I joined my brother when he walked his kid to school the other week - please respect our privacy - and we stopped by Necessary on the way back. Come to find out they've been going here for awhile since it's really close to his old apartment as well. He's a homeowner now in an adjacent neighborhood - please respect his privacy - and he still enjoys stopping by on the way back from Scott's Tots. The coffee was great - as were the empanadas! Typically I do not love savory breakfast but when it comes to empanadas Ima dog it down every time no complaints. We got: -meat empanada (me) -ham and cheese morning bun (my brother's fave) And for to drink: -Chicago fog -Lake Shore Chaga It was delicious - perfect complement to the crisp Chicago air. Excellent service as well! Truthfully, what really warmed me to this place is that my brother's dog Wibby used to love coming to get pets and a pup cup from the window. She's been gone about 4 months now so it's always special to see little reminders of her around the neighborhood. Xoxoxo read more

See all

I love their coffee window that you can walk right up to and order while you're passing by. Their coffee was great but they didn't have almond milk as a substitute for milk and it is a bit pricey. I saw they had some fun flavors like a s'mores latte that I'd love to try next. Their staff was great and made my coffee quickly. The outside of the coffee window was decorated with plants and looked super cute! Loved stopping by for coffee here! read more

I've lived a block away from this place for the past two years, and it's so dangerous for my budget. There is not a single menu item I dislike, and I love that they're always introducing new seasonal drinks. Also, the staff are all super kind! read more

Necessary & Sufficient - Seasonal Blue Earth Matcha - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The service is always lovely and the coffee & matcha here is top tier! It's on a cute little corner (:

Walk up window means I can stop by when I'm on dog walks. More places should copy this. They have a seasonal menu, I love variety. I believe I've had the cafe mocha a number of times, it's a good decision. A neighborhood staple, it's popular. Great impression from the staff too. read more

Necessary & Sufficient - Dog friendly walk up coffee shop with a good resting spot out front. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Way too pricey to come here regularly. An iced matcha latte was $8.21. Also, their food is pretty average. I like the outdoor seating they have in the side street, and I'm a fan of small neighborhood coffee shops, but the prices make it hard to want to come here regularly. read more

Stumble upon this take out coffee stop while on the way to sugar moon. We got a flat white and a coffee tonic. Both were decent and rich in coffee flavor. They don't have anything too fancy but just perfect for what you need for coffee addicts! The service was friendly, quick. If I was in the area again I'd love to come back to try other coffee selection! read more

A wonderful warm and welcoming neighborhood spot. A great part of the community in Chicago! A must try coffee spot.

this was one of the worst drinks ive had. it was a specialty latte (smoking gun i believe..?) and it did not even fill half the cup ..... i wish the person at the register at least warned me? it is not what one expects when they order a latte. there was barely any milk. and it tasted below average. and the kicker. forced gratuity. just up your prices and pay your employees more. this whole store is a giant thumbs down. im giving it 2 stars for the cleanliness and overall atmosphere of the cafe. read more

Bring the lemonade back year round!! The pastries are great, service was even better :)

I'm pissed they have a $1.00 mandatory gratuity on these already overpriced drinks! Wtf is that?! And the drinks are fine but not $10 for an oat milk latte good. And the thing is MAYBE I wouldn't be so mad if they said something but they never told customers there were adding this gratuity, they just put it there on some sneaky shit. read more

Basic looking yet also convenient window service coffee. It's one of the many places to get coffee around Logan Square. Necessary & Sufficient is only to go though. Even though it's a tiny place it has big taste and is friendly. There's more than just coffee, as there's muffins and pastries. Coffee is the main thing of course. It's about $5 for a latte. They have only one choice of non dairy milk, which is oat. Has more than coffee. There's also a few vegan seasonal muffins. It's $5 each. There's usually only one flavor they have at a time. Because it has limited space it's expected there's a limited menu. There's also pretty limited seating. On the side is a couple benches. There's also a few rocks. It seems the rocks are more comfortable. This makes it more of a place to get something and go than stick around it seems. Good stuff as far as coffee. It also has pretty good muffins. The prices are pretty high for some of the fancier stuff but it's to be expected for this kind of small place though. read more

