Many Coffee

It seems that I've somehow lucked into many places that serve coffee opening up near me. Charmer's has been here for decades, it's fairly good. Carrie and Annie switched coffee roasters so the coffee is now drinkable, that's great. It doesn't seem as crowded as it used to be during the afternoon, and it's nowhere near as crowded as Rivers and Roads on Devon any time of the day. So that's one option. They're open from 8am to 5pm which I think is reasonable for when people actually need coffee, but not so good for me feeling I need to be around people late in the day.

Rogers Park Taproom and Coffee is on Howard. Their coffee is a good bit better than Charmer's but temperatures are an issue because they're so low volume. Many days I'm the only person there, although that's changing for the better. Very often I'll show up and they won't have any coffee brewed and ready so I'll get an americano, which is fine.

In just a couple of weeks Lulu's Cafe is set to open. I ran into the owner taking a photo of a plate of waffles in front of the store - she said the main focus is going to be brunch items. It's right next to the Taproom, which also has a selection of breakfast offerings and also lunch offerings. Within a couple of years there are large apartment complexes scheduled to be built and open on that dangerous stretch of Howard. For the past two weeks a squad car has been parked at the corner of Howard and Paulina. I'll definitely stop in when they open and have a flour-y breakfast item, see if it's something I could do on the regular.

I have no idea what to make of Paga Nini Music Cafe. The sign went up two years ago, there are occasionally people going in and out the door, but it's a mystery as to when it will open. It's one hundred feet away from Charmer's so it's probably going to be a hard sell for the neighborhood, if it is indeed a café. But that would make four hang out joints in the immediate vicinity.

Lastly there's an unknown restaurant opening on Jarvis just past the el tracks. Nothing is known about this place by anyone. It has tables like a sit down restaurant, and book shelves, and Brian noticed, peering in the window, that there were possibly buffet style servers on the bar.

Right now, with what is known, I have two coffee spots that I can stop at during the day. This number may increase. Extending beyond ridiculously close, there's a late night Starbucks at Touhy and Western, usually open until 9pm. And there's a new place opening near Lunt and Clark - Monarch Café, which has stated that they'll be open until 8pm. They raised money to open up through a kickstarter. These spots are within easy biking distance or moderate walking distance. Exciting times for the neighborhood!