Cup & Spoon

Cup and Spoon opened in 2014 in Wicker Park and is a coffee shop filled with natural light, local Chicago roasts, loose leaf teas, local pastries, and gourmet sandwiches.  There are always two roasters available: Metropolis or a monthly microbrewery. The featured roaster for this month is Big Shoulders Coffee —Chicago is sometimes called City of the Big Shoulders in reference to its magnificent architecture.    

Rosie, the owner, encourages dialogue about coffee, and therefore installed a bar with a rich, lacquered wood top.  The wood grain pattern reminds me of a macro-view of freshly poured coffee. 

Remember, in addition to caffeine, research shows that coffee is a great source of disease-fighting polyphenol antioxidants.  Drink up for good health!

I picked the Uganda Bugisu roast, since I love African coffees.  Summer is the prime season for African coffee cherries, while winter is the season for Mexican and Latin American varieties. 

 Uganda's flavor profile was predominantly cocoa, with hints of orange and a wonderful, buttery smell.

Featured above is the Hario V60 dripper. This method produces a cup of coffee with a mouth-feel and flavor intensity in-between that of a Chemex (thick filter) and French press (no filter paper).

In addition to coffee, there is also a variety of assorted loose leaf teas, with locally baked scones and pastries for sides.  Interurban makes the muffins and gourmet pop tarts, while Spinning J bakes the cookies and scones.

The sandwiches available come with artisan bread, and instead of chips, you have the option of arugula seasoned with freshly ground pepper and fresh lemon juice. 

I love the art references. For the sake of comparison, the original titles:

The Scream by Edvard Munch

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer

The Rooster by Pablo Picasso

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí

No. 5 by Jackson Pollock

Cup & Spoon also features local artists. The current artist, Zainab Saab, uses ink to create geometric shapes by meticulous repetition of dots and lines.

Cup & Spoon 

2415 West North Ave

Chicago, IL

Monday-Friday 6:30am-6pm

Saturday-Sunday 8am-6pm

Owner: Rosie

Rating: 5 stars!

Tip: From Union Station take the Clinton to Western Blue line.