Chicago for digital nomads

Best cafes

Chicago does coffee like it does most things — by working hours, on hard winter mornings, with a tolerance for plain food cooked well. The 12 cafes on this list sit at addresses spread across the 60601 to 60661 postal range. They cover a wider span than 'coffee' usually implies: a Michigan Avenue Starbucks open from 05:30 weekday mornings, an Indian kitchen on Jefferson Street, a Taiwanese cafe on South Wabash Avenue, a French pastry counter on North Clinton Street, a Greek bakery-cafe on South Halsted Street, and several coffee shops in between. Two donut shops fill the sweet end. The ranking is not 'best' — these are twelve addresses and hours worth knowing if you work or live in those postal areas. Bring a wallet, the actual street number, and patience for queues at peak hours.