basic food safety to not do this kind of stuff. read more