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    Intelligentsia Coffee

    4.2 (1.2k reviews)
    ModerateCoffee & Tea
    Closed 7:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Intelligentsia Coffee Photos

    Business Info

    INTELLIGENTSIA COFFEE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for working
    Dogs allowed

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    Interior
    Anthony D.

    A quality coffee shop. It's in the Monadnock building and it seem to have retained some of that charm. I tried their Brown Sugar Miso Latte, a Spring Drink and it's not bad. It does have an interesting after taste that I usually don't have with other similar coffees, as well as being over $8 is a bit much. Overall cool spot, friendly staff, and solid coffee.

    Not the cutest cafe I was looking for. Tasty brown sugar latte, the sesame seeds were a bit much for an $8 latte with no lid.
    breanna g.

    Not the cutest cafe, would definitely recommend elsewhere however the brown sugar latte was good however the sesame seeds were an overkill.

    Linh L.

    Flew in on a red eye so first stop was to get some coffee. I tried their Avena Latte and it was unique. I've never had cayenne with my coffee but it was a nice touch.

    Black coffee with refill
    Roger M.

    good coffee shop down the street from the hotel. Good morning eats, very well, balanced black coffee. With a Krafft refill. Nice casual place to sit and plan a day.

    Inside
    Rosa F.

    I had this coffee in L.A. and I liked it. A little bit on the expensive side but I have it once in a blue moon. Being back home in Chicago I saw it in downtown and so I decided to have it bc it was super cold today. Walking in I did see it was quaint and nice. The cashier (Alice) did say hi as i did too. Note: Customer Service is key to me I kindly asked her for her name (bc i like to know who's taking my order) and she asked me why, She seemed bothered by me asking so I replied bc i want to know who's taking my order. This action caused me to only give this place 3 stars bc the service needs to be better. Also, after making coffee they need to inform us where the condiments are. The coffee was spectacular. I ordered the Avena Latte with extra Cayenne on top.

    Grace L.

    My favorite coffee in Chicago! I used to work at a cafe that had Intelligentsia's beans, and my oh my, these are my favorites of all time. I bought 2 bags for the road and ordered an iced capp, but the milk felt like skim?? I was a but disappointed that it was so watery :( inside was beautiful though with fresh flowers on each table. Service was great! Ample street parking on the side street right next to it!

    Counter
    Betty H.

    Located in the Monadnock building, entrance on W Jackson Blvd. We were on a "Foodie Tour" and our guide walked us through the Monadnock building. As coffee lovers, we noticed this place and made sure to return after our tour simply because it smelled so good. I ordered their 'Latte' and a 'Snickerdoodle Cookie'. The latte was the best I've ever had, anywhere! The Cookie was delicious too, very soft with the perfect sweetness to go with my drink. Their 'Daily Batch Brew' is also very good. There's plenty of tables to sit and enjoy. They also sell merch and coffee bags. Our cashier, Alyssa was very sweet and welcoming. Overall, we had a great time here enjoying our evening coffee time and will definitely return when in town.

    Avena Iced Latte
    Connie L.

    Tried their Avena Latte which was surprisingly delicious! I didn't expect the cayenne pepper to work, but it did. I wish the coffee flavor was a bit stronger, but still enjoyed it. They also have a good selection of plant based milks to choose from. It's a small coffee shop but VERY busy. It seemed like the baristas were very efficient though, we only waited about 10 mins to get our coffee.

    Coffee
    Stacie B.

    A small and quiet spot for a cup of coffee and a chat, or a place to read a book and get out of the general fray for a time. The area isn't big and has the feel of an Italian or European coffee shop with marble tables and minimalistic decor. It has coffee and tea items for sale as well as a varied menu of snacks and hot beverages. Our group was a bit larger so needed to push a few tables together. I think that isn't the norm for this spot so keep that in mind if you are going, beat for a smaller group or coffee/tea to go. The coffee was flavorful and several who got tea enjoyed it. They have teas not listed on their menu so make sure to ask if wanting another option. My coffee had cayenne which was a bit more than I bargained for, but the barista did ask me and I approved it. So a nice thing to try and fun that they offer specials which I've never heard of before (or unique combos). A great spot to spot in for a warm beverage on a cold day!

    Hot latte with oat milk  Black Cat Organic Espresso- Black Cat Espresso
    Alexis Z.

    Super cute warm welcoming cafe ! Coffee was delicious and strong a bit pricy but baristas are super friendly and helpful

    Oat matcha Latte
    Tsegaye K.

