I love tolas Birria tacos I have yet to try their coffee or empanadas but my roommate used to get coffee there all the time.

Tiny, delicious, authentic, friendly, empanadas place with a big heart and big personality. Good for any meal or snack (don't overlook their breakfast options!). read more

Cafe Tola is unlike any other cafe in the area. It has managed to hold on to its authenticity throughout all of the changes of the Southport Corridor. Much of that can be attributed to the bright and beaming ladies who light up my Thursday mornings. The blonde and brunette who open, what seems like every Thursday morning, are the sheer highlight of my week. Their quirkiness, yet professionalism keeps me coming back. I recommend everyone start their Thursday morning at Cafe Tola if they want some good vibes, laughs, and GREAT customer service. Keep up the good work ladies! read more

This place is such a local gem. It's this small, quaint, colorful hole in the wall that serves homemade empanadas, tamales, baked goods, and coffee drinks. They have pretty unique combinations of empanada fillings - I had one with mango and farmer's market cheese - so good!! I didn't get a chance to try much else - but the environment aesthetic and the charm is fantastic! Definitely an experience. read more

Cafe Tola - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Chicken Verde empanadas are out of this world good. I was in the neigborhood for work and stopped in to grab some lunch for my co workers. We sampled 4 (black bean, spicy pork, chicken verde, and the sirloin). The entire office was raving about the Chicken Verde. This will now be in our regular lunch rotation. The server behind the counter was friendly and accommodating, she explained the different choices and was really helpful. It is refreshing to walk into a restaraunt and not feel like a number of just another customer. Great food and great service. read more

My favorite coffee shop in Lakeview! True, it's the tiniest cafe you can imagine...definitely don't head over there if you're looking to sit down, but for a grab-and-go cup of Joe it doesn't get much better. They serve up Metropolis coffee, a specialty blend for their restaurant, and it's to die for! Not to mention the fact that you can grab an empanada (or two!) for the road as well. Every one that I've tried has been great, my favorites being the poblano & cheese and the beef sirloin. All of their staff are extremely friendly, too - I can't say I've had too many personal relationships with my baristas in the past, but every time i stop in Tola I always end up chatting it up with the person behind the counter. Overall definitely a better alternative to the Julius Meinl across the street...and don't even think about going to the Starbucks down the street when you've got places like this around! read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE. you might have to wait in line bc there is only one person working usually but it is worth it. Love the drinks and food. Obviously the empanadas..!!! read more

Cafe Tola - Perfect empanada - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Everything about this small cafe is unique from the menu to the art on the walls. This is a perfect saturday morning stop! Be sure to get here early because they run out of popular empanas and their hot salsa which goes perfectly with each bite. Everything is fresh and made that morning. Some of my favorite empanadas are the ham and cheese, lechon, red spicy pork, and chorizo egg. Usually one will fill me up. There is bigger sit down location on California and they have a bigger breakfast menu. read more

Café Tola is a great spot to get lunch or an afternoon snack. The people working there are always super friendly and they play good music inside. I usually enjoy the vegetarian empanadas better than the meat ones. The black bean / plantain / goat cheese flavor is my favorite. The meat empanadas can be a little too dense for my liking. The coffee is very good as well. read more

For the price, 2 empanadas & one can of pop wasn't that worth $11. Was it good? Yes, but I honesty could've made it myself for $10.... Very overpriced especially cuz the online menu listed it as $3 per empanada & the restaurant charged $4 per empanada! That's outrageous & portions are very Small. Not going back. read more

I was really disappointed by my seasonal veggie empanada. It was $4, and it was filled with what tasted like frozen vegetables. The broccoli, carrot, and eggplant mixture was flavorless and mushy. The wrapper was not crisp at all, despite being fried (soggy fried stuff is kind of sad). I hoped for much better and was really let down ='( read more

Pretty good!! I got a seasonal veggie burrito and it was good. It kept leaking out of the bottom, but I could ignore it :)

Uhhhh. Hell yeah! lol. Great little place to just grab a couple of empanadas if you're on the run. Lechon is great, Pinto Bean and Cheese is awesome and none of them need dipping sauces. read more

I love everything about this small little place. The space seems almost as if it just took over some empty space in the alley. They make their empanadas and bakery items fresh and sometimes you'll get lucky and its straight from the fryer. Yep, fryer. Not the super healthiest, but when you are in the mood for empanadas, this is the place. read more

The empanadas here just aren't very good. They were small, bland and overpriced. Dont get fooled by the cute decor. I end up at the market on Southport and Grace if I want an empanada fix. They have baked options and not so expensive. read more

