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    Nabala Cafe

    4.8 (98 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 10:00 pm

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    NABALA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Good for working

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    Front window temporary signs
    Jessica G.

    Nabala cafe is a lovely addition to the neighborhood- perfect for a hot coffee or sweet treat!

    Outside
    Sabrina R.

    Nabala Cafe is a beautiful spot to grab some coffee, a quick bite, and study or catch up with friends. I love the community bookcase, with some great reading material. The space is bright, and the staff were super friendly. This is Uptown, so the parking is always up in the air, but I parked on Wilson because I had some other errands to run, and then walked over to Nabala. The cardamom latte was very good, with nice, but not overpowering cardamom flavor. The spinach pie was great with a nice lemony tang. I grew up in Uptown, and I know how this area was, as well as how it has changed in the last 30 years. At times it's bittersweet, but I can say I love to see new small businesses pop up in the area, especially when they add to the diversity and community that is Uptown.

    Ananya M.

    Was so cute on the inside and has a bunch of fun interesting palestine inspired drinks -- chai, baklava latte, cardamom/rose infused drinks. we got the chai latte with oat milk and it was good for like the first 3 sips then tasted not so good (assuming the sweetner was in the bottom). would've been better if they had mixed the sweetner with the chai concentrate rather than adding it before. also $7.69 for a small chai is a little pricy i think.

    Chai karak
    Chris M.

    Whether it's hanging out with friends/family or enjoying some time to yourself, Nabala Cafe is the perfect place to unwind. With the cozy atmosphere, vibrant decor, and ample natural light, the vibes here are immaculate. Nabala offers a nice variety of food - everything from savory za'atar bread to sweet baklava to numerous other baked goods - and of course they have a fine drink selection. Being a big milk tea fan, I'm personally fond of the Chai Karak. If you order a pot, it comes on a beautiful tray with cute little tea cups. Finally, huge shout-out to the staff here. They're all super friendly and this cafe has been through so much since they opened so if you're remotely near Uptown, swing by and show your support!

    Cardamom Cold Brew
    Anthony D.

    A Palestinian coffee shop located in Uptown. It serves coffee, baked goods, and some food items. The location is on the smaller side, so the limited seating when I showed up at noon was full. It is definitely a popular local spot. The staff was friendly when I asked questions on their specialty drinks and ended up ordering their Cardamom Cold Brew. It was pretty good and definitely has a unique flavor. The food looked pretty good, but I ate before I came so passed on it this time.

    Rohini G.

    Beautifully decorated and cute shop! Stopped in on a Friday evening and ordered a karak chai which was well seasoned and mildly sweetened. Also tried a few mamoul cookies. Staff is very friendly and gave us extra pastries to go before closing. Highly recommend!

    Arielle S.

    Nabala has become a go-to spot when I have visitors in town. It's the perfect setting to sit and chat (if you can get a seat - it gets pretty packed) over a pot of chai or some coffee. We tried some Turkish coffee and chai the last time I went. Love the vaguely herbal flavor in the Turkish coffee, and how the chai wasn't too sweet. Can't recommend this place enough!

    karak chai, pastries
    Sam L.

    Chai was soooo delicious! Cute cafe in a beautiful building and beautiful neighborhood. I've passed by it several times without knowing what it was and finally ended up checking it out. We ordered the karak chai with the spinach and chicken pastries, and loved everything. I will definitely be telling all my friends about this place and hope to be back soon.

    menu
    Maisune E.

    if i lived in chicago, this is where you would find me as a second home. the entire cafe is like a big, warm hug as soon as you walk in. i get emotional in such community spaces so maybe it showed on my face as i ordered, but the servers were family-like kind and sweet. it felt like i was home with my cousins who were making me tea in their home kitchen. i am in love with the grassroots decor, i could spend hours reading every sheet of paper, flyer, and picture inside. the leave a book, take a book concept only added to the connection. i enjoyed my iced mint tea, muhammara, and chicken fatayer. i asked to order zaatar to finish off my olive oil dipping and they provided it complimentary. since we can't enter palestine, this cafe brought palestine to us and im so grateful.

    Inside
    Andrew P.

    Came here on their very first day of their soft opening and am just thrilled to have them in the neighborhood. They're a Palestinian coffee shop with options like Turkish and Arabic coffee plus the typical coffee stuff. I also saw pastries/food but did not partake as I was about to have lunch elsewhere. Will need to come back to try them! The employees I encountered were friendly and the vibe overall was nice. I'd imagine as the establishment works through any kinks and whatnot, this place will be a perfect place to come by and do work, read, or catch up with friends. Excited to have you in Uptown!

    mint chai, cardamom cafe au lait
    Mona T.