Necessary & Sufficient - Latte And Muffin - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It's a cute little coffee window on the northwest corner of Monticello and Wrightwood in Logan. I'm sure it's a great convenience if you live in the neighborhood; I don't, so I just stopped here whilst driving through. Their stuff is... expensive. $9 for a 16 ounce "chai-der"? Yikes. I went for the small one and the 11 ounce version still cost me almost six and half bucks. Unfortunately, to cap it all off, the drink wasn't good. I've had similar drinks that was a blend of chai and apple cider and liked them, but this was... I don't know how to explain it, exactly. A bit bitter? The shop doesn't seem to have an interior for customers--maybe I am wrong about that, but if customers can go inside it's very small. There's an order window and pickup window outside which is just easier anyway. Don't know if they take cash payment, since I used ApplePay. Unfortunately, given the cost and my overall experience, I probably won't return. read more

See all

My matcha, which somehow cost $11 with tip, was completely flavorless. The 1 star is for the free dog treat my chocolate lab enjoyed. Edit: did not realize they have an automatic $1 tip like one of the other reviewers here noted. Booo! read more

Stumbled into this cute little corner coffee shop while on my way to Sugar Moon Bakery. In my opinion this coffee shop is expensive compared to the size of coffee that you get. Nearly $10 for a medium. Service was good even on a busy Saturday morning. I ordered the Ube latte and it left much to be desired. read more

Your cute and friendly neighborhood coffee service window. located at a quiet corner. We definitely could feel and like the lovely vibes although we are not from the area. The latte was smooth and served warm and fast. The coffee tonic was based on rose tonic which is pretty unique. The espresso taste got diluted by the strong rose flavor so could be a hit or miss for someone else. I like the rose taste so I enjoyed it. read more

Necessary & Sufficient - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The walk up coffee takeaway window idea works great in good weather. Being patio season, I decided to make the trek to Logan Sq. The seasonal ube iced latte was creamy, earthy and just sweet enough (I asked for 1/2 the pump of ube syrup). There is a cute wooden patio in between the coffee joint and Sugar Moon bakery. I can't see myself coming here in cold weather but it was a nice treat on a balmy Chicago morning and my creamy iced latte hit the spot! read more

Necessary & Sufficient - Cute outdoor patio - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

This is one of my favorite coffee shops in Logan Square. The shop is located on a relatively quiet residential street and is a short walk from the current Mayor of Chicago's house (you'll know which one by the police detail outside). They currently only offer walkup window access and a few seats outside in the summer time. I'm normally on the go a lot, so this works for me. They have a great seasonal coffee and non-coffee menu. The baked goods are also tasty as well. The staff at Necessary and Sufficient coffee have always been so kind and generous. Great coffee shop find if you are in the area. read more

Logan Square has become one of Chicago's "sweet spot" neighborhoods. Cafes like Necessary & Sufficient are why. This spot is a block away from where I live and I frequent it quite a bit since we went into pandemic mode. The coffee is consistently of high quality. That says two things: quality beans and the coffee machine isn't dirty. I give high marks for the service. Since I go so often and I order using the Joe app on my cellphone, those at the window know me by my middle name when I approach for pickup. It makes a world of difference when you frequent a business and the individuals working [there] remember your name. This cafe is not in what I would consider a high traffic area, but I'm glad they are within walking distance, nevertheless. As long as they're cranking out quality and continue to have top service, they will get my patronage. read more

Afternoon pick-me-up at. Order from their special menu at the window. A teensy bit out of the way-- but I guess I just ish they were at a window near me! Will definitely be back to try their other seasonal drinks! Pictured: Seasonal Con Panna (espresso with a yuzu lavender cream) read more

