Intelligentsia Coffee

Best coffee in all of Chicago and a great place to sit and hang out. This location is the original and the best. I love the little pictures they put into their lattes. I Love it.

Nice atmosphere on a cold Feb Saturday. Had a steamed Chia with soy milk. Absolutely heaven. Not a bad price for Chicago. It had a more cafeteria feel unfortunately. Other than that I thought it was a nice stop off. they have different teas all the time which is a nice enticement!

One of my favorite coffee shops in Chicago. Try their single origin drip coffee. The shop may get quite busy on weekend; however, the place has a quick turnaround, so we had no difficulty finding a space.

I am complaining about Intelligentsia Coffee beans-​not one single store. Having been a faithful & grateful customer for 15 yrs. I am now faced with divorcing this company. Their coffee, in my experience, had been the best of the best-​hands down. But in the last 1.5 yrs or so I had noticed a decline, but for the most part I could get some great beans. Then I began getting stale beans or right on the edge. My latest order, which was roasted 1 day before I opened the bags, offered up twice the decibels during grinding, cupping brought about either funky tasteless coffee water (more stale beans), and a cup of one dimensional acid from the 2^nd bag, which my stomach hasn’t let me forget. So now I’m PO’ed. I’ve complained to them (a few times), they tried to «make it right» by sending me another bag of beans, again with a roast date 24 hrs earlier. Again I get more of the same. So… a few months ago Peets coffee buys them up-​altho the Zell’s hold onto a small portion of the company. And gravity still has them going downhill.
I am spending $ 150-​$ 200 a month on their beans, which is grinding to a stop. I can get Folgers quality coffee, and a Folgers stomach, for FAR far less $$.
Since I have moved away from their shops I have the beans shipped to me, or buy at Whole Foods. I still get crappy beans with good roast dates. Which I do not understand at all. Either the bags are mismarked or not so great beans are being roasted.
Now I am left to search out another source for good beans, and nothing I’ve tried in Chgo., so far, is satisfying that void. And Peets Coffee seems to have bought up a few of the other 3^rd wave roasters-​who had been good. What is going on??! Is there a global problem with coffee beans in general or does it come down to margins?

Intelligentsia is a good coffee spot. A nice work or hang out space. The coffee is good. But it takes a long time to come out. God forbid that you ask for a drip coffee. Be prepared to hang out for awhile. But its probably worth the wait. The coffee is good. And the service, well, it’s not great. The staff are either disinterested at best, or elitist at worst. It feels like they’re looking down on you pretty much no matter what you order. But the coffee is good. The price is higher than you’ll get at the shitty chains, but less than some other places. Despite that, the coffee is good.
Bottom line, the coffee is good. Try it!

Baristas here know their stuff! Service was excellent. They are very knowledgeable and experienced. In a city full of Starbucks and endless wannabe shops, it was nice to have experienced Intelligentsia.
Milk was frothed perfectly (holy shirts and pants, microfoam!)
Espresso was pulled perfectly. Excellent flavors and mouth-​feel.

Best coffee in Chicago

I’ve been here several times, but nothing has ever wowed me enough to write a review. Well, that all changed a couple of days ago when I met Kelvin! He was probably the nicest employee I have ever encounter there and provided me with amazing service, so I wanted to make sure he received the proper recognition for it :)

I love coming to Intelligentsia to do work. They play great music and the coffee is so flavorful especially if you get the Chemex. You’ll want to drink it black because it has that strong sweetness a good African roast should have.
There is a ton of seating and the wifi has always been consistently good when I’ve gone. However, I think the ratio of outlets to seats is pretty low.
I am constantly using SHAZAM on my phone when I’m here. They play a lot of indie and alternative dance music, and not the kind of «indie» in places like Starbucks. They play raw shit.

Oh, Intelligentsia, you get such a rap for your quality coffee and quality attitudes to go with it. I didn’t find much to knock with the Broadway Ave. location, however — the staff was friendly, wi-​fi was fast, and the coffee was of course delicious. This would be a great place to study if I lived in the neighborhood.

