We loved this funky place in Little Italy. Fabulous attitude. Very welcoming. Wonderful coffee drinks and terrific breakfasts. Lots of little touches that make this place great. But not hoity toity. Very comfortable. read more

Surprised this place has such low reviews. I went there for the first time yesterday for lunch with a friend, and I was really really excited to find a place like this so close to UIC. I got the vegetarian panini after much debate (everything looked delicious! they've got waffles, french toast, burritos, chili, etc.) with fries, and I really enjoyed my meal. Afterward, I got a caramel/chocolate latte and it was sooo good. Seriously. However, the service was total crap. read more

Great little diner. Greeted as soon as we came in. Food was good. Welcoming interior.

This place is a hidden gem in University Village. A friend and I stopped in on the way to church. All of the food was extremely good and fresh. The staff was very kind and the prices were affordable. They have traditional breakfast items--some items with a little twist. My friend ordered the waffles and loved every bite! I order the Italian frittata and it was so delicious. Everything was really good--the food is worth the trip! I will definitely come back again. read more

Demitasse Cafe - Italian Frittata....hot and fresh! I added mushrooms. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It's a solid breakfast/brunch place. It seems like a lot of locals are here. The food was fine, but the menu isn't huge. We got the bacon frittata and the frittata with chicken. They were both solid and very similar to omelettes. I think the only difference is that frittatas have ingredients scrambled in, and omelettes are just folded in. There's local art and decor, and it feels very homey. I like a larger variety and more creativity in breakfast goods so I'll probably try other places before coming back, but if you are looking for simple breakfast food without super long waits, this is the place to go in the area! read more

I wanted to love this place, but the service makes that impossible. I came in to pick up a to go order and i was greeted, paid and asked to wait. What was I waiting for? The skinny, very blonde girl with massive hipster glasses to finish her lunch. I flipped through magazines, read an article or two and began thinking how long does it take to latte soup? I decided to put down the magazine and go ask what was the hold up. Upon eye contact the girl put down her fork and went to the window to pick up my soup. WOW. The soup was fine, nothing too special and you can get it as good from a can with more chicken. I hate to interrupt people so i won't be back. read more

Hmmm, loved the nostalgia of this place. But really, its nothing to brag about. Makes me wanna yawn a bit. The food was extremely bland. We decided to hit this place up after going to SMC and realizing that they were closed for some odd reason. It was truly heart breaking. So we decided to venture out of the norm and try our hand at Demitasse. Hmmm, I could have made better breakfast at home. Its not too hard to make eggs just right or make sure the food is served fresh. If you consider yourself a breakfast foodie, stay clear. You will be disappointed. I was heartbroken after leaving. I ate at a place that left no memorable references of having a good meal. Try harder next time. read more

I ordered the grilled chicken panini. No chicken on this panini, only greasy bacon fat. The panini seemed soggy as hell and I did not have time to wait for a new one... I unfortunately had to go to subway. Maybe their coffee service is good but I would not come here again for food! read more

This is probably my 5th time here. My boyfriend and I come here on Saturday afternoons to get the firecracker special (so delicious) and the grilled chicken panini. The last time we were here, it was us and about 3 other people sitting and it took literally an hour and a half to get our food. They gave us a discount but still, it was annoying. Being loyal customers, we decided to come back today and we've currently been sitting here for about 40 minutes with no food. Honestly I have nothing to do today so I don't mind except I've been getting more and more hangry by the minute. read more

For 5+ years, this has been by go-to place for an awesome breakfast and coffee. The BEST pancakes you can find and awesome fritatas. The owner and staff are always helpful. Lunch is great too, especially the panini sandwiches! Demitasse may not be cheap, but it is the best service (wait staff actually is super-helpful) AND quality food around... which keeps me coming back! read more