Necessary & Sufficient - Seasonal Con Pana - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Another superb coffee shop in Chicago! It took me at least 10 minutes to decide on what to order (that's just for drinks). I wish I could have tried everything but this was our last stop before the airport! The Iced Wallflower Oat Milk Latte - Orange flower & rose make this quietly floral drink sing. This was PHENOMENAL. Mushroom, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Sandwich. The brioche bun was so buttery and soft. I can never turn down mushrooms. You can't go in, just order at the window and grab when it's ready. Prices were reasonable. Service was excellent. read more

See all

the short of it is that i sure hope they pay their baristas well, because otherwise i have no idea why on earth you'd pay this much. i think this might be the single most expensive coffee shop i've ever been to in chicago, and i'm one to trawl fancy artisanal coffee roaster type places. i'm used to paying more if it means better coffee! the kicker? it's just ok. i got a specialty latte (since, from photos, i wasn't confident i'd get a good cortado if i ordered one) and a bagel. they were good, but not enough for the price. there's no indoor space (not a bad thing in and of itself, but surely they save on overhead by only being a pick-up window?), the baristas weren't particularly nice or particularly fast, and both the one taking orders and the one calling orders spoke really quietly and generally seemed like they didn't want to be there. just a weird vibe all around. there's many an excellent cafe in the area, and i don't even live in the neighborhood so i don't know all of them. i just can't see a reason to come back here when there's so many other options. read more

Their iced cardamom chai actually tastes like INDIAN CHAI! I really felt like I was drinking an iced version of my mom's chai. Super excited to try their other menu items! The walk-up is also so cute! Also down the street is a cute bakery and a boutique plant store! read more

They added a mandatory gratuity to my order. With how expensive their menu already is, it felt very unreasonable and I won't be back. It was 10.75 for a regular latte with caramel syrup added. I asked the cashier why my total was so high when regular lattes are listed as 5.60 on the menu, and was told that a mandatory gratuity was added. I had already paid by card by the time I realized this and felt like it was too late to stop it, but I would've just gone somewhere else if I knew I'd be paying double the price of a normal coffee for the same level of quality. read more

Great place to grab some very delicious coffee to go. Stopped by after grabbing some baked goods at Sugar Moon and really loved their iced coffee. read more

Adorable coffee shop walk up window. They offer a full coffee and drink menu along with takeaway food. I had a cold brew and quiche. The cold brew was great, very smooth and not too acidic. The quiche was delicious. A little on the small side but cheaper than most quiches so it aligns with the size. Will definitely be back! read more

I wish I had found this gem sooner! Such a wonderful little spot, with very friendly service and food that knocks me off my feet! This is certainly going to be my new go-to cafe! read more

my first time inquring about having an popup here and the online response came off rude in addition, as an artist . as an artist did like the way kate vrijmoet addressing me in the email in addition, dicrediting my wiork. my first time inquiring and no longer intrested . read more

Prices were a little high even for Chicago and iced latte was a little watery both times I got it, but I should've asked for more flavor the second time I got one. Service was really great and quick though! Employees were very nice each time and I love the little outdoor seating they have right there on the corner! read more

The coffee shop, Necessary and Sufficient has got to be one of the most disappointing coffee shops in Logan Square. It's no surprise considering the owner's attitude matches the negative vibe. The prices are ridiculous, especially for a simple breakfast sandwich that they can't even execute (see photo below). What makes it even worse is the owner's dismissive response to honest feedback on Google reviews. Getting a sarcastic and rude response over a failure of quality food and service on their end is not the move for a successful business owner. Then again, go read the 1 star reviews and see it for yourself. Fortunately, there is a better option nearby with Sugar Moon Bakery. Save your money and support a business that values their customers. It's time for Necessary and Sufficient to do better. P.S.- you should be wearing gloves when you are making food for customers. read more

Necessary & Sufficient - This is their overpriced breakfast "sandwich." it took 15 minutes to get and was missing an egg. Sad excuse for a breakfast sandwich. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A true neighborhood gem! Walk up to the window and expect a delicious sandwich, pastry or beverage! This is a women owned establishment and it's everything I love about Chicago hidden gems read more

Necessary & Sufficient - a hand holding a coffee cup with a cookie on it - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love their cortados and all the beverage varieties on their menu! The fact that they also sell Gurnee Donuts is a plus! Staff is lovely too. read more

