Nitecap Coffee Bar

Great place to get work done. The staff are sweet people. I once got an awesome tarot card reading here. The flavored lattes don’t have much flavor, so I don’t really get those. But the Daytripper breakfast sando is awesome.

The place is certified hipster. They got WiFi and free printing. However, the coffee did not stand up to the hipster standards I used to. Like always I judged the coffee based on the Moka I ordered, its just me. It tasted similar to the Maxwell instant coffee. No additional flavors. Chocolate syrup was subtle, but kinda makes me wonder if there was any trace of it. Love the interior and the environment. If you’re sucker for those things, make sure you pop by.

The heart of hipster coffee in Pilsen. I ordered the chocospresso, which I think was just a double espresso with chocolate syrup in it, but it was good so I’m not complaining.
The best sign of a good coffee shop is whether people want to sit there for hours with nothing more than a drink in one hand, and that’s precisely what I did. The chairs are comfortable and the art on the walls is reminiscent of the spirited murals in the surrounding neighborhood.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the worker here… he was alone and the place was filling up. Service was slow but I can’t blame him, because there were seven drink orders and only one person to do them. Seems they should hire more employees. Anyway, the one man working was nice and apologetic about the wait.

I really wanted to like this place. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming, and there was a lovely little jazz band playing. However, the hot chocolate was neither not nor was it chocolate. Steamed milk and chocolate syrup isn’t hard to make. The lady next me also had the same, sorry-​looking drink (read: luke-​warm milk with a hint of chocolate) and we both should have taken it back, but the line was long.

Cute lil coffe shop w/​a bed nailed to the upper wall LOL I had a large latte flavored with sweet basil. Never had this before & it wasn’t bad. Looks like ppl come here to relax & do work like typical coffee shops.

Nitecap is a hip little local spot near the 18^th St. Pink Line stop. Free Wi-​Fi, ability to pay to print, and definitely a hub for community events. I’ve seen Friday night movie screenings, attended a local stand-​up comedy showcase that was BYOB, heard a hip-​hop artist night, and seen a fortune teller on Tuesday evenings. And that’s just off the top of my head recently that I know about. They offer a lot to the neighborhood, suffice to say.
Small menu: variety of coffee drinks, some pastries, several sandwiches. More of a chill hangout spot vibe. If they’re available, my favorite are the big upholstered chairs on the stage area near the window. Great spot to get sun and read, if they’d turn down the stereo from «full-​on rock concert» to «only slightly too loud.» That boggles me — most people in there seem be to working on laptops or reading, why so deafening? Trying to keep people from staying ALL day, hmm?

Meh.
Sour cappuccino and unfriendly barista. Get your service on better level.
Nice design and cool environment.

Cool place to do work and sip coffee. I love the cozy furniture. Lots of choices in coffee and snacks. I love the Americano!!! They also have a printer if you need to print!!!

Nice little joint for chilling and drinking some special coffee. My friends and I were there for a few hours. Tasted some of their sandwiches and the jalepeno slaw. Good stuff. Nice folks. Easy to relax or work. I’d go again if I were in the area.

I’m sitting here at Nitecap while writing this review… because the wifi works and strong, stronger than the wifi I pay almost $ 100 monthly in my one-​bedroom apartment.
On the 18^th. St., the commercial road in Pilsen, some feet away from the CTA 18 Street Pink Line station, I found this oasis. They have a great cup of café con leche and killer-​potent Americano.
It’s a community coffee shop to space out, to work your numbers on the spreadsheet, to read a philosophical book, to engage fun conversations with a friend, and to relax on your day or night off from a long-​day work.
I should have taken a close peek at their special menu. They have lavender latte. Ummm… I love lavender and definitely am in love with a cup of latte. Keep that in mind, I will give this a try next time I come in.
Ok, I’m heading north side now. Otherwise I would be too comfortable and fall asleep very soon in here.

Ohhh Nitecap… I went into Nitecap today in the morning for around 5 hours to study. My expectations were pretty high for it being one of the few coffee shops in Pilsen.
The highs: I did, however, LOVE their Day Tripper on a croissant! Amazing! Also ordered the Sliced Turkey, again AMAZING! Those caramelized tomatoes were delicious!
The lows: Ordered a Chi Tea Latte, it was OK, felt like it was watered down. I sat right in front of their coffee bar and observed the whole morning. I had to put on my headphones because the music as pretty loud. At one point I was confused on why, what seemed at first to be a costumer, kept going back into the coffee bar and making their own coffee. Perhaps he was an employee, but just seemed odd. When I ordered the Sliced Turkey, I was given the wrong side. My order of the Sliced Turkey was taken, but made by a different barista. So when he brought the sandwich, it had the wrong side. Instead of apologizing for giving me the wrong slide, he just asked if I did not have a side. I chose chips for a side. I chose my chips, as I was about to opened them, I realized they had been EXPIRED! Again, did not receive an apology for expired chips, if not a «thanks for pointing that out».
Left, and walked down the street to Bow Truss, where I absolutely love their Chi Tea Lattes!

