Intelligentsia
Address
3123 N. Broadway
Chicago, Illinois 60657
773.348.8058

Hours
6:30am-8pm / Monday-Friday
7am-8pm / Saturday-Sunday

So I would like to go to Intelligentsia and try some of the different espresso shots. I really want to determine which beans I like from Intelligentsia.
Anyone in the area that wants to play? I am on the south side of Chicago in South Holland and this sounds like a good road trip.
Also I plan to stop by China town and get something to eat. Love real Chinese food. We could do both. I have some time off for the Holidays starting next week Thursday.
Let's party! Drop me a line!

Thanks,
Greg

I would look into Dark Matter, Gaslight, Halfwit, Ipsento, Metropolis etc... all better then Intelligentsia, quite better imo. Some great shops as well like Wormhole that will serve up various beans. You almost can't go wrong in Chitown, even regular eateries usually have a killer setup and know how to pull shots.

A cafe crawl implies that you'll hit different cafes, which I strongly suggest you do. A few years ago, when my knowledge of coffee was still in its nascent stages, I did that myself with some friends. We took the better part of a day and hit a bunch: Metropolis, Intelligentsia (the one you mentioned), Caffe Streets, and Wormhole. It was a great way to sample different producers and see how barista skills varied.

If I were recommending a collection today for someone looking to replicate what I did then, I would say try these: Gaslight, Ipsento, Dark Matter, Caffe Streets, and Metropolis/Intelligentsia. Have a shot or two at each place over the course of a day. I'm keeping Metropolis/Intelligentsia in there because their coffee is servicable and their barista skills are consistently good. Think of these two places as the Honda Civics of espresso: they will get you to where you want to go reliably but they won't wow you, and they'll serve as good baseline comparisons for the others.

Thank you for all the recommendations. I just Google mapped all the recommended places. It appears doable as long as we drive, because it is winter. Planning some time next week. Working on food and entertainment next.

Thanks!
Greg

grega60438 wrote:...It appears doable as long as we drive, because it is winter. ..

Thanks!
Greg

When in Chicago, I buy a day pass on public transit and find it runs on time and is easy to use.

THis was the most recent "good espresso in Chicago" thread i could find...

Has anyone tried 'big shoulders coffee'? or any additional shops besides the ones mentioned in this thread already? I'm really looking for something as good as gaslight closer to downtown.

I've been humping up and down the blue line to get my fix when i travel into town... and getting a little tired of the energy expended.

(ya i'm getting old )

Me too on this one. Sad as my office building is only a few doors down from Big Shoulders, but I just haven't had the time to try it yet. My non-espresso head friends have said that they liked the place, and they are foodie people for other things so I kinda trust them. But I haven't tried it yet myself.

I'm staying at the LondonHouse near the DuSable bridge, so just a few blocks from the Millenium Park Intelligentsia. Looking for other cafe recommendations in the area. Willing to travel a bit as well. Will try to hit up some of those already mentioned above, but wondering if there's anything close to my hotel.

In Chicago again in the next few days

any outstanding or just continually excellent cafes that our fellow CHicagoan HB'rs can recommend ?

Gaslight and Ipsento have been my go to's...

in the past was un-impressed with:

Intelligentisia -> over roasted for my tastes
Dark Matter -> folks are generally annoyed with life when i get there at the crack of dawn... so hasn't been a great experience

any new and exciting options (downtown, or via blueline or some other easy public transit)