The Best 6 Chicago Specialty Coffee Roasters
Chicago is a city known for jazz, deep-dish pizza, and improv comedy, but did you know that it has some of the best Chicago specialty coffee roasters in the country?
While big-name chains like Starbucks have been around for years, it was not until recently that more high-end specialty coffee shops began popping up across Chicago.
The best Chicago specialty coffee roasters are Dark Matter Coffee, Bridgeport Coffee, and Intelligentsia Coffee. Whether you’re looking for a nice place to relax as you enjoy your cup of coffee or simply want to pick up some freshly-roasted beans, these three options are your best bet.
Several spots in the city specialize in roasting specialty coffee beans. Each roaster has its own unique personality and style.
Here are some of the best places to get a delicious cup of joe.
1. Dark Matter Coffee
Dark Matter Coffee is more than a place to get breakfast, lunch, and drinks.
This Chicago-born franchise has become a community-centered coffeehouse in the city that offers its customers a space to relax, unwind, and enjoy the company of others.
Their culture is community-driven, and they pride themselves on being a part of the growth and development of Chicago.
Dark Matter is a creative coffee-roasting family driven by the community and a desire to provide the most honest and objective coffee you will ever taste.
They follow a guiding principle that emphasizes sourcing high-quality coffee with transparency in the supply chain, innovative thinking, and civic responsibility.
Sustainability and ethical business practices are their top priorities.
Their business has embraced their coffee bean growers as family, enabling them to source our beans effectively from the farm to the cup, thanks to collaborations with growers in El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, and Mexico.
This clarity in sourcing results in proper business operations, and unrivaled quality assurance is a distinction you’ll notice in every cup.
You can enjoy a delectable cup of coffee at Dark Matter Coffee shops while spending quality time with friends and family, or even getting some work done.
While it’s a local coffee shop, and they have many location options within the city from which you can choose.
For Dark Matter Coffee, quality has always been paramount.
From their dedication to small batch roasting to their devotion to community engagement and environmental stewardship, they’ve made it clear that they’re not here to just push out products–they’re here to bring people together around high-quality coffee.
2. Bridgeport Coffee
Bridgeport Coffee Company is a Chicago-based business that specializes in the retail and wholesale distribution of fantastic coffee beans and roasts on the city’s South Side.
Since its formation in 2004, Bridgeport Coffee Company has aimed to build a bridge from the land where your coffee is grown to the cup you enjoy.
They strive to supply extraordinary roasted coffees to bright purveyors and food service outlets. Additionally, they offer a unique variety of rich, complex aromas and flavors, mastering the mainstream market of premium, top-quality coffees.
Bridgeport Coffee Company maintains close partnerships with several growers, ensuring access to some of the most exquisite globally produced coffee beans. These beans embody all the characteristics coffee lovers value.
Furthermore, they aim to give customers the gratification of appreciating the flavors and aromas of their distinctive roasts.
While their showcased roasts shift from season to season, they provide a diverse selection of coffee, including artisanal blends, single-origin coffee beans, green beans, and decaf coffee.
Using a fluid-bed roasting process, they roast beans in circulating air rather than metal drums that can burn them. This technique provides consumers with a more elaborate interaction with each cup.
If you’re looking to spoil yourself with a delicious cup of Bridgeport coffee, visit their home location: the Bridgeport Coffeehouse at the Hyde Park Art Center.
- Bridgeport Coffeebar at Roosevelt Collection
- Bridgeport Coffeehouse at 31st & Morgan
- Bridgeport Coffeehouse in the Chicago Loop at Michigan & Jackson
Bridgeport has taken its passion for great coffee, knowledge, and expertise throughout each location to create a unique experience for anyone who visits.
One of the things that makes Bridgeport Coffee so unique is that they take the time to talk with their customers about what they want out of their coffee experience.
3. Intelligentsia Coffee
Intelligentsia, a Chicago-based coffee company, has cafés across the country. Publications like Food & Wine and Zagat regularly name them one of the best roasters in the world.
Moreover, they are pioneers in fair trade coffee and sustainability. They refuse to use coffee beans from sources that aren’t at least fair trade certified.
This model is ideal for consumers who want coffee that supports small farmers and humane labor practices.
Over the past 20 years, Intelligentsia has refined its method of selecting and purchasing some of the world’s best coffees. They collaborate with others who share their passion for quality.
