Uptown Coffee Guide: Discover Uptown Chicago’s Best Coffee Shops
Welcome to the aromatic and delicious world of Chicago coffee. Nestled on the city’s northeast side, Uptown is a neighborhood full of diversity and seeping with culture and flavors. Places to sit and sip all day, places to run in and out, and places with delicious pastries, there’s something for everyone. Uptown is rich in unique and high-quality restaurants, businesses, and especially coffee shops. Whether you’re a devoted espresso lover, you drink only black coffee, or if you want a place to get a lavender oat milk latte, check out our list of best places to stop in Uptown for everyone’s favorite cup of Joe.
First Sip Cafe
Located on Argyle, right next to some of the best Asian restaurants in the city, First Sip Cafe has been a staple in Uptown for years and remains one of the most visited and well-loved cafes in the city. They have a classically good-tasting cup of coffee and feature a vast menu full of unique, one-of-a-kind coffees and teas. Some of the fan-favorites include a Spicy Mango Latte, the Golden Milk Tea Latte, and Argyle Vietnamese Coffee. The shop is adorned with vines of teas, greenery, and tea cups, so if you want a magical coffee-drinking experience, First Sip should be your first stop.
Everybody’s Coffee
Founded by a racially diverse group of women and men committed to helping their community and partnered with Cornerstone Community Outreach, an organization that helps feed and house families and individuals experiencing homelessness in Chicago, Everybody’s Coffee is just around the corner from Becovic’s flagship community. Their creative coffees include the Thai coffee (iced!), the Mocha Maya, and The Imperial. They also feature fresh-squeezed juices, seasonal fair trade teas, house-baked sweets and breads, and a small but delicious menu of breakfast and lunch items. Local artists are featured in rotating art exhibits as well. You can find their coffee bike stocked with bottled and tap favorites at the Uptown Farmer’s Market on Wednesday afternoons, on weekends at Montrose Beach, and at Uptown United sidewalk events. One of Becovic’s Neighborhood Partners, Everybody’s Coffee is beloved by all.
Dollop Coffee
With a few Dollop-branded restaurants and coffee shops in the city, the people of Chicago have a ton of love for this delicious brand. The original shop being the Uptown location, Dollop Coffee, is known for roasting their own coffee and baking delicious breads. You can even go online and order bags of their roasts to your house monthly if you don’t feel like making the trip to stores every time you want a cup. Dollop has expanded to 14 stores since 2005 and prides itself in being an ethically responsible and sustainable brand, along with having a delicious, well-loved roast.
Ridman’s Coffee
A newer coffee shop in Uptown, Ridman’s is making quite a name for itself as a local joint featuring some of Chicago’s best coffees and pastries. An all-stop shop for the neighborhood, Ridman’s is Black & Women-owned and carries Dark Matter Coffee, Rishi Tea, and products from Defloured Bakery, specializing in gluten-free pastries. They’re a specialty shop and feature some excellent new drinks, including a Granola Latte and a Pudding Latte with whipped cream and vanilla wafers. Make sure to add Ridman’s to your must-try list.
Heritage Outpost
A coffee shop with a unique spin, Heritage is known for being a bike and coffee shop – serving fresh coffee and everything cycling; from repairs and new bikes to their well-known cycling club, Heritage is a beloved Chicago cyclers staple. The Uptown location is called Heritage Outpost and mostly features the coffee side of the business, which may be a relief to coffee drinkers who are bicyclists. They even sell Do-Rite donuts to complete your morning order. If you’re a fan of legacy Chicago shops or biking, Heritage is for you.
Sip & Savor Coffeehouse
Honorable mention goes to the imminent Edgewater opening of one of Chicago’s most-beloved local coffeehouses, Sip & Savor. With four locations on the South Side and one in suburban Forest Park, the Northside is abuzz with their August take over of the prominent Bryn Mawr storefront vacated by Starbucks in October 2022. An anchor of the historical Belle Shores Apartments building, the community-based space will carry their focus on issues like financial literacy, generational wealth and the well being of all people, as well as founder and CEO Trez Pugh III’s belief in the “5 C’s’: crisp, clean, classy, consistency, and customer service”.
The menu at Sip & Savor includes coffee and teas from around the world as well as a variety of sweetened lattes, mochas, and blended drinks. A favorite of customers is the “Bama Mocha,” which is named after Chicago’s own Barack Obama. It consists of two shots of espresso, your choice of milk, and both dark and white chocolate to represent the former president’s parents. A pump of coconut syrup and pineapple syrup finishes the drink to pay homage to his time in Hawaii. Uptown residents and the shop’s Edgewater neighbors are eager to make Sip & Savor’s first Northside location a great success!