Great coffee, great people, great experience. Discovered this place in the Chicago Athletic Club lobby - almost missed it had we sat for coffee in the upstairs cafe. Loved the MODBAR pour-over system and the friendly barista behind the counter. Sure to return on the next trip. read more

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GREAT COFFEE in a GREAT HOTEL!! Very nice staff as well Because of Fairgrounds Coffee, I will stay at Chicago Sports Association any time I hit ChiTown Glenn K read more

This is a very cute little coffee shop. I had a mocha which was, quite honestly, one of the best mochas I've ever had. The staff was very friendly and helpful to explain the menu and help make choices (this was my first time here). Full disclosure, this little shop is inside another building though and it's very, very tiny, so when it comes to sitting down...you may not have much luck. This is a great place to grab and go through. The small space doesn't take away from the delicious coffee they were serving. I would definitely go again. read more

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Great place, good coffee, good food, Great environment for people watching or working.

Really cute coffee shop in the heart of Chicago. The entrance is through a hotel lobby. There are plenty of non-dairy options- soy, almond, coconut, etc. I got the almond milk latte and it was perfect for a cold day. The workers are very nice and patient as well. Will definitely be back :) read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Loved the location (so close to the Bean), the unique choices of coffee, and the service.

Not too much to say about this small coffee shop other than it has really good coffee. I had the latte with the lighter blend that was a nutty flavor. Was really good, reminds me a lot of blue bottle coffee in San Francisco. Very smooth and creamy. There's nice outside seating too, with views of the park and skyline. I came back the next day and got an iced coffee, which wasn't as good, but very refreshing in the Chicago summer heat. read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Seating outside - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

the worst experience I've ever had. I paid for ceremonial grade matcha and I kept and eye on how batista works on my drink all the time. and she just grabbed the matcha that on the floor and container was openned at all time. I asked the person I ordered whether she charged me for ceremonial grade and she said she did. I also asked barista whether it's really ceremonial grade one she said yes. sorry but I know the differences between cheap matcha, better one and the best one and I think I do not supposed to pay for the drink that I did not get it right. the colors looked off and no presentation like the one I used to get from Bucktown location at all. very disappointed in the quality of service. definitely not recommended to go unless you just get something that's already pre-made because the person who works here don't care read more

This place is so good that we came here twice in one weekend! After an early workout in Millennium Park, my friend was dying for her morning coffee. We wanted to support some place local, so we found this conveniently across the street. Once we stepped into this place, the service was incredibly friendly. With so many delicious and unique options, we were taking a while to decide. The server allowed us to try samples of anything on tap, making recommendations along the way. I ended up getting the Vietnamese cold brew and it was absolutely delicious. I raved about it so much that my friend got it the next day when we came back. My other friend got the Sticky Chai Tea Latte, which ended up being a little dessert-y for her, but what did she expect! She did appreciate the flavors of it though. One of the best things I sampled was the Pinot Sage flavored Marin Kombucha... soooooo light and refreshing! There were also a lot of details that we enjoyed, particularly the complimentary sparkling water on tap. I'll definitely be back to this favorite coffee shop of mine next time I'm in town! read more

Lavender latte?! Yes, please!! I'm not usually a huge fan of super floral anything (except for actual flowers of course) but this latte was so damn good! I was here for a few days for work and lucky enough to have this coffee shoppe in the lower level of the hotel I was staying at. I would stop in every morning to grab a latte on my way into the office. read more

Cute spot, good coffee, friendly staff (what's with all the friendly Chicago people?? kind it!). Only legit coffee place open at 7am in the weekend. read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love this spot! Great concept to get all your favorite local teas or coffee selections. Helpful staff with always a friendly smile. read more

One of the few places I found that has a cold brew beverage with condensed milk!! There Vietnamese cold brew is amazingly refreshingly and perfectly sweet. There isn't too much seating inside since it is in a lobby but I was able to sit in a comfy corner chair with a small table and it was perfect. There was plenty of seating outside which would be great on a cooler day. The pastries are from West Town bakery now and the almond croissant was very good. I will definitely be back to this little spot. read more

