really lovely here. maybe it's because i came in at 6PM on a Thursday night, but it was really quiet. classical music playing, interesting decor. tried a delicious plum tea. just a nice respite from the winter (even if its a mild one). definitely a new favorite. read more

Should be your primary studying/chilling stop in North Park. Free WI-FI, baby! An good alternative to the cute outdoor cafe next door. No rocks no funny plants, just a some couches and tables and pretty good drinks. And I was quite surprised to find Java&Mug have one of the better bubble teas on the north side. Their Taro is great and authentic. Definitely check this place out! read more

I'm Korean n I travel all over the country for business. I decided to try bingsoo or some people call it snow in Chicago. I went to Java n Mug Bc of the review. If u have been to LA, NY n Seoul then you will be extremely disappointed with the quality here. It just do not taste good. Honestly, It's one of the worst I have ever eaten in the states. The staff were very friendly n the atmosphere was great but what does it do when it taste like they just threw in crushed ice that was chunky instead of it being like snow, red bean, fruits n mochi . It was just awful. It wasn't even descent. :(( read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

this place used to be a lot better now its crowded, service is slow (was slow before), its not a good spot for studying anymore, very very loud people, including the music however, the bingsoo is still pretty decent/pretty good i've heard the waffle is not bad either, but on the very sweet side my friend always gets the strawberry banana smoothie and loves it and hes very picky overall, prices are high, especially for an asian place in my opinion but definitely better than outdoor if you want to come here with friends and enjoy cafe drinks and chat/laugh and play jenga or taboo or other board games they provide, this is the spot! read more

Very cute, cozy - perfect for a group of girl friends to sit, talk, and laugh for hours, and also appropriate for a casual date! And if you find yourself with nothing to do, there are board games to keep anyone entertained. The food is great, the service is fine also. It made me reminiscent about Korea, which is always a good sign. Prices are very affordable. Good feels, good memories. read more

I've lived in the neighborhood for years but never had the opportunity to stop in. I ordered a caramel macchiato and it was very good. The staff is friendly and courtesy. I'd definitely stop in again. read more

Been going to this place for a couple years now, never has disappointed me. Everything I have tried is amazing. Very comfy place to have a date or hang out with friends. Gives me a Paris cafe vibe but that's probably just me lol. I love that it's only opened in the afternoons, because if I'm craving a late night snack or need to find an open spot for a late night date, this place has me covered. You can catch me at this place during the August kfest every year as well, love the environment this place it at read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I like Java and Mug, I really do. Where else can you get Bing Soo, Korean energy drinks and Paninis? I love that there is actually an energy drink called Bacchus and that there is such a creation as a shrimp fries. The only problem is the price. There is no way you can charge 3.00 for a medium coffee with a clear conscience. I understand that comes with free Internet, but that's just ridiculous. Actually, the prices on nearly every item on the menu are overinflated. That being said, the staff has always been friendly. The service always prompt. The ambiance always respectful. The chairs always comfortable and the food and drinks always delicious. I'll continue to come here because of the drink options you can't get at standard American style cafes. But, please change your prices! read more

Super cute, delicious boba tea, and they serve noodles too. Score!

I love this cute place. I've been here a couple of times with my brother and sister and law and really enjoy playing board games while we wait for our food to arrive. As for board games and so on, they have scrabble, UNO card games, etc. I love all of their coffee drink since I'm a coffee lover and love their ice cream platters. My brother always orders the panini and sis-in-law always orders the noodles; Very good choices for lunch. Such a relaxing, comforting place to just spend it with family or friends after a long day of work read more

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Great place to study or hang out with friends. Weekdays are great for studying, but Friday through Sunday gets pretty loud and packed. The milk teas and bingsoo are yummy!! Great service and free Wifi. read more

This place is great for studying with groups because of their big tables. The place gets a little rowdy once the high school kids get out, which is kind of a bummer, especially when finals are coming up. I just plug in my headphones and wait for them to leave. The menu is okay, but I feel that its a bit overpriced. I ordered a monster and a bubble tea and ended up paying $10 for it. My suggestion is to re-evaluate their prices because I personally think that its a bit ridiculous. read more

As the winter months creep in, the college kids stay out. Java has once again returned to being an ok spot to grab a cup of tea with a friend. Food is overpriced as usual, however the drinks are wonderful. I recently stumbled upon honey lemon tea as I was feeling under the weather, and after drinking it I felt whole again. The waiters are very nice and overall the experience is great. I just wish they would play more jazz! sometimes the music is weird. read more

Bingsoo places in Chicago are few and far between, and this place is one of the few that serves it. The bingsoo was very tasty, I was surprised how fresh the fruit tasted. The most unique thing about this coffee shop is the atmosphere. The coffee shop has a very cozy feel, with couches for large groups and small tables for one-on-ones or two-on-twos, and every board game you can think of. This seems like the perfect spot for high school or college students looking for a fun place to study. read more

The place is very cozy if you want to study or chill with your friends. They have sofas and board games which is very nice. I got their taro tea latte which was decent, but it was costy. Almost $5 for a small cup of hot latte. Alot of high school kids come here during the weekdays which can get loud. The staff are nice. read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Taro tea latte. Not bad at all - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really love this cafe. I'm not familiar with this area but this cafe attracts me to try. Comfortable environment to get bubble tea, coffee and bingsoo. read more

This was a short visit, but I knew I loved it when I walked in. The best I can describe it is very down to earth lounge place with pretty good drinks. I went at around 11pm to just get some bubble tea after a pretty filling dinner. The place had a descent group of people (mostly asian) having some late night snacks and chatting. I love the fact that they have a bunch of board games on the side too. We got 4 bubble teas. Two of my friends got the regular black tea w/ bubble and they complained that it wasn't all that good. Both the tea and the bubbles weren't as flavorful as they would have liked. Another got a flavored milk tea freeze and he raved out it. I personally thought the bubbles weren't all that fresh. I got the Taro Milk Tea w/ Lychee Jelly and OMG. It was amazing! I recommend it 100%. The Lychee Jelly is a must. Way better than the bubbles. read more

Loved this place. A group of us stumbled into this lovely cafe earlier today. Lots of comfortable cozy seating, and friendly staff. The prices are reasonable, and the drinks (all of us got smoothies) are good. The tomato-o-tomato smoothie is a must try for all fresh fruit lovers-- it's refreshing without the overly sweet aftertaste of bottled tomato juice. The cafe also has a large collection of board games and comic books. Would definitely come back to hang out and try their bingsoo. read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Cozy atmosphere with lots of seating - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I love this place! Perfect for studying and hanging out. Cozy atmosphere. The staff was friendly. read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Couple bingsoo - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love the setting of this place. Very vintage-like and quiet. Perfect spot for a day to study while having some desserts/ drinks. But most likely just go for bingsoo because this shop has the closest version of the original. I can do bingsoo all year round lol read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Their food is absolutely amazing. On my most recent visit, I got a chai latte and a turkey and Swiss panini. That chai latte made me make weird noises out loud, it was so good. The interior is cosy and welcoming. I have lower back problems that makes those devil chairs at Starbucks hard for me to hang out in, but Java & Mug has couches, so I was cosy and on a happy food high. They were a teeny bit understaffed when we went, but honestly I didn't notice because I was too busy playing Uno and enjoying myself. A+, will be coming back. If Java & Mug were a human, I would have proposed to it already. read more

Awesome quiet comfortable makes you feel like your at home kind of place, great drink choices good food I would recommend this place to everyone. read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Coconut bubble tea insanely delicious - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is a really cool space to hangout, but be aware you might feel really old if you've over 20. There's probably a high school around the corner or something, as I went here around 5:30pm and it was BUSY with high schoolers being teenagers. Their menu is a little limited, or, perhaps maybe there's more to it than what's on their chalk boards? I was hoping for a simple milk tea with tapoica when I walked in, but only saw that they had ice blended milk teas. Womp womp. Their bingsoo is fantastic though! It's hard to find bingsoo in the city, unless, again, I'm not looking at the right places! read more

My go-to cafe in Chicago. It's laid back, non-pretentious and reasonably priced. Good crowd and great staff. The only bummer is that it's closed on Sundays, besides that the hours are convenient. read more

I like this place! It has a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. I haven't had the chance to sit and stay yet -- my orders have always been to go, but this would certainly be a great place to meet up with friends or spend an afternoon studying or reading. My only reason for not giving 5 stars is that sometimes the bubble tea has "bubbles" that aren't fresh -- a couple times I've ordered the bubble tea, and many of them have ranged from stale and hard, to occasionally inedible. It seems hit-or-miss, but it's still a nice place and I enjoy treating myself here! The panini sandwiches are also unbelievably delicious!!! read more

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I'm still dreaming with my green tea bubble tea. Highly recommended. read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is perfect for when you want to meet with friends but don't want to go out to a bar. I used to study here during the day (although sometimes it got too noisy to concentrate) and hung out with friends after dinner during the evenings. They have some games you can play(although some of them are missing pieces). The wifi is available, if you buy something. So forget about Starbuck and stop in and get a cup of coffee (or in my case, some yulmulcha, Job's tear tea) and maybe some bing soo (I like the fruit bing soo). read more

I love the environment, very nice and laid back place, the ice cream and smoothies are phenomenal, I like the couches and the game options, nice place to bring a date to =] read more

Java & Mug Cafe - Red bean bingsoo ice cream!! Hit the spot - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place has a soft spot in my heart. I've been coming back here for almost 7 years now, mostly on and off. The vibe in here never changes, and that's a pretty hard thing to do for most businesses and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've been introducing many others to this place and they all agree that the bubble teas here taste better than most shops in the area. This place has wifi, printer, board games, and card games ( what else can a millennial ask for?) read more

This place is a hidden gem. Super casual, good coffee, lovely Paninis, great bingsu, lots of board games free to play, and just a generally laid back vibe. Great if you are a student at Northeastern, I've spent many a afternoon there either just hanging out, or studying. Great prices as well---esp if you are a broke college student (like I was when I went there) read more

One of my favorite spots. I used to visit this place with my friends and now I also go with my 14 year old son and my 12 year old daughter. The best place to relax and have a nice conversation while you play a board game n eat yummy snacks. read more

Change the music. It's all about the setting and vibe. I understand the owner has classical taste but it isn't 1925 my guy. People wanna come in here and work not fall asleep. Play some instrumentals even if it's hip hop with no lyrics. Everytime I come in here I feel like I'm in a disney movie. read more

I didn't realize this place was a Korean coffee shop until we got close enough to read the sign. I should have realized it earlier though because what non-Korean places serve bubble tea AND bingsoos? My ignorance aside, this was a great place for a few of my friends and me to hang out after a rather large dinner. The bingsoos are loaded with fruit and although they could use a little more mochi, was quite refreshing. They have a ridiculous amount of board games (from a quick glance I saw Jenga, Monopoly, Scene It, Uno, Clue, Dominos, and many more I didn't even recognize) and my group ended up killing four hours in a flash playing a ridiculous version of Scene It due to our lack of a DVD player. If you're in the area and just want a place to do work, relax with good company, or get some Korean desserts, stroll into Java & Mug. You won't be disappointed. read more

Comfy atmosphere with couches to lounge on while you're on your laptop. Bubble tea is yummy and the ramen is not bad either! Great spot to work and lounge for hours on end. read more

I come here all the time with friends. Plenty of games to play, comfortable chairs and couches, great food and drinks

Absolutely love this place. Coming here always feel like home and the prices / portions sizes are awesome! Never regret coming here every time I come and certainly always worth the drive! read more

good friendly service and its a nice spot to just chill and relax.. there are board games and free wifi here too... came here a few times with friends after dinner.. I've tried the green tea smoothie with tapioca, red bean and fruits bing soo, and ice cream waffles green tea smoothie w/ tapioca - it was alright.. had better.. it wasn't sweet enough and i didn't like the tapioca here.. red bean and fruits bing soo - it was good and the fruits was fresh.. portions are pretty big too ice cream waffles - first time trying it and it was awesome! but you have to eat it quick because the waffle is warm and it will melt the ice cream pretty fast that's on top of it.. read more

Great atmosphere to hang out with friends. Their seating was very diverse as they had regular chairs with tables as well as full sized couches. I had the Chai Tea Latte which was amazing and my wife had the Lemon Honey Tea which she said was the best tea she has ever had. Both were great considering how cold it's been lately. read more

What can I say? I love this place and I have many fond memories. I went to high school just around the corner (Northside) and I spent many after school evenings here kicking back with friends, doing homework and just hanging out (I've also taken many a nap in here). This place is synonymous with my high school experience and I loved every minute of it. The owner is really nice, though many of the rules he's enforcing (like the $7 minimum) are because people have been abusing the free-wifi (I've seen people stay for upwards of 6 hours) as well as breaking things like the free games or messing up the books and magazines (I recall that someone even broke one of the couches...it has a notable slump in the cushions now). The boba is good. The pat bing su is good. The food, though sometimes pricy, is good. Java and Mug's bullfrogs kept me going through my winters at Northside and the Tapioca freezes and bing su's are what welcomed my summers. I seldom come back now that I've moved onto college and live out of the way, but when I do, it's always special. - Eat on! read more

I love the cozy atmosphere,board games, and the food, especially their Hawaiian Fruit Bowl! I love this place!