Café Mestizo

I was one of the poets in the 1^st Chicago Callings events, stationed at Café Mestizo. I loved the décor and the tea. Yes, I do plan to return as part of my quest to visit Chicago Cafes in 2013.
Yeye Lynvonne
WCSU iHeart radio

Nothing terrible, but no aspect of my experience was positive. I went in for some lunch, a green tea, and to do some light work.
Never having been, I asked the man behind the counter what he recommended to eat. He said «what?» as if he’d never heard the question before. The menu is fairly basic, but nothing stood out, so I asked again. He said, «we’re a coffee shop.» I said, «I know; is there anything you’d recommend to eat.» He replied with a bunch of coffee-​related items. I said that I was looking for a sandwich or something similar. He started to list-​off all of the sandwich options– I had already been staring at the large chalkboard behind him that made those fairly clear. I asked him if there was anything in particular that he liked there. He said «it’s all good.» Oh man.
So I ordered the beef flautas, which another reviewer already described as something from the supermarket. I concur (should have looked at Unilocal beforehand…).
While I don’t mind music in a coffee shop (even while I’m working; even if it’s Latin top 40), they were playing some radio station, commercials and all, fairly loud. I definitely don’t want to relax/​work/​eat while listening to product commercials and DJ chitchat. Very off-​putting.
The best thing about this place was that it was fairly empty. There’s so many other, better options for this kind of thing nearby; I’m surprised anyone goes here.

I recently moved to the Pilsen area and have been in search for a comfortable study spot. I was told about Café Mestizo by a few of my friends who live in the neighborhood as well and ventured out early this evening for coffee/​free wi-​fi. I was delightfully surprised — this place was even better than I had heard! Not only was I able to get a bottomless cup, Diet Pepsi and chocolate chip muffin for only $ 4.95, but I found that on Wednesday nights they are host to an open mic from 8pm-​10pm. Very sweet, delightfully local.
I had no trouble finding a seat and power outlet. The staff was very friendly & helpful (they even let me use the staff bathroom), the coffee (Intelligentsia, I believe) was delicious, and the clientele wasn’t loud/​chatty. Only downside: music was a little bit too loud for me to be fully focused on my work.
Planning on going back very soon!

Coffee is blah.
This spot is the place to go if you enjoy dark environments and watery coffee.

Meh. Not a bad place, but but not a great one. Meh for food and atmosphere. Kinda dark. Relatively late hours are nice for late birds like me. And they do have events sometimes.
It’s a nice variation when Jumping Bean is too crowded. That’s about it for me.

I’ve been here twice to get work done and it has been a good experience both times. The space is nice and has a good vibe to it.
While I’m semi picky about coffee, I’m by no means a full fledged coffee snob. I hate folgers-​type, watery, and transparent coffees to no end. However, if a coffee is at least halfway decent and strong, I don’t really care and don’t really bother to notice the difference. The coffee here is good enough by my standards, though I can’t really speak for people who have super high standards. I have yet to try their food.
The guy who has been working here has always been super nice, so I’ve always gotten a good vibe from that. There is also a lot of reading material here that I wouldn’t mind delving more into.

Stopped by mid-​day on a Monday and was thoroughly unimpressed. Bad tasting latte that was way too hot, un-​airconditioned café with flies everywhere, super slow wi-​fi.
Also, the décor is super grungy. I know some are into this, but not I.

We went to Pilsen because we wanted to visit the National Museum on Mexican Art. I was hoping to see some Frida Kahlo or Diego Rivera there but no such luck :/.
Anyway, we were walking back to the train station looking for some brunch and spotted Café Mestizo, probably because it really stood out in comparison to most places in the area. It’s a charming little bohemian-​looking café.
I ordered the beef flautas which I was definitely not impressed with. They tasted (and looked like) the Costco ones. My boyfriend ordered the tamales which were superb! Needless to say, I wanted to trade but he’s a vegetarian. I almost ate half his tamal though!
They really redeemed themselves with the Café Azteca. I’m not really into coffee, but it was hands down one of the best coffee’s I’ve ever had!

Good coffee, great people!
Mestizo hosts tons of events. Art showings, poetry slams, music, community meetings. No website, so you have to go in to see what’s going on, but its well worth your time. Se habla espanol.

The rumors are true: Café Mestizo is still around, just the down the street (past the Pink Line) at a new, smaller spot. Same vibe, same great drinks. Leo (the owner) updated the menu recently and also put the old sign back up (it was missing for a while so it was a bit hard to find) so it shouldn’t be too hard to spot!

Oh Mestizo! I have absolutely loved this place for the last couple years I have been going here — in fact it was one of the reasons I ended up moving to Pilsen. The people here are really fantastic, super friendly, and extremely personal. They have an open mic every Wednesday, which has been a bit slow since they moved, but has turned into somewhat of an open jam! Thursdays, they have a songwriters night (what I hear). Basically, if you are a musician, there are plenty of opportunities to get your stuff out, play with other musicians, and enjoy some coffee and wireless while you’re at it. If not, there is always some chill music warming your ears as you work, read, surf, or drink.
Keep on rockin’ Mestizo!

I decided to update this after seeing my review referenced in today’s «Hood Spotlight»… I am very bummed to say that Mestizo café no longer exists. The doors have been shut, I have no idea where it went and oh how I crave their Café Azteca.
I did hear a friend say that they may have relocated or may open some places else, either way as of now, they are gone. =(

I’m sitting here now. I ordered an iced tea about 15 minutes ago. I am one of three customers in the shop.
This place has a great environment, but no one has bought my my $ 2.25 ice tea, and I’m getting impatient.

The signs are in English? There are bunch of non-​Latinos here? Do I smell gentrification? Actually, places like that usually mean there’s stuff I can eat there. So I checked it out.
The first time I went, it was on a Saturday at about 3:30 pm. I thought I arrived after the lunchtime rush. Wow. I was wrong. I ordered a veggie pita and soy horchata smoothie. Yes they actually have soy milk though like everywhere else, it costs extra to substitute soy for dairy. My order took at least 15 minutes. The horchata was one of the best I ever had, but the pita was alright. They also have a veggie burger, but it’s Boca (not all Bocas are Vegan). I didn’t ask if it was Vegan because I didn’t want it (I always have veggie burgers in the freezer), but you can ask if you want :-P.
The next time I went was during the week at 1:30. I ordered an iced chai latte and was outta there in about 5 minutes. So I guess the speed of your order depends on who’s working there on what day. It was good, but a little watery. A sandwich and drink will cost you about $ 10.
Really this place should get about 3 to 3.5 stars for the okay food and drinks. The décor is cute though and all «ethnic,» as others have mentioned. The atmosphere is relaxed and for those who need it, there is free wifi. However, I’ll grade it on a curve considering there’s not much else in the ‘hood for those of us who skip dairy. By the way, they sell some Vegan bars on the counter (energy bars? I don’t know how exactly how to label them). Those are pretty good too.

Café Mestizo is pretty swell. Their drinks are amazing (their various mexican hot chocolates and mochas= best drinks ever) and their food makes for a good lunch. They also have free WIFI (ask the guy who works there for the password).
The only real con for me is that the lighting is so dim that I really can’t focus and do work there. While its a great ambiance for chatting with friends, attempting to do work there could result in me asleep on the table. But it still has tasty drinks…

