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Categories: Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches, Vegetarian [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Edgewater, Andersonville"What is going on over here? Ten five star reviews in a row? For that sandwich place on Lincoln, you know the one by the Paulina brown line…" read more »
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Wait. They have no WiFi? I hadn't noticed, because I go to coffee shop/ restaurants to actually talk to the person I am with. I know, shocking isn't it? I would actually prefer to be in a coffee shop surrounded by other people who are actually socializing with, other people, and not their computers.
If I had a complaint about Kopi, I would have still given them 5 stars, just because they DON'T have WiFi.
I have been here many times over the years and have never been disappointed.
Now I am dating a man who would rather have Kopi's carrot cake than any other dessert in the whole wide world. I be here a lot I think.
Have I mentioned how much I love that they don't have WiFi?
This is one of those places that have all the right elements to be cool but they just don't come together properly for whatever reason. I think it has a lot to do with the owner, who looks almost exactly like that dude from Jacob's Ladder who made the super dark LSD - in a place as inviting as the decor seems to suggest you want the proprietor to seem like he's happy doing what he's doing, not like he's just there to make sure the employees aren't talking to the patrons too much.
I've been there a bunch of times. It was the place my wife and I courted as our weekend diner/brunch place until we woke up one day and figured out the food wasn't really worth the bourgie prices. Here is what I remember about the food: Bowl of El Ranchero chips with bland guacamole in its center. A burrito bulging with cheesy refried beans and strip or two of lettuce. A really delicious lox and bagel plate. Some stinkfinger seitan that tasted like a sock my cat pissed on. Some decent scrambled eggs.
I've also done a lot of last minute Christmas shopping there over the years at the hippiesque curiosity shop in the back, but I don't think my family needs anything else made out of pounded tin or soapstone or brightly colored burlap.
I applaud the attempt at serving an array of healthy dishes. Multiple visits have helped me to confirm that Kopi Traveler's Cafe is not all that it is cracked up to be. The "elvis", which was healthy peanut butter and bananas inserted into a panini, seemed the most tolerable. All the other sandwiches and salads maintained the typical cardboard taste that I seem to come across quite often.
I would highly recommend this place for it's eccentric atmosphere, solid service, and the mere fact that it tastes better than what Uncommon Ground serves up. Aside from that, I will not find myself coming back again.
I love this place. I fell in love IN this place. I will be back every Easter Sunday, because the magic will always be there for me and the guy I love.
And the food ain't bad either!
I walked over here to get some study time done since I don't work well in a very quiet environment. I noticed the ethnic/tribal wooden face mask all over the walls. For first timers like me- go right ahead and grab a table and they will give you a menu to choose from. I ordered their Tuna salad melt and coffee. While waiting for my food, I noticed that there are money (bills) posted on the 2 poles- I spotted the P20 from the Philippines =P At the very end of the room, you can even do a little shopping because they sell jewelries, clothing, purse, scented oil and travel books.
After a few minutes my food finally came- it was pretty good. They also served it with some chips (I think it would've been better if they would've given me some house salsa with it! -- why didn't I ask for some)
I love the vibe at this place- very warm and cozy, I can already imagine coming here during winter sipping a cup of coffee with croissant.. mmMmm
I liked the little gift shop in the back and travel books for sale along the wall. I am a non-vegetarian, but I am sympathetic, and I will often find myself enjoying vegetarian food at vegetarian restaurants, though my knee-jerk reaction is to run away.
My friend and I arrived at the perfect moment, before the dinner rush had the place packed. Our waiter was polite and helpful, I liked his frankness when I asked him for his recommendation from the menu. I apologize to most servers who have me as a customer - I'm not difficult, but I really don't like to be disappointed in a bad choice from an unfamiliar menu, so I will almost always ask the servers about their favorite food(s) on the menu. If I feel like I like them, I go with their choice. I went with his recommendation, the falafel plate. It was tasty. My friend and I came hungry, so we split the nachos as an appetizer (spicy), and we also had a banana cake with cream cheese frosting - it was AWESOME! And I didn't miss the meat one bit last night! I only wish that they had beer, but I'll manage to live without it.
I have been here once so far.. I'm not vegitarian but thought the vegie burger was amazing (compared to a Boca Burger I had the misfortune of trying once). Friendly service, fun vibe & interesting schtuff for sale in the back.
FYI - no internet. Trying to do too much for my liking - is it a cafe? Gift shop? Restaurant? Meeting place? Meditation center? There are half a dozen better places to sit and get work done within walking distance.
