Decent coffee (a little light for me), small portion, nice atmosphere. According to the National Coffee Association, the ideal water temperature for extraction is between 195°F and 205°F, which is a little below the boiling point of water — 212°F. This means glass cups with out a handle is NOT a good choice for good coffee. It gets… HOT. Any hot drinks required handles or sleeves. Mugs are preferred.
Small but cozy spot serving freshly brewed coffee; baristas and staff were welcoming and friendly :)
It can get busy here, so expect to buckle down while you listen to some groovy jams. It's worth the wait.
Drinks might come out extremely hot, this is dependent on who makes it, so make sure if you want a non-scolding drink to advocate for a mildly warm one. 😆
FREEEER batch brew refills served by a cool team of fun people 🫶🏼 perfect chicago mornings !!!!!
Jerry The Pigeon And Mike L
+5
What a delightful little coffee shop. Very modern and upbeat.. the team at this location are fast and beyond friendly. A frat place to grab a seat & people watch outside. Very lively corner and hours are late enough to grab an after lunch pick-me-up. Overall a great experience.
I give this place 5⭐️
Jerry (the pigeon) gives it 5⭐️
Good coffee at a good price. Not a ton of space to sit but pretty cozy inside. Super clean bathroom. Would recommend.
Great little spot! Strong espresso drinks and they don't go overboard on the sweetener. Friendly and knowledgeable staff as well. Will be back.
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Love this Big Shoulders location for (pick any category & I'll respond with) all of the above.
I come regularly and while I'm not the kind of customer to enjoy a dolled up latte with the seasonal this'n'that, I'd recommend it all to friends having watched the lovely baristas toast marshmallows for these drinks. I come for a cortado w/oat or a straight espresso and I'm a semi-stickler for a decent order of things of the like. They've never done me wrong & my cortado comes with properly textured oat milk every time. I get my beans here for espresso & you get a free drink when u get ur beans! I get Bold Slugger!
The baristas are the gem of my regular visits. They're all great people, with whom I share a chat here n there. Annie, Andrew, Sai, Alex, & others have been great! I don't expect folks to call me by name as one in the masses of Chicago, but it does warm my heart a bit when I see my name written on my cup or a simple Hey, Austin!
Haven't tried other Big Shoulders locations, but I do quite enjoy the bit of neighborhood charm in this smaller spot. Would recommend especially for a solo visit or a pair, seating is possible for 4 or more in the warmer months in their outdoor seating and can work on occasion indoors for 4.
| TLDR | Lavender latte is AMAZING, compact yet pro-study space, and full of outlets. Now here's the inside scoop:
| Pros |
☕ Coffee: do really well at making syrup-specific lattes, as well as your run-of-the-mill coffee bevs (caf & decaf options). Average prices are decent but typical of downtown, with a hot 8oz latte coming out to $5.50 w/o tax)
🏠 Seating: ample seating (ports abound basically everywhere you sit, and are located in space between couch seat and backrest)
📶 Suprisingly Great WiFi: although speeds clocked in at an avg. of 13.7 Mbps. Password can be found on top of counter
| Things to Consider |
👨👩👧👦 Downtown Hustle: could get pretty packed and loud at times but some good noise-cancelling headphones/earbuds should do the trick
Overall, really neat place to get some work done or meet with a friend. If you ever wondered which Chicago Downtown coffeeshop to stop by, check out Big Shoulders (where small shoulders are also allowed some coffee)!
Every one of their locations is superb, however it is their product that is second to none. There are other cities that are thought of first when it comes to coffee, however Big Shoulders is second to none. The fact that they have continued to evolve and improve through extremely difficult economic times speaks to their passion for what they do. I assume coming directly from Tim Coonan who btw still responds directly to customer concerns. I am not always able to procure their beans directly when in the city, but being able to always receive their newest and freshest roasts and have them come directly to my home or office via their home delivery program is amazing. If you like coffee even modestly, their roasts will turn you into a groupie. We are lucky to have them in Chicago.
Coffee was fine, scone was good and warm. The shop was a bit noisy for my liking. I also didn’t like having to pour my own drip coffee, but maybe I’m spoiled with other coffee shops doing that for you!
I like the place, small, good place to work or study 😍👌🏻👌🏻
The pour over coffee was gooood !! “Little bit expensive comparing to other pour over coffees”
The barista took her time to make a hood manual pour over coffee which I really enjoyed.
Very welcoming staff, they seem so happy and comfortable here and that’s really good to see. Pleasant atmosphere, music just the right volume, and coffee is lovely. Will be back!
Came to Big Shoulders from out of town, and gotta say, its one of the best! Espresso so good, I didn't even add cream or sugar. Smooth, not at all acidy, and just plain good! Friendly staff, and also great baked goods. I had the Crumb Cake donut and loved it. Come n check it out!
It seems like my cortado shooould have been good… they have a nice zocco, mahlkonigs, the coffee appears to be well sourced and roasted… and yet somehow my espresso was pulled sour, milk steamed Starbucks style, and proportions were off. Anyone can forgive sloppy execution occasionally but great cafes don’t let these things slip.
Overall it’s good for a neighborhood cafe, but I wouldn’t be going out of my way.
Amazing coffee and very well made baked goods. We tried the latte, iced latte, chocolate chip cookie, and walnut coffee cake, all of which were excellent.
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