Boar&#x27;s Head Cafe

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

Two Zero Three

4.1(237 reviews)

0.4 mi•The Loop

Morning coffee and tea with a pastry! Two Raisin Danishes, a Grim Steeper, and a Applely Ever After…read morehot beverages.

Finally came back to check out a different drink. Ended up getting the London Calling Latte, which…read morewas much better. I have tried a latte with honey and sea salt before; that one I didn't like but this one was much better. Like last time, pretty fast & friendly service. Coffee place seems nice and calm; I would come back and work next time! Note: London Calling Latte is usually made with oat milk but I ordered mine with whole milk.

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My afternoon coffee break! Not only is the coffee delicious, but it's fresh at 4pm!

Intelligentsia Coffee

3.9(346 reviews)

I stopped by Intelligentsia Coffee and really enjoyed it. I ordered a matcha latte with almond milk…read moreand my husband got a cappuccino with oat milk. Both were excellent. I appreciated that the matcha can be customized. You can choose sweetened or unsweetened and even adjust the matcha strength. Since I am sensitive to caffeine I chose light matcha and it was perfect. Smooth flavor and not overly sweet. The cafe is also a really nice place to sit for a bit. There are big tables and lots of natural light which makes it feel relaxed and comfortable. The staff were nice and the drinks came out quickly. Great spot for a quality matcha or coffee in the area. I would definitely come back.

Stopped into this coffee shop on a weekday right after landing in Chicago. I needed somewhere to…read moresit, work, and kill time while waiting for my accommodations to be ready--and this place did the job. Hella busy, the staff was semi-helpful while I was trying to decide what to order--not rude, just not super engaging either. I ended up settling on a latte, which... whew. $8 for what felt like a few swallows. The cup was hella small, so that part definitely hurt a little. Menu isn't substantial. Despite how packed it was, I was able to take a meeting without too much trouble--shoutout to my noise-canceling headphones, because they were doing the heavy lifting. The space itself is on the smaller side, so if you're planning to camp out for a while, just know it can feel tight. The bathroom could've used a little attention. Nothing major, and maybe expected with a lot of people. Overall, it's a decent stop if you need coffee and a place to sit for a bit, especially in a pinch. Just be prepared for crowds, limited space, and pricey drinks that disappear way too fast.

0.3 mi•River North, Near North Side

$8 for that lil ass cup is diabolical

Avena latte

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Interior

Caffe Umbria

4.4(379 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.

Coconut cloud (amazing!!)

Coconut cloud

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Hot vanilla latte

Café Crèmerie

3.9(133 reviews)

0.6 mi•Near North Side

Usually I left a couple days after my visit to write my review, but this time I could not wait!…read moreIt almost NEVER when my husband eats cake, because he is lactose intolerant. He picked the chocolate coconut slice. Not only he likes it, he gave it a 5/5! He was like "it's moist. It's chocolate! it's coconuty! Great balance!". He never give such score on cake, let alone a full sentence review (he is man of few words. He usually devour the whole thing before you get to taste/try it, or automatically push his food to your plate type...)

Cute café with good coffee (4/5 Green Stars) I visited Café…read moreCrèmerie twice in one day. Once for lunch and then again in the evening for a Too Good To Go pick-up - cake slices! Too Good To Go is a program that allows businesses to sell left over food at the end of the day on discount, avoiding food waste. For lunch I had an Americano, the vegetarian egg sandwich and a Margherita Bistro, which is like a cross between a margherita pizza slice but in a latticed pastry. Both the Americano and egg sandwich were actually excellent, while the Margherita Bistro was less noteworthy but fine. Actually when I looked up Margherita Bistro, wanting to learn if it's a common thing and it turns out that it's made by a food service company (Bridor, owned by French Groupe Leduff which supplies baked goods to cafés all over Europe). I got two cake slices later in my Too Good To Go order. The strawberry cheesecake (Monteressa cheese cake, made with marscapone, ricotta and fresh strawberries) was delicious while the carrot cake was not as good but still fine. It turns out that the Monteressa cheesecake is made by another big supply company (Bindi) that supplies Italian desserts. Coffee appears to be from Illy. I'd definitely recommend Café Crèmerie for their good coffee, excellent egg sandwich, and nice atmosphere. I'm also giving Café Crèmerie 4/5 Green Stars for social and environmental impact, based on the following: * First I'll get into the mediocre aspects and then some positive points. * Coffee is from Illy, which I would say is slightly better than average for a major coffee company. It's a certified B Corporation but it not known for organic or fair trade coffee (they do a kind of direct trade). * Many of the pastries are mass-produced by companies that supply European or European-style cafes. Like Illy, these suppliers are perhaps slightly better than average: Bridor mentions using cage-free eggs while Bindi uses renewable energy. * A lot of the menu is suitable for vegetarians and I appreciate that there's no sign of beef on the menu (the single food product that drives around 10% of climate change). Would be nice to see more vegan options. * Café Crèmerie does a nice job at avoiding waste generation. Ceramic cups are available for coffee and food is served on trays with a paper liner. * I also appreciate that Café Crèmerie takes part in the Too Good To Go program, avoiding food waste.