Great study place. But if you stay in the evenings, they will crank up the A/​C till your fingernails turn blue (true story).
The search for a non stingy café continues…

Intelligentsia coffee is the bee’s knees. I’ve tried lots of coffee in my day and still find myself drawn back to the complex flavors of intelligentsia. I always get the black coffee option that is brewed to order. The buttery oils that go into this delectable brew always perks my day up 100%. I have had lattes and mochas to go before, and they were also delicious. And the baked goods: yum! If I lived closer, I would definitely be here often for breakfast.
Selfishly, I’m sad about the new sign because it is now that much easier to find and much busier. Expansion to accommodate the influx of people? Perhaps! :)
Luckily, I can usually find a seat.
Great service, staff and prices! I can’t wait for my next visit.

I’ve found another coffee shop that is actually open for the evening hours as well. This Intelligentsia on Broadway in Lakeview is open until 2100 hour everyday.
Rosa J. often has unexplainable cravings for coffee or chai on a Sunday evening. I guess it came from the habit of college term paper procrastinations. She disliked the libraries, so she would hide herself at a coffee shop and MAYBE work on her homework or prepare for an exam.
Ok, she’s all done with school for awhile now. She vowed that she would never go back since professors don’t often like Libertarians (at lease at the university she attended). Sorry that I’ve digressed… just a little bit.
This intelligentsia is located on a highly-​populated Chicago neighborhood. It was pretty packed on a Sunday evening at around 1800 hour. However, the crowd soon scattered for their individual evening plan or hot date. Hence, if you’re looking for an outlet, try to occupy a high-​stool corner seat or a table against the wall.
By the way, I actually like their «anti-​slippery» high stools because Rosa J. has accidentally fallen off the seats like these a number of times. Luckily, there hasn’t been any injury report filed so far.
Iced chai at Intelligentsia is never a mistake, if you’re too anemic to take on a cup of Americano or even a latte.

I stayed in this neighborhood for four days and started each here. The best mocha’s, latte’s and cake I’ve had at a coffee shop. The place feels local, handcrafted and genuine.
Get the round cake pastry with powder sugar on it. It’s not offered on the weekends but they have it in the back if you ask for it.

I love coffee… and I love all sorts of espresso drinks. In fact, lattes were my ONLY pregnancy craving for a solid 3 months. I drink so much coffee that I have caffeine reserves that will last me the next 6 years. I’ve considered a coffee IV drip back when I was teaching and doing grad school…
And this place STILL intimidated what I consider to be a seasoned coffee consumer (and dedicated fan).
I walked in and looked about for a menu of some sorts but I couldn’t find one. This an impeccably well designed, streamlined coffee shop. I didn’t want to touch anything for fear of leaving a fingerprint. SUCH a gorgeous shop.
I meekly ordered a coffee for fear of sounding like an idiot and ordering something not on the menu that I couldn’t really find. I looked at Unilocal pictures and REALLY want to go back to Intelligentsia for a beautiful latte but I don’t want to feel intimidated to get my fix.

This place is what it is. If you want to work at a coffee shop where there’s always a few people reading David Foster Wallace and the cashier scoffs if you order anything but black coffee, then this is your place. I personally don’t mind this type of atmosphere/​attitude because, at the end of the day, I get what I want: quality coffee (I’m ordering a latte, deal with it), working wifi, and a decent amount of workspace at the long tables.
I would bump it up to 4 starts if:
1) they took off the ridiculous «add tip» screen when you’re paying for your coffee (like, wtf? you’re not getting a tip when all you did was take my coffee order and slide it to me over the counter, ya fool)
and
2) they had better food/​pastry options… they are pretty wimpy in that department, and when I’m working all day at a coffee shop, I don’t want to have to go down the street (and lose my work spot!) when I need a little snack to counteract the caffeine jitters.

