Caribou Coffee

A shame they closed in July. All the baristas were all so sweet and friendly.

Slowest service ever and too expensive!
Waited 15 mins for two lattes! The girl behind counter was on her own time. Slow!

Real chocolate in the coffee and very friendly, helpful staff. I’ve never had a bad coffee or experience here. And yes, I’d choose Caribou over Starbucks anytime, or any day of the week.

This used to be my favorite place for evening and late night studying and report writing. I moved out of the neighborhood last winter. I returned this week with a friend, to collaborate on a report for a class. Sad to say, my favorite baristas, Matt and Joey, are no more. Now there’s a sullen-​looking Elvira-​like girl there who stares blankly into space. There’s also some guy with painted fingernails who is kind of not customer-​friendly and gets very rude 30 minutes before closing time. Don’t start mopping around my feet at 9:30 (closing is 10:00) — don’t glare at customers as if you hate them for being in there during the closing hour — and especially don’t remind me a third time within five minutes that closing time is 10:00, when the clock says 9:21. I get it. If you hate your job that much, work somewhere else. If closing time is 9:21, post it. Take down the sign that says 10:00.
Coffee … meh … not bad, but the ambiance and service is lacking now.
I heard something about all the Caribous in Chicago closing or being taken over by another chain? Can’t find anything on the web about this …
And they still only have one power strip plugged into that one outlet. Cheap …

Hey, it’s coffee, it was open past 8 p.m. on a Saturday night when I was ready to get started on an evening on the town and needed some wake-​up juice. The barista was very nice, the coffee was palatable, and the prices reasonable. Plenty of seating and a clean bathroom. What more can you ask for in a coffee shop?

Friendly service and good coffee. However, my favorite thing about the location is the seating area. It is warm, cozy and a great place to do some reading on a cold day when you are waiting from friends to wake up from their hangovers. The crowd is mixed in age, sexual preference, and most appear friendly… after you let them have that first sip of morning gold!

I’m not sure I should write about this now considering the recent changes to the Caribou Coffee Co (closing a bunch of stores here, changing hands, panic) Will this be here in a few months? Hard to say.
For now, it’s a standard Caribou experience, except in Boystown, which means you should know what that means. Lots of people working on things on laptops, good-​to-​not so good coffee. Chalkboard of thoughts. Boi magazine rack. Androgynous, kind hearted baristas.
Best thing — Southbound Halsted bus stop is right outside, so if it’s freezing and your bus tracking dowsing rod tells you the bus won’t be by within two shakes of a witch’s tail, you can get yourself some hot brownian-​motion stimulant.

Standard Caribou experience. Staff was helpful and attentive which was nice. This particular location has a nice ambience. I would definately reccomend the Café Milan latte.

This place rocks!!! They staff go beyond service! i consider myself a regular since it is on my way to work! Everyone who works there makes you feel like a friend and not just a customer! Thanks for the Med Soy Chai-​Moose-​it!!!

Caribou: the McDonald’s of coffee chains. The food and drinks are far overpriced for the size and quality. (You can pay more than $ 2 for a two-​bite sandwich advertised as much larger. That’s a dollar per slimy bite. Enjoy!
The staff turns over quite frequently. The servers are nice and very rigid, as if they’ve been beaten into operating within the narrow realm of corporate protocol.
Not a good place to abuse as a workspace. The music is at a volume that ensures you don’t stick around too long being productive.
Also, prepare to be privy to multiple bois on uncomfortable first dates.

This place is alright. It’s your basic Caribou chain store. But at this location in particular, the internet is SO SLOW!!! There are literally maybe 10 people in the store and it is taking 10 minutes to entirely load a 3 minute video on Youtube. When your chain is known for providing free wi-​fi, please make sure that it is decent quality.
On the other hand, their coffee is so much better than Starbucks. It isn’t so acidic.

