Robust Coffee Lounge

I simply loved this place. Cozy environment and great coffee.

Good coffee. Hipster place
Easy fast service.
Staffs are not that friendly but whatever, you can ignore it and enjoy tasty coffee drinks and food. Environment is cool. Just pop in.

Since moving to Chicago last year, this little gem was by far my favorite treat on a sleepy Sunday. So sad to find that as of this week, it is gone. Can anything be done to bring it back?! Mom+pop shops like this should not be decimated in the wake of larger coffee chains — they are simply not as tasty.

NOOOOOOO!!! You guys are the highlight of my day and your iced coffee keeps me going! what will I do with my life??? Sad to see you guys go :(

A solid hidden gem. The baristas are fun, there are plenty of places to sit, the wifi is free and functional, and the coffee is good. I like my Starbuckses as much as anyone, but I’d go out of my way to end up at Robust again.

I don’t know how many of you will see this before it gets removed. But as of 5pm today, Saturday, November 14, 2015, this location is permanently closed.
Thank you all so much for making each day a treat for me and my co-​workers. We appreciate the laughs and the chance to get to know each of you. My heart is truly heavy. And I only ask that you not make Peet’s your new go-​to coffee shop.
–Stacey (Stacey dot Chesser at gmail dot com)

If you have a preference for warm milk drinks that pass off as coffee, and customer service that guarantees racial discrimination – then this is the place for you.
I walked in, and there was an «affluent» couple placing their order ahead of me. From the moment I stepped in I received a glance and a quick snub from the guy at the register. The couple in front of me was helped well enough, and received good service. But when I started placing my order the guy at the register kept nodding at me impatiently not uttering a word as he tapped my items onto the iPad. In the middle of this my mother walked in and I saw him hesitate as he gave her a judgmental glare.
When she walked over, and he realized that she with me, his attitude went from dismissive to outright rude and racist. He started repeating everything I was ordering with a sharp tone as if he hadn’t heard me, almost like he was correcting me.
Now, I am Chicago-​born and –raised, and have a Bachelors and Masters in English and Literature. I speak English well, and certainly without any accent other than the typical, semi-​strident Chicagoan accent. So to say that I was shocked and taken aback by his behavior would be a severe understatement.
He finished taking our order, took so long to make out drinks. Then started helping a new set of customers until we reminded him about the pastries we had ordered which had not yet been given to us. He then says, so much as looking at our direction, «I forgot about that, give me a sec.» Then finished taking the order of the couple, GAVE THEM THEIR PASTRIES, then gave us ours.
I walked out furious, and apologetic to my mother.
This experience was one of the worst racist encounters I’ve had to date. I don’t plan to ever set foot in this establishment again.

I love this place. Before I moved here I would make a point to go and hang out whenever I was in the neighborhood. I actually asked myself last time I was there, «where is everyone»? This place has more space than most coffee spots. They have great food options for both breakfast and lunch. Also, they a pretty good selection of smoothies that will keep you going.
Great neighborhood joint that is perfect for a stop over or make it your home office for a morning. They have everything you need.

This place is a great. The staff are all very chill. I like the Ice Mocha a lot! Keep it up Robust!

Great non-​chain coffee and breakfast spot. I recommend the everything bagels and the croissants; they are supplied by bakeries in the city and are fantastic. I’ve eaten lunch here as well and the deli selection is good.

So bummed about this place. We live next door and was so excited when we moved in to have a go to coffee shop. We have given this place too many chances… today’s visit topped it off and we don’t plan to go back.
Their menu is pretty simple and yet they still manage to mess up our order everytime. What it is that you don’t get about NO MAYO! After my husband went back for the second time, we just gave up.
Customer service is everything in a successful business and unfortunately this place is lacking in it. About half the time I walk in they treat me like I’m an inconvenience. Come on guys, get it together!

It truly bothers me that Robust on Ontario sucks so bad. I try. I try so, so hard. I just started coming back here after giving it my damnedest for the last two years and giving up hope entirely. I crept back in, willing to give it another shot. The last 4 out of 5 experiences have not been good.
What’s the problem? Sheer mediocrity. And the thing of it is, they seem content with it. They always screw up orders, they always take their sweet time with seemingly everything, the coffee is not terrible, per se, but it is not good. Everything about coming here is just *meh.*
I cannot stand the manager (I think she is the manager?) girl here (wears glasses). She is not actively rude, but she is passively rude. She seems to hate her life, and she gives off the impression that she is lazy – she acts like everything is a chore, down to swiping your card.
The other baristas range from fine to pleasant.
I worked in a coffee shop for years. Its not a dream job for most. For me, however, it kind of was a dream job – and I always did it efficiently and with a smile. It is not that hard, and I enjoyed doing it.
I am just not a fan. But I will probably keep going out of convenience. Consider this notice, Robust, that one of your customers thinks that you kind of suck.

Cute coffee shop with booths, tables, and seating at the counter as well. I’ve only tried their coffee drinks but so far all were great! They serve both soy and almond milk which is awesome. I’ve had soy lattes here as well as vanilla lattes, and today I had a honey cinnamon latte. They don’t have any specialty drinks on their menu besides the mocha diablo but if you want something else (such as the honey cinnamon) and they have the ingredients, they’ll be more than happy to make it for you! Their pastries look mouthwatering but I have yet to try one (based on other people’s reviews they’re said to be delicious). If I were still in school or worked from home, I would definitely frequent Robust often. The atmosphere is quiet and relaxed.

This place doesn’t just serve coffee. They also offer brunch menus as well as donuts.
Good coffee. (Will be back to try mocha diablo) Paid Wi-​Fi. Free water.
Ample seating including chairs by the bar.
The bagel lox was yummy.
Non-​pastry food is anywhere from $ 4 and up.
Bottom line: a good café to hang out with/​without people. And to eat. Serves good coffee. Looks like a mix between a coffee bar and diner.

