Love this place! Been here multiple times for dinner, brunch, and just studying, and I'm also never disappointed. There are lots of options for vegetarians, both for brunch and dinner. Coffee is really good (both the black coffee and lattes). Falafel burger is incredible and very filling. The berry stuffed French toast is delicious and perfectly sweet. Baked goods are also generally very good. Atmosphere is really cute and energetic. Only two complaints: - Wasn't a huge fan of the French toast. It was pretty plain and also quite dry. - It can be really crazy on weekends and can be hectic to wait at the counter for your drink (only food is delivered) read more

Delicious fresh food. Super healthy and plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. Tall ceilings and really comfy seating. Great service too. This place is professional and classy. The inside kind of reminds me of a cross between a cool hipster coffee shop and a really expensive hotel lobby. I recommend the sweet potato bowl and tropical chia juice!!! Really impressed. read more

See all

My family and I love this place, and do not mind making the trek down from Winnetka on Saturday mornings for a 5-star brunch. Although there is an occasional overcooked egg here and there, the menu is creative and delicious- banana Nutella waffles, avocado wrap, and the grilled ham and cheese are all solid options to fill you up for the day. Coffee is spot on! Service is great for the most part. Their concept for seating customers is very clever- you are assigned (rather you pick) a table when you walk in, then order. Yes, everything is slightly overpriced, but it is worth it. Kid-friendly, too. Make sure you arrive before 9:30 am! This place gets packed! read more

Everything looks so good on the menu but they somehow ALWAys fall short. I don't get it. The chai is good but lacking in flavor, the sweet potato bowl was fine but once again a little plain, I've had the salad and once again, good but it was so tiny. The best thing I've had was the passion fruit smoothie but everything else is overpriced and just not that good for the price. I would opt for other cafes in the area before this but it's in a great location, they have a wide variety of food/options, it's a fast sit down-like restaurant so the tables are overturned pretty quickly so you're never waiting too long for a table. It's also a great spot to study with free WiFi and lots of space in the lounge area to study and sip on coffee/tea/juice/smoothies (see! Options!!) it's hard to rate them lower than 4 stars because of all this and the service is pretty great but I'd warn of high prices for not that high quality of food. read more

Super cool place in Evanston, but I have lots of mixed feelings about my experiences there. It has a very cute European cafe feel and is a great addition to the Evanston restaurant theme. The ambience is great - awesome place to catch up with friends. There's a seating area and a lounge area with sofa and coffee table. Everything is bright and modern. Service has always been great. The only food I have really enjoyed there has been their pastries. Excellent blueberry and lemon-ginger scones. Teas are solid, although overly priced. The brunch I have had there has been lackluster. I had the shroomed omelet, which lacked flavor and was also incredibly small in portion. Mixed feelings about the sweet potato bowl is not bad, but also not flavorful. The seating situation is confusing. When it's crowded, you cannot sit unless you have been provided a number. However, during other hours, you are not given a number for small orders and can sit wherever you want. The lounge area, I was told, was something that had to be reserved. Overall, cute place but there needs to be improvements on food and communication of seating arrangements. read more

Yes, the food is good but what kills a business is terrible service so the 1 star is for Maria at the register. Her attitude is unfathomable. You're a cashier. At a coffee shop. In Evanston. Remember that. Thanks. read more

Cupitol is a gem! We have two little kids and it is the perfect place to go to for an early morning breakfast with them after rolling out of bed. The food is excellent, service is super fast and we appreciate the laid back vibe. Recommend the Shroomed Omelette, pancakes and the breakfast sandwiches. read more

I met my love at Cupitol so it will always hold a special place in my heart! The tiramisu and cappuccino and croissants hit the spot for me! The customer service used to be on point! The last time I went, during the holidays, the customer service was not good at all. The staff behind the counter was super arrogant and not helpful. They truly didn't feel like serving the public that day. read more

I hosted a Northwestern University event for 100 at Cupitol. The managers worked with me to come up with a great menu and were able to close the restaurant down for us. Our guests had a great time. The space is beautiful and the atmosphere is bright and cheery. The food is good and there were lots of options for different dietary needs. This place has a full coffee menu AND bar, and is open for breakfast, coffee, brunch, lunch and dinner. I would love to go back with friends for a lunch or brunch option, and I had a great time planning my event there. read more

