Category: Coffee Shops

Do you wish that you could take your sweetheart to exotic foreign places? Do you dream about sharing coffee and cake in Vienna, Russian tea in St. Petersburg or Thai iced tea in Bangkok? Then, do you wake up and realize that you can’t afford to leave the city?

Yeah, me too.

At times like this, I take my date to Kopi Cafe, on Clark Street and Berwyn in Andersonville. Billing itself as “a café for travelers,” Kopi brews a wider selection of tea and coffee than any café I’ve encountered. The affordable, tasty menu spans several continents and breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Clocks on the wall tell you the time in Katmandu and Tokyo as Jalan Jalan Boutique sells clothes, jewelry, bags, incense and travel books in the back of the shop. Stop in for a cup of tea or coffee or enjoy a full meal, most for less than $10 per person.

Taking its name from an Indonesian word for “coffee”, Kopi Café serves up coffee in all its forms - from simple espresso to fluffy Viennese coffee, Thai iced coffee and frozen espresso treats. Traditional and trendy teas abound here: Darjeeling, red roobios, gunpowder green, anti-oxidant rich white tea, and many healing herbals like Women’s Libertea with dong quai and licorice root. My favorites are white teas with blueberry, strong black Russian tea with sour cherry preserves and yerba mate, a naturally caffeinated South American herb tea. The ultimate shippable indulgence here is Thick.Hot.Sipping,Chocolate, a melted dark chocolate indulgence like a French chocolate pot or the cioccolata I lived on as a student in Florence.

Brunch gets crowded and noisy at Kopi, but with good reason. Brunch items range from old-fashioned croissants, scones, eggs and lox to experimental dishes like Breakfast Pizza of the Future, topped with scrambled eggs, vegetarian sausage and cheese. Crepes and healthy fruit smoothies, including the lychee mangosteen start your day off right or help you recharge after a late night out. No matter how busy brunch gets, servers stay friendly and keep the tables and floor spotless.

The lunch and dinner menu features Greek, Italian, French, Mexican and American inspired soups, salads and sandwiches, making Kopi a good pick if you and your date each want a different cuisine. If you like cheese, split a cheese platter or enjoy the Chevre Chaud salad with crisp goat cheese baguette toasts on a big bed of mixed greens and tomatoes. A unique Greek salad includes a block of feta and tomato pesto with olives and greens. Sandwiches range from Black Forest ham and smoked salmon to Tofurkey sausage and black bean burgers. Panini selections include Caprese Pesto and The Elvis, a fried peanut butter and bananas sandwich.

If you have room for dessert, check the glass cake cases for flourless chocolate cake, carrot cake, fresh cookies and brownies, and puffy yellow Lemon Blossom cookies. You can start or end a date pleasantly at Kopi, which stays open late, or relax in the afternoon on the cushions by the low tables in the front. Peruse the travel books from Jalan Jalan and imagine your next trip to Australia, Brazil, Belgium or Vietnam. Even if you’re on a budget, maybe saving up for your next journey, Kopi encourages you to try new flavors and dream big.

There’s nothing like old world charm hidden away in a modern metropolis. I went out for a night on the town a few weeks back, and I found a little place that warmed me from head to toe—with both the hot tea and the inviting atmosphere.

It couldn’t have been a more romantic night. It started out with Mozart’s Mass in C Minor at a performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Up in the dizzying gallery, I could see the tops of all the musicians’ heads and the glimmer of the brass instruments. Surprisingly, there were tons of young couples there, dressed their best, sipping cocktails at intermission.

All told, it was a great show, and the perfect place to go on a date. But the best came next, when we skipped over to Russian Tea Time, a nearby after-concert hangout that drew us in from the cold with its cozy charm. Walking in, the place is decked out in lavish burgundy fabric and overly ornate chandeliers. Dark wood accents provided a nice complement to the neat, white tablecloths on the cramped tables. Truly, I felt like I was back in “the old country” (if I could claim a country other than this one).

Right after nabbing a seat a friendly waiter came over. “Russian tea?” And that’s when the evening really started. The waiter brought out a tea cup and saucer, along with sugar cubes and lemon, and then filled the cup to the brim. It wasn’t until I had a cup of that steaming, robust black tea that I knew that my night out was going to last until the early hours of the morning. Russian Tea Time describes their “Russian Caravan” tea by saying that the “unique aroma and taste is reminiscent of the campfires of traders as they made the camel-ridden long journey over the Silk Road.”

The tea really does take you to another place and time. Every time I would put my cup down after downing a huge gulp, the waiter would return and fill it back up with more hot, black liquid. All in all, I probably had four or five cups, and each sip was as hot as the last.