This café was my first destination for the Indie Coffee Passport (ICP) and my review is solely for that experience. If you don’t know what that is, check it out here:

You have 7 months (til June 2015) to try 21 different cafes throughout Chicago. You pay $ 25 up front and then your in-​house drink will be gratis, but each café has their own offerings related to the #ICPChicago.
I got a 16 oz honey nut latte from the ICP menu, I was torn between the honey nut and a Diablo mocha, but the barista recommended the honey nut since it was his favorite. I’ll roll with it.
It was a decent size and tasted pretty unique, exactly like honey nut Cheerios in latte form. I never knew that was possible! It was definitely on the sweet side, and if I wanted more of the coffee next time I’d ask for an extra shot of espresso or maybe less honey.
My friend got a small dark hot chocolate, which was good but couldn’t really taste the difference whether it was «dark» chocolate versus anything else. Kind of like the various Swiss Miss flavor offerings that all taste the same.
I came here after work after 5pm, and it had the same ghost-​town feel after people leave the city to commute home. Maybe I came at a very slow period, but the Cross Fit Gym that I passed to get here was SO packed and spilling over with energy. Perhaps the stark contrast was a bit jolting.
I usually never venture to this part of town so I’m glad that the ICP took me here. If I were to come here again I’d stick with a regular coffee, their lattes were a little too sweet for my taste.
The ambiance was quiet, the «after 5 dead-​zone», and our conversation bounced off the walls for the whole café to hear (ie the barista). That’s fine because all I did was try to convince my friend to get the ICP passport, of which its goal is to get coffee lovers to try local joints around town. With that being said though, mission accomplished.
I may not come here on purpose since its out of the way, but I think this place has great food options for breakfast and lunch. But if you’re looking for that noisy background chatter and the slight challenge of finding a seat, you may have to come in the very early AM of before the close of the «normal» 9 – 5 work day. After that, you might see a tumble weed roll across the floor.

Absolutely love this place! Breakfast sandwiches are great and the biscuits and gravy are top notch.
Only issue I have with this place is that they don’t sell gift cards. Would make perfect gifts.

Good gawd almighty, I was blessed to try the cherry limeade, a succulent amalgamation of fizzy, tart and lively splendor. I had stopped by for a visit to do some quick work on my computer. Who would have thought that I would find such a flirtatious elixir to whet my whistle? Then again, it was good that it was a passionate affair during which I barely noticed the furniture, which appears to have come from an overstock of tables from a convention.
I’m looking forward to stopping in again when I’m in the neighborhood to hopefully recapture the spark of that tasty, effervescent kiss.

How did I not write a review for Robust? I swear I have written a review for Robust.
Robust is this awesome little coffee shop which happens to be right across from Yoga Circle, where I do my Yoga. Which means I’d hope they are good, as if not this would mean weekly consecutive bad experiences. Fortunately, they are good.
Their loose tea is great and I highly recommend it, and additionally the choice of almond/​soy/​coconut milk to go with the tea is very nice. Many places only give you a choice of soy, or don’t even give you that choice.
The location is definitely a bit hipster and a bit college-​y, as lots of people are here to work on their papers/​plug in their laptops on the power strips by the booths, sipping away teas and being generally hipstamatic. Yes, I did say hipster multiple times, but here I don’t think it’s a bad thing.
In addition, the food is actually genuinely pretty good and is exactly as promised. Which also means they have some vegetarian friendly options, something I always consider a plus. They have a veggie bagel that is basically veggies and hummus, stacked so high I can barely even get a bite out of it.
I like it! Everyone who works here is really friendly too, and the food choices are pretty varied.
If you need a coffee, tee, whatever? They are an everything place without the problems that you would see with a single asian restaurant in the middle of nowhere being an everything place.

This place is so hipster I love it. Trust me, there will be Macbooks that line their tables. There will be brick walls and random signs. There will be letters and fonts all around you that make you giddy.
My hot apple cider (with caramel) kept me warm and fuzzy in the cold Chicago weather.
Just don’t get the maple cream cheese with your everything bagel.

DON’T BLINK
Or you may miss this location. I was having a business meeting and thought we were going to the Caribou down the street. In fact, I typically only go to the Caribou down the street. The Robust Coffee Lounge is hidden directly in the middle of the block and I had no idea it even existed until today.
I really did not have much time to check out the location. We came in and ordered our coffee and when I say coffee we just got coffee. We did not have any of those fancy drinks but they do have them here. I have totally gone back to just coffee, once I realized how bad all those mocha’s covered in whipped cream and pumpkin spiced lattes were for me. I kind of just want old school coffee with cream in it and I am happy.
What really impressed me was how crowded this place was for a Tuesday. We came in for a meeting at noon and did not leave until 2pm. There was a crowd the whole time we were there, in fact, all of the tables were taken when we did finally leave.
This place does have food but I did not try anything. I am not sure if I would ever come in here to eat but I will never say never. I wish I would have had more time to investigate but sometimes I have to turn my Unilocaliness off, especially around new clients.
I found the waitress to be very nice and she even taught me something I had never heard of before. Darker Roast Coffee has less caffeine. Why am I just learning this now? I typically always lean towards a darker roast but not anymore. The only reason I am drinking coffee is for the kick and I do not need my coffee to be holding back on me.
So if you find yourself at 416 West Ontario and I am sure most people end up accidently on this road by missing the feeder ramp to the Kennedy Expressway, then this is the place to take a moment and grab a drink. Who knows you may need the jolt of caffeine to deal with the drive home!