    So glad this spot just opened! It's a wonderful Palestinian-owned cafe and community space with amazing staff, patrons, and books to borrow/browse. Their drink selection is tasty and unique (really enjoyed the cardamom cafe au lait), and the food is solid and affordable too. It's perfect for working remotely, as they have long hours (from 7am-7pm or 10pm on most days) and spacious seating. I only wish that I lived closer that I could frequent this spot more often!

    Store front
    Talena H.

    I went here to get a latte which is really good it was about seven dollars I believe which is a typical price I pay but it was a nice lowkey coffee shop they were pretty busy inside. I did get my order right away. Most people that was inside was already sitting down working and talking to each other so I got service pretty quickly which is great. It was a lot of information about Palestine inside I believe this is a Palestinian business, so it was nice to see that they were doing well! Also, they had a really cool bookshelf and I wanted to take a lot of the books to read because I love reading books but I didn't so I'm definitely go back to sit and read at some point it was kind of loud in there only because it was a lot of people so I'll probably wouldn't come a day that they're not super busy on the inside so I have some silence but other than that it was very nice

    Nicholas M.

    The wait for this place is finally over...and the time to write this review is finally here! For context, I currently live in Buena Park/Uptown so I have been following the buzz around this place opening for the past 4-5 months now! As we're aware that there are more than plenty of awesome cafés that are operating in this neighborhood, I truly don't believe that there is one as special as Nabala, for more reasons than one. The interior has one of the most coziest set ups in any café I've been to in Chicago. Multiple long tables fit for large groups alongside some nice ez chairs to lounge about while sipping on some amazing drinks. This place is always packed so make sure you can come at a decent time to be able to enjoy your drink in-house and take in the incredible Palestinian-owned art plastered around the walls and the wonderfully curated playlists that are playing at all hours. Get the cardamom cold brew, get the cardamom latte, get the Turkish and the Arabic Coffee as well. Everything I've tried here has been spectacular and I will gladly spend my final dollar here to support this wonderful business and its employees. They're very active on IG so give their page a follow on updates on the store. They've been having game nights lately as well as watch parties in support of people attempting to be reprimanded by awful landlords (seriously). You won't regret your time at this café. Put the Starbucks away forever and have a seat at Nabala.

    Oat Chai

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Fantastic coffee and sweets!! I love supporting a good cause too. Can't recommend enough and will definitely be back.

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    1 year ago

    Amazing food and even better atmosphere! I love the chai latte. I can't wait to come back!!

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    2 years ago

    Good people! Good addition to the community. Free Palestine. Support them and enjoy the delicious coffee & food.

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    2 years ago

    Love this cafe! The chai latte was so flavorful and just what I needed. Highly recommend!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Some of the best coffee and pastries in the city. Very nice staff and reasonable price. Would def come back again?

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    2 years ago

    Lovely cafe. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. The coffee is nice and reasonably priced. This place is a neighborhood gem.

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    2 years ago

    An amazing place. Cozy and great tea and coffee. The Arabic coffee was on point. Support locals

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Got vandalized and they are staying positive. I love the owners. Amazing coffee and pastries too.

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    2 years ago

    amazing people! delicious chai! loved their community bookshelf and local art! definitely will be coming here more often

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    Elevate Coffee - Boystown - Creme bru-latter and matcha mango

    Elevate Coffee - Boystown

    4.5(134 reviews)
    1.7 miLakeview
    $$

    Love all the latte flavors. Had an iced Milano latte and it was delicious. Came out very quickly tooread more

    I absolutely love this place and the staff. It's wonderful. Great coffee. Specialty drinks are on…read morepoint. Always a friendly smile and welcoming banter. What I can't get over is the gentleman sitting every day for hours and hours with his dirty bare feet on chairs that customers sit in. You can see his grimy feet and the slippers he leaves on the floor. It's really gross because when I brought my friends for the first time, there were no tables available except for the one he always uses to put his dirty bare feet on. So we had to sit with his smelly feet as our "neighbor" just a couple feet away. If he's homeless, I have a lot of sympathy for him. But he obviously had sandals which he doesn't use when he puts his feet on chairs, and nobody should be putting bare feet on chairs that people sit on in a cafe anyways. If he's a regular, he should know to respect the cafe, the owners, staff, and patrons better. He also takes up that whole half of the long table by the front so that no customers can sit there. And nobody would want to use that chair he has used for his dirty feet anyways. Please inform him politely it's causing a distraction and is a health hazard. There needs to be some standards at cafes for sanitary reasons even if it's not crowded. It's just pretty gross.

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    Interior

    Nabala Cafe - cafes - Updated September 2026

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