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Category: Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: The LoopWashington (Blue, Red)
Madison/Wabash (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Green, Pink)
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I've been going here a lot but never really reviewed it until I started a list for lounges/cafes, I'd like to add this in there!
This is the only Argo Tea where I can actually work and/or study because it's large, has an upstairs and isn't as busy/noisy. Now, the upstairs is a little dark and might not be ideal for studying purposes, but working is fun here.
I like some of their drinks, not all, and especially not their bubble tea, which is made of weird stuff not tapioca. I do absolutely love their croissants!!
So this is a bit of a biased review. I've only ever had one thing from their menu, but I adore it.
A mojito is one of the greatest drinks ever created. Some genius (and I in no way mean this is a sarcastic way) decided that mint tea and lime juice would make a good drink. As it would happen, that genius was right. Argo calls this a Mojitea, and it is delicious. I like it so much that I actually bought mint tea so that I could make this concoction at home.
This store also has a good selection of loose tea that you can buy along with other tea utensils. I'm not sure how their prices compare since I've never been a big tea drinker before. They seem on par with Starbucks though.
While I'm not a huge hot tea fan, I love iced tea. The things on the menu here look good and I will most likely be trying something new when/if I get sick of my mojiteas.
You've all heard of a mojito, but chances are you've never heard of a little drink called a Mojitea. It turns out there's a reason for that. It's not very good, even though it sounds like it should be.
Oh well, this place has nice seating, and hopefully their other teas are a bit better.:-)
A great place for tea!
What I love about the place is that they will BREW you a tea within 6 minutes. I love the chamomile tea freshly brewed! The staff is also friendly and alert! Love the place!
I was standing near a stone sculpture somewhere in the loop when a freshly shaven gentleman approached me.
"I like your tee shirt. It looks really, really good on you."
"I was attacked by a herd of bears on the El this morning," I told him, hoping to garner some sympathy.
"Shut the fuck up. Bears don't travel in herds. Fuck you."
"I didn't say 'herd.' I said 'horde.' And I didn't say 'bears.' I said - "
"Kill yourself."
But he gave me a fiver, and I was left wandering, wondering how to spend it.
Aha! Argo Tea.
I had been to Argo Tea several times before. I've been mostly disappointed, but that's partly because I forget what kinds of tea I hate. I hate hibiscus tea. Why do I keep forgetting this? I've been conditioned to think that all things red are delicious.
I once asked for a recommendation, and they suggested some sort of mint-mocha tea. It was probably the most horrible beverage I've ever had.
But Argo is all right when you keep it simple. And what really comforted me the day of my bear attack was their spinach quiche, which is AMAZING. It's buttery but still flaky and firm. One bite and it completely fills your mouth with its flavor; in fact, eating Argo's spinach quiche is an experience. Sit down first.
Please clean tables! bathroom! and the counter!
The place itself is nice, the tea drinks are good but I was shocked to see how messy the restroom was. There must to be some customers who made a mess, but it would be nice if it gets cleaned soon.
A great alternative when the rotation of Starbucks, Barnes, then Borders just starts getting repetitive. I do feel like the prices are about 10% more than I feel is "worth it" but maybe that's just the compensation for the "free" WiFi.
I really like the Iced Chai Tea and love that you can opt for soy milk with no extra charge. They definitely need to expand their hours though. Closing at 8pm on M-F and 7pm on weekends is just plain inadequate.
I've had my share of bubble teas but this place has a great coconut bubble tea. The tapioca "bubbles" taste delicious, probably because they arent really tapioca balls. I think they are little coconut squares. Thats my guess any way. Next time I'll have to ask. But thats definitely one of my new favorite drinks. I'm glad I tried it!
The rest of the shop had an extensive variety of tea. It smelled great walking in. Maybe next time I'll try one of the hot teas.
Note: My ratings are in regards to comparing each Argo Tea location. My goal is to visit them all!
Alas, this may be my last Argo Tea review for awhile until I manage to either land myself in University of Chicago's hospital, wait for a flight in Terminal 3 of O'Hare or a new location opens up.
How do I describe this location?
Corporate, convenient, busy and yet charming.
Corporate, convenient and busy in that this location is in downtown, surrounded by some major law firms, businesses and city offices. It is also attached to the Sears department store.
