Hot Off the French Press: Ravenswood

“Ravenswood” by Elysa Valeriano

Originally a suburb of the Lake View Township, Ravenswood’s history dates all the way back to 1868! The Ravenswood Land Company had bought out over 190 acres of farmland and constructed a new train stop with the help of the Chicago and North Western Railroad. As hundreds of wealthy families moved in, sewage and sidewalk management proved a
hindrance to the community. However, the annexation of the neighboring Lake View and Jefferson Townships by Chicago in 1889 finally granted Ravenswood the resources to address these pressing issues. Expansions of the modern-day Brown Line encouraged investments in smaller residential buildings and promoted manufacturing and cultural developments. What was once a suburb exclusively for the wealthy has now shifted more towards affordable housing and multi-family complexes. Currently, Ravenswood is home to various local artists looking to establish their own studios, gain inspiration from its rich history, and interact with a robust creative community (1).

Sweet Moon

Unfortunately, Sweet Moon was the first café that I did not click with. The shop seemed to have decent business, though kids running about and staring me down as I ordered made the experience a little overstimulating. Seeing the baristas eat behind the bar made me worry about potential contamination and sanitation issues; generally, meals are consumed in a separate area to prevent germs from spreading. Overall customer service was subpar and seemed rather disorganized as orders were written down rather than put into an online POS system. In terms of the interior design, I liked the white and green color scheme and their faux-grass accent walls. Consistent lighting would have improved the space drastically, and music only started to play halfway through my visit.

To combat the above-average May temperatures, I settled on their fresh pressed Sunrise juice. The menu claimed that my drink included ginger and orange, though I almost tasted hints of celery, too. Regardless, the juice was delicious and had almost no pulp! Fresh pressed juices can be hit-or-miss as proper centrifuge cleaning makes a huge difference in consistency. If a juicer is not frequently cleaned, pulp and other impurities have the potential of seeping through the filter and contaminating the drink. Despite my beverage being more expensive than other juice bars—over $11 for about 16 ounces—I was not disappointed with its taste and quality.

Café Libra

I would be lying if I were to say that I had originally planned to visit Café Libra. After finding out for the third day in a row that my initial coffee shop was temporarily closed—curse you, Google Maps—I drove a few minutes away to try another spot. Café Libra’s massive patio and unique dine-in experience stood out from the rest of the cafes I had previously visited.
Distinct bowling pin fencing surprisingly paired nicely with the gorgeous red brick, and the pergola-style roof provided the perfect amount of shade. Given that there were few people dining in, I had no problem finding the perfect spot to peruse the menu. The staff were incredibly professional and always checked in on me whenever they passed my table!

Failing to properly look through the menu, I impulsively decided on a Turkish coffee with a pumpkin muffin. Admittedly, I had no idea what Turkish coffee was at the time. After a quick search, I found out that Turkish coffee is an unfiltered beverage that uses finely ground coffee beans and is traditionally quite bitter. Since the grounds are supposed to
settle on the bottom while a light foam layer coats the top, it is advised not to mix the coffee (2). As someone who tends to indulge in slightly sweeter drinks, I enjoyed the coffee by itself much more than I had anticipated. I wound up adding a small splash of cream to lighten it up, but otherwise the rich flavor was almost addicting. The complimentary Turkish
delight provided the hint of sweetness I needed to balance the strength of the coffee, and the pumpkin muffin was the fluffiest I have ever had!

The Perfect Cup

After wandering aimlessly around the Damen Brown Line stop searching for my last café, I stumbled upon The Perfect Cup right on the corner of Damen and Leland Avenue! With a plethora of drink options and a full kitchen, the shop seemed like the perfect place to grab a bite on a sunny spring day. The café had hosted meetings for the Women’s Forum for
many years and has allowed them to collaborate on photo projects, inspire creativity, and share their work with the public! Beautiful photos taken by the ladies remain displayed on the cafe’s walls, and all credits to the photographers accompany their works. The large windows, abundance of plants, and chalkboard menu gave the space an open yet cozy
vibe. While there wasn’t much indoor seating, a dedicated patio space most certainly made up for it.

Feeling the effects of midterms week setting in, I decided on a simple iced vanilla latte with almond milk for a much-needed pick-me-up. Customizing my drink with the specialty milk and syrup was surprisingly cheap coupled with the additional cash discount offered, too! Even though it tasted rather sweet at first, a few dashes of cinnamon and a good mix balanced the drink out well. The espresso provided that nice boost of energy I needed, and the almond milk washed everything down beautifully. After a while, I quickly regretted not indulging in one of their sandwiches. They had a variety of hot and cold paninis with some pastries as well, and if I were to go again I would love to try their Cubano.

Resources

(1) https://ravenswoodchicago.org/neighborhood/ravenswood-history/
(2) https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/turkish-coffee-culture-and-tradition-00645