I arrived a bit too early, 30 minutes before opening, and waited outside for them to open. Once they opened, I ordered, however the donut that I traveled so far for, specifically the Chai Leche Flan donut, was not ready. I was told it would be another 30 minutes or so. I traveled too far to just say, forget it, who knows when I will be in Chicago again?! I waited! As time passed, and it still wasn't ready, but I was still willing to wait. I know it's crazy to wait so long for a donut, but I had all the time in the world. Also, I don't like donuts in general, but this donut in particular, I just had to give a try. Well, guess what!? IT WAS WORTH IT. IT BLEW MY MIND. This is a rare occassion where IG did not fail me. The crunch from the candied coating, the fluffiness of the sponge dough. The chai filling, not too sweet, yet still a treat---- omg. The donut is $6.50 each, but remember it's a specialty donut, one of a kind, large in size with a generous serving of filling! I ate half and saved half for later. 5/5 donut! PERFECTION! Wait, my story doesn't end here. I also ordered the iced Chai latte, unsweetened and for an unsweetened drink, it was so good. I'd give it a 4.5/5. Note: You have the option to sweeten it. I chose to wait, willingly. And the bakers and staff rewarded my patience with an extra donut and an ube cookie. My trip to Chicago has been amazing. I've been treated with the best hospitality everywhere I've been. Every day, someone's kindness melted my heart. I wanted to say goodbye but they were busy. So instead of goodbye, thank you!!! If I ever come to Chicago again, this donut is a must! read more

Sarima Cafe - Unsweetened iced chai latte and an ube cookie - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Overall, highly recommend! If you want more details, read more below. If you don't want to read more, then know Sarima is great, and you should just make it a priority to go. This is one of those unique places that you have to try. It's an Indian and Filipino fusion breakfast place. Luckily, it wasn't crowded when I went yesterday morning. I had the pleasure of meeting the head chef, Paula (I'm not sure if I spelled her name correctly), and she was super delightful. She walked me through their pastries and the entire menu, without ever being annoyed. I appreciated that because I always have questions. They have two seasonal pastries: a mango one and a guava one. Both were spectacular. And they were still flakey at the end of the day. I ordered the mango lassi matcha. It comes with ice. Normally, I don't like ice in my iced drinks because I don't like how the ice waters down my drink. However, the ice had no effect on the taste and flavor of this drink. I was thoroughly impressed. I think it's because of how thick the mango lassi is, but I don't care. I loved it. Paula shared that the mango lassi matcha is their sweetest drink. While it may be their sweetest, I didn't find it to be overly sweet. All that to say, I recommend non-sweet drinkers to try it because I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Lastly, I ordered the Dosa. I loved it. I loved the potatoes inside. I'm definitely going back. I'm going to see if I can go again today! read more

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We stopped in at Sarima Cafe last week, the coffee was great. The staff was super friendly and helpful The ambiance was great but seating was somewhat limited for the amount of clients but manageable read more

Sarima Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The butter croissant was the star of this show! Make sure you get it warmed up. The other pastry's were fresh and flavorful. The sando is packed with flavor! No notes. Restaurant was clean and staff was kind and fast. read more

Sarima Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Finally tried out Sarima after being on our list for so long. The gulab jamun tiramisu and the oatmeal blackberry cookie was incredible without being too sweet. Same with the ube latte, made well and balanced with the coffee to milk to ube flavor ratio. My husband got the breakfast sando and he said it was solid as well. Hope to be back soon! read more

Sarima Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Their breakfast sandwich is my favorite in the city. The crispy hash brown paired with tangy pickled onions is so elite. Also highly recommend trying the Cardamom Carmel latte! Everything I have tried here has been incredible. read more