    Stopped by and visited a little after the start of the Chicago marathon 2024. Server was amazing and both the Matcha and the mocha were great (the matcha is made with oat milk and unsweetened and you can definitely tell that they use high quality matcha ). our server was great and the restaurant was clean and welcoming. Will definitely be back when I am in the area again

    Interior
    Linda T.

    Avena latte is one of the best latte I have, nationwide. The hint of cayenne, which I originally thought it would be weird, turn out to be amazing and warm. Turmeric Pineapple Shrub is a great refreshing iced tea. I highly recommend these to everyone. The location is great, especially for tourists. Grab a coffee and/or tea, like myself, and walk around. You can also do work here or your assignments as there are plenty of seats. Just remember to grab your lids for your cups by the revolving door, if you're bringing your drink elsewhere.

    Travis T.

    The coffee and the chocolate chip cookie were nothing special. On the bright side, I got my drink and food almost right away after ordering, which was pretty fast.

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    6 months ago

    Very very rich coffee shop in my life. Great experience. If u visit Chicago add it to ur list

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    2 years ago

    Damn, these people sure know how to make a cup of coffee. Seriously best flat white ever.

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    Page 1 of 31

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    Buttercup  - Buttercup - shaved iced on top.

    Buttercup

    4.3(41 reviews)
    1.3 miNear Southside

    Buttercup in the South Loop is an absolute gem, especially if you're even remotely into amaro. The…read moreselection is unreal, like the kind of list that makes you pause and realize you're about to learn something whether you wanted to or not. It's curated in a way that feels intentional, not just "we stocked a bunch of bottles." You can tell whoever built it actually cares. And shoutout to Axel behind the bar, because she is amazing. Friendly, dialed in, and genuinely knowledgeable without doing the annoying bartender thing where they make you feel dumb for asking questions. You can tell she really enjoys working here. She makes a fantastic Negroni. Great vibe, great drinks, and the kind of place you immediately want to make "your spot."

    It's nice to have another coffee shop in south loop and this place is very cute! Cozy vibes and the…read moreservice is nice and fast enough. My friends and I each tried their specialty drinks and i got an everything croissant. We had high expectations because everything looked so good on the menu. Unfortunately none of us particularly enjoyed anything we got. All of our drinks just tasted like milk (both iced and hot options) and my croissant was oddly sweet because of the filling and I didn't love that. The pastries are actually being shipped in from elsewhere (they have exactly the same one in coffee shops out in Naperville too lol). Which leaves nothing special here. It's also very small so it gets crowded and swamped pretty fast. You're really constantly stepping out of someone's way when you're just waiting for you order, so that's not ideal either. Likely won't return.

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    TARY Coffee - Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Balkaimak Cream

    TARY Coffee

    4.4(207 reviews)
    0.9 miRiver North, Near North Side
    $$

    What a place. This is so much more than just a coffee house. Tons of options, great ambience, and…read moregenuinely kind people. We started with a mocha, a solid, well-balanced drink that wasn't overly sweet and was just perfect. We didn't plan on eating here, but the menu was way too tempting. We ordered the cinnamon roll, and wow. This was insanely good. Most cinnamon rolls in the U.S. feel like sugar-heavy, cinnamon-flavored buns, but this one was light, flavorful, and beautifully made. The irimshik on top really elevated it, subtle, warm, and just sweet enough. Easy 10/10. Next was the cottage cheese pancake, which was also very good. It had a generous amount of cottage cheese stuffed inside, and paired with the sweet irimshik dip, the dish came together really well. 9/10. We then tried the qattama. It was good. flaky, crispy, and reminded me of a paratha. It came with a sour irimshik dip. While each component was good, I felt the qattama would shine more with a gravy-based dish. 7/10. Finally, we ordered the Nan Salma pasta. It's a tarry-based white sauce pasta with a unique flavor profile, and it was genuinely yum. Definitely something different and worth trying. Highly recommend it. 8/10. You have space to sit down and work as well. Service was good too. Some of the dishes might take 7-10mins to get prepared. It's not like your daily coffee shop who have stuff ready to go Overall, a great spot with unique food and a welcoming vibe. Definitely coming back. 9/10

    we tried the blueberry matcha. their matcha tastes high quality and they say it's ceremonial grade…read morewhich i believe. i think some places say theirs is ceremonial grade when it isn't. so we really enjoyed the quality of the matcha and it was the perfect amount of sweet from the blueberry. we also tried baursaq which is the fried dough bites. it tastes like a light donut ball. it's not heavy or greasy at all. they give you a dipping sauce which tasted like strawberry to me. overall a really clean and simple lay out for the shop. very minimal and upscale. it's not super busy and loud so it's a nice place to sit in and enjoy your drinks and maybe do some homework/remote work. i only gave it 4/5 just because the drinks were a little pricey but i think that's the norm now as well. hard to find drinks under 8$ these days.

