Ugly Mug Cafe

CLOSED — Stopped in once for some coffee. Thought it was A-​OK, but apparently they are having financial problems and the Chicago Ave. location is now closed.

Chill neighborhood hangout spot. Most attractive barista (s) on earth.

This place is my jam. Lattes are delicious, bagels are the bomb, and the staff is rad. Always plenty of comfy seating and in a great location.

This is about the third time I’ve been to ugly mug. I don’t think I will go back. Of the three times I’ve been there, two of the times their internet was down (by the way the place was not crowded when it was down). Being that the main reason I go to coffee shops is to get work done, I ended up wasting $ 15 on a sandwich and shake and had to just scarf it down and return home since I couldn’t do anything there. This unreliablility makes this place worthless to me, especially with Lovely bake shop a few blocks away and some great places along milwaukee a bit farther.
The food was alright. The sandwich wasn’t cheap but it wasn’t bad. The shake I had ‘gravity of love’ tasted very chalky (the chalky taste you get when you have cheap chocolate ice cream) but I might be spoiled because I’m used to the quality that you’d find in places in lakeview.
The greater than 1 star is because even though this is a horrible place to work, they do have friendly staff and nice but not overbearing music. If they had reliable internet they would have a much better rating.
EDIT: I did get a reply from the management taking responsibility and saying they’re switching their service. When they do I hope to give it a shot again.

Umm hello this place is perfect. Employees were welcoming and friendly and everything I ordered was legit. Remember that horrible movie with the souped up cars when Eva Mendes said «I hired some thugs to make it legit»? This place was exactly what Eva was talking about.
They’re chalkboard full of signature coffee drinks is amazeballs. The Ron Swanson tastes just like Ron Swanson

I usually order delivery, but decided to go in and check it out. Great food, as expected, but they’re also super friendly, helpful, and the atmosphere is awesome.
I highly recommend going in and checking it out, or at least get it delivered.

I’ve been frequenting Ugly Mug for the past year or so, really since they opened, usually for coffee, occasionally for lunch or for a bagel & lox on weekends. It’s been a convenient neighborhood spot with friendly staff. Their back patio is dog friendly, which is a plus in the summertime. However, they are soo slow. The coffee is great, but food is clearly not their thing. It typically takes them 10 – 15 minutes for a sandwich or wrap (and that is when they are not busy) so I only get food when I have plenty of time to kill.
Today I went in and had 30 minutes to pick up a sandwich to take on the road before a meeting. I figured this would be plenty of time. I ordered the sandwich and a tea and took a seat on the couch next to the counter and waited. After about 15 minutes, I wasn’t surprised, but started to get anxious. After 20 minutes, I asked the guy I ordered from if my sandwich was coming out soon. He asked me what I ordered and then said he never got the ticket. This was odd because he was the one who took my order. With only a few minutes to spare, I asked for a refund and left without any lunch. No apology or anything. I was so annoyed.
This had a been a nice little, convenient café, but there are plenty of places in the neighborhood that I can get a coffee and decent food in a timely fashion.
Bottom line: The food is nothing special. Slow, slow service.

–Great place!
–Not busy. I got here around 6:15pm on a Monday night.
–Big enough for group meetings yet still intimate.
–Lots of tables for you to work on your laptop and a few couches.
–I don’t drink coffee so can’t comment on that but I ordered green tea and it came in a huge mug which I got to pick out at their wall of mugs. FREE REFILLS on tea (additional hot water).
–Summer hours are over so they now close at 8pm during the weekday (Mon — Fri 6am — 8pm and weekends 7am — 7pm)
–I hear that the breakfast sandwiches here are tasty so I’ll have to stop by here one day on a Saturday morning!

Their coffee is delightful & I always enjoy the witty chalkboard sign whenever I’m passing by, even if I’m not stopping inside
Also if you buy a bottomless coffee the staff lets you pick your mug. My fav is the «A Giant Cup Of I’m The F%#*&@ Boss» mug

I really wanted to like this place because their menu sounds really awesome and they have a lot of natural and alternative options (non-​dairy, vegan, etc.) So it sounds like a great lunch spot and convenient near my work. About 10 of us ordered food, and I’m not really one to complain about delivery times or a couple of items they forgot, because hey, it’s food service during a busy weekday. That stuff doesn’t really bug me.
It was just the food that was not so great. It was actually pretty awful. I tried the tabouli salad — honestly the worst tabouli I’ve ever had because it had no flavor. It looked great but was very bland and had no flavor — no taste of parsley or lemon or pepper. Not sure what recipe it is, but even the balsamic dressing did not bring this back to life. Tried some of Movin to Cali, also very dry and flavorless. Also had a veggie-​type of tomato based soup that was decent.
Most co-​workers also said that there just wasn’t a good flavor to their meals, nothing memorable. The espresso options sound good and they have other cool sounding smoothies, so I may try one of those another time, but likely won’t order for delivery again from here.

So it’s right down the street from my house and aside from having to wait for 30 minutes for a caprese sandwich (which is really good) and a walk of shame wrap (guac, eggs, bacon, maters, and spinach which is also a really good bfast wrap) it’s not horrible.
The coffee is just awful. I don’t know which roaster they use but every time I drink my iced coffee my stomach just churns because of the bitterness. My husbo’s latte is never that great either.
Between this shop and Awake Café (formerly Swim) I’ll take this one because the quality is better and prices are cheaper.

