Trivoli

april update: it looks closed ! ! !
the public voted ! by pocket and pocketbook !
five things i love about trivoli
1 the name !
2 the place location location location ! in my neighborhood !
3 the big picture windows i can look out ! (eye cam!) on the busy intersection of Granville and b’way ! and people watch galore !
4 the worldly stuff within like Egyptian mummy cases and old french painter paintings … so eclectic !
5 I’m thinking I’m thinking …
OK OK
i had a Denver omelet it was fair to middling good … nothing to rave about the ham was still in a slice rather than cubed as in most other places i have been to … and i am not that worldly LOL
the coffee was HOT and just a tad too bitter for me as if maybe a little old? that morning … but the taste grew on me and it went well with the omelet …
on the plus side the do have wireless Internet but charge for the computers so proudly displayed in their Windows something like 3 bucks an hour ??? check prices for yourself …
the staff was young and attentive and concerned that i liked their food ! (leave me alone I’m eating !)

Update April 2008: CLOSED.
Update Dec 2007:
I haven’t been in here since the spring of 2007, when signs went up warning customers to spend at least $ 4 to sit at a table. It’s a coffee shop, for crying out loud! I used to go there, nurse a coffee for an hour or so, then buy lunch. But the message I’m getting now is that my kind is not welcome here. Also, they took out some regular seating at the window that faces Broadway to install computers you can rent by the hour. Boo! There are cheaper places for that on Thorndale, thank you very much. So, my review drops two stars as a result.
Original review (rating was originally 4 stars):
Note: apparently the owners received some correspondence from lawyers for the Café du Monde in New Orleans inviting them to reconsider — the name is evidently copyrighted. So now this restaurant is called «Trivoli,» but little else seems to have changed.
I’ve only eaten soup here, but when I was lingering over the span of several hours on a Sunday nursing a coffee I saw a big brunchtime crowd. The coffee’s alright, and the place is usually uncrowded. My gripes: I find the classical music they often play to be too loud, and the WiFi doesn’t seem to work very well. But if the coffee doesn’t match up to Metropolis down the street — the best coffee in Chicago for my money — the place is quieter and cozier.

So nice to hear Vivaldi while eating. Good spinach torte, helpful baristas. Good karma.

Nice little place. I’ve been in Chicago for 2 months now and this is my regular Saturday morning place. It’s worth mentioning that they serve breakfast all day long. No 7:00 — 10:30 restriction here. So if you are in the mood for an omelet or pancakes by mid afternoon, this is the place to visit. Even though the place is small it has a relaxed, warm and cozy ambiance. Usually there is classical music playing. They also have free Wi-​Fi; another plus.

This is a really neat little café that has just opened up. Its a nice location, near to the train stop and a few bus stops. Its a crowded area and filled with lots of people. The coffee here is fresh and pretty good and they have a bunch of tasty treats as well. You can sit and enjoy your drinks and snacks inside their café. Grab a window seat and enjoy the busy view of the outdoors!