I love Kindred Coffee Roasters!! I've been here multiple times. It's such a cute little coffee shop…read morein West Chicago, perfect for getting work done, catching up with friends, or playing one of their board games. I ordered a pancake breakfast latte, and it definitely resembles pancakes! It was delicious. The quality and attention to detail at Kindred is clear, and you can tell they truly care about what they do and have a genuine passion for coffee. I also tried their hummus toast and it was really good! I'd love to try more of their food items in the future.

We stopped by Kindred on our way home and made a quick detour to try their coffee. Ever since…read morestarting my specialty coffee and espresso journey, I've been seeking out local roasters to see what they can deliver--and Kindred certainly didn't disappoint. Everything from their roasts and drinks to the decor was fantastic. My wife had an iced vanilla latte, and I ordered a flat white. The flat white was beautifully balanced with smooth chocolate and light nutty notes, without being overly dark or roasted. I also picked up a 10 oz bag of their Brazil Yellow Bourbon Natural to brew at home. The staff was incredibly welcoming and even brought our drinks right to our table. Highly recommend!

Ok so my review is from the Arlington heights farmers market ! I have been inside this place when…read moreit was owned by another tea place and reviewed it then . The inside still looks gorgeous and clean and the people making the teas were pleasant and prompt serving me . I had to get two and will try the others next time . The Matcha cloud was the perfect amount of sweetness and the passion fruit was so refreshing with the most delicious passion fruit flavor ! I can't wait until Saturday!

Activitea and Coffee is such a charming little café and quickly becoming one of my new favorite…read morespots! They have a wide variety of drinks and desserts, so there's truly something for everyone. The ambiance is calm, cozy, and feels like the perfect place to unwind or catch up with a friend. I ordered the Peach Mango Black Tea and a slice of my favorite Carrot Cake, and both were absolutely delicious -- fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The prices are a bit on the higher side, but for the quality, experience, and relaxing vibe, it felt completely worth it. I'll definitely be coming back and recommending this gem to all my friends!

Found a bag of The Modest, Honduran beans at Jewel, on Western in Chicago. The price was right,…read moreamong the most affordable, and it ticked some boxes such as local roaster, Central America origin and a solid cup of Joe. Thank you!

Finally stopped in after buying beans at retail spots…read more Marcus and the team are fantastic. Met everybody, got tour of whole operation, nerded out on coffee, roasting, biz, etc. Great enthusiasm and passion. You can tell they care. Beans are good to great so far but then I knew that already. I will be back for fresh roasted beans again soon!

A great selection of scones, there wasn't a single one I wouldn't try! We will need to go back for…read morethe savory ones, but we got ten different kinds to try and all were delicious. (Cappuccino, cinnamon toast, vanilla bean, birthday cake, chocolate chip, and a few others!) So yummy!

Scone Emergency = Joyful Triumph!…read more Let me tell you about these scones -- they're not just baked goods, they're buttery, crumbly little clouds of joy. Sweet, flaky perfection in every bite, with a variety of flavors so tempting it's honestly unfair to the other pastries in town. I showed up right at closing time like a woman on a mission -- I had an emergency (yes, scone emergencies are real) because my friends were taking a painfully early flight and I needed to send them off with something that said, "Bon voyage, but with carbs." Not only was I greeted with kindness, but I was offered a delightful selection of scones like it was still mid-morning! The service? Superb. Compassionate. Possibly saintly. The shop itself is also a total gem -- cozy, welcoming, and full of great energy. It's the kind of place where you want to linger, sip your coffee slowly, and pretend you're a local character in a charming indie film. The next morning, I enjoyed the outside with a fresh brew and a scone, soaking in the morning peace and feeling very pleased with myself. Meanwhile, my friends, in their sleepy travel frenzy, forgot their share of scones. TRAGIC for them. But also... YESSSS for me -- more buttery goodness to hoard enjoy! Moral of the story: come for the scones, stay for the kindness and the vibe. And if you're flying out early -- maybe forget a bag so you have an excuse to come back.

