This place has a good vibe for working or casual conversations with friends. Plenty of seating. One qualm is that much of the seating is not within reach of an outlet, which makes it difficult for me to work there all day. The drinks are a little pricey, and the selection of food is just so-so. I like to go here to shake things up, but its not my go-to cafe. read more

The coffee is good and has a reasonable price. A nice spot to study, people here are usually working by themselves. I really love the vibe when the sunshine goes through the windows on the afternoon of weekends! People here are also very friendly. read more

Cafeteria & Company - open sign in window - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

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such a cute place there are plants and board games and the people are very friendly here. however the food and drinks are a bit on the pricey side. this matcha latte with almond milk was around $7 but it was definitely very yummy. read more

Cafeteria & Company - matcha latte with almond milk - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

Change is hard. It's understandable that many do/will have reservations about this place. Looking at it from a new point of view, I appreciate what they are doing. The three main points I was looking for were the following: Ambiance: definitely up to par with other coffee shops in the area. I appreciate the design changes and layout. It's clear that they put thought into how people would use the space. Price: The coffee is good and justifies the price asked for Coffee: on point. I haven't had the food items so I cannot be a judge of that. I noticed other reviewers had a hard time with the lack of food options. I would to like make the point that this place, first and foremost is a coffee shop and coffee is what they should be doing well. I would rather have an establishment focus on perfecting their space and experience rather than try to add/do too much. Quality over quantity. In due time, I look forward to how they will listen to their critiques and evolve. read more

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had a delicious chai and a great americano here. They were not serving sandwiches while I was there which was disappointing, but their tasty hummus and pitas almost made up for it. Fun atmosphere, but it's really quiet. I would recommend it as a study spot, but not for coffee shop convos...if ya know what I mean. read more

Cafeteria & Company - Indoor seating space - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

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I love scoping out new coffee shops to do schoolwork in & I was hoping Cafe & Co would be THE one. However, I do have a couple of bones to pick. First, the drinks are a little pricey. I ordered a Matcha Latte with almond milk and for the $6+ I paid, I'll say I was underwhelmed. Still drinkable though. Second, the place is right next to a record shop that was BLASTING music while I was trying to study. It was some nice folky stuff - nothing obscene - but it was just really loud. If I didn't have my ear buds on me at the time, I would have left. On the brighter side, there is this giant table-thing with lots of outlets that I really liked. Plenty of space to have my notebooks and laptop. I also dug the artsy minimalist, industrial aesthetic that they had going on. read more

Cafeteria & Company - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

I frequent this place because of the lack of coffee options in downtown Urbana. Unfortunately, the service and the quality of the drinks varies wildly and is often subpar. Staff seem poorly trained (some know their stuff but others clearly have very little training in espresso drinks). This all would be more forgivable if the prices weren't so high! The food options are minimal and generally unappealing (and expensive, they sell donuts from Carmella's at a huge markup!). It is staffed with a skeleton crew (often just one person, it seems), so service is often slow and sometimes non-existent. I once waited for over 5 minutes for service at an empty counter before giving up and leaving. read more

This is one of my favorite places to study. One of the biggest draws is the abundance of plugs for chargers in the middle table and along the side near the windows. Even on a busy day, I can usually find a spot to work on my laptop. The chargers are generally in the middle large table as well as along the spots near the window. The baristas are incredibly friendly and always make pleasant conversation. While the drinks are slightly pricey, my staple is their ham & cheese sandwich that comes with chips. It's the best value item on the menu and I find that even when I deviate to other choices, I find my way back to the ham & cheese as this combination is by far the best. I've also tried the nachos and would also recommend that if available, but was slightly underwhelmed with the macaroni and cheese as the portion were small and the texture wasn't my favorite. read more