A real coffee shop in the heart of little Italy. Demitasse is located on Taylor street next to Mario's lemonade stand. The owner, Jim, is present and friendly; he mingles and serves. The service is excellent and love the coffee. First time in I enjoyed a cafe au lait. Second time house coffee and NY deli like egg, cheese bacon salt pepper ketchup on everything bagel. Felt like I was back on Long Island. 9:30-10:30 am the place is busy. People staying and enjoying. Some to go orders, but stay and sit in one of the booths or tables. I'm in the one window seat and loving it. Lots of food and drink options here. Very comfortable place to hang and enjoy excellent food and service. In the words of Arnold,...I'll be back. read more

1 star is more than enough, if even that. Attempted to eat brunch there earlier today however after 40 minutes of waiting for food we left. There was ample staff working; 1 man behind the bar, 2 waitress and 2 men in the kitchen. Not sure why our food took so long because everyone else's food seemed to be coming out of the kitchen except for ours. The topper of it all was when my date inquired about our order to the gentleman behind the bar. We got a very rude and insulting response from him. I was very disappointed because walking in the restaurant I thought it would be a pleasant experience. read more

This place doesn't look like much from the outside or the inside, but the breakfast food is awesome...particularly the french toast. It's three pieces of brioche filled with a sweet cream and topped with strawberries and bananas. The sweet cream is AMAZING. Though some may think it is a little too sweet, it's balanced out by the brioche which is soft and can be cut with a fork. The strawberries and bananas are ripe and add just the right amount of fruitiness to the french toast. The only downside is that you have to order your sides separately, but it only comes out to be about $12 for the entire meal...that is IF you get the french toast. If you do get the sides, prepared to be beyond full when you leave. The french toast alone is meal enough for most, but I tend to like my eggs and sausage/bacon with my breakfast and the combo will keep you full until dinner. Now, looking at everyone's comments, people seem to be quite irked by the servers, but honestly, Demitasse is within the heart of the UIC campus. The servers are college students...who wouldn't be a little stink-faced that early in the morning and then have to go to class? Every time I've gone, the servers have always come back to ask if we're doing alright and though they can seem as if they don't want to be there, I sympathize with their situation and applaud them for having jobs and wanting to make money on their own instead of constantly relying on mommy and daddy. If you want a fine-dining experience, there are other places to try. As for food, this place is great and I definitely recommend the french toast for anyone who goes! read more

We went this this restaurant today after going to a family event at UIC. Very disappointed. After sitting down with our 2 boys (ages 10 and 7) we noticed the the artwork of naked women on the wall. Not what I was expecting to expose my kids to in a coffee/breakfast/lunch restaurant. Service was very slow and very bad. We found it funny that they never asked us if we wanted coffee in the coffee shop! Which we did, but no one asked. We were a party of 6 and we all got our food at the same time except for 1 person who didn't get his food until we were finished with our food. It was not attractive to watch the waitress sneeze on her hand, blow her nose several times, then sneeze again and serve the food. It was also not fun to watch the waitress texting on her phone for most of the time we were there. And also watch her sit down at the coffee bar and eat while we were waiting for our food. Toward the end of our visit, a glass of water was accidentally spilled all over our table and no one offered to clean it up. Not even the waitress when she was picking up our dishes! Should have gone to Subway across the street. read more

Well, I will keep this short and sweet. The place is nice and trendy, but the service is HORRIBLE. Do not understand how when there are only 2 other tables in the restaurant with guest sitting at them and we were not approached by the server to ask for our order until after being there for 10 minutes. Then, after she took our order she went to go make our coffees, I am guessing, but then got side tracked by a gentleman who came in ordering an iced whatever. She begins to make his Iced thing a ma jig and totally forgets about our order. Another server came by and asked had someone taken our order. I told her yes and she went over to the other girl and you could see the other girl make a face like she totally forgot what we asked for. She came by our table after remembering the appetizer and asked again what else had we asked for. By this time we had been in the restaurant for over 20 minutes and basically no one else in the place. We said not to worry about it. Ate our appetizer, paid and left. With the staff they have, amazing they are able to keep people coming in. Probably only because the other GOOD places are packed. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER AGAIN!!! read more

