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Alhambra Café & Coffee House - CLOSED
Categories: Food Desserts Food Coffee & Tea Desserts, Coffee & Tea [Edit]
1622 W Morse Ave(between Ashland Ave & Paulina St)
Chicago, IL 60626
Neighborhood: Rogers Park
(773) 465-1555
- Nearest Transit:
-
Morse (Red Line)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Parking:
- Street
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
11 reviews for Alhambra Café & Coffee House
11 reviews in English
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Review from Adam S.
Chicago, IL
12/18/2008
I agree with everyone that has written thus far, this is a great little find. Unlike Common Cup down the street which can really bustle and be kind of loud if you're trying to get serious work done, this place is pretty much dead quiet besides the music they have going. A two page menu of coffee and teas makes the drink offerings quite extensive and they have a nice selection of sweets and even some noshy stuff like hummus and pita.
Unlike other cafes you actually sit down and someone comes by to ask what you want which I guess is kind of cool. When I first walked in I did not know this and walked right up to the register and got this look like: hey dumb ass, read the sign staring you in the face about how you're supposed to sit down. :)
Anyways for a neighborhood with so few options like this I'll definitely be coming to Alhambra more often.
Oh yeah, one complaint - they have an extension cord running from inside to outside and it's going through the bathroom, so they have the window cracked to let the cord out. With the bathroom door closed most of the time, it's about 40 in there. The seat, therefore, was....woooeee cold! -
Review from Nico M.
Chicago, IL
12/7/2008
A couple of friends and I were loyal customers of the Alhambra in Lakeview location and were so sad when we walked by one afternoon and saw that they were closed.
I finally got a chance on Thursday to go a little farther north and see the new place. It was great to see Julie and Ashraf still thriving and keeping it real in this cookie cutter society of corporate coffee shopperies.
I grabbed an amazing chai tea with soy, chatted for a bit and headed back south sadly wishing they were closer to home. It's all good though because they are totally worth the small commute. -
Review from Unity O.
2/5/2010
Hmmm...Now I am totally here with this establishment. It really does not have a typical coffee house feel to it. It seems fancier than that--the vibe is more posh in comparison to the other coffee places in the area. I would say it is actually 31/5 stars rather than 3.
If you are looking for a quiet place to spend an afternoon with little to no interruptions, then this would be the spot for you. The interior is very inviting & warm--plus if you score a seat by the window & the sun is shining in that is bliss on a cold day. I happen to go to this place on a Sunday afternoon with a friend and we were the only ones in there for about 2 hours. So, it was nice to have the place to ourselves, but I hope more people frequent this place during the week. If you are looking for a place to bust out you laptop, surf the web, do some work, or just write Yelp reviews, this would not be the place for you. They have a limit on wifi use which can be a bit off putting to many of you folks out there. I understand they are trying to for a more relaxed feel, however, I think they are going to suffer for it in the long run.
The food & drink..So good! I am still drooling over the maple oatmeal scone, it was so tasty (also very light & flaky). Coffee was also very nice, I have had better, but this was definitely good and I would go back for it. They have an extensive coffee menu; I believe their drinks are what they are known for. So, if you love flavored coffee & such, check them out.
The interior of the place does have something that sort of bugged me--it really has no counter to walk up to. They have table service which is nice, but no bakery stand to look (read drool) over the treats they offer. The counter was designed to block off the kitchen area & has this big contraption in front of it, I find this off putting. Mainly because if I just wanted to go in & order a coffee...there is no place to just walk up to and order. There isn't a "to go" feel to it.
I hear they have a great patio, so I will go back in warmer months to enjoy that. All in all a good place to meet friends for some chat time & connecting, but not a good place to study or work. -
Review from Jesse S.
Chicago, IL
2/22/2009
Oh Alhambra Cafe. Okay, so, I wanted to get a little work done today, gasp, and since I decided to sleep away the bulk of 2/21/09 without leaving the house, I wanted to get out of the apt. and enjoy some delicious coffee that I didn't have to make myself. Since this spot is relatively new, and in my Rogers Park 'hood, I decided to walk over.
Very clean, very cute decor. You sit down and there is table service. This is nice. I had a coffee called the Andalusia, it was spiced with cinnamon and cardamom. It was delicious. I also had an almond biscotti dipped in creamy chocolate. YUM, okay, YUM. I AM SAYING IT AS HARD AS I F@#(*@ing can. YUMMMMMMMMMMM.
But, like, what the f?!? At 3:15, after I'd been there about two hours, the waitress comes over and tells me that they actually only allow computer use from 11 AM to 3 PM. I was about to order another drink when she told me this, in fact, I'd already asked to see the drink menu again. So she said that if I wanted to get another drink, I'd have to put away my computer.
As you might imagine, this really tripped me up, and so after stuttering a few times I said, "Uhh, well, I .... I guess I'll just pay my bill." Seriously? Seriously??! I have never even heard of a place doing that before. Can places _DO_ this? I mean, I guess they can, it's their prerogative to have whatever business practices they want but... come on. I was the only person in the cafe. I'm not disturbing anyone with my typing (except maybe the waitress, who was of course nothing but polite and attentive). But, seriously?
I'm pretty sure that the primary reason most people come to cafes these days is because of the wireless, so limiting computer use to particular times doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I would have gladly sat there until 7 pm racking up a bill of delicious sweet treats and coffees, but, like, fuck that. So weird.
