Lavazza Espression

The guy serving me was nice, but to enforce a policy that you can only have 1 flavor of gelato is stupid. I always get half fruit half chocolate but you had to ruin my day. Never going to support a lavazza location ever again.

You always remember your first taste:
+ The fear.
+ The apprehension.
+ The tension.
+ The anticipation.
+ The excitement.
Even though you’ve been down similar roads, you’ve never quite been down this one.
And then it hits your lips and tongue.
And it’s magic.
And then you want it every day going forward — multiple times per day.
It’s your first espresso macchiato. And you got it at Lavazza and will always remember it.
Then, you’ll keep going back for more, possibly seconds or thirds, until they can’t stand pulling any more shots for you.
But they do want you to come back, so they give you a punch card to entice you to do so.
And with that card, the tenth taste is free. You’ll want to rush to fill up that card quickly. Just don’t rush too hard. You don’t want to overindulge. I can’t believe I just said that.
V stars.

I’m not a big coffee connoisseur (yes, I had to google the spelling of that word), so this review isn’t really judging their coffee. The layout of the store is pretty cool; they have large display counters and the staff are really nice. I would say that the ambience is definitely warmer than Starbucks, and it just felt more bright and less «franchisee», if that makes any sense. Like I said earlier, not a big coffee connoisseur so I can’t say the coffee is good or bad, it did taste a lot stronger than Starbucks.
Anywho, if you’re looking for something a little bit different than the million of Starbucks or Dunkin’ or even Carribou (not many of those left), give Lavazza a try. They do have free wifi too.

I’m in the French Market almost daily and I had put off trying this place because Starbucks is so close. It could be more charming, way too much art on the walls and not enough comfortable places to lounge around. They say that they are the coffee house Italy loves. It’s crisp and clean and the menu is pretty straight forward. They also carry gelato! An Americano and a scoop of chocolate gelato hit the spot on a particularly rough Friday afternoon. I’m not sure that I would make this my new go to coffee spot but in a pinch it’s great. At rush hour they also have someone standing in Ogilvie with small cups of coffee for quick service. Very cute and prompt service.

Solid coffee place. They have the best cappuccinos I’ve been able to find in the states.

Honestly — with all of the awesome gelatto flavors available — go with the standard vanilla. There is nothing in the world like it. Be still my heart — I’m in love with the plain, jane, vanilla.

Everything I had was delicious however I was forced to buy something. I went to the French Market with a client for lunch. All the tables were taken. However, tables outside of their resto were free. There was someone else sitting at a table just playing on his cell phone. So, we thought it would be ok if we sat as well.
As soon as we got comfortable, someone came out and said these tables are reserved for this resto only. If we wanted to stay, we would need to purchase something from their resto. Since there weren’t any tables left, and we actually started eating, I went in and purchased an espresso brownie. As I said earlier, it was delicious. But I should not have been made to purchase something. If you don’t want ppl sitting in your chairs, then post a sign.

My coworkers told me this is a great place to get the espresso. He takes it as black which is too much for me. My favorite is cappuccinos which is better than Starbucks in my opinion.
Well I am actually addicted to their pistachio gelato. Here is my routine. Go to the inside of French market to get the meal. As every time, there is no seats in there. I come here and get my coffee and my desert to complete my perfect lunch.
The service is always quick and polite. Everyone likes the décor here, all bright and arty.

Convenient location for daily commute on the green line or pink lines.
Lovvveee the chocolate used in the café mocha = maximum choco-​goodness.
Best coffee spot in my neighborhood!

I did live in Italy for a year and THIS was the coffee I drank nearly every day.
Almost everything tastes authentic. I love the cappuccinos, and have to try my hardest to stay away on a daily basis. They even serve real espresso. Something most American cafes can’t get right. (Thanks for trying…)
The décor is amazing. They have so many real pictures from Italy. My favorite is all the different advertisements for Lavazza. They remind me so much of Italy, probably because they are actual advertisements I saw when I lived there.
I would recommend this place to anyone in search of a tasty Italian caffe… :)
Ciao!

Really nice guy working the counter. More importantly, cannot believe I found jizz-​worthy gelato at a chain.

