Review: Star Lounge Coffee Bar

After receiving a tip from a Chicagoist reader, we recently visited Ukrainian Village coffee shop, Star Lounge Café. The space is open and welcoming, with pieces by local artists decorating the burnt orange walls. There is the usual mixture of tables and couches, but what stood out most was the actual bar at the front of the café complete with tall barstools and close-up view of the baristas at work. Continue walking back through the glass doors and there's a hammock hanging on a spacious wooden deck and a slew of patio furniture on a grassy backyard. For a moment we thought we were transported to a mini Happy Village.

Star Lounge opened over a year ago but began roasting their own coffee in January with organic and fair trade beans. The Star Lounge Coffee Company has a commitment to "eliminate all big business from the café, and source local from our community and other small business or farmers”. Current selections include a Nicaragua La Fem Co-op, Sumatra Lintong, and Uganda Bugisu. They have a wide selection of loose leaf teas and standard espresso drinks, but we liked the more creative "Cosmic Creations" and went with the "Mayan Mocha" on the barista's recommendation. Made with bittersweet chocolate, it's not as sweet as your typical mocha. Add some cinnamon and cayenne pepper to the mix and it was a fantastic balance of spicy and sweet.

We were told that fresh baked goods are delivered every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and come in from, well, everywhere. The sandwiches, granola, and rice krispie bars are from Southport Grocery. The sandwiches were changed last week, so the website is not up to date. Additions include a Beef N’ Blue, Turkey Pesto, Tuna Melt, Three Cheese Veggie and Brie Mushroom . Little Miss Muffin provides the muffins, croissants, and other baked goods with exception of the bagels, which are from New York Bagel and Bialy. Café Le Baron provides the “weird stuff.” Apparently, “weird” means “holy shit delicious” because sea salt brownies, lavender brownies and bacon and chocolate chip cookies were all available for your enjoyment. And the little pies for sale? They’re from "just a local guy who makes really good pies." With the anti-Starbucks coffee shop becoming more prevalent throughout Chicago, Star Lounge Coffee Bar stands out with the attention and care they give to everything from the coffee roasting to their commitment to staying local (Chicago musicians are also showcased both live on Friday nights and daily through their speakers.) See you there, bacon chocolate chip cookie in hand.

Star Lounge is located at 2521 W. Chicago Ave (Chicago and Western) and is open at 7:00 am daily until 9:00 pm Sunday- Wednesday and until 10:00 pm Thursday-Saturday.

(LStolpman)

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