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    Interior

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    Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago - Starbucks

    Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago

    4.1(2.3k reviews)
    1.1 miNear North Side
    $$

    I went back this morning and I have to say the eggs in purgatory and matcha with ube foam in the…read moresecond floor were delish. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the sauce was tomato basil flavorful matched perfectly with the sour dough bread. The ube matcha iced hit the spot too since I had been walking for a bit. It was not super sweet and the ube foam complements it well. The service was okay, they were busy. I had to wait for a while. I noticed they would leave partial orders on counter until the rest is out. I would recommend they provide food and drinks as they come out instead of food cooling and iced drinks diluting. My drink was sitting and I asked if I could take it. My eggs in purgatory took a bit. I didn't mind waiting. The ambiance there's a lot of seating and so long as people keep moving which most are seats get emptied. I sat in a community table.

    My family and I came here to check it out while touring Chicago. The building is really beautiful,…read moreand has multiple floors each with a different experience. The first floor is for mercha and to-go orders while the second and third floor is the in-person cafe. When I went, the wait for the second floor was long, but the wait for the third floor was quite short. I got the whiskey barrel aged cold brew and a couple pastries (croissants and cakes). The whiskey cold brew was an awesome drink rich in flavor. Even though it wasn't alcoholic, it had that iconic sweet whiskey taste. The cakes were solid and fluffy, and I especially liked the tiramisu. The croissant was very crispy and complemented the coffee well. I really like the crunch when I bit into it. Definitely check this place out if you ever visit Chicago. Starbucks Reserves are quite rare now, so it's always not bad to check it out if you want that kinda of premium Starbucks experience.

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    Starbucks

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    Goddess and the Baker, 33 S Wabash-Millennium Park - Cinnamon Roll (~$7)

    Goddess and the Baker, 33 S Wabash-Millennium Park

    4.0(1.8k reviews)
    0.3 miThe Loop
    $$

    This was my fiancé and I's first stop once we arrived in Chicago. It was recommended to us from a…read morefriend. I was skeptical at first because it is a local chain, rather than a singular location. However, it lived up to the hype. Service: it was extremely busy when we came in. The line was almost out the door. They have a system in place for ordering and seating so it worked well and fast given how busy they were. We didn't have any questions on where to order or where to stand when waiting for a seat. The staff were friendly and helped us find a spot to sit at. Ambiance: classic cafe in a city. Loud chatter, but it's a vibe. Very colorful and fun interior with cool textural elements. We had a seat that was facing the street so it was fun to people watch as we sipped and ate. Food: amazing breakfast selection! We ordered the morning sandwich and barbacoa bowl. The morning sandwich had THICK scrambled eggs which were super soft and tasty. I could've used more salsa verde on it. The bread was barely toasted. I'd rate the sandwich a 3.8/5. It got the job done. The barbacoa bowl was "really good" according to my fiancé. A great source of protein, fresh ingredients, nice flavor, and great portions. He would rate it a 5/5. Coffee: I am a coffee snob so I am quite harsh when it comes to reviewing it. Their machine is a cute La Marzocco. Appropriate sized "for-here" glasses according to the drinks. Plus, they were really cute. Wide variety of drink selection from your standards to the more girly-drinks (if there is such a thing). We ordered a cappuccino and small hot mocha. Latte art 4.5/5, temperature 5/5, flavor 4/5. The espresso didn't stand out to me, very standard flavor profile. However, the chocolate in the mocha was delicious. It's more of a rich, dark chocolate. Nice thin layer of foam. Would recommend to try at least once when you're in Chicago! Glad to have stopped in.

    I walked over from my hotel right at the time they opened, and it was raining. There was no line,…read moreonly a handful of people waiting for their order. I got the pistachio croissant, shakshouka pastry, and berry crunch oatmeal. It took about 20-25 minutes, which made no sense because the pastries are in the case and the oatmeal......is oatmeal. I suspect they opened without having all of their prep done because the delay made no sense. Their staff looked frantic. The croissant wasn't filled, it just had pistachio cream on the top with a couple of nuts. I would order the shaksouka pastry again. The egg was cooked well, and the tomato was very good. They were supposed to heat it up, but it wasn't warm.