Sweet Reserve Coffee Shop has such a great atmosphere. The drinks were wonderful--really well made…read moreand full of flavor. It's the kind of place where you can tell they care about their coffee and the overall experience. I did try the Dubai brownie, and it wasn't my favorite, but everything else about the visit made up for it. The vibe of the shop feels like the perfect place to settle in and get some work done. It's cozy, welcoming, and somewhere I can definitely see myself spending a few productive hours. I'll definitely be back!

Whenever I'm craving a sweet treat, Sweet Reserve is one of the first places that comes to mind!…read moreTheir cheesecakes are my favorite. I recently tried the blueberry cheesecake for the first time and absolutely loved it. I'm also hoping they bring back the mango cheesecake this summer because it was my favorite. Whenever I'm in the mood for something warm and comforting, I always order the Kashmiri chai. On top of the delicious desserts and drinks, the employees are always welcoming and greet you as soon as you walk in. It is always clean!

I wanted to like this place, I really did, but after two visits I'm done…read more My first visit was back in January so I was unfamiliar with the ordering process. When I approached the counter no one acknowledged me so I said hi and an employee said hello back but didn't offer to take my order, so I assumed I needed to order at the tablet which is located before the seating and counter area. While placing my order, multiple people walked past me and ordered at the counter, so that was a little confusing. Those people were eating inside, though, so I thought maybe you need to use the tablet for take-out and order at the counter for eating in. To be honest, I'm still not sure. I assume if a person approaches the counter the employee should do more than just say hello and keep working, especially when I had to say it first, so that was a bit off-putting. I had perused their menu before my trip and wanted to try the breakfast pizza but when I saw it in person it looked old and dry so I decided to try the rice crispy treat instead. Well, it was so hard I had to microwave it when I got home just to be able to eat it. While it didn't taste stale, I don't think you should serve a rock hard rice crispy to someone and ask $4.50 to boot. All that said, the iced latte I ordered was exceptionally good, so I kept that in mind for the future. A few days ago I went back and ordered the same exact latte (via their app this time), just in a larger size. It tasted nothing like the one in January. Not only that, but after taking a sip and inquiring about getting some packets of sugar, I was told there were some around the corner from the counter. All I saw was fake sugar in packets and Sugar In The Raw in an open container with a spoon. Maybe I missed where the regular sugar was, I don't know. The whole area felt really disorganized and dirty which was a turn-off. For what they charge I expect fresher food and a consistent drink experience. I want to support small businesses but this place makes that hard. I won't be back.

This is such a cute coffee house especially during the summer because there is outdoor seating and…read morespaces upstairs you can rent out for work meetings. The vibe is welcoming and I love all of the products they have supporting missions around the world. The coffee and snacks are delicious here, I would definitely recommend stopping in the next time you're in town.

The space has two entrances, one in the front and another along the side. Walking in through the…read morefront, you're immediately greeted by a seating area where people are working, relaxing, or enjoying their coffee. Heading further in, you'll find the ordering counter, and you can even catch a glimpse of coffee beans being roasted, which adds a nice touch to the atmosphere. They offer both a seasonal menu and a straightforward regular menu, making it easy to find something you like. Overall, the environment felt calm and laid-back. The staff were more on the quiet side personally, I'm used to more outgoing baristas, but that's just a matter of preference.

My friends and I were looking for a spot for post-lunch coffee and found Five and Hoek. It is a…read morereally cute, modern cafe in Wheaton. The building looks like it was converted from a church, and the back seating area has some high stained glass windows. In the middle of the cafe is a narrow hallway/corridor where the supply closet and the single stall bathroom is, so it segments the cafe into two areas, connected by this hallway in the center. The design feels very clearly like a remnant of an old historic building, and a brick alleyway runs along one side. In the space/room where you order (walking through the seating area and through the hallway), it opens up with huge windows and a huge industrial coffee grinder on full display. There's another counter to order, with a few pastry options, and along another side wall, a rack of F&H clothes for purchase and the drink menus. (The aesthetic reminded me of Blue Bottle.) I ordered an iced Whiskey Vanilla Latte with oak milk and it was good! I couldn't taste any whiskey at all, and when I ordered the barista had mentioned this (cooked off so you wouldn't taste it) so it was a decent vanilla latte. I'll give them props for a really cool unique flavor. We all grabbed our drinks and headed (back through the hallway) into the other room with the seating area. There is a small section with a couch, otherwise lots of tables and chairs and I was glad it wasn't too crowded so we were able to grab a table. This was a great spot to grab coffee and meet up with friends. It's in a neat little downtown area in Wheaton, and they offer creative coffee drinks, with beans and merch to purchase.

