Hot Off the French Press: West Loop

“West Loop” by Elysa Valeriano

The border between Chicago’s West Side and Downtown neighborhoods, West Loop is home to many wealthier Chicagoans interested in big city life without living directly in the center of all the action. The Fulton Market District, lined with luxury condos and high-end restaurants, originally hosted the Randolph-Fulton Market during the mid-to-late 19th century. The robust meat-packing industry, coupled with the produce sold on Randolph Street, drew patrons from across the city to shop at one of the largest markets in the Chicagoland area. Neighboring waterways and rail lines supported the industrial development of West Loop, though crime rates soared as economic activity slowed during the Great Depression. Oprah Winfrey and a team of investors, seeing opportunity in an abandoned warehouse, bought a former cold storage building and renovated it to host the Oprah Winfrey Show. Various boutiques and restaurants followed the influx in local customers, and by the end of the 2008 recession, West Loop bounced back better than ever [1]!

Froth

I have a confession to make—this was not my first time at Froth. In fact, this was not my second or even third time. For about five years now, I have been a semi-regular customer of the café as its proximity to my high school made it perfect for after-school study dates, finals week cram sessions, and once-in-a-blue-moon lunch outings. Doubling as the entrance for The Duncan, a beautiful apartment complex a few minutes away from the Fulton Market District, Froth’s dark color scheme, rustic structure, and dim lighting creates an intimate atmosphere. Seating has historically been a fight as both residents and students keep the café packed, but their vast outdoor patio offers plenty of options when the weather permits. As I have seen baristas come and go throughout the years, I can undoubtedly say that the staff always goes above and beyond, and service is surprisingly quick for their high customer volume.

Throughout the years, my good friend and I have probably spent hundreds of dollars at Froth, so I couldn’t think of anyone better to bring along with me for my review. Trying everything from their burrata bruschetta to homemade guacamole and chips to limited edition drinks, we went with something we had not ordered before: the curry chicken sandwich. Despite getting our hands absolutely drenched in sauce when splitting the sandwich, the chicken was beyond flavorful, and the incredibly soft bread soaked up the spices beautifully. The kettle-cooked chips were also a huge hit and gave that satisfying crunch we all crave with our sandwiches. I wanted a little pick-me-up that would power me through our study session after a long day, so I settled on a simple hot chai latte that was gone within five minutes of receiving my drink. The cup pictured in the photo was, in fact, completely empty.

Groundswell Coffee Roasters

I liked Groundswell Coffee Roasters in theory, but not in practice. The actual layout of the space was super cozy and made it the ideal study space. Large windows let in plenty of light, but unless you were seated directly at the bar-style stools near the entrance, the sunlight wasn’t obtrusive. For a small café, the owners laid out the furniture in a way that packed in as much seating as possible without compromising the flow of the space; many cafes wind up cramming their seating, though Groundswell found a balance that did not make their shop seem smaller than it was. Despite liking the overall atmosphere, I did not particularly love the products I consumed.

If I had to summarize my experience at Groundswell Coffee Roasters, it would simply be average. Our entire experience was nothing extremely out of the ordinary, but to call it bad would be quite a bit of a stretch. Compared to the sandwiches we enjoyed the previous week, the turkey panini we ordered was mildly disappointing. The actual turkey and cheese in the sandwich were tasty, and the bread had the perfect amount of crunch, but for almost $13 with zero additional toppings, it was incredibly overpriced. The chai latte wasn’t anything special, just a little watery and mediocre flavor-wise. Unfortunately, I have little to say about the products we tried other than that they tasted okay at best. Special thanks to Brian Wang for accompanying me on the previous two café adventures!

Sawada Coffee

This café absolutely takes the cake in terms of one of—if not the—best café I have visited in this series. I am genuinely shocked that I had not run into this shop before, given how close it was to my former high school. Sawada Coffee, an industrial-style café just off Randolph Street, had the most unique interior design that I have ever seen. Enormous windows cover the front entrance, coaxing patrons to peek inside and admire the beautiful fairy lights that engulf the ceiling. After winning the 2008 Latte Art World Championship held in Seattle, Hiroshi Sawada opened his shop to share his creative espresso and matcha-based drinks. The front part of Sawada Coffee seemed to be more geared towards coffee and grabbing a quick bite to eat, but as you descend further into the café, rows of picnic tables illuminated by the romantic string lights surrounded an additional food service counter.

I love matcha, I love espresso, but the idea of a dirty matcha (mixing the two) turned me off for years. Both matcha and espresso always seemed like those things that tasted delightful separately but awful together—yet I found myself contemplating taking a leap of faith and trying the Black Camo Latte. Bless the kind barista ringing up my order for answering my millions of questions about the menu, because I settled on a combination I never thought I would try: houjicha, espresso, milk, vanilla, and cocoa powder. And I loved it. Houjicha is a roasted green tea with a smoked, nutty flavor, and I discovered that it pairs wonderfully with espresso. Even without the vanilla syrup, I found the drink to have a natural sweetness to it, likely as a result of the cocoa powder sprinkled on top. Not pictured is the delicious monkey bread I scarfed down shortly after receiving my drink, but I assure you it was just as pretty—and delectable—as my beverage.

Resources

1) https://neighborsofwestloop.com/about-us/west-loop-history/