This Argo has two floors for which the second floor has a serious look to it because there's an "Argo Tea University" there for I'm assuming, the employees to learn how to either make its delicious concoctions or increase Argo's marketability. The second floor also has one of those big wooden tables that I so enjoy. The first floor has bar and window seating.
The charm is a complement to the staff and the layout of the "bar" area. The bar area is elevated and when the staff makes a drink, they place it on a mini slide that sends it right to you below.
As for the drinks? I was stressed and spent $31.25 last week on large soy mango mattechinos (with tax and everything, costs $5.25 a piece). YES, it is that good and soothing! Thank goodness I have an Argo Card because in no time I shall be awarded with $5 credit!
This gets 4 stars just because the fancy drinks tend to be on the expensive side, but no more expensive than Starbucks. These guys know tea and coffee. They sell a wide assortment of teas in the loose leave form and you can sample and sniff the various teas. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. This definitely tops Starbucks. It's also a great place to sit and people watch.
Both Dearborn locations are equidistant from my workplace, so I like to alternate between the two. Both locations are great, and like I said in my last review, I think this place is awesome. You can get Vegan muffins (lemon poppy seed is the best), Vegan pasta salad, and other healthy items here. I can't tell you anything about the tea because I hate tea and haven't tried theirs.
Nice enviornment. Pitiful tea. Bad service.
The employees are always nice, and they make your drink fast which makes this place great to get a warm drink before the cold wait for the bus home.
Great if you are getting a cup to go, even better if you are staying. The upstairs section is lofted over store for a cozy quiet view of all thats going on below.
My faves are Carolina Honey & Red Tea. During winter try the White Frost Tea...White Chocolate, Minty goodness and hot tea....ouhh yum!
This is a nice Argo Tea downtown. The employees are perky and pleasant. The Christmas merch and gift packages have arrived! (So I overheard an excited Employee tell a Regular customer.) A few of those Gifts looked pretty nice, for not much cabbage.
This Argo Tea is two stories, the lower level being a bit lively and the upper level being more studious and quiet, with tables and two comfy seats. Upstairs is also home to Argo Universitea! (Their clever wordplay, not mine). A modern glass-enclosed training facility for a small number of employees.
My Green Tea w/Ginger was full of zing! This is for all you ginger-lovers out there. I was actually chewing pieces of ginger by the end, and I loved it! I may start coming here regularly before going home after work!
My boyfriend and I are Argo addicts! Starsmucks what?!?!?
Sugarfree skim chai is my drug of choice, then I add honey... I know i know, why add honey to sugar free chai? It just works!
Get the Argo card, you get 5 bucks back for every 50 you spend, and you can use it at the location at O'hare airport too!
Skip the mini crepes and try the brownie... They are heavenly... Oh and don't forget the lentil salad!
I'm not sure how to rate this because they did "Right" the wrong. I loved Argo's coffee first time I tasted it at Merchandise Mart - better than Starbuck's! I LOVE their mojitea even tho it's over priced and probably has too many sugar calories so I had to stop drinking them. But, the last two times I've been to Argo, I've had a problem with the coffee. The first time, on the one on Madison, a few days ago, I got really lukewarm, almost cold tea. And then today, the coffee was REALLY weak. I had to bring it back and they gave me an Americano which was GREAT! Another wonderful thing is that they give a 10% discount to students. THAT is really great!!!.
This is a great place for Tea
love that it is down town as I am always walking around and I need a change of pace from coffee once in a while
so stopped and got a cup of Tea and it was damn good and the people here were really nice, very comfortable place the chairs and the atmosphere are worm and welcoming ,wish we had these guys here in Seattle
OOOOOO Tea!
I like the idea of a tea shop instead of a coffee shop. I know, weird. You might say "Jenna, you absolutely love coffee." And you're totally right. However, I also absolutely love tea. Let's be honest, I think I just love caffeine mixed with great taste. But that's a different story.
Argo Tea satisfies my craving for specialty tea at all times. I really like that they serve a wide variety of teas (both in the bag and in an infuser) that you can't get at every coffee shop. Most Starbucks or Caribous just have the "classics": Earl Grey, Irish Breakfast, some kind of black tea, etc. Argo has a lot of herbals and a big selection of rooibos (yum!). They're also starting to open more locations so they're becoming even more convenient (for awhile, the only one I knew of was in Lakeview at Broadway and Belmont-ish).
Yum! I like this location specifically because one of my friends work there (yeah, I know) and it's convenient to the Blue Line, my mom's office and my hair salon.
