I come here every time I'm in Chicago. I figure it's time to update the review. I'm sad they…read moredon't have the real cups anymore, it just elevated the experience. The line is long and constant on a Saturday morning but it moves fast. Pastry selection is larger now but still includes the delicious Old Fashions from doughnut vault. Please come and create your own adventure.

Drink: 3 Stars. The military latte was a bit too earthy and bitter for my liking. I really enjoy…read morematcha, so I was shocked by this. The drink - once mixed - was a lot better! Atmosphere: Super cool vibe. Nice backdrop. A good place to hang out or study (if you're into studying in a spot that has normal voice level talking).

Beautiful inside with a classy coffee shop vibe. No computers are allowed on the weekends. Honestly…read moreit was nice to see people catch up with each other without heads buried under laptops. Coffee was solid, tried their vanilla latte. They have their own selection of food but didn't get a chance to try this time.

I got a hot latte and a cheese guava danish. Both were pleasant and ready quickly. No qualms on the…read morefood and drink, but this is definitely a vibes/aesthetics cafe above all. Great photo opp. Nice place to sit and do work too. The only thing that made my experience unpleasant was that their light bulbs could use a change - a couple of them I was sitting by were flickering and it was quite distracting. Overall, I recommend visiting.

What a place. This is so much more than just a coffee house. Tons of options, great ambience, and…read moregenuinely kind people. We started with a mocha, a solid, well-balanced drink that wasn't overly sweet and was just perfect. We didn't plan on eating here, but the menu was way too tempting. We ordered the cinnamon roll, and wow. This was insanely good. Most cinnamon rolls in the U.S. feel like sugar-heavy, cinnamon-flavored buns, but this one was light, flavorful, and beautifully made. The irimshik on top really elevated it, subtle, warm, and just sweet enough. Easy 10/10. Next was the cottage cheese pancake, which was also very good. It had a generous amount of cottage cheese stuffed inside, and paired with the sweet irimshik dip, the dish came together really well. 9/10. We then tried the qattama. It was good. flaky, crispy, and reminded me of a paratha. It came with a sour irimshik dip. While each component was good, I felt the qattama would shine more with a gravy-based dish. 7/10. Finally, we ordered the Nan Salma pasta. It's a tarry-based white sauce pasta with a unique flavor profile, and it was genuinely yum. Definitely something different and worth trying. Highly recommend it. 8/10. You have space to sit down and work as well. Service was good too. Some of the dishes might take 7-10mins to get prepared. It's not like your daily coffee shop who have stuff ready to go Overall, a great spot with unique food and a welcoming vibe. Definitely coming back. 9/10

we tried the blueberry matcha. their matcha tastes high quality and they say it's ceremonial grade…read morewhich i believe. i think some places say theirs is ceremonial grade when it isn't. so we really enjoyed the quality of the matcha and it was the perfect amount of sweet from the blueberry. we also tried baursaq which is the fried dough bites. it tastes like a light donut ball. it's not heavy or greasy at all. they give you a dipping sauce which tasted like strawberry to me. overall a really clean and simple lay out for the shop. very minimal and upscale. it's not super busy and loud so it's a nice place to sit in and enjoy your drinks and maybe do some homework/remote work. i only gave it 4/5 just because the drinks were a little pricey but i think that's the norm now as well. hard to find drinks under 8$ these days.

Quality is top tier, workers are polite and help-full The…read moredrinks always taste wonderful And on time

Tried the mango matcha cream drink at Gathers Tea Bar and it was honestly a solid pick. Nothing…read moresuper over-the-top or crazy, but just really well done. The matcha had a nice smooth flavor without being too bitter, and the mango added a good amount of sweetness that balanced everything out. The cream on top tied it all together and gave it a nice texture. Overall, just a really solid drink I'd definitely get again if I'm in the area.

I was so impressed with how well done this Starbucks location is. I'm not a big coffee person, but…read moreI still got excited just looking at everything they have to offer here. Located on the Magnificent Mile, this spot can get quite busy. We ended up walking around a bit and waited until the line died down before going in, which worked perfectly. There is a wide variety to choose from--from gourmet coffee to premium bakery items and even cocktails. We decided to try the cocktail flight, which included an espresso martini, ube, and matcha margarita. We weren't expecting much and just wanted the experience, but we were completely surprised. The drinks were not only beautifully presented but also tasted incredible. My favorite was the matcha margarita--so well crafted and unique. We were short on time, so we only tried one flight before leaving, but it left a strong impression. We will definitely come back again for a full experience and more of these amazing signature drinks.