Charges 75cents for soy milk....soy milk quarts cost $1.65 at whole foods...we need to get off dairy for the wellbeing of mother cows who have their children taken away from them so that humans can sell their milk to other humans. Choosing to abstain from this abuse of animals shouldn't be penalized read more

Well, my empanadas were okay. I ordered chicken verde green salsa and a Black bean w/goat cheese. I received a chicken verde and a rajas- poblano peppers & potatoes. I only know that it was a rajas after looking at some of the other reviews. Whatever. I also got a spicy mango lemonade. The lemonade was okay. It definitely had more kick than I was expecting but it was cool. I was really looking forward to trying the black bean empanada because I really love black beans. The ones I got were okay. The size is probably just a bit smaller than my hand. So not too small and not too big. This is just a spot for ordering your food as takeout. There is no seating. Nice decor. They also have Metropolis coffee which is awesome. I paid just shy of $ 11 for everything. I may take a chance and return to try the black bean. Hopefully it will be black bean. read more

I stopped by this place today for the first time and was so glad I finally gave it a try! They had huge empanadas that were juicy and packed with flavors! Unfortunately they only had a few empanadas left but I will definitely be going back to try more of their menu items. read more

Love this place! Their pastries are on point, empanadas (especially breakfast options) are to die for, and it's always hard to choose between lavender lemonade or an iced chai. Also very casually an amazing dog watching spot. read more

Not really sure why people rave about this place. The empanadas are overpriced and dry. I tried it three times hoping I would find whatever everyone is raving about but it's really just not very good read more

My wife and I had been watching Cafe Tola come up for months and even after all of the anticipation, it didn't disappoint. Really nice atmosphere inside (albeit very cozy), and an incredibly friendly staff. We ordered the Spicy Chocolate Mocha and the Pumpkin Spice Latte, which were both natural and delicious. Even as nice as the coffee is, the food was the highlight of the visit -- the sweet bread concha was very tasty and fresh, and the chicken empanada was grilled fresh, subtly spicy, and stuffed with chicken. This really is a unique addition to Southport -- simple food, good coffee, and a non-pretentious atmosphere. read more

So cute and quirky. A tiny little hole in the wall with an homage to Frida Kahlo. The empanadas looked amazing, but this time around I only got a drink. Their yerba mate was on point. Refreshing and delicious. read more

Cafe Tola - Colorful and quirky - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

For breakfast one morning, my friends picked up some empanadas. I really liked the chorizo and potato. The spicy chicken was also very good. The empanadas reminded me of the ones I had in Argentina. Just plain yummy. read more

This is a review of their empanadas. I got the Steak & Potatoes as well as the Lechon empanada. The steak and potato was failry tasty, but the Lechon could use a lot more flavor. The biggest thing keeping me from coming back is the price - $9.93 for the two empanadas. I'd much rather go to Empanadas 5411 or even Cassava which have empanadas that taste just as good, if not better and are much cheaper. read more

5 stars not only because I was buttered up by the awesome morning staff who were so loving that they gave my man and I a shortbread cookie (for free) with our Americano (shh... it should be a secret) but the plain fact they as superb. I have gone here numerous time during my morning and break hours for their coffee, tea lattes and EMPANADAS! Yes... I said empanadas and they do it well. I have tried both the plantain with goat cheese & beans and their chicken with mole sauce. For $3, it was pretty and FILLED. Like a swaddled heavy weight baby filled. My favorite by far was the plantain empanadas (highly suggesting it for my vegetarians out there). I am always a little.... apprehensive with tea lattes. I strongly believe lattes are for espressos as shoes are for feet. But I was impressed, more than impressed. I CRAVED for another after having the Earl Grey Tea Latte. Now that my belief has been kicked by Tola, I guess I need to find a new use for shoes. Finally, coffee. Ahh~ sometimes I believe that if I had my blood drawn, it will pour out coffee due to the superfluous amounts I consume. The taste was bold yet clean that my, "Can I have a bit of soy?" was unheard. I wanted it black. And I only drink coffee with a bit of milk if: 1. It tastes too strong aka burnt aka too roasty aka S_____ks (although I do consume them out of the fact they are around every bleeping corner. Convenience.) 2. Tastes bland and sad like the coffees you get in drive-thrus. None of the above applied. Black is back! read more