Monique is the best, she was super sweet and made sure my food was made with love. Love her

Just had a late lunch at Cupitol. I will definitely come back. Super friendly counter service and my avocado/pesto toast was delicious. I just ordered something light :). Every visit I have made has been delicious. They have a small patio too. Pretty dining area that's also clean :) . read more

Cupitol Coffee & Eatery - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Update: The owner of Cupitol, Sellia, reached out to me via email after a mutual contact made her aware of the our experience and passed along my info. I was greatly looking forward to hearing from her and hoped it would easily be redemptive but it was a total fail. Having been a small business owner myself for the whole of my adult life I know there's a really easy formula to make most customers happy - ask them what happened, empathize, ask how you can/offer to make it right. Easy enough, right? Not for them apparently. The email I received from Sellia (and copied to co-owner Donald) TELLING ME "what happened" and that I "was upset", insisted they "spoke with the staff and saw the cameras" and that he "apologized many times and was truly sorry" (never happened - see previous review of him laughing about it with a coworker) She put it on me that we didn't demand to speak with a manager at the time of the incident (something the employee should have initiated imho) Threw in a half hearted attempt to let them know if our electronics are damaged (again without asking the extent of what was damaged or affected - see humans) and offered a "meal on us" before the real ask .... wait for it... that I update my review to reflect resolution - her real motivation for reaching out apparently. Again, I was hopeful for simple resolution - "I heard you a had a negative experience at our establishment. Can you let me know what happened? I'd love to make it right" would have been a wonderful place to start. I stand by my previous review and don't plan to return. Original review: I've been a fan of this place and have eaten here weekly for the past few months but once we leave today will not be coming back. My partner and I were sitting enjoying coffee and scone while our 7 week old baby napped on me in a sling and while bussing the table next to us the busser spilled and entire cup of someone else's coffee on us and our table. He woke the baby, soaked my computer and hard drive, my partners phone and book, all of my clothes, the baby, my carrier and there is legitimately coffee IN my shoe right now. I understand that accidents happen and this is a situation where cleaning up, perhaps comping a coffee, offering a sincere apology and asking if we needed anything would have been wonderful and more than enough to allow us to laugh about it. Instead he brought us TWO NAPKINS, haphazardly cleaned the table next to us, "mopped" while leaving a puddle of coffee under our table, mumbled sorry, and then proceeded to laugh about it while pointing at us to a coworker. Now I'm sitting here wet, begrudgingly drinking my $6 coffee with a crying baby. So disappointing. read more

This place is one of my favorite cafes. It has a modern yet cozy feel. High ceilings and a great mix of wooden dining tables as well as comfy couches makes it a place for everyone. It's a lot more spacious than it seems for a cafe. Food and drinks are decent too. read more

Cupitol Coffee & Eatery - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

This place really isn't worth visiting. I've been several times and each time, it gets a little bit worse to the point that I won't be back. The counter service is cold and it takes forever to get your food. Today, half of our food didn't come out and when I asked the manager, I got not even a look, let alone a verbal response. There was also a piece of turkey in my vegetable omelette. All in all, the people who work here act like they're doing you a huge favor by allowing you to eat at their restaurant. For these prices, go somewhere else. read more

My sister and her family took me here for breakfast on the last day of my Chicago visit. We were all impressed with the quality of the food and drinks and the speed at which it all came out. We were seated immediately when we went to the register and ordered our food, which came out pretty quickly. At the end of our meal, we instantly regretted not buying our pastries the first time we went to the register. We had to wait in a very long line due to it getting much more busy. It seems like they may have outgrown their current space already. Despite feeling cramped and a little stressful toward the end, it was a good meal- family friendly place with quality dishes and fresh ingredients. I would choose a time when its less busy and go again. read more

Ivon B., Aaliyah, and Gina had such great service! Very friendly faces and made the environment welcoming! Love this place!