As a long time visitor of Kopi Cafe on Clark street, I have always enjoyed hanging out at this place. Much hasn't changed since I started coming here in 2005. From the outside, Kopi blends in with many of the restaurants along the street, complete with outdoor seating. Inside, your eyes might be drawn to the back wall, where several clocks display various world time zones. The book rack along the back wall has a lot of useful books from various countries from around the world.
I also love the coffee they use at Kopi. It's strong, and perky, but not with the nasty after taste. The treats are a little pricey, but kind of worth the price if you love pastries. I like to think of Kopi as a slice of Chicago culture.
Problems with Kopi Cafe:
It fills me with more:
...Wanderlust than my schedule can handle;
...Product lust than my wishlist or wallet can bear;
...Tasty goodies than my metabolism can process;
...Caffeinated beverages than is medically advised.
The only thing it doesn't fill me with is....
wi-fi. Free, delicious wi-fi.
I just tried this place today. I enjoyed the strawberry rhubarb pie and peach smoothie I had a lot. I also love the vibe of this place. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was the girl behind the counter sort of rolling her eyes at me while I ordered!
Either way, I'll come back because this place is intriguing and tasty.
The fifth star really comes from so many good memories of going to Kopi with my then-boyfriend-now-husband-who-used-to-live-in-the -city.
Chai is so good. I've always had good service. I usually find something fun (earrings or otherwise) to add to my food/beverage purchase.
Proximity to shoe-shopping and numerous dinner options make it a great place to end an evening/afternoon. We don't get into Andersonville as much as we should, now that we live in suburbia, but I always make a point to stop at Kopi, even if it's just for a chai and a cookie!
Oh, and other yummy baked goods. And delicious variety of tea.
Tuna melt. Yes!
Chai shake...oh dear god.
I love me some Kopi.
I had the panini with basil pesto, mozzarella, and tomato and it was delicious. The chai shake was also great, and I slurped it up much faster than I expected! I love their gift shop, and they have quite a bit of nice jewelry. I need to come here sometime to try dessert as well! I am not vegetarian, but if I were, I would appreciate this place even more than I already do.
I personally had no service issues the time I went, but I've only been once so I cannot agree or disagree with the harsher comments on the service here.
I really want to love Kopi, but they make it hard for me.
First of all the place is really cramped. I wish they would lose the gift shop section and move the kitchen back there and make the front section a true coffee and tea bar. I think if they had a real kitchen, the food would be better.
About the food: it has lots of potential. It is more than adequate, and I hardly miss the meat, but it can be so much more. I'm not sure exactly what it needs other than something to boost it beyond almost being bland. Maybe they need a proper grill or something.
The coffee is very good. I like to stop in occasionally to get a cup to go, but it is hard to get in and out of there because of how cramped it is. Sometimes I end up going into the big corporate chain coffee place across the street because it is easier to get in and out the door.
My advice to Kopi: concentrate more on the food and do something about your space issues (like lose the gift shop).
Verdict: we like to come here when the weather is cooler, sit in the window, drink tasty hot beverages and share a plate of food. We are not here to buy books and trinkets, we are here to eat.
I have been here a bunch of times now and I am happy to be able to pick anything off the menu (vegetarian). The food is good (not great) but definitely good. The beverages are AMAZING. Mmmm...spicy hot chocolate.
Service...hit or miss. The last time I was there we had a totally unattentive 'I'm prettier than you' brunette barbie who was wildly unpleasant. We waited a long time too.
Worth checking out.
This place is very eclectic and has table service, two things I really like. Its the perfect place to come to for lunch or dinner with my Vegan friend, plenty of options for both of us. Excellent cafe mocha in a HUGE cup! If you are a cake person, plenty of good options. I had a plate of pita slices, feta cheese and incredible tomato pesto. It was such a good snack!
I enjoy sitting in the back area next to the shelves of travel books they have for sale and browsing the titles while I'm at my table. However, note you are not allowed to take books back to your table to browse that you have not purchased. Bummer, but I understand some people are not careful and would quickly make the books unfit to sell.
This is one of my favorite places to go in Chicago for a beverage and some food. I used to frequent it when I went to Loyola because they have a very cozy space with short wide tables that are perfect for spreading out and doing homework.
I visited again this past week when I was randomly in the neighborhood. I couldn't stay to eat, but I got a tofu/turkey sandwich to go. It was DELICIOUS! Sometimes the biggest thing I miss as a vegetarian is a satisfying sandwich and this one definitely delivers.
I also really love the fun decor and the shop in the back. The prices in the shop are pretty high so I've never made a purchase, but it's fun to look around.
