Your favorite Chicago coffee shops

Your favorite Chicago coffee shops
Chicago Public Radio listeners love their coffee. Metropolis and its flagship cafe in Edgewater was among the top picks from our Facebook followers. WBEZ/Monica Eng
Your favorite Chicago coffee shops
Chicago Public Radio listeners love their coffee. Metropolis and its flagship cafe in Edgewater was among the top picks from our Facebook followers. WBEZ/Monica Eng

Your favorite Chicago coffee shops

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Thirty years ago, most Chicagoans couldn’t have imagined paying more than a buck for their cup of daily Joe. Oh, how the times have changed.

Call it the Starbucks effect. For better or worse, drinking habits have morphed and a whole gourmet coffee industry has blossomed. Illinois is home to more than 350 official Starbucks cafes and dozens of restaurants and institutions that serve the company’s brew.

But competitors abound and continue to grow in our coffee-loving town. Last month, Berkeley-based Peet’s Coffee & Tea opened a flagship store in the historic Wrigley Building, less than a block away from the busiest Starbucks in the city. And the company has plans for more shops across the city.

Still, these national chains are by no means the hottest cup in town. Chicago has a proud and growing stable of local artisan roasters. And according to our very non-scientific survey, they top the list of favorite coffees among local public radio listeners.

WBEZ asked its Facebook followers to name their favorite cafes, and the comments came pouring in with Jackalope, Metropolis, Dark Matter, Cafe Jumping Bean and Wormhole topping the list. Below you can find the 11 Chicago cafes they like the most as well as an interactive map listing all the cafes our followers recommended. So if you’re looking for someone to gab with about your favorite radio shows over coffee, these may be the best bets in town. Happy sipping!

Top 11 Chicago cafes for public radio lovers

  • Jackalope Coffee in Bridgeport (34 mentions)
  • Metropolis (33)
  • Dark Matter (27) 
  • Cafe Jumping Bean (18)
  • Wormhole (14)
  • Gaslight Coffee Roasters (14)
  • Perkolator (13)
  • Bridgeport Coffee & Tea (13)
  • Heritage General Store (13)
  • Ipsento (12)
  • Intelligentsia (11)
  • Big Shoulders (10) 

Top 12 most-served gourmet coffees in Chicago

When it comes to choosing coffee beans, Chicagoans have become much more discerning over the last 25 years. But whose beans — aside from Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts — are served up in the most restaurants and cafes around Chicago? We recently called top local and national coffee roasters to find out. Here’s what they reported.

  • Metropolis: 350
  • Intelligentsia: 300
  • La Colombe: 150
  • Dark Matter: 75
  • Julius Meinl: 70-75
  • Bow Truss: 70
  • Big Shoulders: 40
  • Alterra/Collectivo: 30-40
  • Passion House: 30
  • Counter Culture: 17
  • Stumptown/Ipsento: 10
  • Gaslight: 6