Whenever coming to a city with a Starbucks Reserve Roastery, I always make sure to visit to try out…read morethe various items on the menu. The menu is almost completely different than the usual Starbucks menu with different drinks, food items, and even alcohol. The Chicago location has four floors offering food and drink and a rooftop fifth floor which was unfortunately closed during my visit. The place is very large and gives off a somewhat sophisticated cafe aesthetic. Exclusive merchandise and coffee beans are also available for sale on the first floor. The lines are long but move fairly quickly. Of note, Starbucks stars can be earned but not redeemed here, however the birthday reward can be used for non-alcoholic purchases. I had the Double Matcha Margarita from the 4th Floor Arriviamo Cocktail Bar and the Matcha Butterfly Pea Swirl Cake and Tropical Coconut Mousse Cake from the 2nd Floor Starbucks Reserve Cafe. The Double Matcha Margarita had tequila, matcha, lime juice, agave nectar, and matcha cold foam. I was intrigued by the ingredient combination but unfortunately the drink didn't taste like much other than tequila with a hint of lime. Although the drink was evidently green and I saw the barista whisking the matcha, the matcha taste was lost in the mix. What also may have contributed to the lack of flavor was the huge singular ice cube taking up more than half of the volume of the cup; it most likely diluted the drink as it continued to melt. I would've asked for no ice if I knew the ice cube would be that large. For $18 this drink was a huge letdown despite its nice presentation. Since I'm a fan of matcha and butterfly pea tea, which is often rare to find on a menu, I knew I had to order the Matcha Butterfly Pea Swirl Cake. The matcha green tea cake was denser than I expected but it tasted very good; the matcha flavor was there and it wasn't too sweet. The vanilla butterfly pea flower ganache was executed well although I would've liked a little more butterfly pea tea flavor and perhaps color. Overall this was really good and worth the $11.50 paid. The Tropical Coconut Mousse Cake is described to have coconut almond sponge cake, mango gelée filling, coconut mousse, passion fruit gelée, white chocolate ganache, and lime zest. My favorite part of the cake was the coconut mousse and passion fruit gelée while the other components seemed to get lost in the mix. The passion fruit portion was not too sweet and overall this dessert was light and enjoyable. This was also $11.50 and I felt the price was justifiable, but if I had to choose one of the two desserts I would definitely choose the matcha swirl cake. Although I enjoyed my desserts, my matcha margarita did not live up to my expectations for a Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Also, the overall menu selection didn't impress me since I wasn't thrilled with the Savory Bites & Plates offerings. For this Chicago location, I would recommend coming after having a meal elsewhere to enjoy drinks and dessert afterward.

Cool place with beautiful outdoor seating like a proper cafe. The bagel was light and crispy. The…read morelatte was a nice with all the fancy art on top. Oh and the almond croissant was ok. I'd say a bit too much almond paste instead of having more of an almond flavor baked in, like the best ones I've had. Oh, so the birds can get pretty aggressive. They are totally coming after my food as I say outside. I asked for one of those birds shu fans and that made a huge difference. Otherwise I was swatting them the whole time. Glad they obliged. It did take a couple of requests.

SERVICE Photo-fun and easy to catch your eye while walking…read moreby. Server was fine. Located downtown so not a place I would go out of my way to get to. FOOD Ordered the lemon tart and boy was it waaaayyyyy too sweet for me. I too dislike coconut and believe it was part of the crust. At least that is what I thought I was tasting. That was on me I guess for not asking. I'm sure the other items are good, but it was not what I hoped for personally. WELL I guess I'd return, but not going out of my way.

Always been one of my coffees in the city. It's the perfect flavor. Small shop with big taste. I…read morejust wish they had more locations.

Didn't love this location. It felt fairly bare bones compared to other Intelligentsia locations…read moreI've been. Almost like it was part of a hotel lobby/ office building. The coffee was okay, but again not nice as other Intelligentsia locations.

I had a really good experience at 3 Arts. I wasn't able to get a reservation for Sunday brunch, so…read morewe made sure to arrive before opening. There was already a small line of guests with the same idea, but we were able to get on the waitlist. While waiting, we checked out the small coffee shop inside the gallery and browsed the furniture, which helped pass the time. Our wait was about an hour before being escorted to our table in the courtyard. Initially, we were placed at a low coffee table with couch seating. It's a cool lounge style setup, especially for drinks, but not ideal for a meal. It would have been pretty awkward trying to eat comfortably. We asked to be moved and were told that table preferences should be requested when joining the waitlist. Since it was my first time visiting, I wasn't aware of that, and it also wasn't asked by the hostess. Thankfully, they were able to accommodate us and moved us to a table in the wine cellar. The wine cellar had a completely different vibe, dark and moody, compared to the bright, airy courtyard with its beautiful glass ceiling and natural light. We ordered the lobster roll and the RH Burger, both with fries. The food came out fairly quickly and was well-presented. The lobster roll was served on a buttery brioche with just the right amount of seasoning, and the burger was juicy and flavorful. Overall, I had a great experience and would definitely visit again.

Went with friends for an evening dinner in a cool atmosphere. We were not to disappointed there…read more Was a beautiful rainy Chicago night. Unfortunately for us we were a table for 3 and despite having mad that reservation weeks in advance were placed in what was obviously just 2 two tops pushed together. And not in the main atrium area. Look it was still a beautiful atmosphere and our company made it a lovely evening. Why don't they have a liquor license here? Ok the food. The burrata salad, so nice and summer fresh. We also had the crispy artichokes meh. What saved my night was the chicken salad. The crispy bits...amazing all through the salad. So good. Let's talk dessert, the butterscotch crème brûlée so good. Coffee and a port wine.... Good, but where is the cheese board. This place would benefit from real liquor and a desert cheese board. I mean I must believe that RH has a cheese board on offer somewhere. Anyway, nice evening and decent food in a mostly lovely place.