Not a fan of the whole hipster atmosphere because the dispositions tend to be offputting. However, the hipster vibe at Ugly Mug Café isn’t like that.
AND the coffee is apparently from a quality bean.
Ordered a latte and I drank it without any sweetener added. So, if I am in the West Town/​Ukrainian Village neighbourhood again and want some coffee, Ugly Mug Café will get my business.

I came here late on a Saturday morning and planned to have a free latte (using the Freebie app — it’s awesome!) I wasn’t expecting such an extensive (and creative) drink menu, or food options! Being a little overwhelmed with options, I asked which flavors were most popular or their favorites. Two recommendations were made — coconut and Thai almond. I went with the Thai almond iced latte. It is an interesting flavor that I didn’t particularly love… I definitely felt like I was drinking some strange Thai curry. The appearance was a little off-​putting (almost as if the milk was curdling, but it wasn’t.) I didn’t ask what the ingredients were but I’d be curious to know. Even though I didn’t love my drink choice, I liked the cozy atmosphere and friendly service, and they have several items I want to try so I will be back!

Good coffee, cute space and friendly staff. I’m a fan.

You probably wouldn’t right swipe this place if you found it on Tinder cause of the name, but if you can get past the Ugly Mug it’s truly beautiful on the inside.
With a very charming and chill staff, totally cozy vibe, and super high speed Internet, it’s quickly become one of my go to spots to post up with my laptop for a few hours. They’ve got sidewalk seating and a patio in the back that shields the wind really well so if nice out it’s definitely must do… and it’s very dog friendly.
The coffee is great and the food is even better. There’s breakfast sandos, other AM delights, and severral lunch options of which I’d recommend two from personal experience. The Velociwrapter is basically a turkey club with a kick of jalapeño and The Charming is a veggie wrap with portobello shrooms chick peas and some other stuff for the non meat eater.
Overall it’s an awesome local spot and unlike a said Tinder swipe I was talking about… it’s always been a satisfying experience.

What’s not to love about the Mug??? The staff are awesome, super friendly folks. The drinks are terrific and the food is delicious. Plenty of space to find the right seating arrangement, though I tend to hang out at the counter, and they have lovely back garden area plus sidewalk seating. The owner is always looking for ways to support the neighborhood and often has after hours events for different fundraisers. It’s great to have the Mug as part of my community!

I’ve become quite a fan of Ugly Mug Café. I may never have discovered it, but I teach a class twice a week around the corner on Ashland. Usually, I bike about 14 miles roundtrip to West Town (at 5 am! on wednesdays) and I had some time to kill before my next class in Logan Square. I needed to refuel, so Unilocal led me to Ugly Mug.
Sometimes you just want a chill café that isn’t the sterile chain with the green logo (actually, I never want that…) I sat outside on their sidewalk patio and enjoyed my coffee and read my paper. Pleasant start to my morning. I also ordered a Velociwrapter and a cookie to go for lunch later (after getting up at 3:45., biking 14 miles, and teaching 2 classes, I’m super lazy about wanting to prepare food.) The wrap was delicious and to my surprise came with a side of tortilla chips. The cookie was no disappointment, either.
Since then, I’ve visited a few more times, sat inside for a business meeting, had more coffee, more cookies, and another Velociwrapter to go. The staff has always been incredibly nice and they also have a loyalty punch card. They also have many really interesting coffee drink offerings: thin mint, pb&j latte, butter coffee. I’m not really a coffee drink girl, but my interest is piqued.

Took me my entire first visit before I realized the namesake of this café. They have an eclectic collection of mugs and plates (think SpongeBob plates, holiday mugs, or a cup that proudly exclaims «#1 Boss»).
It’s a really fun, airy place and not too busy the few times I’ve been there. Great sandwiches and coffee.
And… a really fun playlist! From MC Hammer to Journey to Led Zeppelin.

Ugly Mug is my new coffeehouse for the neighborhood. I went in recently and found it warm and inviting on a cold snowy day. Tried the mocha which was delicious. The staff was friendly, the décor hip and laid back. Most of the other patrons looked like they were there for hours, so a great place to hang out. Some hipsters were there but otherwise a nice crowd.
Drop by for a coffee and try it yourself! They do have some breakfast items and sandwiches as well. The one negative is the sandwiches seem pricey for this place and neighborhood.

You know the coffee is great in a place
when you drive 2 miles out of your way to get a fix! And not just once but a couple of
times a week. It’s so difficult to get good coffee in this city, let alone espresso. I
love that Ugly Mug supports local
coffee roasters Passion House. I mostly
visit weekdays but recently I came on a Sunday mid– morning and ordered my usual latte and since I’m a bagel lover I ordered a lox bagel with avocado, red onions, tomato and arugula. OMG it was delish ! My boyfriend ordered the Cuban sandwich and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Ugly Mug also supports local artists and the artwork is on constant rotation. I seriously wish this place was within walking distance from my house, but I’ll still be there several times a week nevertheless! Check it out; you WON’T be disappointed !