La Colombe in Chicago is the West Loop branch on Randolph of the Philadelphia roaster, with the draft latte (nitrogen-infused) and a large airy front room.
Tip: Draft latte is the room's signature; buy the can to take home if you don't want to wait for the tap pour.
Address: 955 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607
Sawada Coffee in Chicago is Hiroshi Sawada's West Loop cafe on Green Street, doored with Green Street Smoked Meats, home of the matcha-espresso-cocoa military latte.
Signature drink: Military latte (matcha, espresso, cocoa)
Tip: The window counter has the best light; the back of the room is louder than it looks because it shares with the BBQ kitchen.
Intelligentsia in Chicago is the Monadnock Building flagship of the third-wave roaster (founded 1995 by Doug Zell) on Jackson Boulevard, with Black Cat espresso.
Signature drink: Black Cat espresso
Tip: Order the Black Cat as a single-shot macchiato; it shows off the roast better than a long milk drink.
Metric Coffee in Chicago is Xavier Alexander and Darko Arandjelovic's West Town roaster-cafe on Fulton, in a former blacksmith shop, with single-origin pour-overs.
Signature drink: Single-origin pour-over
Tip: Ask for the bar seat by the pour-over station; the baristas talk you through the cup as they brew it.
Big Shoulders Coffee in Chicago is the Noble Square cafe on Chicago Avenue with a strong cortado and a small back room of communal-table seating for the laptop hour.
Signature drink: Cortado
Tip: The breakfast bagels from Beard Papa next door work well at this counter; carry one in and pair it with a cortado.
Dark Matter in Chicago is the Ukrainian Village roaster cafe (the Mothership) on Chicago Avenue, a heavy roaster with Unicorn espresso and rotating gallery walls.
Signature drink: Unicorn espresso blend
Tip: The cold brew on tap is the high point. Get one for the walk to the next stop on Chicago Avenue.
The Wormhole in Chicago is the Wicker Park cafe on Milwaukee Avenue with a DeLorean in the shop, pop-culture latte art and a comfortable back-room study scene.
Signature drink: Pop-culture latte art
Tip: Closes at 19:00 most nights. The back room is the working seat; the front is for picture-taking by the DeLorean.