I love this place! It's been my spot to chill and catch up with a friend. I think the bfast menu has a good variety. The açaí bowl is delicious. Also, I've been wanting to try charcoal drinks since I've been reading is good for detox. def recommend their Cocoa Charcoal Coconut drink! The jungle juice is also very tasty! read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I love fairgrounds ! I visited this location for the first time today after doing yoga at millenium park. I'm a big cold brew fan, so I was really excited to see all the different types they had on tap. I will definitely be coming back! This place is super cute and not very crowded which is awesome. read more

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By far, my favorite coffee shop in Chicago!!! This location is pretty small compared to the one in Wicker Park. There are very limited seats, but it's located right across from Millenium Park! I absolutely love the menu. There's so many unique flavors to try! My favorites are from the Elixirs menu. I've tried the rainforest remedy, which is a matcha + tropical smoothie. There's another matcha drink on the menu that I forgot the name of and it is my favorite!! It's essentially a hot matcha milk tea. They have a Vietnamese cold brew that is quite strong! Overall, highly recommend this place! read more

Ordered an Arnold Palmer and my bf and our friend ordered coffee. Drinks were great service however wasn't. They sure had attitude.

Very yummy coffee and darling venue. Staff was friendly and helpful. The menu includes traditional favorites and also creative twists. read more

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The best cup of coffee I've ever had. They make each drink fresh to order and that's what makes it. The drink takes about 5 minutes but it's so worth it. Their pastries are really good as well. I believe they probably just get deliveries from local bakeries. The chocolate donut was amazing and huge. The cinnamon roll was amazing as well-- better than Stan's. The prices are maybe 40¢ more than Starbucks and it's so much better. My only complaint is that they only have about five bar stools and then one lone chair, but the coffee was so good that it didn't matter. We were able to get two bar stools so it worked out. Other than that the place is very cute. read more

Fairgrounds: latte creamy and smooth; not acid but not something to write home about either. The place is hipster like, in the heart of downtown. I would not recommend make an effort to go out of my way to check it out. The staff was distance and bash, very East Coast attitude but the caffe when I was there was mellow, few clients were trickling in. To be fair I should have went to this other coffeehouse in the loop, away from the touristy section, this was in cleanest of Downtown inside a club. read more

This coffee bar literally has coffee "on tap" just like beer. It's adorable! I had an excellent iced coffee. They give you a sample so you can try the different flavors and choose your favorite. The atmosphere is a lovely clean, Rustic vintage vibe. read more

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This place opened yesterday and I've been here twice. So far, so very good. The drinks are great. Today I'm having a Jungle Juice: mango tea, turmeric, coconut. Topped with cayenne pepper and served cold. There's something else in it but I forget. Anyway it's really really good: cool, fresh and refreshing. This place is both retro and contemporary. And the employees are very friendly and welcoming. As far as ambiance, it beats the Starbucks and Peet's Coffee across the street hands down. Located inside the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, it can be accessed from the outside ( Michigan Avenue) as well. Tomorrow I think I'll try one of the several cold brew coffees on tap. read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Stopped in to get a lavender black iced tea. Very good, service is good. I also got a buttermilk donut, wish it was fresher. I would recommend thru offer sweetener for people who can't have sugar. No options read more

Ample seating in the front, across from millennium park, great service and most importantly great coffee. I suggest getting the cortado. read more

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This location is a smaller version of the one in Bucktown which I love. It has a lot of my favorites and the location is amazing! So happy to have another Fairgrounds to visit! read more

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First time here, and loved it! Bill the barista was super energetic and welcoming, and he let us try samples of cold brew before ordering one. Coffee was really tasty! Got the light cold brew on tap and it was very creamy and rich. It's pretty out of the world. read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is a very very small coffee shop, but it is near by the art institute of Chicago. As people wrote before, the Flora Powered is tasty. After you finished the bottom part of the drink, you should stop and throw it away. read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Found this shop when searching for something close to the bean. It did not disappoint! I was super impressed by their wide variety of cold brews and espresso selections. Each drink is made individually. I got a caramel latte with the dark roast espresso. I could tell their flavoring was either homemade or high quality. The drink was hot but not burnt and not acidic which I LOVED! Not too sweet either which I love. We also got a kombucha which they have on tap. Not too many options for food which was a bummer but definitely worth it for the drinks. Two speciality coffee + the kombucha was ~$15. Spendy, but again I think it was worth it for amazing coffee. read more

