Looking for the best coffee in the western suburbs? In this video, I feature the following locations:
☕️ Beatrix, Oak Brook
☕️ Ashbary Coffee House, Willow Springs
☕️ Cafe La Fortuna, Hinsdale
☕️ Mud and Char, Downers
🦉 Owl and Lark, La Grange
☕️ Wheely’s, La Grange
☕️ Sparrow Coffee, Naperville
☕️ Gosia’s, Brookfield
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Eric Andersen, B.A., M.Div.
Owner/Designated Managing Broker, Eric Andersen Homes
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Transcript:
The abundance of great coffee in the western suburbs is one of the perks—pun totally intended—of living around here. I’m Eric with Eric Andersen Homes, and in this video we’ll be looking at some of my favorite independent coffee shops in the western suburbs. My daughter Ruth tried to convince me to include Starbucks (she loves their strawberry açaí refreshers—even though the one I bought her the other day had a black strawberry in it). Sorry Ruth, we’re only doing independent, non-corporate coffee shops today. Maybe one day I’ll sell out, accept a massive sponsorship and do a whole video on the top 10 Starbuckses, but not today. They couldn’t afford me anyone. If I’m honest, I do like their roastery in the city, and they have a nice Reserve location in Naperville, though they did give my friend Mark a hard time about his drink the last time we stopped in. But enough of that—let’s get on to the best coffee in the western suburbs. One of my favorites is Beatrix in Oak Brook. Beatrix has excellent coffee, a great selection of desserts, and you can even go there for dinner. Mark and Sheri ordered something off the menu that was *very* spicy. I took a bite of it, and my mouth is still on fire. Full disclosure, I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy foods. Hot Ones has been begging me for an interview, but I wouldn’t make it past the first round. Maybe I’ll use all that Starbucks sponsorship money to become an influencer, then I can start my own show where I force Sean Evans to do an interview with me while I make him drink scalding hot coffee. That’d teach him. My current favorite coffee from Beatrix is “In Bloom”, a delightful medium roast with notes of burnt caramel, chocolate, brown sugar, and orange. They describe this roast by saying, “If your garden could grow chocolate bars, this would be it.” Well put. The next stop on our coffee tour is the Ashbary Coffee House in Willow Springs. I’ve been going to this place since I was a kid, and one of my most vivid childhood memories was beating my dad in chess for the first and only time here. It looks like the current ownership took over in 2006, but somebody has been serving coffee at this same, iconic location as long as I can remember. According to Facebook, they have an open mic on Wednesdays and improv on Thursdays, and they’re surrounded by hiking trails and what is often considered the most haunted part of the entire state. From reading the online reviews, it sounds like the coma brownie is a popular desert. If you’re looking for a coffee place that is the opposite of Starbucks, this is it. Cafe La Fortuna is a quaint little coffee shop in downtown Hinsdale. It’s located in an alley, so it’s easy to miss if you don’t know where to look for it, but it’s definitely worth the effort. Cafe La Fortuna feels less like a place of business and more like going to visit your favorite aunt. They do small batch roasting of all their coffee beans in house, and they offer a limited menu of paninis, breakfast items, and more. Sparrow Coffee in downtown Naperville is a popular, upscale coffee shop, and it’s always very busy whenever I’ve stopped in. They also have a menu of items including avocado toast, PB & J, waffles, and sandwiches, in addition to their fairly extensive selection of craft coffee. As much as I enjoy their coffee, several online reviewers raved about their food, especially their pb&j. As one reviewer write, “It’s definitely all about the bread: a pillowy but not spongy texture like Japanese-style shokupan, delightfully fresh, holding together the Bon Maman strawberry jam and creamy peanut butter… oh yeah, they serve coffee, too.” Well put. Naperville Magazine is also a fan of Sparrow’s, naming them best coffee shop for three years in a row. Owl & Lark has a nice and inviting storefront in downtown La Grange, complete with a sleek, bird logo. I’ve always been impressed with their coffee, though unlike some of the other cafes, they do not roast their own in-house, opting instead to serve coffee roasted by the east coast company, Counter Culture coffee. I recently ordered a cup of their Big Trouble coffee, a medium roast with notes of caramel, nut, and dark chocolate. The roast itself is on the sweeter side, and I like to add a little cream and honey to mine. As much as I appreciate the cafes that roast in-house, maybe Owl & Lark is onto something. Rather than reinvent the wheel, they’ve found an excellent supplier and go with what works. It’s a small shop with a cozy atmosphere, and they have some creative names for their menu items, like ‘magic smoothie bowl’ and ‘green goddess bagel.’ And did I mention they have an awesome logo? I have to be honest, I’ve only been to Mud & Char in Downers Grove once, mostly because they close at 2pm daily. I’m in the area often, but they’re closed 95% of the time I’m around. But I was able to make it there once right around the time they opened, and it was worth it. I should mention COVID was just dying down and I brought my six kids in with me, and I don’t think the workers appreciated that very much, but my wife and I loved the coffee, and their bagels were a big hit with my kids. They serve locally sourced coffee and tea, and they also have a cool logo. You know who doesn’t have an awesome logo? Wheely’s in downtown La Grange. They’ve settled for putting a big, white sticker with their name in the window, but what they lack in style, they make up on their menu. I know this is a review of coffee shops, but the best thing I’ve ever had from Wheely’s are their avocado smoothies. I especially like ‘meet your matcha’ and their ‘avocado tart’ smoothie. Who would have thought avocado, blackberry, and banana would go together? Somebody over at Wheely’s is a mad genius. I’m not sure where they get their coffee from. I’ve never asked, and their website, while it has an awesome graphic of the night sky behind the impressive mountains of Chicago, it has little else to offer except the words, ‘launching soon.’ Gosia’s in Brookfield is truly one-of-a kind, which is owned and operated by a Polish immigrant with a passion for good food and hospitality. They serve Colectivo coffee and also offer some bakery items and smoothies. Gosia’s is a nice, local alternative to the big chains. I’ll often stop in after showings (they close on most days at 5pm but at 3 on the weekends), and they have very strong reviews on Google and Yelp. So that’s it for best coffee in the western suburbs. Be sure to like this video & subscribe to my channel for more local attractions and info on real estate in the western suburbs. I’m Eric with Eric Andersen Homes, a family-owned brokerage where we treat our clients like family.