What a wonderful space in the heart of Pilsen. I came to Nitecap for a Daycap, namely a Saturday afternoon cappuccino. The Italians wouldn’t approve of this. In fact, they would be disgusted by a cappuccino, a latte, or even a macchiato in the afternoon. It’s like they suddenly become coffee vegans after the sun tilts to the latter part of the day. And don’t even think of an after-​the-​meal cappuccino. For the love of God, haven’t you already stuffed enough antipasto, pasta, veal parmesan and tiramisu into your panna cotta hole for the evening? Get an espresso and leave it at that!
Then again, this is America, and we’ll flout whatever traditions we want to flout on our home field, dammit. And on our home field, we’re going to play football with our hands if we want to! An we’re especially going to drink cappuccino after eating Chicken Vesuvio. That dish originated in Chicago. You can’t even get it in the old country!
In any case, the cup o’ cappuccino was delicious, thanks for bringing me back to the topic at hand. The hipster that made it was an equal-​opportunity espresso-​puller; no hint of Italian (or hipster) coffee arrogance in his eyes.
The place was pretty deserted on the late Saturday afternoon I was there, but I enjoyed it just the same. A great room: good people-​watching if you sit in the window & watch 18^th Street go by, and quiet tables deep inside if you want to get away from the hustle-​bustle. Oh, and I should note the friendly service from the aforementioned hipster; so maybe he wasn’t such a hipster after all.
Then again, why is this place called «Nitecap?» In a hard-​drinking town, especially on the south side, shouldn’t that word be reserved for the last shot of likker before shuteye? Is that some kind of hipster irony I’m missing?

After the Mole Fest, a pit stop here was much needed. Something about the place makes you feel like people coming here are truly regulars and part of a community. There’s no particular specialty name coffee drinks that they make and so it’s pretty open ended as to what you can order. I went with an a coconut almond milk latte. It was quite delicious. The prices were reasonable and the barista was ok. There’s movie events that they host and I notice that they also have tarot card readings here, too.

Standout: Basil Latter
Great, quiet, relaxed café. Went on a Sunday afternoon, and there was ample seating to read a book or do some work. Nitecap offers free wifi and printing services. Great décor– the shabby style that you expect in a neighborhood coffee shop.
Nitecap is a participant in the amazing Chicago Coffee Passport program, so I got to try a drik for free. I tried the NutCup, which is an espresso with chocolate and peanut butter. Not normally and espresso drinker, I found it a little bitter and strong because the flavor additions were subtle and not sugary, but I evened it out with a splash of milk.
My manfriend tried the memorable basil latter. It is a well-​crafted latte, with just a hint of that herbal, sweet, summery basil flavor. I have not had that flavor combo in a coffee before, but it totally worked for a unique drink.
They make syrups in hours, including vanilla, sweet basil, salted caramel, and a couple of others I can’t pull out of memory.
Service was a little slow– I sat down and had my e-​mail open before he was ready for my order. Goes with the relaxed vibe of the place though.

Love this little gem. I’ve been coming to this neighborhood recently for UIC and stumbled into this joint from Unilocal reviews (thank you fellow helpers!)
I got in pretty early, around 7, and asked for a recommendation. The barista recommended the basil latte and the citron ginger tea. Delicious. The basil latte only had a hint of basil and brought out a nice flavor of the espresso. The tea was yummy and calming.
Basil latte was yummy but the lavender latte was my favorite. Whoa! Delicious and (like the basil) not overpowering. I have a game I play with my husband. I order a drink and he guesses what it is and tells me how much he likes it. He said that the lavender didn’t taste like lavender but agreed with me that it’s off the charts good. It brought out a chalky flavor of the espresso.
The vibe of the place reminds me of the eclectic coffee shops out west. The exposed brick and people spending the morning reading the paper was welcoming. Parking was on the street but fine, even on the street cleaning day.
I give this place 4 stars. It’s nearly 6.00 a latte when you have 2 shots of espresso and add a tip.

The coffee and lattes are fantastic but when I went in it smelled terrible in the shop. I don’t know if they knew or not but hopefully it’s cleaned up. Otherwise the customer service is great and the pour overs are delicious. Free wifi too which is rad.

I like that this spot is just steps from the 18^th street Pink Line station. I stopped in yesterday. This is definitely a place to just lounge around, sip coffee and eat pastries all day which is potentially trouble. :-) It’s a very relaxed atmosphere. I had an appointment so I just grabbed a large coffee and doughnut to go. I plan to go back and try the basil latte.

Came through here rocking the Indie Coffee Passport. While the idea of a basil latte made me a tad squeamish, it was stellar. Tasted like a garden and got me hyped like I could write a dissertation or something. Little chocolate chip cookie balls were solid, as were the donuts. People were speaking Spanish and I’m like yes this place is cultured and so am I because I bought coffee here. Muy bien.

I study here once in awhile because it’s closer than the other coffee shops in Pilsen. I like this one in particular because of the vegan products that are available and the ambiance is great!
I usually order an espresso and day tripper. This is a place I highly recommend for anyone who enjoys the simple pleasures.

If I could give half stars I would. It didn’t seem right to give this place 3 stars but I was hesitant about giving this place a 4 star.
The atmosphere of this place is very relaxing. It instantly caught our attention when my husband and I heard the Star Wars soundtrack playing in the background.
It was my first time and of course I always have high expectations when I see a place with 4 plus stars. Although I loved everything about it I wished the person behind the counter was more approachable/​engaging. Typically when you walk into any business you get a sense of welcoming. You get asked if you been there or share with you their thoughts on what items you should try. You get the feel of pride for the place they work/​own. I didn’t sense that at all.
This place surprisingly has great food and coffee. I would only come back to this place if I were back in Pilsen but I wouldn’t go out of my way.