Delicious cafe that combines flavors of India and Filipino cuisines. I got a cardomom maple latte, which was delicious and is not overpowering on the cardamom. I got the regular Kati roll, which had bacon. I was expecting it to be a little bit bigger, but it was delicious and buttery. I do wish I had more flavor soft with additional items as it felt like a glorified bacon and egg wrap from a fast food place. It came with a red sauce that was the cherry on top to the roll because it added so much flavor and spice. Without the sauce, it is kind of plain. What I liked about this Kati roll is that it does not feel super greasy and make you very full. It was something that can hold you over if you are going to go grab a bigger dinner later, which was exactly what we were doing. We had stopped by around 1 PM to satisfy our hunger a bit before having dinner around 5:30 PM. My friend had gotten the breakfast Sando sandwich, which they are known for, and the hash brown was super crispy and she enjoyed the sandwich. We both agreed that the sauce was the best part. You order at the counter and they call your number so it is self serve. It did take a little bit of time to get our order even though it was later part of the lunch rush. Since we didn't want to fill up on too much food for dinner, we didn't try a lot of the bakery items. However, I hear their cookies and bakery items are amazing. It looks like they have some stuffed cookies, but you do have to get there a bit early to have a best Chance at the selection. When we got there, there was not that much left so we knew we wanted to come back to try something from the bakery items. Overall, a cute café to stop by and try if you are in the Wicker Park area. They also share the space with a burger place called SALT so it offers a variety of food and one place if you are coming with a group of friends. It's very spacious inside and has plenty of seating. read more

Sarima Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

12/28/25 - Sarima Cafe is located @ 1924 North Ave where Papa Beards use to be. Sarima is an Indian- Filipino bakery & I ordered the Breakfast Sando which is a knockoff of several other Filipino restaurants breakfast (all good)! This sandwich very good w/potato bun, egg, crispy hash brown, CHICKEN BACON TOCINO (a healthier option), w/garlic aioli. This was very good. I also tried a large croissant filled w/an Ube cream. I was a little disappointed in this. It just seemed like Ube colored whipped cream. (I didn't taste the Ube). They have a nice selections of pastries & signature lattes & sandwiches. read more

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Specialty drinks and baked goods were probably a little too sweet for our taste - and we love pastries, by the way. That said, I'd highly recommend the Ube cookie. That one was the standout for us. read more

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Sarima is a really interesting concept-- Indian and Filipino. As an indian person it was so exciting to see fresh takes on some classics. I highly recommend the iced latte with gulab jamun cold foam-- that is probably the most unique drink I've ever had and not only was it delicious, it was nostalgic. The breakfast sandwich is good but the wrap is so much better and full of really great flavors. I went when they opened and was a little sad to see they had not finished making the pastries yet because I would have loved to try one-- but just a reason to go back! read more

Came here on Black Friday morning with my daughter and there was no line! Had been meaning to try this place ever since it topped numerous bakery lists. Everything was delicious -- I tried the ube Oreo cookie first then the chocolate croissant -- both good but no comparison to how good the cinnamon roll was. I got the iced lilac latte (ube) which was so good and my husband got the hot sweet potato latte (stole a sip and that was also quite delicious). This spot is on the other side of town from us so I would come back if I were in the area. read more

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Came here with a friend to try! Ordered a dirty chai latte, servers were nice but it was definitely slower. Connected to Salt burgers and fries. Chai latte was not very spicy or flavorful to me, i would go back and try a pastry which looked very good! read more

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Tried this spot for brunch with my wife and had a great experience. We ordered the breakfast sando, choco milk latte, cardamom caramel latte, calamansi cream sandwich, and chai pudding. There was no wait, and the food came out pretty quickly. After ordering, you can grab a table, and they call out your order number when everything's ready. The cardamom caramel latte was excellent--really flavorful and well balanced. The choco latte, on the other hand, was mild and tasted similar to a regular latte, so it didn't stand out as much. The breakfast sando was very well done, and they offer a hot sauce you can grab near the utensils, which was a nice touch. The chai pudding was simple, delicious, and definitely something I'd recommend trying. The calamansi croissant sandwich had a subtle flavor but was nicely made and worth ordering, especially if you're interested in their unique Indian-Filipino fusion dishes. Service was quick and ambience was pleasant. read more

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I finally made it over to Sarima. It was a little after lunch so the selection was dwindling down. I was able to snag a ube cookie, a kougin aman and a thic sando. I really enjoyed my ube cookie. The thic sando was just okay and I didn't really taste tocino. I would much rather prefer the other "like" sandwhiches in the city. My Filipino palate was really craving more of the authenticity. Service was pretty quick with the sando cooked to order. I definitely would come back for the cookies, but would be cautious and read up on reviews for everything else. read more

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Their drinks are cleverly good, with interesting flavor combinations. Their thicc sandwich with the sausage,egg, cheese and hash brown was salty for my taste, and the egg was a bit rubbery. Their ube cookie was good. read more