I live in North Lakeview, and every morning I walk by this place and every day I have told myself that one day I needed to just walk in and try them.. been wanting to since they opened. Today was that day. My legs walked me in, I ordered 4 empanadas, as I was going to share them with co-workers. Two spicy pork in salsa roja and two chicken in salsa verde. I had the spicy pork - delish!! My co-workers who tried the chicken in salsa verde also raved about how good they were. Just the right amount of spice in both of them to go with a hot cup of morning coffee. Delicioso!! Definitely looking forward to stopping in and trying their coffee next time around, along with their upcoming Taquizas on the weekends. Thanks Cafe Tola for a great breakfast :) read more

Far THE BEST empanadas in Chicago!!! I'm from NY, and every time I'm in town I have to stop by one of the cafes. The daily varieties of empanadas do not bore the customer. The taste and quality of the stuffing, whether meat or veggies, are always delectable and fresh. The crust is to perfection: a little crispy, not too flaky, and not too thick. Go early for better varieties. If you haven't been to a Cafe Tola, you're missing a lot!!! read more

Cafe Tola is a commuter coffee shop, meaning they don't have a seating area. The staff is friendly and the interior of the cafe is decorated in a lively and whimsical style. If you're looking for a good place to grab coffee to-go while you're passing through the Southport neighborhood (an area with surprisingly few cafes) this is your best bet. read more

Star ratings vary drastically week to week at Cafe Tola. I want to support this business, but they are very inconsistent with everything. Most weeks they don't have a single vegetarian option, and somedays the coffee is amazing, and other days it's watered down poo. I'm an empanada freak, so I will get my empanadas somewhere...just wish they would recognize that folks do like to have a veg option. Also, the service is hit or miss, some days the counter service is amazing and friendly, other days it's as if there's nobody home. Keep trying CT! read more

This is the greatest place to ever happen to me. It makes me so sad I don't life in Chicago because I would totally go here everyday. They have delicious white mochas and their empanadas are clutch af!!! 10/10 recommend read more

I used Cafe Tola for my company's fall meeting and my members couldn't stop complimenting on how good the food was. My order for one day was for a Continental Breakfast and Sandwich Lunch display, which both were amazing. Her potato salad was so good that my members was still talking about it the next day. On my second day, we ordered the Taco Breakfast Buffet and it was amazing. From the way they displayed the food to the food itself couldn't have been more perfect. Thanks Cafe Tola for making me look good. read more

I go here as often as I can, plain and simple. Great food, amazing coffee! My only complaint is that they don't do their delicious dessert empanadas very often and it's a little pricey. BUT you won't be disappointed in flavor, so much yum! read more

Too expensive. $4.25? Bland not tasty at all. Had a beef one a chorizo one a chicken one. They just weren't good and for 1 at $4.25 that's just a waste. They needed sauces or something. read more

The maple bacon doughnuts are amazing! And the checkout is super easy. Cutest little seating area outside and friendly customer service!

The food is incredible! Story to prove it: My girlfriend cut her toe outside of Cafe Tola. The staff gave bandaids to help her stop the bleeding. They then made a gift bag full of goodies (empanadas and donuts) for the trouble. As we are enjoying the gift bag on the way home my girlfriend was happy she cut her toe as the food made up for it. Thank you! And we will be back read more

I loooove this place! Try the breakfast tacos - specifically the egg & chorizo one - they will change your life! I love the vibe here, the decor, the empanadas, even the coffee... everyone needs to try Tola, it's the new gem. read more

We'd been meaning to try this spot for a while, and we finally did while heading to a movie at the Music Box. It's a tiny spot, and the outdoor patio is not really built for Chicago winters, but otherwise, it's excellent: a good selection of coffees, teas, and Mexican sodas, and fantastic empanadas. I got the (very good) ropa vieja and the (excellent) lechon, while my partner had the outstanding black bean, plantain and goat cheese. Not great for on-site dining, but as a takeaway for delicious, and very affordable, food, it's tops. Can't wait to go again when it's nicer out. read more

had the empanadas they were the best i ever had! i was making noises while eating them the pork,beef and chicken ones were tasty and tender the black bean and cream cheese one was out of this world. i cant wait to go back. read more

I love Tola. I live right around the corner and go a few times a week. The coffee is great. However, it is the empanadas that I always look forward to. I recommend the chicken salsa verde. The staff is sweet and always helpful with menu items. read more

Love, love, love!! The atmosphere is so homie it'll make me keep coming back. The coconut iced coffee was life changing. You don't even need to add any creme or anything after they give it to you. And the graffiti is super dope! What caught my eye when I first saw this place was the Kanye mural because I love Kanye!! The staff is very nice. read more

Cafe Tola - Iced coconut coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois