Absolutely obsessed with this cafe. One of the best cafe experiences I've ever had. When I'm not at…read morethis cafe, I'm thinking about visiting it. The interior is beautifully decorated, with a fair amount of seating. I love how much natural light there is. I've visited over the course of several weekends, and it's always fairly busy. However, the line moves quickly. Service is speedy. The variety of drinks and pastries is incredible. The Indian-inspired pastries are so tasty. I highly recommend the gulab jamun croissant and butter chicken croissant. Their matcha is some of the best matcha I've ever had. The banana cream matcha is perfection - the cream top is fluffy and tastes just like banana. The matcha flavor is deep and perfectly sweet. Another delicious option is the lemon cream matcha. This is definitely a pricey option, but the food and drinks are worth it. Can't wait for my next visit!

I finally made it to Swadesi Coffee, and it absolutely lived up to the hype…read more I ordered the Lemon Cream Matcha, and it's officially one of my favorite matcha drinks in Chicago. The matcha is smooth and earthy, while the lemon adds a bright citrus flavor that somehow works perfectly without overpowering it. The house-made lemon cream ties everything together, making it refreshing, creamy, and perfect for summer. Beyond the drink, the café itself has a warm, welcoming atmosphere with beautiful design and plenty of character. It's the kind of place where you can catch up with friends, get some work done, or just enjoy a slow morning. If you're a matcha lover--or even if you're just looking to try something different--Swadesi Coffee is absolutely worth a visit. I'll definitely be back to work my way through more of the menu.

Good vibes. Tons of seating. Line moved quickly, but I'm sure on the weekends it's way busier…read more Friendly staff who work hard. 10/10 on the frozen matcha. I've never had a frozen matcha and this seemed like the perfect summery treat. I'll try it with strawberry next time. Lots of baked goods - I chose the banana bread because someone had raved about it, and it lives up to the hype. You can tell it's freshly baked with love. I will absolutely be back!

I was really excited about Paper Tiger Cafe since I'd seen so many positives reviews on social…read moremedia. I came in on a Thursday afternoon, and it was decently busy but not too packed. I liked how much space they had -- there were plenty of tables and seating, so it was great for getting some work done! They also had Internet and outlets. The employees were nice and efficient with getting my order. I went with the Matcha Cloud, which is basically a frozen matcha with cold foam. Unfortunately, I didn't like my drink as much as I wanted to. I felt like the iciness made the cream feel oily, and the crunchy texture was odd. The matcha taste was also not very strong, and it was very sweet. I ended up tossing out most of my drink. I think the cafe itself is great, but I definitely would want to try something else in the future. Definitely still recommend checking them out though!

Just moved to chicago 3 days ago and already found my favorite coffee shop. Feels much more cozy…read moreand less corporate than some of the nearby coffee shops in gold coast. I had the passion fruit matcha and it was the best drink i've ever had, though I do like my drinks sweet. I also had the spinach and feta pasty and it was truly mind blowing. Came back the next day and tried the cheese danish, never thought i'd like one so much, it was amazing!! The guy who works there is super sweet and the vibe feels like a community.

A beautiful gem hidden away in the bustling Gold Coast! My parents said it was the best cappuccino…read morethey'd had in Chicago, noting the perfection of the coffee brew and ideal ratio of milk/foam/brew. My mango matcha was also a wonderful blend of fresh mango flavors and earthy matcha tones. The pistachio cheesecake was a delicious finish! Decadently creamy with the slight crunch of pistachios and a nutty crust! An ideal treat for any occasion. The staff was attentive, friendly, and gracious - wiping our table outside after a rain and making sure we had the best service. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a delicious coffee or tea! I will definitely be back!

I was very excited to try this place after seeing it on Instagram, and I was not disappointed!…read more I came here a few months ago, and it was an amazing space to work out of. It's just a beautiful, feminine space like even the bathroom was decked out in pink! I loved it. While there, I got a sandwich and strawberry matcha. I really enjoyed both. It's honestly made me crave strawberry matcha since then. There was one girl there working, and she was really helpful in explaining the difference in drinks to me. Can't wait to go back!

While in the West Loop on a warm weekend I was craving a refreshing drink. I did a quick Yelp…read moresearch and Matcha Cita came up. When I arrived I was amazed at how large the space was for a matcha shop. The counter to order was very long and there were plenty of tables of chairs available and they weren't cramped close to one another. The menu was located on the far back wall and the font was small so it was hard to look at the menu while ordering at the counter, but fortunately nobody was behind me in line while ordering. I ordered three drinks to try different things. First was the Pink Señorita with strawberry, pitaya, matcha, and coconut milk. Second was the Pistachio Honey Latte with pistachio, honey, and choice of matcha according to the menu, though I wasn't given a choice of matcha. Last was Bluetiful which included blueberry, blue spirulina, collagen, matcha, and vanilla almond milk. Pink Señorita was probably the more flavorful drink of the three although something about it the strawberry gave off an artificial taste. The Pistachio Honey Latte had a nice pistachio flavor that didn't overpower the matcha. Bluetiful was the least favorite drink since it didn't taste like anything at all; it had an interesting blue color but other than that it tasted like heavily diluted matcha with no hints of blueberry or vanilla almond milk or anything at all. All of these were ordered in 20 oz cups and I felt the price of $8.95 was a bit steep for each of the three, especially considering that the drinks didn't all taste quite as expected. By no means are the drinks from Matcha Cita authentic Japanese style matcha drinks, but they provide a bougie twist on classic matcha similar to other higher priced smoothie and juice shops. I did notice it was unsanitary for the barista to touch the garbage bag behind the counter as if she was about to throw out the trash, take my order at the register, and then start making the drinks without washing her hands, but I didn't want to make a scene and call her out on it; at least she wasn't touching the ingredients directly with her hands, I guess. If you're craving a unique type of drink on a hot day in the West Loop, Matcha Cita is an option but it may be better to stick with the basics and try to watch the barista making your order behind the counter to ensure proper food handling practices are performed.

This place doesn't get enough recognition! Tucked away off Racine lies this dope coffee shop with…read moretons of space and good vibes. I enjoyed the imperfection of the shop - giving an overly chill vibe, one beyond your standard coffee shop. I enjoyed the menu variety and speciality items as well. With me being risky (and not being a consumer of coffee) I tried the mango sticky rice matcha with a cardamom bun to pair. Like who had options like these at a non traditional shop, right? The matcha was decent - I wanted a bit more of an equal balance - and for the Vietnamese dessert to peek through in the flavors. The bun was alright - even with it warmed up. I love the effort of the shop to throw out something fresh and new but next time I'll stick to a regular beverage and pastry.

This is a super vibey spot and for sure one of my favorite places to study. They have a great…read moreseasonal drink menu that never disappoints me. My most recent favorite is the banana miso hojicha that's definitely worth a try! I've had their food before and it was ok but not something I would specifically come here for. The service here is always friendly which is definitely a plus. For the space they always have some great music playing in the background so depending on how you like to study/work this could be a plus or minus. I will say that despite having a lot of space they don't have a lot of places to actually work so you do have to get there early or go at odd hours.

I love everything about this place! The service is top…read morenotch. Really friendly and attentive. I really enjoyed the fun ambiance and decor! It's sleek, bright, and fun. Cool chandeliers, comfy chairs, huge ceramic mug, couch, and more. Plenty of outlets if you're wanting to work here. The coffee is phenomenal! I can really taste the difference. I absolutely loved my iced matcha latte and iced lavender latte. When you pick up your order from the counter, there is a piece of paper with your name and the name of the drink. Really helpful when I was picking up multiple similar drink for my me and friends. Outdoor patio too. Very spacious and open layout. Clean bathrooms. It's an all day cafe, open until 7pm, and they have a cocktail menu too. The food menu looks delicious so I'll need to return and try food items. The gelato looks amazing. They have everything you need here: breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, cocktails, coffee, beer, wine. Positive vibes and I didn't want to leave. I really enjoyed my experience and want to be a regular here.