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Ok this place has the cutest vibes! Was strolling in Wicker Park, and saw such cute decor. I see pink and I automatically want to go in!!! This is a new cafe, so they're still trying to figure out operations. They had one cashier and one barista, and the line was a bit slower. This is also a shared space with SALT, which serves nice smash burgers. This is an Indian-Filipino fusion place, and I LOVE fusion, so I was quite excited to try it. We got the kaaju latte, which is made with cashew milk, chai spice, whipped espresso, and dates. The cashew milk was quite forward, but the chai spice and dates seemed to be an after thought. The drink was also a bit sour, but definitely kudos for unique flavors! I did hear their breakfast sando is insanely good, so will have to try next time! read more

Sarima Cafe - Kaaju latte - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This has been going VIRAL so I had to check it out. I attempted to go the weekend of Lollapalooza and the line was 1.5 hours long so decided to skip. I ended up going back later on a weekday morning as a was able to walk right in (highly recommend going during the weekdays if you can, to avoid any lines). I feel like fusion places are either a hit or miss, and to be honest this one was nothing special. I got a chai, breakfast sandwich, and a one crinkle cookie. Everything was kinda pricey (but to be expected for a spot in Wicker). Nothing was spectacular; the best thing I had was the sandwich, but even then I feel like there are better out there in the city. read more

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I'm between a 3 and a 4 star. Sarima Cafe definitely seems overhyped from TikTok. I got the chai donut and it was really good. I also had ordered the breakfast sandwich and it wasn't that great, but I think it just didn't really have a ton of unique flavors. The Coconut Ube latte was pretty good. It was on the sweeter side. There is no decaf espresso option though. It was so noisy in the cafe. It was so hard to hear anything between the music and talking. read more

Sarima Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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If it serves anything Ube - I'm there! That's what landed me at Sarima Cafe on a sunny Saturday with my girlfriends. I ordered the Lilac Latte, a Food of the Gods bar, an Ube Cookie and a Pandan Cookie. Frankly speaking, other than the "Food of the Gods" bar, which is a soft, chewy bar featuring mostly banana, that is simply delicious and melt in your mouth. The other two cookies were massive but unremarkable. The HIGHLIGHT, however, was that Ube Latte. I got it at 50% sweetness which was perfect for me!!! I enjoyed this drink SO SO SO MUCH, I actually dream about it! Cant wait to go back and get some! read more

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The donuts were fresh and very tasty. The latter was good and refreshing but the he wasn't on the sweeter side which is what I'm used to. read more

Sarima Cafe - Ube affogato cheese donut - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Worth the hype! We got the Kajju Lattee and Ube Latte for drinks. The Kajju Latte is honestly nothing like I've tasted before; I love that they opted to use Cashew Milk because it really brought out the nutty flavor. The Ube latte is so deliciouly Ube and espressio beatifully mixed together that it has to be one of my favorite lattes I've tried this summer. The breakfast sandwhich is on my top 5 favorite breastfeast sammies for sure. The hashbrowns are so crispy. The suace is so yummy. The patty is chicken and it's so flavorful. The bread is so soft and delicious. The pastries: SO. GOOD. My favorite has to be the chai donut and ube cookie. The chao donut has this crunchy top like a creme brule and the filling is delicious. the ube cookie has a cream cheese filling and ughhhh just so so good. The space is shared with Salt so there's a lot of seating inside. The service is fairly fast. The lines get so big in the morning that it's hard to have an efficient way to have people line up inside. It seems like they're working out some kinks still, but once you get a bite of the pastries, it's all worth it! read more

Sarima Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

They are trying to capitalise on the interest in Indian food but have failed. The donuts are really mid. Don't waste the calories. Go to Stans instead. It's definitely not worth $6.66 for a donut. What a disappointment. read more

Sarima Cafe - $6.66 donut. - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Love the branding and the fusion of Filipino-Indian flavors but overall I thought things were just ok (do not listen to the Chicago influencers telling you to run not walk). I'd recommend their breakfast sandwich- super flavorful and love the texture with the hash browns. My friend and I tried their signature lattes, one with Ube and one with dates and the flavor is there but the coffee isn't so if you don't like coffee, you'd like these. Baked goods were meh. The calamansi donut tasted more like a light lemon flavor but the donut texture was good. We got there at 8:45 on Saturday morning and were the first people in line- you would honestly be fine getting there when they open. The line moves fast and service is great. read more

