I have a real soft spot for fitness centers. Actually, I should rephrase that… I kind of hate gyms and because of that I have a lot of soft spots. Ain’t no hard-body over here, folks. I ended up at High End Coffee, a small coffee shop/smoothie bar located within a fitness center, mostly because I had no idea it was affiliated with a gym since that’s not super clear from the signage outside that makes it look like it’s an entirely separate, stand-alone business along this Webster strip mall. Had I known this was a gym’s coffee/smoothie bar, I likely wouldn’t have stopped in because I don’t need the stress of seeing how well other people treat their bodies in my life. I have low standards for physical fitness and I try to keep to that and not incite and kind of internal competition or guilt by seeing what others are doing, but despite High End being within a medicine ball’s throw of hundreds of folks pumping iron and whatever the hell else people do in gyms, I was able to get in and out with an outstanding beverage in moments without any influence of physical activity or perspiration and it was nothing short of glorious. The place is super chill. There’s just a small corner counter with a really personable girl working behind it. The smoothie menu is more prominent than the coffee menu, which I would have missed entirely had I not noticed a little sign on the outside window of the shop advertising their cold-brew coffee… which is exactly what I was in the mood for. I got the largest size of cold-brew and requested everything I could to make it as unhealthy as possible — cream, sugar, load it up with the works, por favor. As the girl behind the counter made my beverage I did a little counter-shopping and perused these strange protein packets that weren’t as in your face as the last gym-side café that I’d patronized and I appreciated that. This is definitely a more subtle gym smoothie/beverage bar, and if you didn’t turn around and see the gym folk through the dividing glass window/wall area, you’d never know it was part of a gym. i like that. There’s no seating in here so it’s definitely meant to be a grab and go sort of situation, but that’s exactly what I was looking forr — well, that and a liquid cold-brew pick-me-up lunch — and that’s exactly what I got. I’ll definitely be back.
Andy H.
Classificação do local: 5 Chicago, IL
Really good coffee, I’m a coffee addict and drink it before every workout. Had the best workout of my life the first time I drank it so now I’m hooked. Locally owned, by a couple with kids so I love supporting them also.
Ada H.
Classificação do local: 5 Chicago, IL
Great first impression! I am a member of LA Fitness and decided to visit their Webster location since I heard that it’s less crowded. On my way in, I noticed High End Coffee and thought that it was a part of the gym. It is connected to the gym, but is owned and operated independently. Apparently it had another name and was owned by someone else. The new owner who has owned the place for about 3 weeks, was very welcoming. I told him that I didn’t know what I wanted to get and he let me try a little bit of a protein smoothie that he was making for another customer. It wasn’t on the menu and he calls it the mojito. It was very tasty! You can see him adding the fresh fruits into the blender, so no powder flavoring here! This is a perfect stop on your way out for a refreshing way to treat yourself after sweating your pants off. They also have coffee and some other stuff, but I was all about the smoothie menu…