My friend and I were tired of the food at UIC so we decided to go and try Demitasse, since it's close and we've always been curious about it. It's tucked away on taylor street in the mists of Al's beef and Mario's Italian Ice. Many people pass by it, not giving it a second look because it's never as full as any of the other places on Taylor street. We ordered food (which you can see in pictures that will be posted soon. Snicker latte, was ok, I would rather go to starbucks, but it's ok The grilled chicken sandwich was really good. It comes with chips on the side, provolone, chicken, pesto, and bacon. This sandwich I will come back for because it was pretty good! Overall, the staff is friendly, the place is clean but not full, and the food was ok. Hence the 3 stars read more

When I walked in on a Saturday and noticed that only a few tables were occupied I immediately wondered "why aren't there more people here?" It's a good question to ask because I know if I head to nearby Meli or Sweet Maple that there definitely would have been lines. So why not Demitasse? The restaurant itself is nice enough. Is it charming? No not particularly. It's nice enough and there are a bunch of tables and booths which is nice. The staff is friendly and there are a good amount of options on the menu ranging from traditional egg dishes to sweet pancakes and french toast. So what is it about this place that makes it OK, but nothing particularly special? Well, the food is just OK. I enjoyed my breakfast, a frittata with cheddar, zucchini, onion and tomato, but really if you're putting zucchini as an ingredient why only shred it over the top? Coffee was fine but nothing spectacular either. For my entree, coffee, tax and tip I walked out of there spending $15 and again while it was all OK, I wished that I'd had something with a little bit more pazzaz for that price. read more

The reviewers who complained about the service were spot on. The problem is that the kitchen is small and seems to be staffed by well-intentioned amateurs. We came at noon on a Saturday and found seats immediately. (This is a "seat yourself" establishment.) Unfortunately, our server warned us that we'd be left to our own devices for 15 minutes because the kitchen was backed up. We tried to get things rolling in the right direction by requesting that she take our drink orders right away. She did, sort of, but that didn't make our food come any faster. We persuaded our server to take our orders fairly soon, but we still had to wait and wait before the kitchen was able to deal with us. I ordered the "special": two eggs, browned potatoes, bacon, Italian toast. The latter consisted of toasted slices of Italian bread. The bacon was overcooked by my standards. In fact, it was overcooked by all standards: it was so hard that I couldn't pierce it with the tines of my fork. The eggs were of supermarket-quality (i.e., nothing special). There was nothing egregiously wrong with Demitasse but I'm sure that there are better options up and down the street. Chez Joel looked pretty good to us when we went walking after our lunch. read more

2 stars for good coffee and ok service. Cute place too, sort of like your neighborghood diner, but cooler and cleaner. My mom ordered the waffle with fresh strawberries and a side of bacon, my aunt ordered french toast, and I had a veggie frittata. HUGE dissappointment... And since I suggested to try this place, I was to blame... (and pay) My mom hated the waffle. She's spoiled by the golden deliciousness at The Original Pancake House so this was a hundred steps down from what she's used to. The waffle was limp and soggy. She (being the knower of all waffles) said that waffles were suppose to be a little crispy and the one she had was like pancakes. And she had all of 3 or 4 strawberries... greedy? yes. The bacon was a joke. I know bacon isn't the leanest thing in the world, but it sure as hell shouldn't make you spit out grease. ughhh. How could you ruin bacon?? My aunts french toast wasn't too bad. They should really consider using less cinnamon or nutmeg or both... Someone said something about portions being big... I thought my fritata was a rip off. It was so boring... The potatoes I got were the frozen variety... Little perfectly cut cubes of fried potato. the best thing I had was my wheat toast. read more

I go to UIC at the moment so this place is not a long walk from the engineering buildings! truly I think its closer and many times more delicious than dunkin donuts! I got a chai latte with a shot of coffee, I used to be a avid drinker of coffee although I no longer am but wow did I enjoy this coffee! It literally lasted me all day and not to mention that it was probably even better cold! I really want to go back any try some of their food..the place is really neat and has a bit of a retro vibe which is always fun - service was quick and painless also! read more