Ivon, Aaliyah, and Gina are awesome! They were so helpful and the sweetest. They made the environment feel so welcoming. Great food AND service! Definitely coming back‍ read more

Cupitol's atmosphere is very cute and aesthetically pleasing. I have eaten here twice and both times I have been pleased with the service and the food. Although the food or the juices can be a bit more pricey than other brunch ish places, you definitely receive quality food. It is pretty noisy if you are looking for a quiet or serene work environment and also a bit crowded on most weekdays. I highly recommend for a healthy breakfast or brunch. read more

I loved the ambience and the staff, but I was very disappointed with my meal. I'm a vegan, and ordered the vegan avocado wrap. The wrap was $7+ and typically came with scrambled egg. Since the vegan option was listed on the menu, I assumed it came with a tofu scramble or some sort of substitute for the eggs. Instead, it was a plain tortilla with guacamole and pico...... and that was it. Had I know, I would not have paid $7. I figured there must have been some mistake, so I emailed them after I had left (the line was out the door when I was there so I figured the staff had enough to deal with at the moment.) I never heard back from the email, so I'm writing hear to give a heads up to other vegans to skip this option and save your money. read more

They have the best desserts in Chicago and their brownies are awesome. .Ambience is really nice too , gives the cafe a very elite feel. Must visit if you are in Evanston. read more

Cupitol Coffee & Eatery - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

See all

I first want to compliment the decor and design of the new place. What a transition from the Keg of years past to now! The layout is incredibly friendly, trendy, and very "instragrammable." With that out of the way, I really have to honestly rate my nutella latte as below standard. The employee who took my order was not the most friendly cashier I experienced, but I wish it was better. I love independent businesses, but it felt like this guy was transplanted from Starbucks or Burger King who hated his job over here. I ordered a Nutella latte, as I always order something special at every new coffee shop I go in Chicago. I really wanted to like it, but even when I received my drink at first order, my coffee was mildly lukewarm either to poor extraction or reused steamed milk. Regardless, I barely had a hint of Nutella flavor and the drink itself tasted bland and watered down. Definitely a nice place to hang around, but I was very disappointed in my drink. After having reviewed multiple shops in Chicago and around the area, It's safe to say I judge a business by it's attention to coffee - and this one really did not win me over. read more

Bad customer service = bad overall experience for customers. Didn't you know that? Bet management didn't. 2 stars just because the place and location look great. But that's it. read more

Super chill place with super comfy couches that I had to think twice about leaving. Coffee is great. Food is great. Just a perfect place to relax with a couple friends. Not too bougie but not too plain either which i like. read more

See all

Always busy but always a spot to sit and eat. Love their mix of healthy options such as smoothies and juices with not-so-healthy options such as heat chocolate chip pancakes and lots of bakery items. Good coffee too! read more

Ooo what I delight I been there with my family 3 weeks in a row mostly Sunday's ! The staff there are so great ! Lovely girls with bright and beautiful smile. One of the cashiers even have a bun that reminds me of how my mom wore her hair back in the 70s. The lattes are always so pretty and tasteful! Strongest coffee I ever had best believe it woke me up for the next couple of hours. The people who deliver the food are always a joy! The tall guy and the curly hair dude always made sure my baby girl was entertained while eating her cute fruit cup! The manager was such a friendly person! He went a extrea step to make sure my order was properly made! Such a wonderful environment everybody seemed so great! The spanish omelette is always a delight with my crispy hash browns! 5 star in my eyes I'll keep coming no matter how busy it gets!!! read more

One star off only because it is too popular so not an ideal place for studying or intimate talking. The food is instragramy and tasty! read more

Cupitol Coffee & Eatery - Chai latte, mushroom burger, seasonal Tiramisu and cob salad - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

I loved the concept and food at Cupitol! The space is charming, rustic and modern at the same time - while being cozy and relaxing. The place can be a little chaotic if you've never been before - especially if they're busy. Their concept is that you order at the window (alcohol, food and coffee) and then you get a number and go sit. If it's busy - it seems like organized chaos. I'm not convinced this is the best way - but all that aside the place is on point! 1. Nice cocktail list 2. Great coffee 3. Great food 4. Friendly Service I will be back - and hope to see them expand this brand! read more

Surprising breakfast place in downtown Evanston at site of former notorious bar, The Keg. Lively atmosphere. Great sweet potato bowl, pancakes and coffee. read more