Since my boyfriend made the switch from vegetarianism to veganism, my awareness for vegan products has skyrocketed. I was happy to see that Argo Tea has many vegan and non-vegan products. I got the acai berry parfait made with acai berries, soy milk, bananas, and a granola topper. It was a little pricey at $5, but really yummy. I didn't even notice that it was soy milk because the other flavors were made more of a difference. This location is newer but I really hope to make more stops here. I get sick of the same old Starbucks every day so it is a nice change of pace!
Who knew irish creme tea would be so awesome?
I had seen argo tea places sprinkled around the loop but never ventured in to check them out. That said my experience here changed that for good. The menu selection of teas was pretty mind boggling so i asked the employee's opinion and he recommended the irish creme tea special...and it was awesome. I wandered around the store, pretty impressive selection of tea, tasty looking food and lots of loose tea to purchase.
but the coolest thing was this location had an entire upstairs that had huge desks, chairs and lounges perfect to duck into to work, ready or just relax. watch out starbucks, i may have a new hidden corner to work from.
I have been here on a few different occasions now. I have to tell you that this is my new locale for an iced Chi tea. It is much better than the other mega-chains. It does not have an overpowering flavor or sweetness and makes for a very refreshing drink on a hot day.
This place is great for people watching and the two stories overlooks a very busy intersection. The service here has always been great and I am mildly amused by the little drink slide they send your drink down when it is ready.
The last time I was here, it was very warm outside and the air was not working properly so I had to take my drink out to enjoy it but I can easily forgive this minor hiccup because my freaking Chi was so freaking good!
Breaking News:
Students get 10% off! Woo-hoo
That totally makes up for the thousands of dollars I'll have to pay back in undergrad and grad school loans.
Thanks Argo!
but seriously...any discount is ok by me.
This time around I had the ginger-peach tea and my first vegan muffin. I'm really trying not to make this an everyday stop but they make it so hard.
Damn you Argo...Damn you.
I consider myself an average tea drinker. I usually stick to black tea and green tea, though I… Read more »
Argo Tea is all grown up...
No really, it's 2 floors high and overlooks the hustle and bustle of the Loop. Its like a towering mecca of tea/coffee. Comfortable digs, free wifi, classic color scheme, brown leather duds. This place is class squared, and spiked with caffeine. What a lovely mix.
Loop office workers rejoice! There is a non-corporate (don't know how long we'll be able to say that for Argo) option for your coffee fix.
Oh, parking is a beeyotch, public trans is the way to go if you plan on camping out here for a bit.
My, oh my....how Argo Tea has grown! I remember the days when it was a special treat to visit Argo Tea on Armitage, but now the original location has 9 brothers and sister (all right here in Chicago!) so I can get my beloved gingerbread chai in pretty much every neighborhood I visit. Gotta love that!
This Argo Tea is the 10th location and they just keep getting better and better...it has a beautiful curved tea wall, a large seating area upstairs, and of course free wi-fi like all the other locations (but you have to get a code up at the cash register).
Word isn't out about this new Argo Tea yet so it's a bit quieter than the other locations. I guess this review may change that, but I guess I'm willing to share Argo with the rest of you. After all, there are 9 other locations for me to visit.
This is a great Argo. Probably my favorite. The bar seating along the Dearborn wall allows for excellent people watching. The upstairs seating is really nice too. I've seen several folks hold business meetings on the large tables. The staff is friendly (even though they always try to push pasties on me).
I love that it's attached to Sears....very convenient when it's butt-ass cold out!
The process of judging Argo Tea on 1 N. Dearborn really depends what you want from a tea shop in the middle of a busy downtown area.
But I'm an idealist when it comes to tea houses, so I want the BEST tea experience I can get (lets face it, they make you pay for it). The high ceilings, dark wood finishings and wide variety of magical teas (distilled on-site) certainly command my admiration, but, as usual, I feel like something is missing.
So here's my wish-list for Argo:
- Provide CERAMIC CUPS for people who are drinking-in. Even when you say "have here" almost always served in a disposable cup, at least at this particular Argo outlet. The same goes for the pastries and cookies - if someone is eating in, they don't need that paper bag, put it on a plate you dumbos.
- BETTER HEATING FOR UPSTAIRS: This is really only a problem in the middle of winter -- I had to keep my big puffy coat on, one time sitting upstairs in February. Who wants to avoid a tea house because they'll be too cold in there?