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Is this place worth the hype? Short answer: yes! The food was flavorful, so unique, and pretty efficient considering the lines. The best item we ordered was the breakfast Sando. It had amazing textural variety with the crispy hashbrown, fluffy bun, and juicy egg and tocino. There was a perfect amount of delicious sauce: the sweet and sour garlic achar aioli! Seriously the sauce was so flavorful and made the breakfast Sando extra special. Highly recommend ordering this if you're having trouble choosing among all the yummy looking items on the menu! I was really excited about the breakfast dosa because it's harder to find dosa around the city. While it had some good flavor, I'm not sure how to describe it but I wished it was more savory. My main feedback for the dosa was the texture. Because it's served in a wrapper (like most savory breakfast items at a cafe), the freshly made dosa quickly lost its crispiness and became soft, even when I opened it up and ate it immediately after it came out. The crispy texture is one of the best parts of a dosa so I wonder if they changed the packaging it could preserve the crisp. The second part about texture was the crispy lentils (I think they were lentils). I love the idea behind adding them in the roll of the dosa but the execution was not quite there. The fried lentils were very hard so it was jarring when biting into it as it really contrasted the soft dosa. For sweets, I highly recommend the donuts!! I forgot the name of the 2 we ordered but WOW they were perfectly fluffy, had amazing cream on the inside, and was not too sweet. The flavors were great. This will be my new go to spot for donuts. The kaaju latte was good. Subtle in flavor but with a unique taste that I enjoyed. Good for someone looking for something different but not too bold. This was such a great breakfast spot! I recommend coming early or expect to wait in line. We came on a Wednesday morning around 15 minutes after they opened and there was already a line out the door. It might be because it opened not too long ago but I can only imagine the line on weekends! Inside there are several tables but given the line spots are limited. read more

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I passed this place before it opened, and I was immediately looking forward to my future visit. Once the initial hype calmed down, it was much easier to visit and give them a try without having to wait in a line out the door. The Kaaju and Lilac Lattes were great ($7 each). The Breakfast Dosa ($12.95) was a great savory [vegetarian] option. I loved everything we tried at our first visit: Ube Crinkle Cookie ($5), Pumpkin Bibingka ($6), and the Ensayamada Donut ($6). read more

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One of the more popular new cafe openings of 2025. I think that it's good but there's better breakfast sandwich spots out there. We also tried their Ube crinkle cookie which was again good but Chicago is absolutely flooded with amazing Fil-Am bakeries so nothing to write home about. It was very busy with a steady line when we went on a Saturday and I found there wasn't much seating inside but it is also connected to SALT burger with additional seating. read more

Sarima Cafe - Ube crinkle cookie - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The breakfast sandwich easily made it into my top 5 in Chicago. Has a lot going on, but the ratios and flavor combos are perfect. It looked a bit small at first but was nice and filling in reality. I must come back to try pastries and coffee drinks, and hope they have their donuts. They seemed sold out of all donuts around lunch time. Also fyi they share a space with a burger shop which makes it feel less like a cafe environment. Staff were nice and no nonsense, which Chicagoans can appreciate. Sandwich took about 10 mins to make and is so worth it!! read more

Sarima Cafe - Breakfast sandwich - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This was just okay and is way overhyped. The ube cookie tasted like a sugar cookie which was fine but didn't taste anything like ube. Same with the ube roll. Masala chai was so over powering I couldn't even drink it. Spice was way too heavy. Coconut ube late was similar to cookie - tasted fine but didn't really taste like ube or coconut, just overly sweet. Was also pretty expensive. read more

Sarima Cafe - Ube cookie and ube roll - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Really yummy stuff. Got matcha and some baked goods. They had gulab jamun tiramisu and that might be my new favorite dessert. Friendly staff and clean well lit dining room read more

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Another weekend calls for another novel exploration. As most of us seek for new openings to feed both our cameras and stomaches, I came across Sarima and was drawn to their colorful display of pastries and cookies. On a Saturday morning, the line was reasonable as most of us ask the same questions of the cashier: what are all these beautiful treats on display? Despite being asked repeatedly as one can imagine, the cashier was very welcoming and friendly. I end up going with the Sando and Kaju cookie. The "thicc sando" is a savory stack of spongy egg, hash brown, lightly cooked tocino patty, sweet and sour garlic aoli on a soft potato bun. Sweet, sour, and umami! This meal was indulgence to say the least. Overall, Sarima offers quite a numbero f delectables to choose from, so bring your group of friends and try them all out together! read more