Their breakfast is so good and the place is just adorable! So it gets pretty busy but they manage it so well. You walk in, receive a table number, order your meal, and then sit down and they will bring it to you. I got the breakfast sandwich with Wisconsin cheddar, fried eggs and fresh ham off the bone all on a croissant. My boyfriend tried the French toast and both dishes were great! Coffee was also delicious. We were visiting Chicago for one weekend and I can't wait to come back here next time I'm there! read more

Cupitol Coffee & Eatery - Wisconsin cheddar breakfast sandwich and the french toast. I recommend taking the top off of croissant to really taste it. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

Went here with a couple of friends for breakfast on a Thursday morning around 9. Parking wasn't horrible but it's street meter parking and there's a lot of businesses near by so I can see it being difficult during the weekend. Once we got inside the place was super trendy and chic. They had couches to lounge on plus regular farm table/chair seating. It was open seating. When you first come in you stand in line order your food and then find yourself a seat. I'm not sure if they have assigned seating in the weekend but during the time we went it was open seating. For a Thursday morning it was more then halfway filled. The menu was amazing and the coffee bar was excellent. I honestly wanted to eat and drink everything. I got the Nutella latte which was delicious. For my meal I ordered the sticky bun French toast. It was seriously so good. A couple of my friends ordered omelette I want to say they were the mushroom one and the Spanish one. I tried both and they were good. I loved this place and I can't wait to go back again. Definitely a great place to go with friends and even family since it's loud and not necessarily fancy but trendy. read more

Cupitol Coffee & Eatery - Sticky bun French toast - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

See all

Very busy on a weekend morning. Customer arrival and counter arrangement not intuitive to this new customer, but roaming staff on the floor will help. Lovely space -- so comfortable. Coffee was delicious. read more

This review is not for the coffee, but for the service and the atmosphere. The coffee at Cupitol is not bad. I had a cappuccino and it was pretty tasty (though it arrived at my table lukewarm). Here's the reason for the two-star rating: this place is super pretentious. I had a friend visiting from out of town and she ordered an iced coffee. The barista responded with an air of self-importance, "I'm sorry, we don't serve iced coffee here. This is a *European* coffee bar." Which is pretty funny because my friend is actually from Europe! She had just stepped off the plane yesterday. The barista even went on to promise that the coffee she ended up ordering was going to be the best one she ever had. Spoiler alert: it was not. The best coffee she ever had was actually back in Europe (you know, where she lives). Pretentious af. read more

There's been a string of ambitious food and drink openings in Evanston of late. Their ambition has manifested in different ways: scale and location (Five and Dime/Lulu's/Taco Diablo), ambience and pretense (Whiskey Thief, Bangers and Lace), a former Alinea Group chef (Terra & Vine). In the case of Cupitol, the ambition is in the business model: a coffee shop that also serves full breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And desserts. Oh, and they have a liquor license. It could be a recipe for failure, and at first, my experience was a little confusing because they offer so much. Do they have wait service, or do you just order at the coffee counter? Are the stacks of menus by the door for you to take home and put on your fridge, even though they don't deliver? Why are the menus even on paper if you order at the coffee counter? Once I worked all of this out, though, things went smoothly. I got a DARN GOOD cup of coffee and a tasty ham and cheddar omelette. Now, I don't eat a lot of ham (though I am one), but I think this was pretty quality stuff. Not overly salty or weirdly sweetened like some examples I've had. It was a good omelette. The hash browns were solid, maybe a bit in need of salt or hot sauce (easily fixed by yours truly at the table). And they gave me some very good bread (pleasantly surprised by the finer-than-expected crumb...I know, I sound ridiculous for using "crumb" as a bread attribute, but it is the proper term) with strawberry jam and butter. Staff was very friendly. Food came out hot and fast. Prices reasonable, I think. Solid four stars. I really like the place overall, though I'm still not certain what to do with it. Is it casual enough to be my every-morning coffee stop? Or is it going to be an occasional brunch sort of place? But Cupitol seems to know what they're doing: the ambiguity is by design. read more

Odd that @Cupitol would "like" this post on Twitter when this review is, in fact, critical of their customer policies. If I over pay for food you can't tell me what I can do while eating that food. Haven't been back since. You should refrain visiting #cupitol too. https://t.co/kiQ0XnflBG read more

