Sip Coffeehouse Chicago
by Eric Wells on 9-19-2010 • Category: Coffee Houses • 22 comments
After passing Sip Coffeehouse on the Grand bus a few times with wonder, I decided to give it a try as part of my coffeehouse critique log.
This place has a great feel. Sip is one of those places that encompasses everything a stereotypical coffee house should contain - local artwork, fliers and posters, mix and match (or don't match) furniture, and great customer service. I also love their impressive display of unique mugs. Having your coffee for here? Choose your mug!
If you visit, be sure to walk all the way to the back.
Initial looks can be deceiving. At first, I thought it was really tiny, but then became pleasantly surprised. Past the counter, you can see the access to the upstairs area, then a spacious back room with nooks and designated spots lined with art. Inside, the walls are awash in warm red, sage green and mustard yellows. I was almost drawn to lounge on the purple sofa (a classic piece that's just waiting for a fainting lady) and browse through one of the countless magazines. I witnessed several people comfortably curled up on couches with a cup and a chosen book. It seems the further you go back into the coffeehouse the more comfortable the furniture gets. It really reminded me of a very nice house with its comfortable trappings.
I even liked the bathroom. It was like using the facilities at a very clean friend's house, while being fun and unique with all of the cool things hanging on the walls.
Before that familiar Chicago chill turns on us, I recommend grabbing a hot beverage and enjoying their nice patio. One trip to the backyard of Sip may pleasantly alter your expectations of urban coffeehouses. A few tables and chairs rest on a stone patio with randomly placed mosaic tiles. A tree-shaded walkway extends from the patio, leading to a quaint sitting area. The garden is bright and eclectic, and a collection of wind chimes and birdhouses and baths impart the pleasant eccentricity of an old-lady-on-the-hill house.
I recommend readers trying their iced Dreamy Mocha with white chocolate, topped with an obscenely large swirl of whipped cream. If you’re abstaining from caffeine, the iced Oregon green tea latte is a refreshing alternative. And their pastries looked perfect. Should an indulgence for sweets take over, the three-chocolate brownie and chocolate chip, banana and blueberry breads taste as if they were freshly baked by good ole Mom herself. I did not try the food (outside of a couple sweets), but it looked amazing. I saw a patron order a grilled chicken Panini that had me rethinking my existing lunch plans with a friend.
My interest was also caught by a game Sip plays every day that gives anybody with the first name they have up on the chalkboard (or maybe dry erase, I can't remember) a free cup of joe! Just for having the random name they choose! I love those simple, fun things that a coffeehouse does.
As I walked out the door and looked around, I wondered why anyone would go to the Starbucks across the street when they could hang at Sip instead?
Website
No business site, but for directions check out Yelp.com