Eclectic decor (and servers) coupled with great coffee and good food. Usually in places like this the service is completely lacking, but I had a really great experience. Their Mediterranean plate was delicious as was their tempeh. Great spot for vegetarians and you can't beat the neighborhood.
Wait a minute...why is this place so awesome and yet in all my years wandering the north side, I've never been? Travesty, I tell ya..
The whole place buzzes with a sort of energy only derived from natural substances, the thrill of something unknown. Jolly? IN the 2 hours or so I enjoyed an early dinner I saw TWO couples nuzzle sweetly (not in an overly gross way), people discussing world politics in a civilized fashion (despite disagreeing), and a group sitting in the front window emitting laughter and jovial vibes despite the rain....hmmm, I like this place. Good energy is hard to come by.
Black Chai Shake: heaven. OMG. serious. $4.25 for a small, but worth it...gone in approximately 4 minutes.
Falafel plate (holy falafel kick lately, eh?): $9.95 with lots of warm pita, toasty falafel, roasted peppers and eggplant, chopped tomatoes and onion, tahini and hummus. STUFFED with veggies. Love.
Coffee: on par. Splenda and real cream at the ready.
Dessert: rich chocolate cake, I was feeling indulgent. It was worth it...tasted like it was frosted in uncooked brownie batter. YUM.
Service: fabulouso...even mid-shift change. Very nice.
A 5-star experience with a few hiccups that notched it down a bit...
1. The breastfeeding mother in the seat RIGHT next to me. I'm all for being ya know...comfortable in public. But, I don't know, right next to me while I am drinking a chai milkshake? Yeah, no. Sorry, I'm as pro-woman, pro-everything as it gets, but I need a little breathing room. Boobs don't gross me out, but yeah...ok, I've made my point.
2. The jackhammering/construction going on near the bathroom. Loud banging noises is not "chill." Can we wait and do this after hours peeps!? Holy cow.
3. The guy that sat down NEXT to the breastfeeding lady...and proceeded to shake out all of his greasy, stringy hair and then kind of like play with it for about 10 minutes. Ugh. It's not a good combo when trying to eat...trust.
Really though, this place rocks my socks off, and I'll be back time and again...the food is fantastic and fast/fresh/healthy, people are sweet, crowd is legit and I pretty much just had to stay away from the gift shop in the back for fear of not being able to control myself...
well done.
Feels like your back at college.
Way cool gifts.
Best scones this side of the Atlantic.
Fun to sit on floor in front store window.
Service is just okay, not great. Enjoy!
I cannot believe that I forgot to review this place! This is one of my favorite places in Chicago. I have been coming here since I was in high school. It has an inexpensive fairly healthy menu, and always great service. I love to meet friends for coffee here, and also usually bring people from out of town to Kopi for a relaxing, laid back meal or snack. It's a totally unique experience. Do the platform and pillows if you can. Try the chai shake. You will not regret it.
This place is amazing! Great veggie food and lots of lesbians. I love lesbians! And Veggie food! The menu has SO much variety!
Ok... So the lesbian this may have been a little over exaggerated but it's Andersonville. So I'm sure I am only partially off.
Anyhow, go here! The food is awesome, staff is courteous, they wall papered some of the walls using international money (paper bills) from many different countries, and lesbians. :-)
Went here again to get a smoothie after dance class. The flavor of the day was pomegranate or peach. The way they had it written on the chalk board made it look like pomegranate AND peach. When we tried to order we had to choose between the two. The pomegranate one was better for you and the peach had a lot of great stuff in it. It had bananas and honey and some other great tasting fruit. I wanted the pomegranate since it was good for me but I also wanted the peach since it had naners in it.... !!!
May I please have the pomegranate smoothie with banana?
Our waiter said sure?... When he brought it over he said the guy who made it was unsure at first but said it tasted really good. SO our waiter offered to let me name the smoothie. I came up with Nerd Alert since it tasted like the candy. Ha!
This place is really great. The tuna salad was fresh. The tomato soup was creamy and gamazing. And… Read more »
Adorable, attentive server -- check.
Really lovely cheese and fruit plate -- check.
Awesome, milkshakey drink -- check.
Good atmosphere -- check.
Tasty veggie burger -- check.
Live music -- check.
Fun little shop area -- check.
Desire to return -- check again.
What DON'T you have, Kopi Cafe? If I lived in this neighborhood, I would be hanging out here every day. It's the kind of place where you'd be happy and proud to be a regular, chatting with the friendly staff, reading one of their books (or one of your own), listening to some folk or alt-country music, sipping on some lovely loose tea.
