Java & Mug Cafe

Their food is absolutely amazing. On my most recent visit, I got a chai latte and a turkey and Swiss panini. That chai latte made me make weird noises out loud, it was so good. The interior is cosy and welcoming. I have lower back problems that makes those devil chairs at Starbucks hard for me to hang out in, but Java & Mug has couches, so I was cosy and on a happy food high. They were a teeny bit understaffed when we went, but honestly I didn’t notice because I was too busy playing Uno and enjoying myself.
A+, will be coming back. If Java & Mug were a human, I would have proposed to it already.

Wonderful place to have fun at night playing Jenga to uno. I love this place so much. I wish there was a location closer to the chicago downtown area. The baristas create beautiful designs in the coffees. I highly recommend this place.

This is such a nice place. My roommate swears by it, and so we stopped in for a coffee and panini the other night. Everything was delicious — the turkey and swiss panini is sooo good, and the café mocha, while a little sweet, was the perfect size and came with cute latte art.
I’d give it 4.5 stars if I could; they seemed a little understaffed when we went and as such we waited like 20 min for our food. But that’s a minor thing given how nice, cozy and welcoming the place was. To the reviewer who was irritated that he couldn’t just park there and study without buying anything, they’re running a business, not a charity!

Decided to spice up my quarterly trip to the King Spa in Niles with a stop at Java & Mug after reading all the amazing reviews. Wow, am I glad I did! I stopped in around 2:30pm on a Friday and it was pretty empty. I walked up to the counter, not sure how the café operated, and was politely ushered to a table of my choice with a ton of menus. I was torn between trying the bingsoo and waffles, but ended up going with the waffle and a green tea monster latte (which has coffee it in). I had also asked for a panini, saying that I hadn’t eaten yet that day and was really hungry; but the owner very politely suggested it may be too much food and that I might want to wait until I’ve finished the waffle before I order something more. I found this very admirable because how many owners would seriously tell you to order less food at their business?
But he was totally right: the waffle completely filled me up. And it was delicious. I’m talking out-​of-​this-​world, taste buds exploding into fireworks delicious. One of the best things I’ve ever eaten in my life, for real. You got a waffle, warm and gooey in all the right spots, topped with one giant scoop of vanilla ice cream, one giant scoop of strawberry ice cream, to gallops of whipped cream, a line of sliced banana, a line of sliced strawberries, all topped with drizzled chocolate syrup and a ton of granola. It was heavenly.
In addition to the food, I immediately fell in love with the atmosphere and layout of the place. It was lined with comfy couches and had a ton of board games and books you could play/​read while you were there. Definitely conducive to doing work, studying, writing, or hanging out with your friends. If I lived closer, this would be my go-​to writing place.
Tips for visiting (especially if you’re from out of town):
— Despite what it says on the company’s Facebook page, they open at 2pm, not 12:30pm
— Parking in front of the store is paid street parking. If you go a block or two over, it’s free
— It started getting really busy with college (and some high school) students around 3:30pm. If you need quiet time or don’t like to be immersed in that kind of crowd, go earlier when they open
— When it became busy, people had to go up to the counter to order, since there was limited staff. So if you come in when there’s lot of people, don’t expect to be served at a table.

I really like this place. I’ve been here multiple times and taken out of town guests to chill here. It’s so cozy and perfect for winter time. I am picky about my milk tea but last time I went really changed my mind. Their hot milk tea latte was quite good. It came in a mug and a little latte art!
There’s lots of games to choose from, not in the best of shape though.
They really want you to stay a while and be comfortable. Even, the service is not so prompt which is probably due to being short staffed. Every time I go usually I have a wait so I wouldn’t say it’s a quick stop kind of place. But I am usually there to hang out a while with people.
Paid street parking.
It’s funny how many cafes are on this same street.

Love this gem! If you really like patbingsu, this is the right place for you! I always forgot to take a picture after I order, I always a little too excited to have it and just dive in. I will post some awesome green tea patbingsu next time!

Great place to study or hang out with friends. Weekdays are great for studying, but Friday through Sunday gets pretty loud and packed. The milk teas and bingsoo are yummy! Great service and free Wifi.

The food is always so delicious. It’s always so much fun too because of the games you can play.

I actually come here pretty often. I looooooove the owner, he is the sweetest man! I usually get the bingsoo without the red bean because I feel as though it’s over powers the whole dessert. However, if you are a #1 red bean, then don’t opt out for it.
I looooooooove the waffles here. They are crispy and warm with delicious toppings. I highly recommend it if you aren’t feeling the bingsoo! I love the detail they put into this place, definitely drop by if you are in the area.

I was quietly studying and the manager kept trying to push me and my girlfriend to make an order. My intention was to order at some point on our way out. But the manager was so rude and disruptive and I was fed up to the point where I told him «I don’t think I’ll be ordering anything.» His response, «I’m sorry, but this is not a library.» We picked up our things and left.
Other outstanding quotes as we were walking out.
«I pay for electricity. I pay for Internet»…“there are bills to pay”. Such a class act.
I do not recommend this place. I don’t care if their food and desert is good. They only care about money.