- SOFAS - Argo wants to affect a relaxed attitude, so why can't they give us some comfy stuff? There is plenty of room in this particular space.
- MORE HEALTHY STUFF
A wider variety of healthy food choices would be good -- the current selections are pretty appetizing but they are all really rich butter-filled foods, plus one or two very heavy salads.
The same goes for the sugary teas: the flavors are FANTASTIC -- but more sugar-free options would be good (or at least, staff who know what the sugar-free options are, my server was baffled when I asked him).
Oh, how the tea gods have smiled upon me!
My office is in the building next door, at the corner of Dearborn and Washington (stalkers, please disregard this information), and much to my delight, they are finally open!
This couldn't have come at a better time, since I am nursing the worst cold I've had since I was... well, in at least a year. Their ginger peach tea makes my life complete. And their quiche is simply the very delicious, cheesy icing on my cake. Hmmm... that doesn't sound to good. But it is! It is!
The staff here isn't quite as friendly at this location as the staff at the Argo on Randolph, but I ain't mad at ya! Just pour the tea and no one gets hurt!
Oh, Argo Tea! You blow my mind! Seriously, I really, really like this place. The teas are extremely good, although a little pricey. It's cool though; sometimes I've been known to splurge. I highly recommend getting the ChariTea. Not only is this cherry red tea amazing, 10% of the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. Great tea and a great cause? Can anyone say "Booyah?" Plus, Argo makes sure to maintain certain sustainable practices, and I am down till I'm underground about that.
I really need to pick up some of the loose leaf tea to brew at home. That way I can have deliciousness whenever I want.
As a Starbucks replacement, Argo tea is great. If you're a coffee drinker and you want to come over to the good side, Argo tea will be a wonderful introduction to a much more fulfilling world. As a tea store though, Argo doesn't cut it. I'll start with the goods:
Plenty of power and free Wi-fi - a must. The atmosphere is welcoming and it's a very good place to get work done or to come hang out for a bit. The menu, food selection, and process are all close enough to Starbucks so that anyone can come in off the street and know what to do - a refreshing change from a lot of snobby tea stores. The staff was also very helpful and friendly. Also, they have a lot of interesting tea-based drinks including the Bubble Tea and the Tea Sangria.
The bads. The tea selection is only moderate as they only have one kind of black or green tea on the pot at a time. What makes it worse is that they brew very concentrated versions of the tea and then water it down. That may work for the tea signature drinks but it's terrible if you're an avid tea drinker.
All in all I like Argo because I think it's a great addition to the tea scene. We don't have anything like it in Seattle but I wouldn't trade our tea stores for this one at all. If you like Argo I'd encourage you to check out something more tea-focused as you get more and more familiar with teas.
I heart Argo Tea...
Both locations I visited during my trip to the Windy City were great... this one I liked best just because it's so big and has an awesome upstairs area.
Andrea W. got me hooked on the gingerbread chai tea here, but with so much to choose from, there is something for everyone. The staff was friendly and both locations were colorful and had such a good energy about them. Not to mention, the bathrooms at both location were clean and Argo has free wi-fi.
I really hope that Argo Tea will expand to AZ. I'd be a regular for sure!
I like this Argo Tea as a study space--it's got lots of drinks, desserts, and real food, many outlets, a bathroom, and an upstairs area that's quieter. It also has free wifi--but only for two hours per drink, which I think it kind of annoying. If I'm staying somewhere for more than two hours, I'll certainly buy more than one drink, but I might buy that drink every two hours and ten minutes or something instead of every two hours. It's a bit annoying to keep an eye on the clock and make sure you're buying something/entering your code every 120 minutes. I also think the drinks leave something to be desired--I'm a fan of the mate latte, but not much else. The bubble tea was really over-sweet and subpar, and I haven't found anything else that's been super-impressive.
I like the space on the second floor for working, the only problem I have with this location is the loud sound of the blenders that ruminate from the first floor. I'm a Freelance Copywriter in Chicago and enjoy going there to work on occasion when I'm downtown.
We need one of these in california! Goodbye coffee hello tea!
Stopped by while we were admiring the marquette building on our chicago vacation and I grabbed a hibiscus steamer. They had so many yummy sounding options that it was so hard to pick one. The hibiscus steamer was nice and warm and tart...perfect for a nice partly windy day in chicago!
