Coffee
Chicago-born roasters and the independent cafés worth going out of your way for.
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Milli by Metric
The café arm of Chicago roaster Metric, pairing precise coffee with very good pastries.
Dark Matter Coffee – Star Lounge
The flagship café of Chicago's loud, art-loving homegrown roaster, whose beans show up in cafés all over the city.
Side Practice Coffee
A Filipino-owned café whose ube, pandan and black-sesame drinks are built on seriously good espresso.
Gaslight Coffee Roasters
A roomy, vintage-feeling Logan Square roaster-café with a full brunch menu. A neighborhood anchor.
Afro Joe's Coffee & Tea
A Black-owned Beverly roaster-café that doubles as a community gathering spot.
Intelligentsia – Broadway Coffeebar
The original coffee bar of the roaster that helped put Chicago on the specialty-coffee map. A pilgrimage for coffee people.
Dayglow
A colorful café pouring beans from rotating guest roasters and some of the city's most creative signature drinks.
A serious coffee city
Chicago helped shape specialty coffee in America. One of the country's best-known roasters started here, and the city is now full of homegrown roasters and independent cafés, from minimalist espresso bars to cozy neighborhood living rooms.
What to look for:
- Local roasters: Chicago-roasted beans you'll see in cafés all over the city
- Signature drinks: many shops make creative seasonal lattes, with flavors like ube, pandan and black sesame
- A good pour-over: a slower, cleaner cup that shows off single-origin beans
Good to know: plenty of the best cafés are also bakeries or brunch spots. See pastries & croissants, bagels and brunch for the rest of your morning.