*UPDATE!* cafe & co started offering more pastries and food items, including soups! Also, their nitro coffee is to DIE for! The smooth, rich coffee is topped off with a creamy foam that is never short of delicious. My review is in two parts: the coffee and the food offerings. Let me first say that I think the sitting atmosphere is great. The music is calming and the tables are plenty. It has a very open space concept, which I love. Coffee... As for the coffee - I've tried the iced coffee, the americano, and the Nitro. The nitro is my favorite! So deliciously smooth and deep. The coffee and americano were average. I loved Flying machine (the predecessor) because they had unique coffee flavors as well. I'm a black coffee gal, but it's nice to see some diversity in the coffee offerings. Food... There is barely any! Whenever I come - there's like one or two pastries. They have a handful of sandwiches - but mainly meat sandwiches - which doesn't cater to those with a multitude of diet restrictions. I think they can expand their food offerings - especially their pastry offerings - in order to have a better menu. Overall, I like this place. I hope they will continue to improve. I know it's been open fairly recent so I hope they keep improving! For now... fou read more

NOTE: Flying Machine is now called Flying Machine Avionics and is located at 202 S 1st St. Champaign, IL 61820. --- TL;DR - This place is a worthy successor to Flying Machine and in my opinion, a contender for the best coffee joint in CU. I haven't been in Champaign-Urbana in a good while, so I wandered into CafeCo looking for Flying Machine, and was definitely disappointed to find that they had moved to a new location. Flying Machine used to be my coffee house of choice and you can read my way too detailed review over on their page. However, since I was about to fall over from caffeine deficiency, I wasn't about to walk out of a cafe and drive on over to the other side of town without trying something in house first. As a coffee lover (but not a connoisseur by any stretch of the word), I struck up a conversation with the guy behind the bar asking what is what at this new joint. He absolutely insists that I try an Americano and the nitro cold brew. The Americano is good. Really good. It doesn't blow my mind but it definitely isn't over roasted or under extracted and it has a mellow and earthy flavor that deviates from the super acidic/citrus wave that permeates every new popup-hipster-coffee-shop. But the nitro... Let me set this up for you. I tried nitro several years ago in a hipster coffee joint in St. Louis, way before the nitro craze that is going on right now. You could say that I am pretty flippin' hipster (not like actually, but I tried it before it was cool so you get the idea). I hated it. It tasted like a gimmick. Why make a smooth cold brew "smoother" by infusing it with nitrogen? Like the stuff that makes up 78% of the air we breathe? What's the point? Then I tried nitro in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, D.C., and every time, same deal, no dice, this is some uber-hipster nonsense. But the nitro... This CafeCo nitro is the nectar of the gods. I finally understand what my tongue could not comprehend for all of these years, that this is the way that all cold brew - NAY, ALL COFFEE - is made to be consumed. I only have one regret; I only drank one and I probably won't be able to have another one for quite some time. --- Atmosphere: 5/5 - I used to love Flying Machine/Pizza M for the spacious minimalist interior and the beautiful natural lighting. Still spacious, still minimalist, still beautifully lit, but now add the contrast of the black furniture and accent around the establishment and if anything, the new decor enhances the ambiance. Service: 5/5 - Used to love the Flying Machine staff. They always knew their stuff and were always super friendly. They were occasionally a little slow, but only because you can tell that they take time to put the finishing touches on every cup they serve. Value: 5/5 - I'll always shell out for good coffee, but this is good coffee that also doesn't break the bank. The nitro draft I had was very fairly priced, and relative to other nitro's I've tried, actually a quite a bit undervalued. Food: 10/10 - I also had a P.L.T (prosciutto, lettuce, and tomato) sandwich. Simple and delicious. Best part is that they do not skimp on the prosciutto. Honestly, I'd give the "food" category another 10 points because they do food and coffee extremely well but 10/10 will have to do. Overall: 24/25 - If this place doesn't become a staple in the ever growing CU coffee scene, I will be shocked. It's a great place to get work done, a phenomenal place for coffee, and not a bad place to get a quick bite. Minus one point for ruining other coffee for me for a while. All in all, absolutely would experience nitro-nirvana again. read more