The ambiance and decor was very warm. There was a wide option of different teas to purchase. They even had genmai tea! I rarely can find that except at asian stores in sunny socal! I hope for the rest of my vacation I can grab a new tea everyday! My next victim is the tea sangria! I'll keep you updated!
I LOVE Argo Tea. Having fun "starbuck's" drinks made out of tea instead of coffee is great for mornings. My standard is a vanilla tea latte with skim. And you can get a really original iced tea for when you need something to quench your thirst.
Since I work nearby, I visit this Argo Tea about three times a week. If you get one of their Argo Club Cards to swipe when you purchase you can collect points. This morning I got about 700 points with a tea and a breakfast wrap. With each 5000 points you get $5 off. It's kind of a nice perk!
The staff is really nice and they always have free samples of muffins and teas. They offer a specialty tea drink seasonally. For example there was a different one for Valentines than St. Patrick's day. Then they brought on a new Spring one. So this allows you to try something new instead of getting stuck in a rut.
Surprisingly, the sandwiches are pretty good too. Several times I have stopped in to get a quick lunch (without high expectations for pre-made sandwiches) and I have always been pleased. Morning muffins, quiches and rughulah's are really great.
I like this place. It's a nice change from Starbucks and I am happy to see tea becoming more mainstream and popular. Friendly service and knowledgable staff.
There's everything new popping up around the loop, and here's Argo Tea! The seating is great, both upstairs for a good birds eye view of the street, and downstairs, for the cafe/street view. Free 2 hours of wireless with any purchase. The training facility for the entire company is located upstairs, where you can see all that happens, from the glass walls.
I'll recommend the Roasted Mate, and a good book to keep you company.
How the hell did Starbucks make it, and this place didn't? Please. Globally. Expand.
In a city filled with coffeeshops and coffee chains, Argo is my savior for a tea drinker looking for a tasty treat downtown. Thanks to Argo, I don't even have to touch those coffee chains' tea. Instead, I get to enjoy a warm tea drink to my liking. That's why I love Argo and go there occasionally for my tea splurge.
Today, I started craving some earl grey tea creme and a very memorable coconut macaroon from the CreativiTea Elite event. The service at this Argo is fast and polite as opposed to the one on Randolph which is inudated with tourists all of the time. Here, I felt like I had an opportunity to really look over the menu and decide without feeling hassled like at the other location a few blocks away. When I got there, I spied the coconut macaroons and they seemed smaller than I remembered from the tea and booze filled night. I ordered two based on the initial size. I also got my earl grey vanilla creme which is heavenly. I love the taste notes on the tea drink. They range from bold earl grey tea with a light touch of bergamot to a smooth vanilla rounded out by the warm milk. Every sip is bold, sweet, and mild all at the same time. Onto the coconut macaroon, when I got back to the office, I immediately dove into my bag of sweets. The coconut macaroon remains probably my most favorite cookie ever. The small looking cookie was anything but. On closer inspection, I realized that it's about the size of a large scallop. The macaroon is a dense, little cake of coconut and sugar. After my first bite, I knew that the cookie was definitely big enough for the size. I was initially fooled by size, but rewarded with an extra dessert after lunch. The cookie tasted as amazing as the first time that I had them. I'll definitely be back for that cookie again and again. The Argo coconut macaroon is definitely my cookie crack.
Overall, I like this Argo location a lot better than the one a few blocks away. In the midday hour, it seemed very relaxed and organized. I think that the employees are because of this. I'll keep returning to this location for the earl grey creme, coconut macaroons, and pleasant service.
Minus 1 star because I can't comment on their tea selection. I've never ordered tea here. The ginger chai (?) sample I tried though was really sweet, but not something I'd order. Today was my first visit to this location to meet a couple Chicago and Phoenix yelpers. The 2-story location is a lot bigger than what I remember of when Java Java was here. The employees were very nice and greeted me as soon as I walked through the door. It's a great place if you need to take a break from work or shopping. Think I'll be visiting more often since I work right across the street.
i think my only complaint about argo is that it's expensive. this location is better staffed than the one just south of it on dearborn. this one is also 2 levels and thus has plenty of seating. the green tea + ginger shot is delicious either hot or cold. the mate late is also very good. i don't think their flatbreads are worth what they charge, but most of their other food isn't bad if you don't want to wait in a huge line (like most other area locations) during the lunch rush. the charitea is for a good cause, but kind of tastes like cough syrup.
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Coffee & Tea
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