Best cup of coffee ever. Ordered an extra dry macchiato and they gave me a choice of light or dark roast. Wow. The milk was creamy and not burned. The composition was perfectly all foam with espresso on the bottom. They also let my friend and I chat without being disturbed while they closed up. Stellar!!! read more

Great location (in the historic and now-public Chicago Athletic Association hotel and excellent service, worthy of the outstanding coffee and food options here. We hosted a significant event in the hotel over the course of two days and the Fairgrounds was on top of their game during our many visits at all hours: first thing in the morning and last at night, and everything in between. It is a pleasure that the service happily describes different drinks, bean options, and moves from behind the counter to walk through the various bags of beans and different pros and cons of each. Love the house beans, and the specialty bag from Brazil was outstanding. Thanks! read more

Their drinks are super yummy. My favorite is the iced flower power drink (matcha, jasmine syrup, and rice milk). Yum! It tastes good and looks super cool. The seating upstairs is very expansive and beautiful, as well. read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Power Flower (Jasmine & Matcha) in front and Chai Latte behind! Mhmmm. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Delicious coffee, great service, and beautiful location attached to the Chicago athletic hotel.

I tried the Colectivo coffee. Smooth and no after taste bitterness. The staff are extremely friendly. It was nice out so we were able to sit right outside of the hotel and enjoy the view of Michigan Ave and Millennium Park read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Love the decor - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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First coffee stop I had on my trip to Chicago. Definitely a hit! They made me a honey oat latte at my request and it was delicious.

The coffee here is pretty good - not as good as intelligentsia but decent. the workers there a bit too sassy for my taste, but they provided quick service nonetheless. all in all, a rather lackluster visit - I'd rather spend my money at intelligentsia. read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A really good variety of coffee and tea drinks in a warm, comfortable environment. You can take your drink upstairs and relax in the Chicago Athletic Assoc Hotel's den or game room. The staff is very friendly also, especially Belinda! read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - The friendly Fairgrounds staff - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Given their location in an iconic building they could have just phoned it in, but it was pleasantly surprising that they have great coffee (and the decaf option, frothy monkey, was particularly welcome). The staff was friendly and unpretentious, and service was quick. All around a nice place. read more

Where do I start with this place. First time I had this was back in August when I was visiting Chicago. My fiancé at the time told me about the rainforest remedy and I fell in love with it. It was so good!!!! Perfect blend of matcha, pineapple and coconut. Didn't think I'd like the three together but I was wrong. I moved to Chicago in December and since it was cold (More like freezing). the barista told me to try the charcoal elixir, it is a mix of coconut water, dark chocolate and charcoal. It's so rich and tasty but too rich to finish it. Props to you if you can. I always tell everyone that comes to Chicago to try fairgrounds because it is great!!! Their kombucha is tasty. Refreshing and very strong, I had the rose One and loved it. Their coffee is great too. We just went today and wanted to mix things up and have something different. I had the power flower Thai tea. Sounds pretty and tastes pretty good. If you love matcha then you'll definitely love it because the matcha is overpowering in a good way. My hubby had the Vietnamese cold brew and I snuck a sip and it is also very tasty and refreshing. As you can see There hasn't been anything I haven't liked here. I do plan on trying their whole menu. And I'll fill you in if there's something not worth trying. My all time favorite will stay the rainforest remedy. You have to try it!!!! read more

Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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They screwed up espresso! I saw it happening in the way she was making it, but thought maybe this is some different way to make espresso and since I was in a hurry I took the cup and walked out. I've never tasted disgusting espresso before...now I have! read more

The beverage menu is vast and creative. They make pour over, teas, tonics, and espresso drinks. They also offer bottled drinks to-go. I visited them twice during my stay in Chicago. On the first day, I enjoyed the turmeric tonic. It's a draft tonic with a prominent turmeric flavor and robust fizz. The outdoor patio is a great place to people-watch. The next morning, I sampled few of the draft cold brews but settled for a local pour over. The service is friendly. They give samples, if you ask, and offer suggestions without the hoity toity attitude. My suggestion please expand to the SF bay area! read more