Had a dark roast and found out from the owners that their coffee is brought in from LaColombe, One of the frontiers of coffee! LaColombe dark roasts keeps almost all of its flavor even as it cool. Definitely high quality that you won't find anywhere else in Urbana or on campus. read more

Excellent coffee and espresso drinks made with care, minimalistic and calm environment conducive to work, extremely clean and well-kept, great local beer selection... hands down the best shop in Chambana. Difficult to find another shop in the area that measures up (trust me, I've tried them all). read more

Cafeteria & Company - Drip coffee, chill vibes, the perfect afternoon. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Urbana, Illinois

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This place is so cute and love the natural lighting that is available. They also have the best iced chai I've EVER had. Always visit this place when I'm around. read more

Very cool place to get work done and grab a beverage. What really stands out about this place is that they have such an open space with large tables. This makes it very ideal for doing work or even hosting a small meeting. I like that you can order coffee or beer/wine. This makes it a very versatile and unique place. There sandwiches are 7/10 but I've only had two. This place is also a tad pricey but for grabbing coffee and writing emails or even working on a large scale project, totally worth it. read more

Great coffee. Had some of their sandwiches, which are good as well. Love the atmosphere, definitely a nice place to kick back with a coffee and a book or to study. I usually go on the weekends, and it's fairly packed during midday. Can't talk much about during the week. read more

Worst house coffee of any coffee shop I have tried in CU. Indifferent service. Tables appear to have been made by individuals without woodworking experience or concern for aesthetics. The chairs as well. Did not try to limited lunchtime offerings. I will give them a month and try again, but not hopeful. read more

Great atmosphere and great baristas! Not to mention the coffee is some of the best around! Great for students as well, I love posting up here on a midday saturday to get some studying done or work in. read more

I was happy to hear this space would still be utilized as a coffee shop and was not disappointed by the replacement. If you're a coffee shop regular who frequents any of the cafes in town you'll recognize a lot of familiar faces behind the bar as well. Cafe&Co has combined great coffee, some of the best baristas in town, and great food to create a cool new environment that feels welcoming and bright. read more

I generally have qualms about this place based on my understanding that Flying Machine / Avionics was not given an opportunity to stay here by the owner after building up a clientele for a coffee shop in this location. Several months into this experiment, the space is still soulless and sad. Why would a coffee shop do away with a community bulletin board? The chairs also seem to be suggesting that only people of a certain body type are welcome here... the table seating is not accommodating unless your are a person that is pretty small or thin. read more

I had a great cappuccino Tuesday morning and returned Thursday for one. A guy was training a young woman who was clearly new. My large cappuccino wasn't good. As I was leaving I took my drink which was 2/3 full and said to the the guy, "This wasn't very good." He asked if it was a cappuccino and didn't offer to remake it. I walked out and will not return. Poorly trained staff and inconsistent product. read more

Pretty sad that Flying Machine is gone so I thought I would check out this place which replaced it. My drink was good, but they only have lunch foods ... no pastries or breakfast items, and they painted everything black which makes it feel dark. Service was pretty terrible, waited forever while they socialized. Was told by one barista to set my empty glass on the counter when I was done, which I did .... then was essentially scolded by another for not putting it in the bin. I know polite customer service is not the hipster mantra, but I don't think I'll be going back. read more

Eh, really not that great but I keep coming back so something must be right... although I'm not really sure what it is. Maybe it's because it's now the only place to get coffee in Urbana. My favorite thing is to sit on the terrace when it's sunny, but that may be it. The last few times I've gone the coffee has been less than stellar and the espresso is very flat. The interior is a little "too aware" of itself. It's trying to be like a lot of other internet cafe/coffee shops, but the black and white interior and the minimalist edgy feeling that they're going for is a bit too much. It just doesn't feel welcoming to me at all. Some people may love it though! And I know they're still in the process of opening so maybe I'm being too harsh too soon. It looks like they've got great options for food as well, I have yet to try anything though! Not a bad place if you're in serious need of a caffeine fix or a bask in the sun, but I think there are better options. read more