Aesthetic couch

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Counter

Mojo Coffee

3.9(11 reviews)

0.4 mi•Near North Side

This isn't a full shop, it is a kiosk-like setup in the lobby of an office building and the hotel I…read morewas staying at during my quick trip to Chicago! I had a latte with their Maple Cinnamon syrup, and it was delicious. The chocolate croissant was also nice and flaky, though I wish they offered the option to heat it up. Service was friendly and the coffee came out quickly as well! Not a ton of seating and it is slightly awkward since it is in the lobby of the building, but they have some communal tables around where you order.

Good coffee and Feta Toast but they need better seating arrangements. I'd love to hang out here…read moremore if they had better and sturdy seating.

Avo Feta Toast $11

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Quad shot latte

Lea

4.0(108 reviews)

Great carrot curry soup and excellent latte. You order at a kiosk near a wall of rolling pins. Your…read morename is called to eat in at about 14 small tables or you can take out. Cute and cozy.

Middling iced coffee (a bit more watery than I like) but very tasty and fresh Brie sandwich with…read moreexcellent bread! It would be nice if there were an option to have it slightly warmed (not melted) because I tried a few bites fresh in the cafe but enjoyed it more after walking through the conservatory gardens, by which point the cheese had softened for a satisfying chewy / creamy bite.

Entrance lobby and counter...

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Interior seating

Stan's Donuts & Coffee

4.0(700 reviews)

•$

Must say for being as packed as they were it was pretty quick. Couple of rude employees but I…read morebrushed them off due to the nice ones. Donuts were way to sweet that'll work for some but for me it was like eating a box sugar. Iced coffee was pretty good much better than a Starbucks or Coffee Bean Iced coffee. The breakfast options were top notch.

On our way to The Cloud, my friends and I dropped by Stan's for a quick little pick me up…read more I had seen so much hype about the place on Tiktok and was really excited to check them out. I ended up getting a chocolate old fashioned and matcha latte sweetened. The store itself is super cute and had so many options for donuts, I wanted to order it all but just opted for one. The team here was really friendly. When they called me for my drink order, it was a chai but they were able to fix that right away. My matcha was so smooth and perfectly sweetened, not too much since I was already eating a donut. The matcha gave me the much needed energy boost and the shop kept us warm because it was definitely cold outside. 1000% recommend checking out Stan's everyone is so nice and the food and drinks are great and exactly what you need.

Sign

Prickly pear refresher and almond cronut

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Brown Butter Glaze with Salted Caramel Drizzle

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea

4.1(225 reviews)

0.6 mi•The Loop

•$

Really easy in and out and yummy beverages and breakfast sandwiches. I loved the tahini latte.read more

Hit up Fairgrounds after a class in the Chicago Athletic Association. Had a delicious coffee, and…read morebaristas were very nice. It's a very small space - perfect for pick up and go. There are a few seats, but it's pretty tight. They were a little slow BUT my drink did end up coming out well. I've enjoyed their other locations where there's a bunch more space to sit and chill.

Pick up area

Vietnamese cold brew and the Grilled Cheese & tomato soup combo

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Area to order

Egg Tuck

4.3(492 reviews)

This review is primarily for people from out of town, as the locals are already fully briefed on…read morethe magnificence of this place (meaning: it can get crowded). Now let me tell you about arguably the best breakfast burrito I have ever eaten: The Royal Burrito. The Royal Burrito at The Loop seems to be a little different than the one listed on Egg Tuck's website, so I just wanted to alert you to that. Specifically, at The Loop's Egg Tuck, they use Korean Beef instead of the "Signature Beef Patty." While I cannot vouch for the latter, I can tell you that the former is absolutely amazing!!! The tortilla they use is also solid enough to hold the contents of the burrito until the last bite, which is a rarity nowadays as more and more places skimp on solid products. This place is amazing, and I'm sure they'll start franchising to more places than LA, so stay tuned and see if one turns up in your neck of the woods. Until then, I guess you'll just have to eat here.

Walked past and got pulled in by the branding, the marketing is cute and the fluffy egg imagery…read moredoes its job. Decided to pop in and give it a try. The ordering process is straightforward: simple menu&kiosk ordering. But would have been nice to have someone help walk us through the options. We went with the avocado toast and the ham toast. Overall? Good, but not mind-blowing. If you're an egg lover looking for something light and satisfying, you'll enjoy it. It's not really trying to be more than what it is, and there's something to appreciate about that. Personally, the sauces were a bit heavy for my taste, but the chilis on the side were a nice touch and added just the right kick to balance things out. Would I go out of my way to come back? Probably not. But if you're nearby and want a solid, no-frills egg situation, it delivers.