The menu there was amazing. Not only do they serve every kind of liquor imaginable, they boast a large wine selection, a sizable martini list, and of course, beer. On this particular night, though, I was sticking with the tea. If I’d had the chance to really peruse the menu first, I might have gone for their “Full Tea Service” deal: for $22.95 per person, you get a pot of tea, scones, “savories” (appetizers) and sweets.

Instead we ordered borscht and the pumpkin vereniky, which was served with a dark onion bread. I dropped a dollop of sour cream into the borscht, a soup made of beets and cabbage and spiced to perfection. The pumpkin vereniky—small, delicate dumplings—was a refreshing surprise. We spread the butter thick on the soft, dark bread, and after even more tea, realized we were full. And once our feast was over, we found ourselves conveniently nestled in the most romantic environment, full of deep colors, soothing music, and the sounds of gentle whispers as couples enjoyed their desserts from a decadent menu of blintzes, tortes, strudels and ice cream. We held hands on the table and I glanced down and caught a glimpse of one of the tea quotes printed on the menu:

“As long as it’s hot and wet and goes down the right way, that’s all that matters.”
–Duchess of York

Around midnight we left Tea Time and caught a cab over to Greektown. We were ready to paint the town red, and we ended up at a little neighborhood bar called “Spectrum Bar and Grill.” On this particular night, there was a live blues band, being enjoyed by an older crowd. We headed for the high tables and chairs in the back by the darts, and cuddled and talked until the band started to play. Pendant lighting created eerie shadows on people’s faces, and here and there was a creepy guy lurking.

But later, almost as if by clockwork, the crowd changed. Younger couples and groups poured in and immediately started with lively discussions, changing the atmosphere completely. By then, me and my date had downed a few drinks and were ready to come out of hiding. As the night went on, the place got livelier, until our eyelids were droopy and our tab was high and we decided to call it a night. But not before exchanging hugs and kisses to end one of the most romantic dates I’ve ever been on.

Take it from me; start with tea and see where the night goes.

For a good date in Wrigleyville, pass up the noisy sports bars and meet at Uncommon Ground on Clark Street. The restaurant has two bars, a big one in the front and a smaller one in the back. It offers coffee drinks as well as beer, wine and cocktails and a menu from breakfast to desserts from Bittersweet Bakery. Your date may be impressed with the organic, seasonal menu and both meat-eaters and vegetarians can find tasty dishes here.

In summer, grab an outdoor table on the sidewalk. In winter, settle into some cozy leather chairs near one of the two fireplaces. Enjoy the local art on the walls, all of which is for sale. Even the restrooms are decorated with paintings; I liked the big tree on the ladies’ room wall. The front room tends to be brighter and louder, while the lights and sounds are lower in the side room. Enjoy local bands here or the sounds of the Monday night open mic.

Share a plate of Spanish tapas with Manchego cheese, Serrano ham, Marcona almonds, quince paste and olives. The menu ranges from pizza, pasta, and burgers (including a veggie burger), to duck, salmon and even buffalo. The distinctive, healthy Sunshine Salad combines seasonal farmers’ market vegetables with sprouts, sunflower seeds and avocado in organic cider vinaigrette. For a breakfast date, try the Uncommon Huevos with eggs over easy on a black bean corn cake topped with ancho chili sauce and Chihuahua cheese.

Uncommon Ground prides itself on one-of-a-kind cocktails. Two of the most promising are the Frida Kahlo with dark chocolate liquor, vanilla vodka, cinnamon and cayenne pepper, and the Cold and Flu Buster, a whole pot of chamomile tea spiked with ginger vodka, honey liqueur and a lemon slice. Local beer, a good selection of wine and Uncommon Gound’s famous coffee offer enough variety for any date to drink what he or she enjoys.

As a coffee shop, bar, restaurant, and music venue, Uncommon Ground stands out in a crowd and makes you feel welcome. The Clark Street restaurant opened in 1991 and a new Uncommon Ground coffee shop opened recently at 1401 W. Devon. Check them out for a great and uncommon date.

Sometimes my plan for a girls’ day out centers on cake and coffee rather than cocktails. For a sweet treat, take your mom, sister, best friend or any chocoholic or coffee aficionado to Julius Meinl’s Café.

Julius Meinl (the name rhymes with ‘vinyl’) was the name of the first Vienna merchant to sell roasted coffee in 1862. Before that, coffee drinkers roasted their own beans over woodstoves. The Meinl logo shows a boy in a red fez, a reminder of the Turks who first introduced coffee to Vienna. The Meinl coffee business has prospered in Austria for five generations. Their cafe on Southport in Chicago serves the same roasted coffee, imported tea and traditional cakes and dishes as the original in Vienna.