I'll probably go back because the coffee and treatz were excellent, but this little rule simply baffles me. Ah well, I guess next time I'll take a book to read. Or maybe dust off that old stone tablet so I can get some writing done. W. T. F. I totally would have given this place a 4-star review, but, with this weird dark-ages rule, it gets a 3. -
Review from Marcos L.
Chicago, IL
7/1/2009
NO WI-FI. NO COMPUTERS ALLOWED.
I've passed by here a few times, and it always seemed pretty empty. So finally I decided to go in. Very nice inside. But they have table service, which I'm not crazy about in a coffee house. But OK. I'm in the mood for a quiche, but it seems they only serve things made out of dough & sugar. But OK, I'll just get a coffee & read this article someone sent me yesterday. So I open my computer, & the lady says, "I'm sorry, we don't allow computers."
WTF?
Well, OK, I was kinda looking for an excuse to leave. She seemed kinda busy taking care of the two (2) other customers there anyway. So I went to the place down the street which is not so cute & has not so great coffee, but they DO have quiche and they DO allow their customers to do what they want at their tables, as long as they're not bothering other people or carving their initials. And of course the place is packed. So I guess you make your choices.
I can understand if you don't want to offer wifi, fine. But I won't patronize a place where the owners tell me what I can or can't do while sitting quietly at my table and not bothering anyone. That's just weird controlling crap. Maybe it's that computer users sit there too long? First of all, it doesn't seem like they are turning people away for lack of tables. But would it be OK if I sat there & read a book for 3 hours? If you don't want people to overstay their welcome, put a time limit on them. But their current policy seems to be simply that they don't like computers. Or they make the place look ugly. Or something. But if you want to sit there for 5 hours drumming your fingers, picking your teeth, & whistling Carpenters songs, go right ahead. -
Review from Elizabeth R.
Chicago, IL
8/10/2009
No.
I was pretty excited that there was a new cafe in my neighborhood, but I won't be returning. It is super cute on the inside and has a great outdoor space, but so does Ennui. And the Heartland. And Common Cup.
The food menu is somewhat limited already, so I had a hard time finding something to order. When the waitress came by and I tried to order the item I had finally selected, I was told they were out. Turns out they were out of more than 60% of the menu. She rattled off which of the select items she actually had, and I tried to keep up which were no-gos and which they actually had. When I couldn't keep it straight, she got frustrated and huffy. I don't understand how they expect to make money if they don't have more than half of their menu available. I ordered an orange juice, and I don't know what brand it was but yucky. It tasted super processed, like a melted sucker.
On top of that, for whatever reason (perhaps my inability to keep the menu straight) my friend's water was refilled consistently while mine remained empty the entire time.
I would maybe go back if their menu had proved to me that it was worth it, but awful customer service plus a non-existent menu? No thanks. -
Review from Alan C.
Chicago, IL
9/10/2008 5 photos
Alhambra in Lakeview has been reincarnated in the heart of Rogers Park. The fair trade coffee is extraordinary for sure, and the cold drinks menu is interesting and quite extensive. You will notice the personal touches and an international flavor in the whole coffee house experience, decor, atmosphere, music, service (taken care of by the owners themselves), and of course the snacks and beverages.
The owners are extremely friendly people, and on my first visit I had a good conversation as if they had been my next door neighbor for many years. Not the shallow, phony, formulaic friendless you usually find at other places, but they want to establish a genuine and quality relationship with their customers. I understand other yelpers' pain and disappointment when this neighborhood jewel left Lakeview, but your pain is Rogers Park's gain! I am looking forward to spending a lot of leisurely time at this lovely place.
Open everyday of the week except Friday. Free Wifi. Cash only. Check out my photos of this coffee house!
http://flickr.com/phot... -
Review from Christine P.
Chicago, IL
11/23/2008
I've walked by this place a few times and decided to try it today - boy was i happy I did!
When we walked in i was impressed at how chill and intimate this place seemed. The sign on the wall says to sit down and relax, so that's what we did first. Luckily, their many drink choices are spelled out nicely on the extensive 2-page menu. There were a lot of combos that other coffee shops don't have. We got our coffee and breakfast delights and settled into a quiet morning. I'm interested to see what this place is like in the evening. They had many desserts/sweets that would make me brave the cold just to go hang out at such a mellow place! -
Review from Aryeh J.
Chicago, IL
12/24/2009
Warm and cozy atmosphere. Good coffee. Astoundingly, people seem actually to converse here sometimes. A little on the pricey side, but this place is otherwise a hidden treasure. Caveat computor: paper and pencil only here. Thank goodness.
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Review from Nancy H.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 3/24/2010
Very interesting. Just noticed yesterday, Alhambra is GONE. As in, the storefront is completely empty. This must have happened over the weekend. Hunh. Never will visit it now.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/17/2010
I'm going to do one of those annoying little reviews about a place I've never been to because I'm… Read more »
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Review from Kate B.
Chicago, IL
12/3/2008
I have been to this place a fwe times now, and each time it gets better! The owners are extremely pleasant and the atmosphere is perfect. The tea selection is great and it comes out in the sweetest doily. I love the large wodden tables, and could have stayed all afternoon. They also have free wireless.