I came here on a lazy saturday afternoon to read a book and enjoy some coffee. there were a few other people in the café, but not too many. i ordered a café con leche, which is what i normally order at any café that offers it. it’s simple enough to make and provides a good ruler to compare coffee shops. i also ordered the chicken flautas, which i was pretty hesitant about, but i wanted to try the mango salsa that accompanied it.
the café seemed pretty dimly lit, so i sat down by the window because that is the only spot that had enough light to read. now, i applaud not having overly bright fluorescent lighting, but if there was not a table available by the window, i would have needed to squint to read.
now onto the café con leche. i was actually pretty disappointed with it. the coffee/​milk ratio was pretty off – it was much more milky than i had expected. the coffee also seemed a little weak. when i got to the bottom of the cup, the coffee had a translucent brown color, y’know, the color of really bad diner coffee. i’m not comparing my café con leche with diner coffee because i think the coffee here was much better than that… but i’m just comparing the color. a good café con leche should not be that translucent brown color.
the flautas were just okay; it was nothing to write home about. i’ve had far better… but i’ve also had far worse. they were piping hot, crispy, and a little greasy. the sweetness of the mango salsa cut the saltiness of the flauta. the chicken had an interesting texture – almost like ground chicken. i think i’ll pass on this next time.
all in all, not a terrible place. maybe it was an off-​day or maybe i should have ordered something else. i’ll give this place another try before i write it off for the other cafes in the area.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I stopped here because I really, really needed a bathroom. Really. Now. Bathrooms are only for paying customers? No worries at all, dude, totally expected that and planned to buy a Coke to thank you for the use of your facilities. Oh wait, you have food? Hmmm…
Bathroom needs met, I sat at a cute table in the front and awaited my nachos. Expecting the kind of crap you get at a baseball game (plastic container, plastic cheese) I was wondering why I had to wait at all. When the food came out, I understood. Served on beautiful, weighty, Pilsen-​perfect plates my fresh nachos and delicious, steamy cheese far surpassed expectations.
The crowd seemed mostly college-​age kids working on group projects (ah, takes me back). I enjoyed the décor (something about mismatched chairs and random tables occupies a special place in my heart). This seemed like a perfect place to sit, read, and people-​watch.

I feel at home here. Yes, I am white, and I feel at home here. I didn’t feel like I was at all treated differently because I didn’t speak Spanish/wasn’t latina. I talked to the owner the first time I went in about art and music. This has happened many times, with many people who have been there.
This place is just really cozy and welcoming. I always love the art on the walls, and get excited when it changes. Wednesdays nights were always great, and I’m excited to be moving back to Chicago so I can start going back.
Wifi is free, but you need to ask for a password. I prefer it that way, as it means there’s not a ton of random people using it, and I’ve noticed that it’s much faster here than places with non-​secure connections.

The beauteous Paige W and I stopped in for a bit of time killin’ before a fabulous dinner at Mundial (next door).
A sweet, sassy, comfortable little place to hunker down with a dirty chai (perfect hot chai with a shot of espresso, albeit a bit expensive at $ 5), a book, a friendly face.
Service was adequate, though we were a bit mystified by the lack of a garbage cans. I don’t really want to hand my wadded up gum in a kleenex across the counter, just lemme toss it myself, eh?
Recommended. Pilsen is cool. It’s official.

It’s become an all too regular and annoying ass occurrence:
I’m blurry eyed and still trying to shake off the sleep I didn’t really get anyway and I need to stop somewhere for «coffee», which for me really just means a drink of any kind and a smooshy place to sit and read the paper. And I think, «Ooh. I should go to Mestizo!» And then I drive over there, see the big, giant assed OPEN sign in the window, park the car, plug some quarters into the meter, get out, walk across the street, read not one, but TWO separate OPEN signs and then try to open the door — which is, of course, fucking locked. And then when I wipe my confused ass eyes and read the sign again, I see that they don’t open until 9 the fuck o’clock every morning. What the hell kind of coffee shop does that? And can you please turn the damn signs to the CLOSED position? Seriously, why are you trying to ruin my damn life at 7 in the morning?
When I have actually gone in — in the middle of the damn day — it’s a very warm and beautiful café that is a large space with a lot of great art all around. I did not feel a very welcoming vibe the few times I’ve been there, and I’m pretty verifiably brown, so take that how you want to. One drink I got — a $ 4 horchata — was okay, but I think it was overpriced.
I would love to patronize them more and would patronize them more if they would just open the damn door at regular coffee shop hours.