As I started getting serious with my pour over experiments, I needed a good grinder, and I ended up…read moreat Fresh Ground Roasting's website for the best prosumer grinder: Baratza Virtuoso+. FGR curates an excellent selection of coffee gear, coffee's and provides free shipping. I was especially impressed by Eric, his responsiveness to my questions, and his knowledge of brewing different methods of coffee. While Baratza was delayed in shipping my order, Eric kept me informed and expedited the order with a Baratza rep. He even took some time to explain brewing techniques and recommended a scale that saved me $$, even though they did not stock it themselves. On receiving the order, there was a minor defect in a silicon gasket, and Eric immediately ordered a free replacement with Baratza. Despite living in San Francisco, I will recommend FGR for their great selection of artisan coffees and brew gear, excellent customer service that goes beyond lip service. I trust them, and after my positive experience and will continue to shop and endorse. Thank you Eric.

I was curious to check out a shop that roasts the beans. I discovered that they are in the complex…read morenext to Playhouse 38. The owner and his assistant were extremely helpful. I use a Keurig coffee maker, and he ground the coffee for the ecobrewer I use to brew something other than k cups. I am looking forward to trying the dark Ethiopian roast I purchased.

Dumpy little place with an odd seating area and a smattering of kids toys. No tykes present when i…read morewas there at about 1030a. There was a selevtion if about 6 different giant cookies. They were your regukar flavors except for Lemon White chocolate. i bought 1 of each along with their cranberry walnut scone. If you like the thin cooked that spread and remain soft, these will work for you. I need crispy edges at least. The scone was a very sad, depressed lump. After my first taste, i broke off pieces around the edge (pictures included) and you will see a cranberry walnut scone bereft of cranberries. There was NO TASTE of the dried fruit, even when i picked one out, it was a tiny teardrop of a possibility of the tart/sweet dried gem normally enjoyed. (maybe they should be macerated in orange juice or eben cranberry juice). oh! the walnuts were large nice pieces but with the horrible raw-flour taste overpowering even the mighty walnut, the lump could not be redeemed.

When you walk into the location you can smell all the goodies that have been baked or currently…read morebaking. There are a few seats for you to relax and little games to keep kids entertained. They also have cute little cookie decorating kits out right now for Easter ready to be purchased. Other goodies were cookies, fresh baked bread, honey sticks and dipped rice crispy treats, to name a few. You can also get coffee, teas and lemonades. I ended up getting the croissant stuffed and topped with chocolate chip cookie dough. It was delicious. Not overly sweet, but I ate it two different times throughout the day. It's definitely worth the $5! The employees were very patients as we looked at all the goodies trying to decide what we wanted, and willing to answer any questions.

Shibam Coffee in Glendale Heights is an absolute hidden gem. From the moment we walked in, the…read moreplace felt incredibly warm, welcoming, and homey. The decor is beautiful and thoughtfully done--it honestly makes you want to just sit back and relax for a while. The owner was super friendly and welcoming, which made the whole experience even better. You can tell they genuinely care about their customers. We ordered a dragon fruit refresher, a mocha coffee, a lemon fruit pastry, and the Dubai chocolate cheesecake--and everything was amazing. The drinks were fresh and flavorful, and the desserts were on another level. The Dubai chocolate cheesecake especially was rich, unique, and seriously one of the best desserts I've had. Overall, this place checks every box: great vibes, great service, and incredible food and drinks. Definitely coming back again soon. Highly recommend!

Love this spot! Delicious coffee, food, incredible ambiance and kind helpful staff! I'm always…read moreexcited to go back!