Good enough. You order at the counter, where you pay with an electronic touch screen that includes the exceedingly obnoxious tipping selection. Why don't you just instruct your employees to hold up a jar and tell the customers that they'd really like a tip? Too forward? Not sure why they call it a "Spanish Omelette," other than to make it sound more sophisticated than it really is; there's nothing Spanish about it other than the eggs that hold it together. It's a Mexican omelette people. Ground chorizo, jalapenos, and pico de gallo are not found in Spanish cuisine. Furthermore, it was supposed to include queso fresco, but I only got what appeared to be melted cheddar jack. Nothing wrong with it, but I expected more given the gourmet-style air of the place. My wife's decadent-sounding Nutella latte came out looking beautiful yet tasted burned. Scalded milk maybe? Her avocado wrap, which actually came with its promised delicious queso fresco, was pretty good. The atmosphere felt too highly-produced for my taste, but that won't bother most. I'm not sure I'll be itching to return, but I might like to try their biscuits and gravy benedict. I won't hold my hopes high for it, and maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised if it's better than adequate. read more

Best breakfast in Evanston! They catered our students film and people were beyond excited about their yummy pastries. I always bring my parents here for parents weekend (: read more

I had a really nice time at Cupitol in Evanston. A beautiful exterior, the doors are tall with dark wood. As you walk in the ceilings are high and there is nice wood exposure, spacious beautiful interior. I came here on a Sunday morning around 10:45-11 with my sister and it was busy. It's not the usual sit down. You walk up to the counter and order your meal and coffee and then sit down at your assigned table. I ordered a Nutella latte with oat milk and the classic breakfast, 2 eggs any style with bacon and hash browns. They advised that you pick up your latte at the front counter while you wait for the food. My latte came in a mason jar and it looked appetizing (I was super excited). They spread Nutella around the jar then poured the drink in (an art!!). The drink was sweet and it was blended together like a frappe. I didn't taste much of the espresso in the drink, but overall one of the best Nutella lattes I've had. I'm wondering how it would taste unblended? I thought that was an odd choice for a latte but I got over that pretty quickly because it tasted really good. We received our food in a timely manner. Really pretty clean presentation. As I went to look for utensils I realized I didn't have any. I started to look around for a server but they're all very preoccupied, as they literally just serve your food and clean up your tables. So I had to get up and try to find the untensils, which I didn't like. After I asked an employee they told me they were up at the register. I went up their to grab them and they handed it to me. I wish they would've serviced us better in that matter. My food was average. The bacon was really tasty and flavorful. The hash browns were kind of dry and tasteless. I sensed they they were not hand cut, but packaged hash browns. I wish they had more flavor to them or spice. I added salt and pepper, and ketchup which they had an organic one that was flavorful. The eggs scrambled were tasty. Nothing special, but good. A whole grain bread was also added to my dish and it was tasty with the butter and jelly ( wish it was toasted more tho it was a little soft). Good texture to the bread. My sister ordered the European breakfast pictured below. All in all super cool/cute place for those people who like to "instagram". It's one of those hipster places. I would come back to try more items on the coffee menu especially. I enjoyed the vibe and the interior design, the branding, but wish we were serviced a bit better. read more

See all

This is a great place to sit and work, socialize, and people watch. There are quite a few students from Northwestern as well as many people who I assume work from home. I love the fact that there are sofas and big comfy chairs as well as regular seating for those diving in. Great variety of food and pastries and the coffee is superb. Finally a place I would want to hang out for hours at!!! read more

I try to not be too harsh because everyone has off days but my friend and I both ordered different items on the menu and everything was bland and just totally lacking. We had pumpkin and chai lattes - no real spice or pumpkin flavor here to speak of. I had the breakfast special or 2 eggs, toast and hash browns with chicken sausage. Literally no salt or pepper on eggs or hash browns . Chicken sausage had an odd flavor. Got a mini tart to go. That also had zero flavor. I get that we all likely consume too much sugar in the normal American diet but you can't have pecan pie without any sweetener. Everything was just way too bland for me and I'm not understanding the draw here ... read more

I go here all the time but I still give it 4/5. Evanston was begging for this place--a sizable, upscale coffee shop. The food is good and the coffee is too. It often has a long line, but the team does an excellent job of moving guests through. Recommend the avocado wrap and sweet potato bowl. Skip the biscuits and gravy dish. Tends to be pretty pricey, not great value for the cost. read more