I like this location, it keeps with the usual Caribou theme of «Welcome to come in, sit and have a good conversation,» and I really enjoy the laid-​back easy-​going generally North-​Side atmosphere.
I haven’t had a bad experience here at all.

I usually go to this location, however, I was walking past and needed an afternoon fix. Since I don’t drink coffee or teas, I enjoy the Hot Apple Blast. It just hits the spot.
Just like the other locations, this has the low-​key atmosphere. No big hype, just a casual place. The store is very well layed out. I was greeted with a warm smile and they suggested a shot of pumpkin to my order. What a great suggestion and I would suggest that to everyone.
Just like any other Caribou Coffee, the place was busy but had few seats available.
If you’re in the area, check out the Caribou.

I have to admit, I much prefer Caribou over Starbucks. Unfortunately, there is no Caribou where I work, so I have to make do. This is a good spot to meet up with friends or even do some work. It is loud though, just as coffee shops tend to be (hello, they have to grind espresso and heat milk and so forth). I especially like that for regular coffee (drip or iced), you receive free refills as long as you stay there. That’s a good deal. Gotta admit. The service at this location has always been great, but I have been to another location and it seriously took forever. For this particular place, service is prompt and the order came out quickly. One time I did try the grilled cheese with roast beef. It was amazing. I really want to try another one.
One thing: There is limited seating and it can get crowded, so plan your trip if you intend on staying.

This is one of the best coffee locations in the city, even though it is a chain.
First, I live right around the corner and convenience is key. Second, the staff here are some of the nicest I’ve ever seen at a coffee shop. They remember the locals and treat everyone like they’re «a regular.» Third, they really are involved in the community. When an apartment building was destroyed by a fire, Caribou partnered with the Center on Halsted to collect clothing and household item donations for the victims. They sometimes feature local artists and always have a new «question of the month» which is kind of fun.
Seating can be a bit tight, especially during school season. Lot’s of people hang out here during the evenings.

Normally at Caribou you run into two problems. Its jam packed and people take up more space then they should so you dont get adequate seating. Also, you may run into staff that is not as quick as the guys at this one. They are lighting fast and efficient. My type of employees they dont butter it up and get in your face with BS they just fill the order lightning quick and you both move on with your day. Carry on…

I spent a good 3 hours here last Sunday while attempting to cram my brain with Econ. The staff was the perfect amount of friendly and the atmosphere was very conducive to studying with just enough distraction so that I didn’t go completely nuts.
They were steadily busy and seats were a bit hard to come by after about 12:30. I stuck to a medium coffee but their little breakfast sandwiches did look pretty scrumptious.
Another 8 months of grad school pretty much ensures that I will be back here many a Sunday.

I’m new to the whole coffee thing, so my review is going to be a nice one.
After having my first latte a few days prior to coming here, I’ve found myself mystified by the foam-​topped, caffeinated beverage. I’ve decided to make it my mission to partake in as many different lattes as I can. 2^nd on the list was Caribou’s cinnamon french vanilla Northern Lite latte.
Well…I was satisfied. I thought it tasted fine. I substituted soy for regular milk, as regular milk makes me feel yucky. The staff was friendly and I thought it was a fairly cute place for a chain café.
Now, once I’ve become a latte connoisseur, my rating my change. Until then, this place is alright by me.

The only time these people see me are early in the morning and we’re out of coffee in the house and I’m grumpy. Or waaay too early in the morning when I’m about to hail a cab to the airport and questioning why I thought a 7am flight was a good idea when I booked it.
Nonetheless, the people at Caribou at these ungodly hours are always friendly and helpful and I end up smiling when I get out of there. With coffee. Nothing can beat that!

The Rooibos Tea. Not so good. It tasted like the fruit flavored Ricola cough drops and about 3 sips in was tossed in a street-​side garbage can. It was like 1 MILLION degrees in Chicago, so tossing a whistle wetter says a lot.
It sure as shit ain’t Starbucks…
What can I say; I’m a California girl.