I was asked to make a purchase after I was taking a nap before I went to work. So I made a purchase…read moreand the manager didn't say thank you after I gave a her a second chance to say "thank you". So I had got a refund. If we're invited to come back we're not paying for the items.

Please come back or please make it permeant in Chicago…read more It was a popup inside of Design within Reach in Westloop. Bear hug no notes, that's it.

My roommate was raving about Canyon Coffee, so I knew I needed to try them out. I came by on a…read moreWednesday morning. The pop-up is located inside the DWR store; it's a super aesthetic space but on the smaller side with limited seating. I got the seasonal Espresso Tonic, which was plum-flavored. It was DELICIOUS. I felt that the espresso quality was very good, and the drink was well balanced. The plum taste added the perfect amount of sweetness without overpowering the coffee. They also had pastries from Allez Cafe, which all looked super yummy. All in all, this was really good coffee! I will definitely recommend them for a good caffeine fix.

Chicago has had an explosion of fusion bakeries/pastry shops recently, and Sarima with it's…read moreIndian-Filipino fusion inspired treats is a great example of this. When we arrived, their full display of beautiful pastries were available, and we opted for the ube crinkle cookie, gulab jamun tiramisu, and ensaimada donut. The cookie was chewy with a nice slightly crisp outside, the cream cheese filling added some richness and creaminess but was quite off to the side so that some bites had a lot of it and some bites none. The ensaimada donut was fluffy with a light rich whipped cheesy creamy filling, topped with a nice layer of shredded cheese that balanced the line well between sweet and a bit of savory. The gulab jamun tiramisu was an interesting but well done mix between gulab jamun (in Indian dessert of fried milk/cheese ball soaked in syrup) in the center with layers of soft sponge cake soaked in rose cardamom syrup, with a creamy whipped frosting and pistachios on top. Overall, while some of the treats were better than others, Sarima really delivers on the combination of Indian-Filipino flavors, and I look forward to coming back to try some of otheir other creative options.

- good food, nice ambiance, chill staff - no reservation…read moremade or could be made - would love to come back for sweets and savories! I have been meaning to try this place and wasn't able to go the last time I was in Wicker Park, but I am so glad I got to this time! The pastries are nice to look at and complex without "doing too much" and their sando was pretty original, so I'd love to try the rest of what they have! Me and my girlfriend split the Thicc Sando. The toasted bun was soft and perfectly held all the shtuff together. The hashbrown and egg were pretty standard, and the sweet & sour aioli felt like a normal aioli that gave a nice coating to everything. I think the genius of the sandwich was in the tocino sausage patty. I initially thought it was going to be straight tocino (somehow halal), and then I saw the patty and was confused, but then I took a bite and had all the right flavors in my mouth! Loved the tocino, and loved it even more with the shallots, wish there was an overloading amount of those, but that may just be me! I had gotten the Mango Lassi Matcha as my fun drink. I am not a mango lassi connoisseur, so I can't say too much, but it was a nice and tart yogurty lassi with the contrasting green matcha foam on top. The matcha on its own was unsweetened and a little week, but mixing everything together had balanced it all out for a yum drink. My girlfriend got the Salted Maple Latte for her fun drink. A nice sweet espresso that I can't comment too much on, but still a great thing to sip on. We shared a Mango Float Cookie and I thought it was such a fun take on the dessert. I really loved the cookie and the graham flavor with the frosting, but the mango drizzle felt too tart for how a mango float is... still great and would get again Overall I was happy with this visit! The rest of their breakfast options sounded really good and I'm interested in their fusion. They also had more pastries that looked amazing and I am particularly interested in the chai flan donut and the guava galette. Happy with this visit and can't wait for the next!