Cafe Ambrosia

Ambrosia is no longer brewing. It’s passed on. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It has gone to meet its coffee maker.
It is an Ex-​Ambrosia.

Even though I’m a local and not a Northwestern student, I enjoy doing work here for hours on end. It’s just got a good vibe, plenty of seating and outlets, and a pretty good selection of coffees and teas. Unfortunately I just walked by yesterday and the owners had U-​Haul trucks outside clearing out the place so unfortunately this place may need to be marked as closed which would be sad — the owner seemed like a really cool guy and the people who worked there seemed to enjoy it. Maybe now they’ll finally knock down that building, put in some retail space on the first floor which will become occupied by chains, and the homogenization of Evanston’s downtown area will continue. Sucks.

If you go to Northwestern, it’s the perfect place to meet up and study. Iced coffee is incredible, but don’t go there hungry. Go downstairs and sit on the comfortable couches, or show up on weekend nights to catch some student theatre.

I couldn’t see a non-​Northwestern University affiliate walking into this place out of choice. It’s a study hub where you can get coffee and tea, but don’t expect to be fed. If memory serves me correctly, they sold dorm staples such as instant ramen, microwave popcorn and really bad bagels!
I also got the willies waiting alone in the basement study area for my friend to arrive. I was the only one there and the furniture was so broken down and things looked dusty.
I had a hot tea here, which was served in a plastic glass. Not a mug! Huh?!

Decent study spot on a quiet block of Orrington in downtown Evanston. Doesn’t really have much character, but there’s ample seating, bright lighting, and a relatively quiet noise level most nights.

Put me in the «underwhelmed» category. We stopped by on a Friday afternoon to kill some time and found Ambrosia relatively empty (but it was the last day of NU’s finals week and many of the students were probably out of town). Ambrosia has comfy couches and we were able to snag one — I’m a giant fan of couches in coffee shops. However, the couch was in front of the fireplace that wasn’t lit, which was a big disappointment. It was freezing and Ambrosia would have picked up an extra star from me for a fire.
I had a soy chai latte, which was fine. Service was, well, underwhelming. We observed one customer waiting at a counter to order with no staff to be found. When a young woman did finally saunter over to man the register, she was pretty disinterested. Worst of all, some idiot propped the main door open with a fire extinguisher making the whole coffee shop freezing cold There were no staff to be found to fix the situation — one girl that may have worked there was busy chatting to friends. I finally went over and moved the extinguisher, thus saving me from freezing and Ambrosia from a fire code violation. You’re welcome, Café Ambrosia.

Café Ambrosia is a very cool, quaint little place. My friend is a huge tea fanatic, and so having them mix the teas for her on the spot made her very happy.
The atmosphere there is a lot of people on laptops just relaxing, but the funny part is the art on the walls here. Some of it looks almost like finger painting. I do like the fireplace and couches, and overall it’s a nice place to chill for a few hours.
Oh, and major props to them for running pandora for music :)

Café Ambrosia happens to be right downstairs from my office, so its my coffee spot. Its a very nice atmosphere and the service is very friendly. Coffee is really good too.

Café Ambrosia has great coffee drinks and really friendly service. (It probably helps since I go to Northwestern and many of the people who work there also go there.) It’s a really great place to study. Downstairs, there’s a nice study room with couches and chairs that you can stretch out on and get into your paper (or not).

Super friendly staff and quick service. The atmosphere is also very nice with comfortable seating and light background music — Frank Sinatra when I was there. Coffee is good and wi-​fi is blazing fast.

Café Ambrosia has the best scones ever! Pretty good sandwiches and coffee too. I must say though that they’re seating is great because they have the main floor and then the basement where they host a lot of Northwestern student events. Great atmosphere to study or just relax for a little while with a cup of coffee.

This place has the best coffee and they make the best lattes. When I order a vanilla latte, I can actually taste the vanilla. The service is always great. I haven’t tried any of the food so I can’t comment on it, but the prices are right and I have never had a bad drink here.

I used to enjoy coming in here for the occasional lime French Soda and free wi-​fi but it has just gotten too much like a study hall.
The prices are reasonable, the service is friendly but the atmosphere literally gives you the feeling you have to ask the server for a pass to the bathroom. Just writing that sentence gives me flashes of anger that I do not wish to relive.
There are other café’s in E-​town that have a similar or even better menu without the classroom feel. Try some of those.

I’m not in Evanston much, and I’ve only been to a few coffee places there, but I can say that this is the best of the ones that I’ve been to.
The décor and lighting are, as some people have intimated, garish and unflattering, respectively. The space itself, while outfitted with fairly comfortable and functional chairs, tables and couches, could be used a bit better. I didn’t realize there was a basement. It also gets pretty loud when they employ beverage-​making machinery.
The coffee itself is pretty good, nothing absolutely special, but better than chain/​franchise coffee. The fact that they’re open until midnight and have free wifi are major attractions, as is the notable lack of food. For the public good, I had a cookie. It had a nice taste, but could have used just a bit more time in the oven.
I like it when coffee shops take a more surly do-​it-​yourself approach with customers, so I really like that the microwave and toaster are in the middle of the room near the forks, spoons, and assorted consumables.
I will likely be back at some point, it has a good coffee shop vibe.

I will be the first to say that I was underwhelmed by Ambrosia.
Sure it’s a good place to study, work, collect your thoughts, with a good selection of sofa seats, single seats, etc. but the décor looks like it is unfinished, with drab looking walls, an even drearier looking coffee bar and a selection of day-​old plastic-​wrapped baked goods.
Service was mediocre and the coffee was just average.

This is a great place. It is a refuge for me. Very charming!
Abdul.

I work here on school stuff all the time. I love the seats near the window. It’ s a huge distraction to see the interesting people walking by, but meh, whatever, it’s fun. Very chill and laid back over the summer.
The guys who work at the place are SUPER nice. Including the guy that I think is the owner.

Love it! Great staff, great drinks and treats, great atmosphere. They even have a frequent drinkers’ punch card. You can sip in peace knowing you are supporting local businesses.
The bar at the window is nice, and so are the couches. Service is always fast and friendly if you take your joe on the go.

I could see why this place is so uniquely popular among students. First, it’s open late. Second, it’s got this comfortable, «college» feel to it, with ample space to relax, play or study. The large basement even reminds me of a study room in a dorm. For more privacy, you can sit by the window that’s slighly elevated and has stools facing outside. (my favorite spot)
The coffee here is really good. Their smooth, freshly brewed Americano makes me wonder why I bother going to Starbucks all the time. Price wise, it doesn’t make sense… why pay close to a buck more for equal or less quality?
Lastly, they have some beautiful paintings on the walls. That’s a BIG star, right there.

I’ve only been here once to have a conference with one of my TAs, but now that I live closer to the downtown area I’ll probably become a regular. It’s not too expensive (comparable to Starbucks) and their mocha with a shot of crème de mint syrup is to die for. It’s a very comfortable environment, and unlike some other coffee places, you never feel rushed to drink your coffee and leave – you’re welcome to stay as long as you want to.