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I loved this fusion cafe of filipino and indian cuisine! The dosa was okay, but the lattes and bakery items were delicious. The ube crinkle cookie and ube latte were my favorites and the service is quick and friendly. Great ambiance, not a ton of seating but easy to take to go! read more

Sarima Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

What a cool and unique menu! Loved everything we tried! We had the ras malai donut, ube roll and sandos -- all super delicious! read more

I had very high expectations from the raving reviews on TikTok but tbh idk if I'd go back again. I do love all of their pastry options but their brekkie sando was alright. It wasn't as flavorful as I hoped it to be, and the buns were so cold lol. read more

Sarima Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Sarima Cafe offers handcrafted Filipino and Indian fusion eats, creations from Chefs Mohajir and Cruz. REAL TALK: I absolutely loved their little people/animal figures - totally obsessed with them! We decided to try a few of their sweet and savory pastries, along with their signature lattes: +a Breakfast Dosa - with soft scrambled eggs, sweet potato mushrooms, malagapodi, and sambar; make sure you add their chicken bacon tocino! +the Breakfast Sando - eggs, hash browns, chicken bacon tocino, and topped with a sweet and sour garlic achar aioli, nestled between a potato bun +an Ube Crinkle Cookie +a Calamansi Shrikhand donut +a Food for the Gods bar +a Kaaju Latte - prepared with cashew milk, dates, chai spice, and whipped espresso +and, the Ube Affagato - with ube ice cream and espresso The place is clean and had some seating inside; staff and service were both friendly! Note to get there early, as items do sell out, quickly; lines are long, but it does move along well with the efficiency from the staff. Metered street parking can be found in the area. +get there early - items sell out fast! +Filipino & Indian fusion eats +friendly service +metered street parking available read more

The line wasn't too bad and moves quickly. We got -3 sandos the best item here for savory! So flavorful and each bite hit the spot. -2 dosas Pastries: -Ensaymado -Ube cheesecake cookie -Food For The Gods Drinks: -The Lilac Latte: so smooth and delicious loved it -Kaaju Latte: doesn't taste like kaaju but a very good latte. Tastes like brown sugar -Dirty Chi: classic and good read more

Sarima Cafe is okay for a quick stop -- the coffee is fine and the sweet items are decent, but the breakfast options aren't great. Ambiance is casual and service is fine, but overall it feels like a one-time visit. 3/5. read more

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Super cute concept and diverse menu options! I thought the pasties were just ok flavor-wise and wish my pandan bun had more cream inside read more

Sarima Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I went on a weekday to avoid crowds. Area is very clean and minimal, plenty of sitting area. Cute decor. Kaju latte was perfect, good amount of sweetness and subtle cashew taste. The dosa was just OK, dosa itself was made very well. Dosa filling was generous which I am happy about however it was lacking in flavors. The dosa filling was pumpkin and mushrooms but lacking in salt, and spice. I tried food for the gods pastry, soooo good and unique take on a blondie. Ube crinkle was soft and with cream cheese inside which was a nice surprise. Turon Cookie was nice balance of banana and butterscotch. Chai donut was on point, perfect flavor of chai in the crème and nice soft donut. read more

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Had to try this place! Service was fairly quick. We got the Turon Cookie, Kaju Cookie, Pandan Oatmeal Cookie, Ube Cheesecake Crinkle, Thicc Sando, Pandan Donut, Calamansi Shrikhand Donut, and Chai Leche Flan Donut. Highly recommend the Thicc Sando, Ube Cheesecake Crinkle, and Chai Leche Flan Donut, also love the wall! Such a cute place and located where beard papa used to be. read more

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Definitely a popular concept right now due to the heavy promotion from online influencers. I only ordered the pastries, so I can't speak for the savory dishes but the pastries aren't worth waiting in line. The inside space is fairly small and the line isn't well managed or organized which made the whole experience feel cramped and rushed. I didn't think the donuts were that good which was a bummer because I was the most excited to try them. They were overly sweet for me and the excess sweetness overpowered the other favors. However, I have to give props to the cookies. These were the best cookies of my life, especially the ube cookie. read more