Where You’ll Find the Best Coffee in Chicago

Photo: Metropolis Coffee

Move over Seattle, Chicago has no shortage of great, local coffee. Whether you prefer your morning jolt in the form of an espresso drink or your afternoon pick-me-up from a small-batch of coffee beans, the city and the ‘burbs offer up plenty of choices. Here are a few of our favorites.

Ipsento

Bucktown and neighboring Wicker Park have some of the best coffee shops in the city – hands down. Ipsento, with two locations, sources beans from all over the world and roasts them in house. The original location is a quaint shop, perfect for curling up with a book. We love their newest location for its proximity to the 606, making it easy to get off the path for a quick cup of coffee, or a more leisurely latte or Nutella mocha. They now have bagels from baker-extraordinaire Mindy Segal, giving locals yet another reason to pop in.

Photo: Ipsento

Hansa Coffee

Head north of the city to Libertyville or Lake Bluff where you’ll find Hansa Coffee – a chill coffee roaster providing top-notch coffee to the suburbs. Hansa sources its coffee beans from small families or high-quality co-ops across the country. Their original garage-like shop in Libertyville is a great place to grab a table and get some work done.

Sparrow

Stop in any hot restaurant in Chicago right now and chances are the cup of coffee you are served comes from Sparrow. Owner Chris Chako creates beautiful blends that complement the food. Luckily for Naperville, they are getting the very first Sparrow coffee shop in the riverwalk area in the coming weeks.

Wormhole

Time travel back to the 1980s at this Wicker Park coffee shop, which has its very own DeLorean from Back to the Future, an original Nintendo, and plenty of old school movie posters. Even though the nostalgia is thick, the coffee program is no joke. They serve their own blends of coffee – HalfWit –  along with guest brews and lattes that come in unique varieties like the curry ginger and the Honey Bear.

Bridgeport Coffee Roasters

The South Side neighborhood of Bridgeport houses the aptly-named Bridgeport Coffee Roasters, which sources beans from all around the world. Enjoy a cup of joe or a house-made doughnut at one of their four locations throughout the city, including the South Loop and Beverly.

Metropolis

One of Chicago’s first coffee roasters is still one of the best. You’ll find their coffee in restaurants and coffee shops across the city, but their Edgewater shop is where you can hunker down with your laptop or grab a cup before you get on the train.

Photo: Metropolis Coffee