Hot off the French Press: Lake View

“Lake View” by Elysa Valeriano

Preface

Coffee has always been a constant in my life. From drinking a cup early in the morning with my mother, having a late-night Dunkin’ run with my little sister, or working as a barista on the weekends, coffee has always been a way to connect with those around me. Growing up in Chicago, I often found myself visiting various cafés across the city, eager to try whatever beverage the employees recommended to me. Whether it be alone or with friends, I find joy in exploring the city and my taste in drinks, and I encourage you to embark on this journey with me to discover the neighborhoods and coffee shops around Chicago. I decided to cover Lake View first because as my peers settle into their first quarter, I want to provide great café recommendations that are easily accessible to those who may not know the city just yet.

History Of Lake View

A large township, semi-established city, and now one of Chicago’s most bustling neighborhoods, Lake View has gone through various geographical changes in the past 150 years. Farmers from Germany, Sweden, and Luxembourg settled in as hotels were established on local land by wealthy property owners, giving way to the industrialization of its surroundings. While the Lake View Township was originally established in 1872, it declared itself a city a mere fifteen years later before becoming a Chicago neighborhood in 1889, a controversial decision amongst Lake View officials. Soon, Lake View’s urbanization would promote commercial and residential development, such as the presently named Wrigley Field and a plethora of apartments to accommodate the growing population (Seligman). Lake View has consistently remained popular among young adults and childless couples due to its walkability and rich nightlife; now, it’s home to over 100,000 residents across its smaller neighborhoods (Francis).

Pedestrian Coffee

Starting off strong is Pedestrian Coffee, a rather large café right off the Belmont Brown Line station. They had a flyer advertising their new seasonal products, so to celebrate the start of astrological fall (despite the hotter-than-average weather), I decided to try their iced Pumpkin Patch latte—and it was delicious! The drink had a pleasant blend of pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg flavors that were not overbearingly sweet as many pumpkin spice drinks are. Their oat milk was delicious, and the drink had a perfect amount of ice that kept it cool without watering down the beverage. To pair with my drink, I decided to try their cinnamon raisin bagel; while it was not as warm as I would have liked, its soft texture and mass amounts of cream cheese made up for it. They had a rather large variety of pastries ranging from breakfast breads to scones to cinnamon rolls, and I hope to try more in the future.

As far as atmosphere is concerned, I found the interior relaxing and easy to work in. There are a variety of table options available, making it accommodating for all sorts of seating preferences. However, most of the tables only contain two chairs, so larger groups may find it hard to sit near each other. The store’s abundance of plants, decorated shelves, and minimalistic photography made the space interesting to look at without seeming cluttered and distracting. Despite the train running directly next to the building, the sound is surprisingly quiet, and the music is kept at a pleasant volume. There is more than enough lighting to make reading easy, and the best part of it all: free Wi-Fi.

Normalize Therapy Café

I first encountered Normalize Therapy Café through a TikTok post about a relatively new coffee shop that challenged the stigma around mental health. The café not only serves as a calm spot to enjoy a delicious cup of Joe, but they host various group therapy sessions, hold fundraising events to spread awareness, and support their mission with a vast network of volunteers (Wittich). Normalize Therapy Café also incorporates elements of hip hop into their store, which is most clearly seen through their specialty drinks menu named after popular artists; I decided to order the Victoria Monét while my two friends Brian Wang and Mandy Chan got the Summer Walker and the Beyoncé respectively.

The Victoria Monét was an iced coconut and rose latte that was, by far, the smoothest drink in this edition—much to my surprise, the rose syrup and coconut milk did not overpower the drink, creating a delicious beverage. Brian reported the Summer Walker iced spicy mango and strawberry lemonade tasted “more like strawberry than mango,” but was nonetheless tasty and refreshing. On the other hand, Mandy claimed that “you have to concentrate to get the lavender” in her Beyoncé, and we both agreed it tasted more like honey than lavender. Each of our drinks came with a one-of-a-kind message written on each cup and included custom iced cubes tailored to our drinks; rather than watering down our beverages with ice, each drink came with a different frozen cube of either coffee or lemonade. While we did not order any pastries, it seemed that they had various donut options on display.

This café provided less seating than the last but still had a variety of chair and sofa options. The workers were friendly and checked in on us often, making us feel at home and welcomed in their store. Despite the lighting being dimmer than a typical coffee shop, their windows let in plenty of natural light to balance it out, and chill hip-hop music was playing at a comfortable volume through their speakers. We unfortunately left shortly after receiving our drinks due to event set-up, but our time there was delightful.

Thank you Brian Wang and Mandy Chan for reporting on our café experience and allowing me to taste-test your drinks.

The Coffee & Tea Exchange

The Coffee & Tea Exchange is a powerhouse of a store located just a brisk walk away from the Belmont Harbor. First opening its doors in 1975, the store not only serves as a place to buy roasted beans and tea leaves in bulk but to learn about its history and production as well (The Coffee & Tea Exchange). Wading through their endless selection of tea, I decided to try their hot jasmine tea with honey and a plain croissant, and my friend Rathiekka Murugan purchased their iced chai latte. Much to my delight, they filled my cup to the brim with water and added the perfect amount of honey to compliment the jasmine and soothe my sore throat; however, Rathiekka claimed her latte tasted slightly grainy, but “other than that the taste was good.” My croissant was an impressive size for its price and was both buttery and chewy, though I would have preferred it to be warmed up in some way. They seemed to have a sizeable selection of pastries, ranging from croissants to cookies to even dessert bars.

The store had an extremely pungent smell, which was as expected from the large barrels of coffee beans littered throughout the store but may induce a slight headache to anyone sensitive to strong smells. Contrary to the other cafes in this edition, this store had no seating which made enjoying our drinks slightly challenging—but nonetheless, it was amazing to see virtually every type of product displayed on their shelves. Their storefront seemed somewhat modernized to fit in with the rest of the surrounding stores, though their interior had more rustic, antique elements with large wooden shelves and massive barrels. Overall, the store had a cozy feel to it and was a beautiful place to visit on a cool autumn
evening.

Thank you Rathiekka Murugan for reporting on our café experience and providing the following high-quality photos of our visit:

Works Cited

Francis, Meredith. “The Story of Lakeview and Wrigleyville.” WTTW Chicago, 26 Feb. 2020, interactive.wttw.com/chicago-by-l/neighborhoods/lakeview-and-wrigleyville. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Seligman, Amanda. “Lake View.” Encyclopedia of Chicago, 2005, http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/715.html. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

The Coffee & Tea Exchange. “About Us.” The Coffee & Tea Exchange, 2 Feb. 2015, http://www.coffeeandtea.com/about-us-2/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Wittich, Jake. “This Chicago Cafe Is Using Coffee Profits to Send People to Therapy.” Block Club Chicago, 10 May 2021, blockclubchicago.org/2021/05/10/this-chicago-cafe-is-using-coffee-profits-to-send-people-to-therapy/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

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Hot off the French Press is an ongoing series by Elysa Valeriano in which she explores coffees shops in the Chicago area.