Meinl’s imports tea and makes its own coffee and hot cocoa. Lattes and espresso here are identical to their Italian counterparts. The unique Viennese coffee drink is the melange , a big sweet espresso drink with equal parts steamed milk and foam, topped with chocolate shavings. For true luxury, order this with a shot of your favorite flavor (mine is orange). Your tea drinking friends can enjoy a wide selection of imported tea from chai and lapsang souchong to Earl Grey and strawberry. Drinks arrive on elegant silver trays with tiny teaspoons.

Unique Austrian cakes here include Vienna torte, flourless chocolate cake with marzipan, apricot jam and chocolate, Cardinal Schnitte, ladyfingers with lemon mousse and strawberry jam and gugelhupf, a marbled chocolate and vanilla cake. Meinl’s own creations include mousses, cookies and Mozart torte with chocolate and pistachios.

If you and your friends want a light brunch, the croissants and jam or baked eggs with toast taste great with coffee. You can order your eggs with smoked salmon, cheese or vegetables. Breakfast lasts until noon on weekdays and two on weekends for late risers. For lunch, try the crepes with cheese and ham or asparagus and mushrooms, which come with a mixed green salad. Imported cheese and Hungarian goulash round out the menu.

Julius Meinl's is a great place to meet before a movie at the Music Box. If you take the Brown Line El, the Southport stop is closed for construction, but this is well worth the walk from Paulina. In warm weather, you can sit at a table outside and watch the world go by. In winter, enjoy the cheerful yellow interior of the café and pick out a cake from their opulent display case. Servers treat you very well here and never rush you. At Julius Meinl's, you can invite your friends to Vienna without leaving the city.

In a world seemingly consumed by coffeeholics, tea lovers and their kettles tend to be relegated to the back burner, with no outlets geared specifically towards them. This cute little shop just happens to be such a place, where a passion for tea is uniquely present. Whether you’re a true connoisseur of all things leafy and brewed or just love the tried and true, My Place for Tea will transform your entire essence and have you coming back for more. No commercialism, no arrogance, no fluff - just tea and tea accessories for real tea lovers.

So what can a novice only accustomed to Starbucks and the store shelves expect from such a place? Not only is it a place to chill with something hot and aromatic, but it is also a place to learn about the various health benefits from their extremely knowledgeable and passionate staff, as well as a fun shop to create your own concoctions based on where your taste buds take you and what inspires you. There is comfy wicker furniture near the windows to do a little people watching as well, since its location is surrounded by folks who are just as eclectic as the vast varieties of teas inside. Of course, you don’t have to stay there to enjoy the wonderful brews, but you are more than welcome to purchase some and enjoy at home or share with those who inspire you just as much as the leaves themselves.

Since us Americans over all tend to prefer our tea to come in its chilled state, My Place For Tea is armed and ready to make your acquaintance, especially with those yummy bubble teas. Don’t know what that is? If you like tapioca in its pudding state, then you’ll fall head over heels for this delicious drink with those gummy pearls you fell in love with as a kid. Outside of some Asian restaurants, this just may be the one of the only places in town you will be able to find this exotic drink!

On Saturday afternoons, you can also attend their free tea tastings and discover new favorites! Also, yoga classes are held at various times of the year, so be sure to sign up for their news letters to find out more!

Now here’s a place that all coffee shops should take a few notes from. Folks who are otherwise turned off by that overall corporate, sterile, yuppie Starbucks mentality can come to Mercury Café and claim it as their second home.

Upon entering, the first thing people will realize just how HUGE this place is! It’s well spread out, with comfy couches and overstuffed chairs scattered throughout. There are actual vintage desks and chairs for those looking for a place to work and utilize the free WiFi, including plenty of sockets to plug into, which drops the worry about the batteries don’t dying out. The walls are decorated with rotating art guests can purchase by local up and comers, which adds to the overall coziness and charm, instead of the standard, uninspired wall hangings most cafes hang to merely fill up space. A decently stocked library is also available, as are classic board games and vintage clothing.

The coffee and teas brewed here are fair trade and organic and at very fair prices. Friendly staff actually bring out their orders to their customers, instead of making them wait by the register or keeping their ears perked for their names. What a novel idea! And, unlike many small independent cafes, these folks accept major credit cards, with only a $3 minimum, which saves the hassle of stopping at the ATM ahead of time.

Ample, made to order sandwiches are also available, again fairly priced and prepared with organic ingredients, featuring bread from a local independent baker, including vegan choices. Desserts also come from a local bakery, many of which are completely vegan and absolutely delicious! Dropping a $10 here truly goes a long way, and allows guests to linger as long as they wish, without ever feeling the pressure of the shop “needing the space”.

Since this establishment is so truly inviting, many social gatherings are held here, from chess players to those who have a penchant for all things Goth. Even so, the decibel level never seems to rise beyond a whisper for those seated away from the groups, combined with music filtered through the air that is just as eclectic and genuine as the regulars.