Today, their Direct Trade Charter model encapsulates five core business principles that reflect their values.
- Guatemala
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Ethiopia
- And Kenya, to name a few.
One of the finest features of how Intelligentsia does business is its seasonal operations.
They deliver their customers unique blends related to Northern or Southern seasons, providing a wide variety of high-quality coffee beans from many locations worldwide for consumers to try.
In Chicago, you’ll be able to find Intelligentsia coffee shops in five areas:
- Broadway Coffeebar
- Monadnock Coffeebar
- Millennium Park Coffeebar
- Wicker Park Coffeebar
- Logan Square Coffeebar.
Intelligentsia Coffee bars are a place for people to gather, learn, and share.
They believe that coffee is an intimate experience, not just a drink. Their coffee shops are places for education and experimentation.
They create opportunities for their customers to learn about the art of coffee making and the science of quality roasting.
4. Metric Coffee
There are many places in Chicago to find good coffee. If you’re looking for a fantastic spot with great coffee, a relaxed atmosphere, and friendly staff, try Metric Coffee Chicago.
Located in West Fulton, Metric offers customers delicious coffee and fresh pastries baked daily.
Fresh pastries like croissants and breakfast buns come highly recommended.
Metric values culture, equal opportunity, and diversity. The Metric family includes a diverse group of people from various backgrounds. They are united by a love of high-quality coffee and excellent customer service.
Since its founding in 2012, Metric’s mission has been to maintain quality and integrity throughout sourcing, roasting, and coffee production at its café.
Metric sources coffee that promotes sustainable growth by collaborating with five nations. Each nation has its own unique coffee, culture, and stories.
This approach allows their growers to generate profits after covering operating costs and investing in their land and quality of life.
This shows how much the brand and people like you and I mean to them.
Ultimately, Metric Coffee sources its coffee from various farms worldwide, emphasizing quality over quantity.
They focus on selling small-batch, gourmet beans for those interested in learning about different kinds of coffee and don’t mind paying a little more for something worth the difference.
If you’re looking for great coffee that’s been carefully roasted, Metric Coffee offers it at their cafe and online.
5. Printer’s Row Coffee Co.
Printer’s Row Coffee Company is a locally owned coffee shop that serves neighborhood residents and the many tourists visiting Chicago each summer.
The entrepreneurs and owners of Printer’s Row Coffee Co., Nicole and Nick, are a graphic designer and pharmacist, respectively. They share a love for the artistry of roasting small batches of single-origin coffee.
The coffee varieties reflect the characteristic soil, altitude, environment, and farming practices of their sourcing regions.
Single-origin coffee allows you to taste, acknowledge, and understand these flavors.
Nicole and Nick, therefore, ensure that their roasting methods bring these distinct flavors forward for consumers to taste and appreciate.
Printer’s Row Coffee can be described as an intimate roastery paying specific attention to the finer details.
They source their coffee beans from the following regions:
- Brazil
- Columbia Medellin
- Ethiopia
- Nicaragua Jinotega
- Peru Cajamarca
The cafe and roastery are located at 2482 N. Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park.
Having opened in 2017, the cafe is relatively small but provides delicious baked goods and treats that go hand in hand with their artisanal coffee.
They roast their coffees using the most acceptable small-batch methods possible.
Every time you purchase from them, you help small businesses grow and get the best viable product for your money.
Their business revolves around relationships with each customer and their individual needs.
6. Metropolis Coffee Company
Metropolis Coffee Company is a beloved Chicago gem known for its delicious coffee and friendly baristas.
Founded in 2003 by father-son duo Jeff and Tony, they’ve blended their love for science fiction, fantasy, and mythology into one of Chicago’s most innovative coffee brands.
Recently, they expanded to an 18,000-square-foot roastery along the Chicago River, while still operating from the Edgewater Cafe.
Their coffee is available in various cafes, restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, and workplaces across North America.
Metropolis aims to provide the best coffee experience for customers. In 2007, they were honored as Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine, showcasing their commitment to excellence and environmental stewardship.
The atmosphere at Metropolis shops is friendly and casual, with coffee lovers chatting and enjoying their drinks. The shop features light food options, free Wi-Fi, airy seating, an artsy vibe, and plenty of outlets for devices.
