Address: 2521 W Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622
Coffee roaster: Dark Matter Coffee
B's brew: 12oz latte w/ honey, cinnamon, cayenne & whole milk
C's brew: 12oz latte w/ honey, cinnamon, cayenne & whole milk
Bonus brew: Chocolate City draft iced coffee sample
Sweet: West town bakery - granola scone
Tunes played: Ghost Town DJ's, Jamie XX, Carole King
Website: darkmattercoffee.com
One of the first coffee shops that we visited last year was Star Lounge's sister shop, Osmium. Everything about our experience there was great except one sour barista. She made such an impression on me that I've shied away from Dark Matter's other locations. I naively assumed that all of the baristas were going to be the same! I finally came around, mainly based on the fact that Charlie really wanted to go to Star Lounge. I'm happy to say our experience with the barista's were the complete opposite at this location, and I would even go as far to say that Star Lounge is one of my new favorite shops. Everyone was so friendly, they even made us our own custom drink! I'm a sucker for cayenne pepper in my coffee, so whenever it's on the menu somewhere I ask for them to add it in.
It took a minute for us to find a seat at the bar, but once we settled in and warmed up, we stayed cozy for an hour. Charlie started talking to one of the guys behind the bar, and he told us all about their draft iced coffee, and he kindly offered each of us a sample. I don't know much about draft coffee, but it literally tasted like smooth chocolate, which went well with our granola scone. We plan on going back to Star Lounge when the weather is warmer to take advantage of their patio. The walls of the fence and the picnic tables are covered with work by street artists such as JC Rivera. Based on our awesome experience at Star Lounge, we'll definitely have to try Osmium again soon.