Several friends recommended Kopi Cafe as the best spot in Andersonville for vegetarian fare. I felt transported to the 1960's the moment I walked in. I may be a vegetarian, but I don't care for hippie culture (or shall I say counter-culture). Kopi definitely has a cozy bohemian vibe to it. The menu offers a nice array of breakfast and lunch items, but there are also specials. I could eat breakfast any time, so I had the "Sunshine on Shingles" (eggs and vegetarian sausage on top sourdough bread). It was mediocre, but the wood-smokey, charred taste was very off-putting. Oddly enough, nothing was burnt. Curtis had a burger, and it came with chips. No, not your average potato chips, but plain tortilla chips. Oh, come on!
Okay, the food was average to below average, but the service = FAIL. The waitress was inattentive and ridiculously slow. (Perhaps this cafe is too laid back.) I wanted dessert and chose the carrot cake on display literally three feet away from my table. It's RIGHT there! It took more than ten minutes to reach my table. Not everyone has an entire day to eat a sandwich, damnit.
Food was okay, service sucked. Would I come back? Probably not.
Cute, delicious, and great coffee.
I love Kopi. The only thing that is keeping me from giving this place five stars is the uncomfortable indoor seating. Otherwise, this place is the cat's pajamas as the octogenarians are saying these days.
I have had sandwiches and salads here and the produce was fresh and tasty. They've got lots of vegetarian options.
I was really pleased with the service here. The people have been so friendly, but not fake and obnoxious.
If you're in Andersonville, check out Kopi!
I LOVE Kopi. How much? The fact that I'm still up writing a review is a great testimony to how much!
The food is always good here. I've been here millions of times, on random days when I don't feel good, I go here to just relax, talk, and eat. I've never liked tuna sandwiches until i had the tuna melt here. They have a great selection of drinks and I'm a tea freak...so my heart fluttered with excitement at their selections of smoothies and teas.
The waiters are generally nice. Don't expect to be bothered every 15 minutes or so. Which is good, for me. The food does take a while, though, to come out, but I've never complained...it's so good. Hah. And I really like the shop aspect of it. They have natural/organic soaps and cool little items to buy...like jewelry reminiscent of Tibetan quality. (I don't actually know if they are Tibetan jewelry, so I'll let you to decide.) Either ways...I love this place.
This place has enough reviews that adding one more seems kind of superfluous, but I've been coming here since 2004 so I feel I've earned my right to review. Overall, I really like Kopi, though I managed to sort of forget that it existed for about a year. That actually pretty much sums Kopi up - pleasant and convenient but not knock your socks off memorable.
I've tried a variety of menu items (sandwiches, panini, the MONSTER awesome nachos, bagels, scones, etc.) and they've all been a-ok to great. Word to the wise, though - Kopi has no stovetops or industrial ovens, so they're cooking everything either in the microwave or a toaster oven. For this reason, I've avoided ever ordering eggs - I'm just not convinced they can be prepared properly off a griddle. Prices are fair with a few items being notably pricey - the guacamole and fruit and cheese plate come to mind immediately.
The drinks are awesome and coffee refills come frequently. The staff (including the two owners, one or both of whom seem to be here at all times) are typically really friendly and laid back - the overall hippie vibe of the shop seems to rub off on them. The little shop in the back is cute and it's fun to browse, but as others have mentioned the prices are really high and I've never purchased anything.
This place is a great hang-out. I just came from there with friends and, once again, loved my experience there.
I had the Darjeeling Tea and split the Kitchen Sink cookie. WARNING: The Kitchen Sink cookie is dangerous! If you have any desire to lose weight - STAY AWAY! If, however, you want something delightful and eye-closing-good-because-they-warm-it-up-first-and -you-will-never-ever-ever-ever-be-able-to-stop-eat ing-this-damn-cooking-because-it-is-so-freaking-am azing-and-wonderful, then this is the cookie for you!
I also had a bite of the carrot cake, which was also very good.
I love this place and wish I were getting my Master's degree or something so I could go there and read.
I'd go to Kopi anytime for the coffee. For food, I'd probably rather head somewhere else. I've had lunch there a couple of times and both time I thought it was just ok. It took a long time to get it and the seating isn't terribly comfortable.
The coffee, though, was excellent. I can't pass by without getting an Americano. If their sidewalk furniture's out, I'll definitely hang out and watch the Andersenvillians pass by.
I like this place even though there are usually a ton of hippies here.
Most of the options are vegetarian. They have a notable tea selection, which is very cool, and I would describe most of their meals as quick, but not really inventive. The "Fromage d' Alps" sandwich is pretty solid, though.