This used to be my favorite place to get coffee, still is if I’m close by and in the mood to ignore the «I’m better than you» attitude of some of the staff. If you can get past that, the environment is nice and the wifi is great. They have a great selection of beans to choose from, my favorite being the El Gallo Breakfast Blend.
I want to give this place a higher score, I really do. The coffee is great and I don’t mind that it’s not «super sweet» like other reviewers are commenting about. But please, be a little bit more welcoming to your customers.

***This was my first time ever visiting an Intelligentsia though I know we now have them in Los Angeles; the space was definitely cool and they put a lot of work into the hot chocolate I had; unfortunately, the hot chocolate could have been a little sweeter; it was a tad on the bland side; I also had their canele (from a local Lincoln Park bakery) and it had a moist center, but the outside was too soft; it lacked that great, rich molasses-​like caramel flavor and crispy crust you often get with caneles at top bakeries; still, this coffee shop is probably a great spot for gourmet coffee fans***
I am not sure what the parking situation is; this coffee shop is located outside of the city so you might be able to find reasonably priced parking around here.

Intelligentsia has quite the atmosphere of a quaint coffee shop. The staff is friendly and the coffee is amazing. I love the latte, personally, and the best part is the unique design the barista will top your drink off with, from a heart to a leaf. There is ample seating and I highly recommend this location over one of those «other» coffeeshops.

Everyone always mentions the coffee, and while I agree that it is spectacular, I just wanted to take a minute to talk about the tea. I actually took a class that went into detail about tea and the proper way to brew it, so needless to say, I am a little picky when it comes to tea. Intelligentsia is the only coffee shop I have ever been to where I have actually gotten a perfect cup of tea. Intelligentsia actually pays attention to water temperatures, so they actually brew each tea to its recommended temperature and for its recommended amount of time. By putting time into their tea, they are able to get the most optimal flavor. Almost every other coffee shop I have ordered tea at overheats the water, making the tea too bitter.
Intelligentsia actually pays attention to the little things, and that is what makes their product so much better than their competition.
If you like drinks that are made right, Intelligentsia is the place to go. You’ve read the reviews… now go out and try it! You won’t regret it!

Calling all bloggers, socializers and work from homers… this cool spot is or you! So many working stations, fabulous coffee/​tea and pleasant music to work to.
I stumbled across this location when I was going to meet friends for a birthday dinner in the city. I made the trek from the burbs to chi-​town a little earlier than I needed to in hopes of skipping out on some traffic. I was about an hour early for my dinner, so I figured I’d pop in to the closest (coolest) coffee spot and get some work done. Intelligentsia Coffee it was!
Very happy I came across this place. I was there at about 6:30 PM on a Tuesday and it was packed! People were crankin away on their laptops, relaxing and socializing over a cup of tea, reading books — you name it. They have tables, comfy chairs, bar-​like seating areas, etc. It seemed like a very trendy, cool place to be.
I ordered a green iced tea which was given to me in a cute glass with a straw. I grabbed a spot against the wall at a high top table and plugged my mac in (classic case of my gadgets never being fully charged). It was such a pleasant spot to get some work done and enjoy a caffeinated beverage. Now that I live out in the burbs I won’t be frequenting this spot as much as I’d like, but if I’m ever in Lakeview East you’ll know where to find me :)

The coffee version of a snooty cocktail bar. They’re product is fantastic and they know it, so if a little shortness with your skinny latte is something that may set you off you can step to the Starbucks down the block.
Their drip is legit though and Intelligentsia is as simple as that with some free Wifi. No breakfast sandwiches, no kitschy décor, just damn good brews of multiple variations that they’ve been serving for over 18 years.

This is my neighborhood coffee shop. From the warm interior during the winter to the dog-​friendly patio in the summer and, of course, the most delicious coffee year-​round, rarely does a weekend pass when I don’t stop by the Broadway coffee bar. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable — not to mention sympathetic when you’re sick and choose a Tumeric Tonic over an espresso — and they make each drink with care and deliberation. If you live nearby, this is a spot to visit often… just make sure you come early if you want to grab a seat.