This is a neighborhood gem. The food is delicious, great coffee and great service. The owner takes great care of this place and it's one of my favorite places in Chicago. read more

I've spent many a hungover morning here. many a cognizant morning too Their stuffed french toast is my favorite, and if you get a full portion it's perfect for sharing, as it comes with two massive pieces. hmmm pieces seems like the wrong word..perhaps complexes is better. yeah. two complexes of french toast-like substance. They are topped with strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, and two kinds of sauce (just enough to not be overwhelming). The waffles topped with fruit are a lighter option, but good as well. ham/cheddar/tomato croissant is also a good bet. BUT for the love of god stay away from the panini's. strangely textured red bell pepper sauce and oddly greasy. just avoid them. side portions of ham can also turn out to be randomly skimpy. you just never know. Another thing I've noticed is that the quality has gone down ever since a friend of mine stopped cooking for them. It's still good, I've just known it to be better. I also miss the chess set they used to have, but it was made out of glass so maybe it broke. it's one of the only breakfast options in the area, and can be especially useful if you're looking to avoid the Sweet Maple line. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edit: had to change rating after Meli arrived. go there instead. read more

I'm on a hunt for new brunch spots, so I've been hitting Taylor St. quite a bit. This is not a spot I'll be revisting. It needs an overhaul, which I guess shouldn't really matter, but there's something unsettling about eating in a place that looks so unorganized. Food: Meh. If I was looking to get a quick breakfast sandwich on the go, I might stop by. If I'm looking to sit with my mom and have our standard Sunday brunch, I'm not doing this. Mom wasn't terribly hungry, so she was fine with her egg, cheese, ham and tomato on a bagel for less than $5. I, on the other hand, was ready to gnaw my arm off, and was underwhelmed by my bacon frittata. Edible? Sure. Something I could have made at home?? YEP. That defeats the purpose of me going to brunch. I will agree with other reviewers that the coffee is pretty good. Service: Meh. Not terrible, but nothing to write home about. Also defeats the purpose of me not cooking something at home. Interesting note about the service - I'm pretty sure Joan M. (review below me) was my server this morning. Thanks for playing, Joan M. I'm going to disagree about things being made from scratch, *especially* the potatoes. read more

Best coffee on the block by far. Good food and very friendly atmosphere. The staff is incredible at there job. Great place to stop for breakfast or lunch. read more

Woke up at 1 am and craved for waffles. Found this nice breakfast place in the neighborhood. I guess it's a family-owned business. The owners are super nice and seem to be very close to the diners. Very kids friendly. Remind me of my families. :) Tried mocha and cappuccino. The coffee was amazing. To be honest, the food was okay. My opinion, the waffle was about the average of neighborhood breakfast places. read more

We found this lovely restaurant looking for brunch places near our AirBnB. As soon as we walked into the door, we were kindly and energetically greeted. We have never been here before and had no idea what to do or where to sit, but we were immediately asked if we wanted to stay in and sit for a while or to pick something up. We decided to sit at the 2-person table closest to the window (great lighting)! The owner (I'm assuming), Jim, was also the server and he was very attentive and personable with all the guests, AMAZING personality. We got the house coffee and it was very good even by itself. We ordered French toast. My friend got the Frosted Flakes French toast and I got the Banana Bread French toast. Mine was served with delicious fluffy eggs and fruit consisting of grapes, bananas, cantaloupe, strawberries, and apples. Overall, best food and service we have had during our trip to Chicago. Highly recommend! read more

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I love this restaurant. I like to go early, so I have the place to myself, but I've been there at later times, when they're quite busy, and enjoyed myself. They roast their coffee beans, which I just love. Their menu is simple and good. One of the many things I love about this restaurant is that they don't overserve. Over time, I've had almost everything on the menu, and find everything delicious. I love the fact they showcase artists works in this restaurant, some of which are available for sale. And, while I've had both good service, and not so good service, I find that many of their employees are very young who are just starting out, and will learn with time, how to be good servers. read more

