#if desired i'll post photos of the top 3 or however many

[abiteofnat]

Don’t knock it till you try it...

Because one day, you might suddenly be old and ill and just really need the comfort of a hot cup of black coffee. 

Even writing that, I suddenly felt all my joints stiffen and a need to yell at neighborhood kids. 

As an ex-barista and lover of ALL overly-sweet coffee beverages (including the occasional summertime Frappucino), I have never been one to crave the same cup of scalding hot acid that customers used to wait in line for 20+ minutes for. I get it- it’s cheap, it gives your eyeballs the ability to see, you can put sugar and milk in it, whatever. But other than enjoying the very intense training and roast taste tests Peet’s loved to encourage employees to take part in, I never found myself walking out of a shift holding anything other than a glorified morning-time cocktail of caffeine. So imagine my surprise when the other week I was in Boston with my family, and that awkward fall weather between chilly, moist and downright pleasant had me questioning if it was time to ween off the iced coffee for something that could warm me like an internal fireplace. ME? Not want ICED COFFEE? Unheard of. I also wasn’t feeling great, and wanted... black coffee?? What?? So I asked my dad, the designated water boy of Starbucks for my family of demanding women, to get me a tall dark roast coffee with cream. Let me tell you, it sparked genuine concern in my mom and I think it’s truly when my life as a grandma began. Between that and needing to ice my legs every few hours due to a medical mystery I’m currently the star of, I had become old and weak, wanting none of that caramel macchiato crap and just wanting coffee. 

Twenty minutes later I sipped the ostracized dark roast with a pinch of cream and chocolate powder, and I'll be damned- it was so, so good. As in, I wanted it the next morning, and the morning after that, and then wanted to try a different roast from a non-Starbucks cafe, and then began a quest to try all the house roasts at little coffee shops around Chicago. It’s become an obsession of sorts and caused me to question, maybe working as a barista made me resent black coffee from working around it too much; from measuring beans and counting out pounds and constantly burning myself on the giant coffee brewer baskets, I can see how it’s possible. We’re an espresso family- it’s in our blood. We are made of Americanos, and I was blind to see any other way to be. But I am changing. 

So now I have a running list of everywhere that makes a decent cup of dark roast and it turns out, when you have a really refined palette from needing to recite flavor profiles off the top of your head to very inquisitive customers and also grew up around coffee since birth, you can tell what’s good and what’s not. Everyone has their own personal preference, but I’m all about the Central American roasts that offer rich chocolate tones, deep flavor, and a smooth finish. Working at Peet’s, the only roast I would suggest was the Guatemala San Sebastian blend because it was the single roast I genuinely loved and because it tastes like chocolate cake. It is fun to build up that flavor profile and know exactly what smell, taste and depth makes you happy to brew up in the morning, and so I suggest you don’t act like a mole person as I did for many years and aim to expand your coffee knowledge. One day you’ll be 80 and that cup of coffee will take you back to all sorts of memories, which is also why I believe the only reason people like coffee is because it reminds them of adults they love drinking coffee and therefore also want to feel like an adult by drinking it. Ask anyone, adults have nooo clue what they’re doing in life either but they look like they do when they’re holding coffee. 

Anyway, the point of this post was not to preach about not being a mole person and instead inform readers where some freakin’ good coffee is! So keep scrolling! 

1. Everybody’s Coffee

This place was somewhere I'd been once before with a close friend, and we spent a very early morning there hiding from the bitter cold after attempting to do a full-on photo shoot with the sunrise by the lake. If you have ever been to Chicago and been by the lake outside of the summer months, you know it’s breathtaking but terrible. So Everybody’s Coffee was our heaven that AM and the entirely wooden interior made it infinitely cozier, as it feels like a secret log cabin located right on Wilson. The Wilson area isn’t exactly desirable, but there are some gems if you find ‘em. Also, there’s a Sonic. 

The other morning I changed up my routine and took the bus to Wilson, got a coffee, enjoyed a particularly peaceful morning sipping joe and waiting for the next bus, and then rolled up to work feeling caffeinated and yet calm. Taking that extra time for myself in the AM, and weirdly enough talking to a barista before a single coworker, made such a difference! 

Everybody’s Coffee is one of the most inviting coffee shops ever, so if you’re looking for an actual hideaway where you can set up your laptop and enjoy a croissant and damn good coffee, check this place out. 

2. Zanzibar’s Cafe

This spot is always full of interesting characters enjoying their cakes, sandwiches, gigantic salads, and shockingly awesome coffee at all times of the day. Located on Bryn Mawr (yes, even more north) this cafe has a mix of all the breakfast/lunch essentials and they are GOOD. Snag a morning bun filled with fresh lemon zest, the Western breakfast sammie, and a pipping hot coffee with a dash of hazelnut syrup to start your Sunday and you’ll be ready to take on anything... like a nap, or the short walk to the next location! 

3. Phlour 

Phlour is a newfound love song I cannot stop singing. Also located in the Narnia that is the Bryn Mawr area, this spacious bakery has like a billion type of croissants and they are all DELISH. I am very picky about croissants because there’s a difference between the waxy, bread-y Starbucks kind and then the buttery, flaky, light but oh-so-rich decadence of a FRONCH CROISSANT. One bite of their chocolate croissant and I was like OUI OUI, MERCI. Then I also ordered a cinnamon roll and after a lick of icing I was like oh HON HON (French laughter). The coffee was ordered large and black, and it was perfect. Since it’s now winter and snow has snowed, I was wrapped in layers and hats and my fur coat and nothing was better than wrapping my hands around that cup o’ morning love. Go to Phlour and find literal paradise in the form of carbs, caffeine, and incredible decor that includes neon lights (my kryptonite). 

4. Cafe Hollander 

Ok... So this one is in Wisconsin... EVEN FARTHER NORTH. I’m so sorry Chicagoans, I'm askew! I’m not trendy! There’s something very satisfying about enjoying a cup of coffee that’s not 2 feet from the streets of the Loop... but watch me live in the Loop next year and change my tune. My girl Sheila and I adventure to Madison every fall and this year we happened to go the first weekend of November, when that cold, sleepy feeling truly takes you over no matter what time of day it is. We enjoyed a football game and lots of Starbucks day one of the trip, and even got cider at Collectivo which was warm and wonderful to sip while looking at the Capitol all lit up. Sunday, however, we needed real coffee and a lot of warm food before heading back to Chicago so we headed to Cafe Hollander a little outside of the downtown area. While the service was overwhelmed by the amount of people there, and the food took eons to come out of the kitchen, I was soooo pleased with my breakfast and drank maybe 3-5 mugs of their coffee. It was the perfect mix of bitter and sweet milk chocolate tones, and then the smooth aftertaste sold me on whatever they kept pouring in my mug. Combined with the cute seating near the giant glass windows and greenhouse-style roof, I was very excited to relax and chat about life for the hours we roosted there.

And then, we got Starbucks for the drive back because the holiday cups really just scream “please hold me while you sing Christmas carols for the entire two and a half hour drive back.” Yeeeep. 

I can’t wait to keep trying new coffees at new places, and I'd love to hear any suggestions for coffee spots I have yet to wander into! Please let me know!

Until next time, Happy Eating!

-Natalie