Also once I had cherry pie a la mode here. That was "Prettay, prettay, prettay goood" as LD would say.
love love love the Mexican latte. Its so damn good. I was going a bit bananas when I gave up cafe for 30 days...I kid you not I went the very 1st day I could have one and got me one.
I haven't bought any food from this place but the cafe is a thumb's up.
Enjoy going here once in a while.
They have a HUGE selection of pastries and desserts. The food here is not worth going for except the dark rye sandwich with cheese and onions.
I love the green tea milkshake and selection of teas and coffee.
The ambience is super cool and I feel like I am at home when I hang out there. It is a great place to meet people and just hang out and talk. I have never felt rushed to leave either.
It is a very unique place with a great vibe.
I love it so much but dont care for the food I didnt even bother knocking off a star. You have to go for the coffee.
Kopi is a great place to grab a coffee and a snack.
I only wish they had free WIFI.
Cute place with what I think of as an urban-hip-come-as-you-are sort of atmosphere. As you'll probably notice from most of the reviews, it has a nice ambience, very soothing and relaxed, with decent baked goods and food but the latter is nothing to write home about. Good service, friendly but laid-back staff. It's the kind of place to stop by after a meal and share a dessert over some excellent teas. I must admit, I don't get the back room with the stuff for sale (OK, the books I get, but the other stuff? so you can pretend you've visited the countries in the books?). *shrug* A little odd I suppose but hardly offensive. :)
After a years-long hiatus from Kopi, I recently met some friends here for breakfast. Aside from a minor reconfiguration of their space in the late-90s the old cafe has remained comfortably unchanged. Some of the staff have stayed on since the mid-90s! I like to think that means Kopi is a good place to work.
It was the names 'Kopi' and 'Jalan Jalan' which drew me in that very first time because they are Malay for 'coffee' and 'walking/travel'. I wondered if this was a Malaysian business but the (non-Malaysian) owner later told me that he'd picked up those words during his travels in Indonesia. In keeping with the travel theme, there's a small selection of travel reading, notebooks and other knick knacks for sale at the back.
Being here brought back some good memories. I had my very first cigarette here. Enjoyed many late night coffees and treats. Had one of my most enjoyable dates ever at a table by the bookshelf. Then there was the time one of my buds hit really hard on a waitress (who had made it clear she was a lesbian, and even clearer he wouldn't be the one to turn her). His desultory efforts were rewarded with the deep freeze for BOTH of us. Ah, good times.
The coffee is pretty good and so is the food. To be honest, they're not outstanding but the overall atmosphere is what kicks things up a notch or two. Sometimes feeling comfortable and welcome means as much or more than what you're sipping or munching.
On this recent visit, however, it was obvious that Kopi is not exempt from the cage match that is Sunday Brunch. I was the first to arrive at 11 am, when the place was pretty much deserted. By noon, hungry patrons all bundled in North Face were shooting us death rays from their position by the coffee barrels at the entrance. Our honey of a waitress was reduced to smiling through gritted teeth. Towards the end, I could tell that her offers of 'more coffee, love?' could be loosely translated into 'throw me a bone and get the flick out, you blind motherflicking sloths!' She held it together marvelously, though. And it was very endearing to be called 'love' by someone who must have been at least 15 years my junior.
The good times keep coming. I like it here.
Try the Mexican hot chocolate!
However, they are very computer un-friendly. No sockets anywhere for plugging in and no WiFi. I went there one day hoping to work and ended up (sadly) moving to the Starbucks across the street.
When I lived in the hood, this was my go-to date/girls' afternoon out joint. Great coffee, nice ambiance, quiet enough to have conversation but jumping enough not to feel like it's a library with baristas. It's very warm feeling and laidback.
I always enjoyed Kopi and need to make sure I get back there soon :)
I met a few friends for coffee the other night for the first time at Kopi. They had been waiting for a short while before I arrived and quickly scored a table in the corner by the window. There were lots of pillows to sit on and it was the perfect place for keeping my friend's toddler trapped between us!
The wait staff is laid back and only present when you need them. I liked that other servers kept their eye on us while ours was busy. We all enjoyed our drinks but I LOVED my Mexican latte. The small is huge, it was rich, delicious and the perfect temperature and price!
It's nice to have an independent, laid back coffee shop in Andersonville!
I didn't get a chance to peruse the shop in the back, but it looked interesting, nor did I try the food. I hear the hummus is great! Can't wait to go back!
Neighborhood: Edgewater
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Edgewater
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Edgewater
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Category: Wine Bars
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