Came again with my friends and –as always– service here is amazing and food there is good. There’s free wifi for those who wants to study and it’s great to just chill with your friends. The items on the menu is pretty decent, not too much. I’ll definitely come back when I have time.

I’ve been looking for a place like this ever since I moved to Chicago last year. The atmospheres amazing: there are plenty of couches and it looks like you’re sitting in someone’s living room. If a great variety of drinks including coffee, tea, bubble tea, and more! I mention that they have a bunch of games to play?
This is a great hangout spot to do homework or chill out with the beautiful date.

I’ve been here a few times now and I really enjoy it!
Great place to go on a coffee date, share a bingsoo, and play board games for a few hours. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming. Even when it does get a bit crowded, it never feels overwhelming. Would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a cozy place to study with great food and drinks!

Love the setting of this place. Very vintage-​like and quiet. Perfect spot for a day to study while having some desserts/​drinks. But most likely just go for bingsoo because this shop has the closest version of the original. I can do bingsoo all year round lol

Sberry bingsoo ($ 6.99) — 4 stars. Delish, would be better with misugaru.
Bf tried their coconut taro bubble tea at a kfest, and he was v happy with it.

This is a little local café spot for northeastern students, or the young people around the neighborhood on general.
What a cute little space. It’s not big, so being able to find a cozy couch may or may not happen depending on the time of day. But that’s in, they have chairs, and tables.
They have board games, Korean reading material, Korean candy, and the best coffee, bubble tea, and desserts .
Love the hours are great! They close late, I have been there after midnight, and the place is still poppin’.
The staff is friendly, they are fast, they attend to your needs quickly and answer questions to the best of their ability.
The music is nice, it’s entertaining. The prices for the food and drinks are great, they are reasonable, your bill isn’t exactly small, but that also depends on what you order and how much you order.
Great little local spot with pay for parking option outside so be ready to bring your coins, parking app, or credit card.

What a quaint place! Came here with some friends after dinner on a Saturday for some dessert and to just hang out. They have a ton of boardgames to choose from. My friends and I had fun playing Jenga and Taboo while having some Bingsoo and some hot drinks. My taro latte was okay — not as much taro flavor as I would like and have had at another Korean café, but the bingsoo was yummy with icecream, mochi, fruit, and red beans! Great place to come chill and chat with friends over sweets and play a game or two.

Very very cozy atmosphere, great
Music in the overhead, comfy couches, and variety of board games. Went on a date night with my husband and I and Ordered a latte, and they put a heart design with love written on it. It was really good drink! My husband had the strawberry and banana smoothie. He stated it was really good, best he has thus far and you can tell it was fresh. My husband and I had a great date night!
I can’t wait to go back with my kids this time and make it family night when we decide to go for desserts!

Winter has officially begun…
So what’s more appropriate than visiting the North Park neighborhood? Some say Rosa J. is a polar-​bear incarnate, and the answer is… yes, she is. Tonight she’s out and about, munching the bingsoo and drinking the green latte.
While most Chicagoans were hiding inside of their caves, I am the courageous one who wanted bingsoo. The entire coffee house was quiet tonight. However, the service was warm and friendly. Upon entering the door, we were seated and handed menus by the barista.
Hubby and I shared the couple bingsoo and I had the green tea latte all to myself. I’m still thinking about that creamy green tea latte. I wish there was a patent for that so it can be sold in the k-​cup format. That would really make my day! On the other hand, the bingsoo was good, even on an extremely cold day. The couple bingsoo was definitely large enough for two (2). The ice cream flavors featured strawberry and vanilla. I just wish that there was green ice cream flavor available for the bingsoo option, but I didn’t ask if such special request could be accommodated. Perhaps that was feasible; I just didn’t know.
They provide free wifi, and signal didn’t flag for the duration of our stay. The seating was very comfortable; the ambiance was soothing (classical music and Korean praise and worship songs playing in the background); and venue was well-​maintained and clean.
Nevertheless, on the back of the store there were jewelry and watches displayed and were advertised for sale. I guess there’s always some side business going for every business owner, except I found a bit odd.
Well, that doesn’t really bother me, and I will be back for certain!

Bored late at night with nothing to do? Come to Java and Mug with a bunch of friends and enjoy some food or dessert and play a board game! They have an extensive collection of games from Uno to Scrabble to Jenga. Unfortunately, they don’t have Settlers, my favorite. The games are well maintained and the ones I’ve played haven’t been missing any pieces.
Not entirely sure how service works here. Sometimes they come by with menus, and other times I’ve had to order up at the counter.
I love the Taro latte and bingsoo (shaved ice with toppings). The Java family size is GIANT! Worth the $ 15. 6 of us shared it once and we all had plenty to eat. They don’t skimp on the toppings either. Don’t get their smoothies though, they are kind of icy.
Service is super friendly. They close at 12, and once we literally stayed until 11:59 and they did not rush us, pressure us to leave, or make us feel unwelcome at all.
Everything is super clean and comfortable, and they play soothing music too that isn’t too loud. I much prefer Java over Outdoor Café, and I would recommend that you give them a try.