Best Coffee in Prospect Heights?

mypasswordwontwork wrote: OK, so I felt compelled to see for myself. I went to Heights Coffee ce soir and ordered an Americano. It was freakin delicious. Here's how their Americano compares with some other local establishments I've frequented:

Heights Coffee: 9 out of 10
Gorilla: 6 out of 10
Cocoa Lounge: 6 out of 10
Mule: 7.5 out of 10
Ozzies: 2 out of 10
Starbucks: 1 out of 10

Judging by your rankings, it sounds like you like your coffee kind of weak.

Subject: and while we're on the subject

why is it that every time i go into almost any of these coffee shops every seat is occupied by an individual working, well not really sure about that or rather using a laptop with papers strewn all over like they were in their home office? this was the scene at joyce just 2 days ago, not one available seat. it's rather frustrating if you truly just want to sit down and enjoy a coffee.

just a little vent on my part since I do actually work from a home office and am a little perplexed by the number of people who seem to have countless hours to sit around in a coffee shop. and sure, maybe i'm just a little jealous ;-)

I agree regarding the joe- Joyce for coffee to go and Le Gamin if I want to linger over a beautiful cafe latte. However, I do think the muffins at Heights Coffee (Blue Sky, Medusa!) are great. I'll go in there to get a muffin to go, since it is also impossible to find a seat among the "I've got my laptop and I'm not going anywhere" crowd.

mypasswordwontwork wrote: I think those young people are either freelance writers or graduate students.

Now that we're past that stage, I say we agitate to bring back the draft.

Yes the cafe culture here is depressing.

Austin had its share of myspacers, but at least you could expect to see people talking and hanging out; not everyone was hunched over their iBook, listening to their iPod, totally shut out and spread out over two tables.

Better coffee here though, Gorilla, Mule, Joyce (in that order).

Another vote for Joyce & Gorilla here. I like my coffee strong. STRONG LIKE BULL! Grr.

Finn wrote: Yes the cafe culture here is depressing.

Austin had its share of myspacers, but at least you could expect to see people talking and hanging out; not everyone was hunched over their iBook, listening to their iPod, totally shut out and spread out over two tables.

Better coffee here though, Gorilla, Mule, Joyce (in that order).

Where is this "mule?"

I hear you. At least in Jersey City, when I sat down with my coffee or tea, after a while, someone wanted to engage me in philosophical banter and/or a game of scrabble. No opportunity of that here has happened so far, even if I could get a seat.

CHE wrote: [quote=volition]why is it that every time i go into almost any of these coffee shops every seat is occupied by an individual working ... am a little perplexed by the number of people who seem to have countless hours to sit around in a coffee shop.

I'm not sure what's perplexing about people working in the coffee shop at midday. Like 'Password' says, there are loads of students, graduate students, and freelance writers in PS/PH. There are also loads of professors, actors who work at night, restaurant and bar people who work at night, graphic designers, law and medical students, software coders, screenwriters and novelists, people in real-estate or other businesses not tied to offices... Electronic communication means fewer of us have to be anyplace in particular to work. And what a wonderful thing it is to live in neighborhoods where we can work around other people in public--sometimes meeting them or seeing our friends--instead of being socked away in our tiny apartments.

I understand the frustration with not being able to find a seat, and I feel people sitting and working ought to make a purchase every hour or so if seats are in high-demand, because that makes them customers rather than loiterers. But I'm not sure why people working would be objectionable in a way that people just sitting and staring out the window, or knitting, or reading newspapers, or discussing their next design-build or whatever, are not. We've all got our own things to do. Isn't it fantastic to be able to support enough cafes that at least one of them, at any given moment (usually, but not always, the first one we walk into), has a place for us to sit and do our thing in the company of our neighbors?

Ditto

new girl here...where's this heights coffee you speak of? as of right now, i'm one of those assholes who trucks it all the way over to tealounge because their coffee is better than mine and because even if i'm not going to be active, i do have to get off my couch. even if it means just going to another one a mile away.

I agree that Smackdown's comments sound like a brochure and are very suspicious. However, to be fair, I have always liked Heights Coffee--but for tea--not coffee--and found their employees to be friendly and charming. That's more than I can say for Gorilla, which was deafeningly loud and sort of jarring with annoying employees. I also agree that there should be more real "cafe culture." Don't know how to create it, really--but maybe somebody could have a great business plan idea there. Ironically, people are so lonely that they're constantly online looking to meet people, but in the "meat" meet space, nobody even makes eye contact. Flirting is virtually dead, it seems.

Anotherdayinbkln wrote: Cheryl's coffee and homemade scones are UH-MAZING

i crave her pineapple scones.
its underhill and eastern pkwy

You know, I was going to confirm if they served coffee. I'm totally going to have to try them this weekend.

DeckNick80 wrote: FYI, there's a new coffee shop going in on 704 Washington. Looks nice. Should be open in spring according to the dude I saw standing out front.

Oh, MAN that's good news! I've been dying for a decent coffee joint on Washington!

Idlewild wrote: [quote=smackdown][quote=Idlewild]I like La Gamin and The Usual. Two end of the spec. Muddy Waters sucks.

It is unfortunate that the lady at Muddy Waters has such bad personality. I would support her business if she would just change with the time.

Personality is no biggie. Bad coffee and terrible food is a no-no.


Wow, are you guys racist? Jus askin? Or do you jus want your ass kissed?

kinderkidd1 wrote: [quote=Idlewild]Personality is no biggie. Bad coffee and terrible food is a no-no.

Wow, are you guys racist? Jus askin? Or do you jus want your ass kissed?

I fail to see a correlation between "bad coffee and terrible food" and race. Please explain.