5 stars for the décor, definitely a change from your normal café. Good for relaxing with a book or friends, bad for studying.
3 stars for the croissant, was slightly burnt and not as flaky or buttery as a good croissant. Was also very doughy and not as light as I wanted. Granted I just returned from Paris, but the croissants I had at the airport were better than this!
3 stars for my café au lait. Was just mediocre.

When I’m not getting my affogato (gelato drowning in espresso) fix from here, I will get my Monin syrup fix! They had all the great flavors — pumpkin spice, frosted mint, and the fruit flavors. Try a few pumps in your iced coffee.
Also, the mochanana bread has delicious chunks of chocolate and moist banana.
This location is so convenient for my daily commute!

I’m one of those people that checks for foodie photos on Unilocal before I make up my mind on what I’ll be having. This time, I ended up picked my panini based on the sample sandwich in the display case. It was one of those, «hmmmmm, that one looks good.»
It was the smoked salmon panini; salmon, sun-​dried tomato, super thin sliced zucchini and cream cheese. I wasn’t a fan of the cream cheese, there was just too much of it for my liking. But it was easy enough to scrap a little off to an acceptable level of cream cheesiness. After a little modification, it was a great panini.
It came with mixed greens drizzled with a balsamic reduction and oil. I have to say the balsamic is the best I have ever had. It is SO good.
Quick lunch no doubt.

Quite frankly, I was expecting a better Latte from Lavazza. We’re talking about quality coffee from Italy… Well, the Grandissimo Latte I ordered here left much to be desired. The foam was way too airy, not dense and creamy enough. It’s a shame. I might come back but I’ll stick to coffee next time. Clearly their barista doesn’t know how to make true creamy espresso drinks.

Great place to grab a cup of coffee or indulge in some gelato if you’re heading off to the French Market or awaiting a train. The gelato is fairly good, but the coffee is excellent. Why? Because it’s LavAzza… nothing beats it for me.
The employees here are nice, the décor is cool, and the artwork amazingly beautiful… it makes one wonder if drinking LavAzza can make one pretty or cool? Probably not. But, hey, the coffee is damn good!
There are so many Lavazza Cafes in Chicago that I was shocked from sheer excitement. I’ve only seen them in Buenos Aires, the Palazzo @LV, and Italy. I can’t wait till they expand further out to San Francisco. Till then, just gotta get LavAzza at certain stores or online.

Gelato is greater then Ice Cream. Now that we have that out of the way, Lavazza has some of the best gelato around. So creamy and nummy.
We had great service with the fella telling us which flavors he recommended and what was new. He offered us samples and they did have some unique offerings like pumpkin, but I went with his personal recommendation of Chocolate Chip.
I loved it! I also liked the little spoons and little bowl we used. Recycling ftw! One was plenty for my friend and I to share and just over $ 3. Good deal, yummy stuff.

When: February 7
Why: Lunch and Treat after boring meeting.
Great coffee!
Great gelato!
Had lunch in the French Market and before heading back to our meeting, I grabbed a grande cup of coffee. I needed a stimulant to keep me awake, the meeting I was in town for was boring as hell. The coffee was bold and robust, full of flavor. Just what I needed.
After our meeting broke for the day, I circled back to The French Market to grab a cup of gelato. It was some of the best gelato I have ever had, it was better then my previous favorite down in South Beach.
Staff was extremely friendly and the ambiance of the place was unique. When in town for another boring meeting, I will be grabbing a cup of Joe from Espression by Lavazza.

There is a Lavazza stand in the Metra French Market, but there is also a stand-​alone café slightly removed from the central hall. This Lavazza has a wonderfully secluded seating area tucked around the corner from the counter. The gelato I ordered was delicious, and my +1 enjoyed a smallish coffee drink. The furniture gives the space the feel of a funky international airport lounge, and the walls feature some colorful artwork.

I heart the convenience of this Lavazza location. It is right in the Metra station so if you missed your train or have time to kill, you can be easily entertained. I’m excited that the Ogilvie Transportation Center has become quite the hangout lately. Too bad I don’t commute nor have to use those trains anymore.
I love how Lavazza shops are so aesthetically pleasing. Everything is bright, well-​lit and everything is presented so nicely that you want to order all the items on the menu. I’ve had their expressos before, but today I had the Merengato — expresso, nutella, and meringue. gosh it was sooo good and definitely what I needed in my workday. Twas so good, I nearly had a Yumgasm…