Chicago is definitely a great city for coffee lovers. There are so many great local coffee shops to try out around the city! I’ve listed 7 of my favorite coffee shops in Downtown Chicago for you to try on your next visit.
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During my recent trip to Chicago, I really wanted to focus on the coffee. I want to create more coffee-focused guides here on Travel Daze, and Chicago has such a great coffee scene, it seemed like the perfect place to start. I ALWAYS drink a lot of coffee while traveling, but I don’t usually make much of an effort to document my favorite spots. But that’s going to change!
Before my trip to Chicago, I spent a lot of time researching the best coffee shops and cafes. I made a list (and a map) of all of the places I wanted to try out, and it got pretty long. Even with a full week in Chicago, I didn’t quite manage to visit all of them, but I think I made a pretty decent effort. I think 2-3 coffees a day was my limit, so I could only do so much on one trip.
This is not meant to be an exhaustive Chicago coffee guide by any means. There are still SO many great cafes in Chicago that I missed out on, especially since most of my time was spent in the Loop (downtown). In the future, I plan to return to Chicago and try out more coffee shops in the other neighborhoods, and write another guide then.
So for this guide, I decided to just focus specifically on coffee shops in Downtown Chicago. As a traveler, you’ll most likely spend a lot of your time in this area too, so these are all easy to get to. A lot of these places have multiple locations throughout Chicago, so if you are exploring other neighborhoods, you should still be able to find some of these cafes. I listed the downtown address for each coffee shop and included a map so you can find them!
If you like coffee, make sure you add these 7 coffee shops in downtown Chicago to your itinerary!
Coffee Shops in Downtown Chicago
Goddess and the Baker
Goddess and the Baker is a really cute and fun coffee shop. The location I went to was lively, quite busy, and had some great music playing. It’s not the chill and have a quiet conversation kind of cafe; it’s energetic. There’s plenty of room inside to set up with your laptop and work, and plenty of seating outside to eat and enjoy a nice day.
What to Get: Latte
Address: Legacy Tower, S Wabash Avenue
Hero Coffee Bar
I was very happy with Hero Coffee Bar. There are a couple of locations very close together downtown. The one on Dearborn had really friendly baristas who were happy to suggest a new drink for me to try. The cafe on Jackson is where you’ll want to go to get the insta-friendly alleyway shot.
What to Get: Basil Orange Latte
Address: 22 E Jackson Boulevard
Dollop Coffee Co.
Dollop Coffee Co is one of the Chicago coffee shops that you’ll find all over the place. There are multiple locations throughout downtown/the loop, as well as in the outer neighborhoods. I tend to get almond milk lattes when I try a new coffee shop, and Dollop has a really good one! The atmosphere at the Dearborn location was very chill. It’s perfect for a simple morning pick me up.
What to Get: Almond Milk Latte
Address: 343 S Dearborn Street
Fairgrounds Coffee and Tea
Most of the cafes in this post were on my list of places to try before I even made it to Chicago. However Fairgrounds Coffee was a place I just stumbled on while wandering around. The location on Michigan is just a small alcove of a hotel lobby, but the outdoor seating area was cute enough to draw me in. The barista was nice enough to chat with me so we could come up with something new for me to try! There is one other location in Chicago as well.
What to Get: Matcha Latte + Coconut Milk + Lavender
Address: 12 S Michigan Avenue
Revival Cafe Bar
There’s a place called Revival Food Hall that is filled with amazing local restaurants/vendors set up in a food court style venue. Within the food hall is a coffee bar, and it’s a great place to stop in for a coffee and/or food. There is tons of seating room and free wi-fi, so if you need somewhere to work for a bit, this is the place to go. It’s not too busy in the mornings, so you’ll have lots of space to yourself.
What to Get: Chai Latte
Address: 125 S Clark Street (inside Revival Food Hall)
Mojo Coffee
Mojo is a New Zealand coffee roaster, so I was SO excited when I realized they have a cafe in Chicago. It’s the only US location thus far. I had to stop in and get a flat white (the classic Kiwi coffee drink). The little teal coffee cups made me feel like I was back in New Zealand again.
What to Get: Flat White
Address: 200 S Wacker Drive
Intelligentsia
You can’t go to Chicago for the coffee and NOT visit Intelligentsia. This independent coffee roaster was founded in Chicago, and now has locations in major cities around the country. Intelligentsia is one of the pioneers of Third Wave coffee in the U.S., and Chicago is pretty proud of it.
What to Get: Cold Brew
Address: 53 E Randolph Street
More Chicago Coffee Shops (Outside of the Loop)
I did manage to visit a few coffee shops outside of downtown. Here are a few stand-out cafes to try in various neighborhoods.
- Sawada Coffee // 112 N Green Street // West Loop
- Colectivo Coffee // 2530 N Clark Street // Lincoln Park
- Caffe Umbria // 346 N Clark Street // River North
- Cupitol Coffee // 455 E Illinois Street // River North
Coffee Shops in Downtown Chicago – Map
Read Next:
- 24 Hour Guide to Chicago on a Budget
- 1 Week in Chicago (Insta Diaries)
- Where to Find the Best Coffee in Lisbon
- 26 Best New Zealand Coffee Shops
- 10 Best Coffee Shops in the U.S.
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Travel Daze 
I lowkey wish I had a trip to Chicago planned because I want to try all of these places! x
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Now I have to go back to Chicago because I haven’t tried all of these shops!
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