Six coffee houses you should know about
By Brenna Ehrlich and Paola Lastick

Chicago is crawling, literally, with edgy, artistic types. Just look around the Belmont El stop; I doubt you’d find more pairs of Converse and Emo glasses in a college Film Noir class. So, how do these types maintain their artistic nature and characteristic edge? The answer is simple, my pierced and tattooed readers of the postmodern persuasion: Caffeine, and lot’s of it.

To get down to the nitty, gritty, textbook facts, the coffee house originated in England in the late 1600s to satisfy the cravings of jittery fashionistas, yawning authors and ponderous politicos. Fastforward to currently chill-choked Chicago, and things haven’t changed that much. “So,” you ask, “where do I go to get my hands on some of this mythic mud?” (Ok, so maybe you didn’t say “mud.” Don’t worry, I wouldn’t call coffee “mud” either). Well, here are four of my favorite fountains of French roast, etc.

Pick Me Up Cafe (3408 N. Clark): The Pick Me Up Cafe is anything but pretty vacant. It’s 2 a.m. on a Tuesday and you need a tea? Well, the Pick Me Up will pick you up ’til 3, a.m. that is. On weekends, you can be up all night long, because this coffee house is open 24 hours. Come during the day to hear the dulcet tones of whirring laptops, swing by at a less conventional hour to hang with the less conventional crowd. (On one 1 a.m. visit to the Pick Me Up, I was informed by a hazy stranger that my brown hair was “A really cooooooool color.”) Perhaps such instances as this were what prompted the cafe to add a “munchies” section to their truly delicious menu. Whether you go at 1 a.m. or p.m., the food is good, and the colorful interior is as much a stimulant as the coffee.

The Bourgeois Pig Cafe (738 West Fullerton): One of the best coffee spots in Chicago, the Pig is a meeting place for people who like to talk, and a squatting ground for people who like to read. Take a seat downstairs at one of their many tables, or hike up the stairs to stake out a spot on a velvet couch among an array of bookcases. The aptly named cafe will thrill giddy literati of all ages, and manic “Catcher in the Rye” fans will damn near die when they find out that they can get a sandwich named after J.D. Salinger’s most famous novel. Look out for the giant metal Eiffel Tower parked on the lawn and the claw-foot tub in the restroom. Oh, the whimsy!

The Unicorn Cafe (1723 Sherman Avenue, Evanston): Located minutes from the Northwestern campus, the Unicorn is a common hangout for college and graduate students and their dates, er, laptops. A warm, tan and brown interior houses an ample number of tables, and the walls are frequently covered with local art. Get here early on a weekend morning if you want to hang with the family crowd, or come late on a Saturday night and maybe you’ll stumble across an open-mic night. Whenever you come, have a bagel, because they’re amazing.

Kopi: A Traveler’s Cafe (5317 N. Clark): Travel out to Andersonville for this vegetarian venue. Get there early and snag seating in the front, with floor-level varnished tables surrounded by throw cushions. (Let’s face it, we all love eating on the floor.) The cafe lives up to its nomadic title; the shop in the back is filled with exotic gifts and clothing, the walls are lined with travel books and old National Geographic covers wallpaper the bathrooms. When subzero temperatures tempt you to travel to warmer climes, Kopi is the next best thing.
— Brenna Ehrlich

Coffee shops all over Chicago are keeping the heavy-eyed alert with their broad selections of Colombian, African, Arabian and just about every other region’s coffee they could gather coffee beans from. When Starbucks decided to wage a caffeinated war against other coffee shop chains like Caribou, the little guy around the corner joined in the fierce fight, and they are winning over caffeine addicts like me with the unique atmospheres they create. If you are in the mood for something more than just a grandé white chocolate mocha frappuccino, stop into one my favorite couple of coffee shops and wake up to the possibilities!

Cafe Descartes (4771 N. Lincoln): Located at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Lawrence, just outside Lincoln Square’s downtown area, Cafe Descartes provides that quiet cozy warmth of a European bistro. Decorated with a rounded bar stocked with plenty of stools, dark-wooded tables and velvet curtains lining the tall windows gives Descartes an intellectual yet inviting atmosphere. You can grab a book from the shelves and read while you enjoy one of their many selections of lattes, frappuccinos or plain and simple cups of black coffee or, if you are up for a challenge, enjoy a game of chess with one of the neighborhood guests. Cafe Descartes has everything Starbucks can offer and many more items they can’t, like homemade soup and sandwiches along with some very classy teas.

The Grind (4613 N. Lincoln): This coffee shop is in constant battle with Starbucks in my opinion, sitting less than a block away. Yet they seem not too bothered by the proximity. I think their confidence has to do with their menu selection. At the Grind, you can enjoy an elaborate cup of coffee and a slice of their delicious quiche. And while the Grind outsources their pastries, their hummus, soups and tuna egg dishes are done in-house, and they are great! Their attempts at a trendy, hip decor are right on target with the exposed brick wall and window-side benches — perfect for the thin or petite coffee drinker. A perfect place for a date, just make sure you like the person because you’ll be playing footsie under the table intentionally or not due to the tight space. And if you have kids, forget it. Even the footsteps of a mouse are too loud for the crowd that gathers at the Grind. Oh, and one last bit of information that may prove useful: If you have a credit card, be prepared to skip on over to Starbucks unless you can ring up their $10 minimum.
— Paola Lastick

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