Necessary & Sufficient - Cortados - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great little shop close to home. I watched as the location was transformed from unused storefront to a quaint coffee shop and on a very cold Halloween night, my family and I walked in and enjoyed some very warming hot chocolate. We were greeted by very friendly faces and some a generous amount of hot and cold drink options. Pastries are locally made from a shop in Pilsen from what I was told and they are pretty good. They are seasonal so do be afraid to ask about them when you see them on display. The only item for me would be more space, you guys need more space for all the customers you'll have. read more

Necessary & Sufficient - Cappuccino with style. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is one of my favorite coffee shops in the area. I don't live super close so I make it a lunch time trip. One of my favorite parts of this place is that they don't just serve coffee - they sometimes have interesting soda combinations available or even iced teas. I will say it's not the cheapest place. $5 for an iced coffee is steep. So I don't come here on the regular. But it's a nice treat for when I'm out on a walk. Sometimes if I'm lucky they have some pastries, like their homemade pop-tarts, left by the time I arrive. It's a walk up window so no seating. You can pay with card or you can order ahead using the Joe coffee app (which is what I usually do). read more

Super cute little coffee shop with window service and darn good coffee. Their banana bread wins a high score for the moistness factor. My ice coffee had a lovely flavor, perfect for a warm fall day. Due to COVID, as with most window pick ups, sanitary protocols are followed. Everyone is very serious and that translates a bit as "chilly" or tense but I believe it's just all about business. Don't expect a warm welcome, get your coffee and enjoy. Treats were not available my second stop. Apparently they are delivered later in the AM. I arrived at opening. read more

The coffee here is great, but it's the most expensive cup of plain coffee I've had...$4.35 for 16oz. They're also "card only" due to the corona virus, but I think that's just so they can ask if you want to leave a tip. It's impossible to say no without feeling guilty if someone asks you to your face. Dunkin and Starbucks take cash, just saying. The barista who usually works there never remembers my order either..a 16 oz coffee with cream. I've been there at least a dozen times while he's been working so I feel like he could at least remember my simple order if I'm expected to tip on their overpriced coffee to go. Overall, this coffee shop is fine if you walk past it and are hankering for a cup. But I wouldn't make it a habit unless you want to take a second mortgage out on your house. read more

Covid-19 Review _____________________________________ Necessary & Sufficient is the best small cafe in our neighborhood. It's adorable (and I can't wait to visit when I can sit inside). It has a convenient walk-up window for takeaway if you're not in the mood to eat inside (or you know, for pandemics). We love the chai tea latte and the Cafe con Leche; both are delicious! I'd recommend the chai tea latte, iced. We tried to order teh breakfast empanada, a but they dind't have any; it turned out to be ok because they have the best breakfast sandwich The ham and cheese sandwich is delicious and worth the trip alone. The bread is a mixture of brioche and torta bread. It has the perfect ratio of cheese and ham all within a bite of the delicious truffle mayo (I think it's truffle, whatever it is, it's addicting). Pro tip: if you visit during the COVID closing, don't be a jerk. Stay 6 feet away from others. They have a small menu up against the window but if you go online to their website you can see the menu of available items you don't need to be in other's space. Also, look down, they have small markers on the pavement to make a line. Stand on one of them. read more

Went for the first time today. Ordering through the Joe coffee app was really easy and our order was ready when we arrived. The iced lavender latte was fantastic. Ordered the large with an extra shot. Will be back read more

Literally did a double take to discover a coffee shop where the old Paul Davis pharmacy used to be. Coffee!!! For me? Yes please! Such a brilliant idea! This area of Logan has been lacking sufficient coffee access but not anymore! Winter will be more tolerable with this place around! & did I mention they have Quiche?! ;p read more

Necessary & Sufficient - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Coffee menu looks enticing, specialty drinks galore, but just be sure to know you'll pay a pretty penny and for that cost you'll not be able to sit down and appreciate the concoction. This place is a walk-up window only! read more