Baaad service, okay food, coffee is good 3 out of 5 times. I keep going back because it's close and not as crowded as other places on Taylor St., but todays experience was the worst. Servers are not friendly and have poop face expressions. They take forever to come to the table, mess up simple orders, and don't refill coffee frequently. It's not cheap either so I'm expecting better service. This place would do a lot better with better service. Today it took well over 15 minutes to get a server and that was only after I went to the counter and asked for one. She seemed easily confused and glazed over. The place was crowded by their standards but not by Sunday brunch standards. It was all around bad service and food is mediocre, but how creative can you get with eggs and bacon anyway. I don't think I'll go back. read more

I would have given Demitasse a 5 star if I was rating their coffee alone. They roast they're own and it is honestly the best I have had! I enjoy going into Demitasse for a coffee when Laura and Justin are working. They are very friendly, provide great service and make a MEAN latte! However, I am not a big fan on the food service. It is very inconsistent on timing and portions... especially potatoes. Just throw on some more potatoes! I recommend you stop in for a bag of their coffee beans, they have a large variety of flavors and you won't regret it! read more

The cutest little cafe in Little Italy. The house potatoes are so good! The staff are friendly and accommodating.

This place is very quaint and in a quiet neighborhood just outside of Chicago. There is street parking (hard to find). I just got an iced coffee which was delicious. The food looked good as well and the employees were very friendly and so sweet. read more

The best family owned restaurant in the area! I love how the food comes with care and you can just tell that they care about service . Food is always delicious and I recommend the snikker flavored latte. If I could give 6 stars out of 5 , I totally would ! read more

This is a wonderful place to have a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. Clean, good service, great people.

Went for lunch and it was not crowded. One waitress was on top of things, but then a shy, incompetent girl took over. Hot day and she never came back by to see if everything was okay or refills were needed. We were brought 2 other tables food. Lucky for them we were more honest than hungry. I ordered the Capreses panini and it was good. One of my companions order the hummus and it was not so good. It was in the shape of an ice cream scoop and very cold. So cold, in fact, that it would break the chips served with it. In short, some of the food was good, but enough was bad that I would not return. read more

Demitasse is one of my regular stops in the morning to grab a great cup of coffee. They roast their own coffee and are always super friendly as I walk in and out. I enjoy their breakfast as it's simple and affordable! read more

Best f'ing coffee i've ever had. I didn't have food but the menu looked phenomenal. Also, the owners are so incredibly nice. We asked for advice on parking downtown & they were extremely helpful and personable. I am going to make this a destination every time I come to Chicago! Love. read more

I have never had a bad experience here Demitasse an inexpensive place to relax and have breakfast or lunch, nice and simple my faves:: French Toast Tuna Salad/ Fruit croissant breakfast sandwich plain old eggs and toast with chicken sausage (with pico) as far as service, It is e x a c t l y what it should be. cafe work is very tedious, and the hours are long, the check average is not that of a trendy brunch place, and for you whiny yelpers, I wouldn't want to run up and down and around for your $3.50 tip either Disclaimer (avoid the fritattas and scrambled eggs) read more

Demitasse is a really great, cute cafe. Growing up I have gone here a few times and I've always had a great experience. The food is delicious and the service is great. If your looking for a nice, quick breakfast/brunch, this is the place to go. I look forward to the next chance I'll get to stop by! read more

I was searching for a good cup coffee one morning and I decided to come in to try Demitasse coffee. I glad I did come this morning. I order cappuccino is good and the waffle I order is delicious. They use good quality ingredients. The staff is friendly and environment is comfortable. I will come back when I need a good cup coffee. read more

Demitasse Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It's truly remarkable when the customer service at any place can turn my whole day upside down. I haven't been so impressed with service like this in a long time. On top of that, the food and drinks were delicious. I had the breakfast tacos with a side of elote and an iced dirty chai, it was all very delicious. It's a little pricey but I can definitely look past that because of the service and quality of the food/drinks. Great experience all in all and I would definitely recommend trying this place out. read more