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    Goddess and the Baker, 33 S Wabash-Millennium Park - Seats are hard to find .. busy spot!

    Seats are hard to find .. busy spot!

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    3 Arts Club Cafe at RH Chicago - Cheeseburger

    3 Arts Club Cafe at RH Chicago

    4.4(1.7k reviews)
    1.9 miNear North Side
    $$$

    I had a really good experience at 3 Arts. I wasn't able to get a reservation for Sunday brunch, so…read morewe made sure to arrive before opening. There was already a small line of guests with the same idea, but we were able to get on the waitlist. While waiting, we checked out the small coffee shop inside the gallery and browsed the furniture, which helped pass the time. Our wait was about an hour before being escorted to our table in the courtyard. Initially, we were placed at a low coffee table with couch seating. It's a cool lounge style setup, especially for drinks, but not ideal for a meal. It would have been pretty awkward trying to eat comfortably. We asked to be moved and were told that table preferences should be requested when joining the waitlist. Since it was my first time visiting, I wasn't aware of that, and it also wasn't asked by the hostess. Thankfully, they were able to accommodate us and moved us to a table in the wine cellar. The wine cellar had a completely different vibe, dark and moody, compared to the bright, airy courtyard with its beautiful glass ceiling and natural light. We ordered the lobster roll and the RH Burger, both with fries. The food came out fairly quickly and was well-presented. The lobster roll was served on a buttery brioche with just the right amount of seasoning, and the burger was juicy and flavorful. Overall, I had a great experience and would definitely visit again.

    Definitely make reservations here! This place is a…read morerestoration hardware store return to restaurant which is super cool. I'm not from Chicago so this was a really cute spot to be in, definitely IG worthy. They have a limited menu. I got the Caesar salad salad with some sweet potato fries. And my friend got the Chinese chicken salad. I think I got a basic menu so it wasn't amazing but it was good. I just came here for the views honestly, I saw it on TikTok so I wanted to come here since I'm from Houston. Upstairs, they have all of the furniture that you can buy and cute views as well. Definitely make a reservation.

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    3 Arts Club Cafe at RH Chicago - Bar table

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    Froth - Iced ladybird

    Froth

    4.3(183 reviews)
    1.8 miNear West Side, West Loop

    Ordered from Froth Cafe thinking it'd be a normal coffee situation... it was not. It was better…read more The dalgona latte showed up with massive chunks of toffee--like, not decorative, not subtle... full-on "we believe in happiness" pieces. Every sip felt like a reward for simply existing. Also tried something called "False Spring," which has carrot juice in it (I know, I had questions too). But somehow it works! It's fresh, a little sweet, and makes you feel like you've made a good life decision--even if you're just ordering coffee in pajamas. Everything arrived perfectly and tasted like someone actually cared while making it. 10/10, would absolutely order again and pretend I'm a sophisticated person with a refined palate.

    Stopped by to try their breakfast and specialty coffee drinks but missed breakfast by 30 minutes --…read moremy boyfriend ended up trying their Italian sandwich We also ordered their dalgona latte and cold brew (we originally wanted to try their ladybird and stuntman mike but was told at the register that both were no longer available) There was a super sweet barista with curly hair who offered to add regular cream top to my boyfriend's cold brew coffee because we thought we had ordered the stuntman I would say the dalgona latte tastes much better when the toffee is melted -- when I first tried the drink it didn't taste sweet enough for me but once the toffee melted it tasted better I would say that the ambiance of this space really left an impression -- it was extremely spacious and had lots of tables for studying. If I was a local, I could definitely see this space as a regular study spot To be honest, I feel like my boyfriend and I didn't order the best items because the coffee and food was just okay -- I'll come back to try their breakfast burrito and potato wedges next time, and maybe try different speciality drinks like their hibiscus matcha or this purple iced drink I saw everyone ordering But the staff was so kind and the space had great vibes so I hope to try more from them next time!

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    Froth - Inside

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    Froth - Active Tea; Blueberry Muffin; Oat Raisin Walnut Cookie

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    Froth - Matcha latte was amazing. Great vibes

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    Matcha latte was amazing. Great vibes

    Intelligentsia Coffee - coffee - Updated June 2026

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