Chicago Members
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analogcyclist
Hi all! I've always wondered why there is only 1 coffee shop in Old Irving Park. I'm looking for a location to open a small multi-roaster bar and have looked at one space in Logan Square on Fullerton, east of California and one in Old Irving Park south of Smoque BBQ on Pulaski. Any advice or feedback from Chicago residents would be most welcome. Thanks! 
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another_jim
- Team HB
Fullerton and Calforinia is on the sourhtern edge of cafes central, easy walking distance to many of the hot cafes in Chicago. If you can bring something new and high end; this is a good locaion, since people come from all over Chicago to get eats and drinks. This seems to be a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood; so buy the place or expect rent shocks down the road.
Irving Park and Pulaski has a couple of places that are highly rated (although I've never been). but I don't know the neighborhood and the foot traffic.
Irving Park and Pulaski has a couple of places that are highly rated (although I've never been). but I don't know the neighborhood and the foot traffic.
Jim Schulman
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analogcyclist (original poster)
Thanks, for the reply Jim. The Old Irving Park spot I'm looking at is on Pulaski and it makes me nervous that there are so few businesses there. The Logan space is right by Fireside Bowl which is a small pocket of Logan that may have a use for another shop. I'm considering a couple roasters in California and the PNW.
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PaulTheRoaster
There are two coffee shops in Old Irving Park (Starbucks and Backlot). A third, Finom, was just across Irving Park Rd from Backlot and closed during Covid. Just south of Smoque on Pulaski puts you pretty close to Backlot but further from the L or Metra stations. But Smoque is definitely a draw. I live near there and I'd be thrilled for there to be a new multi-roaster coffee shop, but I think the Logan Square location could be better, since there is vastly more foot traffic. The Starbucks always seems very busy but Backlot does not.
In either case ... but especially in OIP (near a popular playground) keep a cooler with ice cream or popsicles for kids. Mine love dropping in to Backlot for an ice cream on the way to the park.
In either case ... but especially in OIP (near a popular playground) keep a cooler with ice cream or popsicles for kids. Mine love dropping in to Backlot for an ice cream on the way to the park.
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analogcyclist (original poster)
Thank you for the feedback Paul. Is there a clamor for specialty coffee in OIP?
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another_jim
- Team HB
On a more general note, over the last twenty years, I've noticed that the more successful places tend to be at Red, Brown and Blue L line stops in younger demographic residential areas. These have turned into little mercantile islands of restaurants, shops, cafes, and even stroefront theaters for the people using the stops. The stores that bring something rarely go out of business. The phenomenon seems to be exceptions to "the death of retail." If I were opening a place, I would have a stong preference to locate into one of these L stop mercantile islands.
Jim Schulman
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fjen
As someone that lives dead center of Downtown (Michigan / Wacker), there's truly a lack of good coffee shops around. I'm exclusively on public transit these days so it's rather tricky to spend an hour+ getting a cup of specialty or even local roasts.
There's a huge amount of open real estate right on Michigan between Madison and Wacker Dr as well which would be ripe for a specialty shop. The only specialty competition around would be Blue Bottle, but that seems more of a tourist trap given its location next to the Museum of Ice Cream.
There's a huge amount of open real estate right on Michigan between Madison and Wacker Dr as well which would be ripe for a specialty shop. The only specialty competition around would be Blue Bottle, but that seems more of a tourist trap given its location next to the Museum of Ice Cream.
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mikelipino
In my highly unscientific poll of Chicagoland friends, 9/10 would order whatever seasonal latte is available from a nice coffee shop, and 1/10 would get specialty coffee as a shot or a cortado. That 1/10 is coincidentally me, and I am much more likely to pull my own shot with my own beans than go to a shop for the same.
That said, the shops I've noticed to come and go tend to offer specialty beans, and the ones that seem to stick around seem to be latte shops using a sole house espresso blend. It might be anecdotal because I'm hyper aware of origin, but worth mentioning.
That said, the shops I've noticed to come and go tend to offer specialty beans, and the ones that seem to stick around seem to be latte shops using a sole house espresso blend. It might be anecdotal because I'm hyper aware of origin, but worth mentioning.
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