Like many great coffee places, Café Umbria comes from the Pacific Northwest. Namely, Seattle. From a first glance, Umbria seems like any other respectful coffee shop, but, true to its name, there’s something about it that feels distinctly European about it. Maybe it’s the patterned designs of the cups and coffee packages. Maybe it’s the considerable selection of espresso drinks available. Whatever it is, the important thing is that they have delicious coffee, a wide selection of options, and up to snuff Italian pastries to go with it.
The roastery was first established in 1986 by the Bizzarri family and still upholds the Italian espresso bar tradition. Each location has a different aesthetic, some leaning more heavily on the Italian while others feel more like a modern coffee shop. The one in Logan Square is basically a warehouse roastery. But they all serve up the same quality brews wherever you are.
the details
| Address |
|
| Website | https://caffeumbria.com/ |
| @cafeumbria | |
| Hours | most open at 7 or 8am, and close at 3 or 4pm |
| Price | $$ – pretty standard, $3-5 coffee drinks |
| Aesthetic | varies by location, from Italian cafe aesthetic to modern cafe aesthetic |
good to know
Go here for: coffee that makes you feel a little closer to Europe
Order this: any of their espresso drinks, nitro cold brew, something from the pastry case
Amount of time to spend: depending on the location, some are more suitable for take out while others are good for lingering
When to come: generally busiest in the mornings, but calms down in the afternoon
Getting here (Chicago):
- River North: take the brown line to Merchandise Mart and walk east until you hit Clark
- Logan Square: take the blue line to Western and walk up to Armitage (west)
Other things to note:
- If you buy a bag of coffee beans, you can get a free drink, if you don’t want a free drink at that moment, they’ll give you a voucher so you can redeem it later.
- Their online shop sells and ships their coffee nationwide.
Last visited: July 2020
Last updated: September 2020
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