Ground Up Coffee & Bites

In Chicago for the first time this weekend. As a bit of an espresso nerd, I try and hit as many highly rated cafes in a new city as I can. This place was right around the corner from where I was staying in Greektown so it ended up being my morning regular. This place is always full but I've never had to wait long. The iced and regular latte is great. I haven't had a straight espresso yet but I bought a bag of their "Half Light" espresso to try later. Bonus points for this customer with his kitten on a leash.

One of the best I have experienced in Chicago! AMAZING staff! They roast their own beans in Forest Park. Very high quality. My Latte (Hot + Oat milk + Vanilla) is one of my favorites in Chicago. Try it and don’t forget to grab a bag of beans! Say hello to the owner he served my drink! Let’s support locally owned + operated businesses! #please

I walked in not knowing what I wanted and I loved how patient and helpful the barista was. Usually people try to sell the most expensive drinks, but the barista at Ground Up tailored suggestions to my preferences! I got the chai latte which is my all time fav 😍 Also love the price point for the coffee/bites. The vibes are nice! It’s close to the blue line! Outlets are also available 🙌

I had a bit of a coffee emergency this morning on my way to Aurora to go dj, and thankfully Ground Up was there to help me. I ordered the Greektown Frappe, a classic Greek iced coffee. All the employees were super nice, especially one of the baristas who helped me put the lid on my frappe because, due to the lack of caffeine, I was having a very hard time putting it on. Their frappes are a little bigger in size than most places and are at the perfect price for what you get. And, the coffee tastes amazing. I didn’t get anything to eat this time but I’ll definitely be back.

Residents and business people are lucky to have a coffee shop like this in their neighborhood. It has good regular and seasonal drink menus, a good variety of pastries, as well as whole beans and other coffee bits and pieces. I had the seasonal iced peach cobbler and the only thing I would have changed was I should have gotten a 20oz instead of a 16oz. The place was quite busy at almost 5pm on a Friday so I had to take my drink to go. The vibe inside was otherwise real cool and outside was nice and quiet. A little yin and yang for however you want to enjoy your coffee.

This place is super cute! I randomly stopped in during a walk, and i am so glad that i did! the baristas were super nice. i also love how you can chose what size coffee beans you want! they have copious amounts of seating and coffee drinks to chose from! you can also buy Oatly milk from here as well. One little fun fact is that if you buy a bag of coffee beans, you can get a free drink with your purchaseb

Alex and the staff are always excellent. Great variety of drinks and bites and Ground Up is a very comfortable place to hang out or work. I am grateful for small businesses like this that really care.

COVID- no outdoor seating. Limited indoor seating. Place has super tall ceilings and is very airy inside, although it's small.

COFFEE- I got the Chicago smog. I can't really taste my shot of espresso and almost 4starred in it but I love the combination of lavender and earl grey.

OTHER- lots of baked goods and breakfast sandwich/ croissant egg sandwiches type things, sweets, protein bars, other protein shakes. They even sell the protein powder shaking bottles.

OVERALL- I really liked it! Super friendly staff, too!

A good coffee shop. A plentiful amount of bakery items to choose from and looked enticing. Espresso is flavorful and priced well at just over $3. Vibe is nice with plentiful space and music playing. Service is quick and the staff is delightful.

First thing to consider here are their handpies. They were so delicious that I actual went back for a second round. There were other food options as well but I couldn't tear myself away from the handpies. I settled on a lavender latte that was on their specialty menu and it did not disappoint. They had a very inviting space that had mostly family style seating. The staff was friendly and helpful in making my decisions. I look forward to returning and trying their other offerings.

Very good coffee and pastry in a cute space! I enjoyed my iced latte and loved the hand-pie - the spinach and feta was delicious. I will definitely be coming back!

Ground Up never fails! The place being near university grounds makes it easily accessible for a quick breakfast or as a study place. I've gone various times and have introduced others to this location. Their raspberry and banana muffins don't disappoint and the mocha latte is a favorite. The atmosphere is very calm and the staff is always friendly.

I come here every other day from my 9pm-5am shift into my 9am-11:30am class. My go-to order of iced 20oz mistachio latte with oat milk with a spinach feta pie NEVER disappoints. Also, the main guy William is always so positive and friendly--shoutout to the dude! Y'all better tip!!!!! Ground Up always makes my day :]

Frappe is very good and the spanakopita is always fresh. Atmosphere is very nice and there is a common area also where it isn’t too loud for work. It is open until 6 which is great. Too many coffee places close on the early side.

Nice place for work.
Lavender coffee is nice.

I love ground up! It’s down the street from my office and there’s many places to go, but I always go there and bring so many coworkers there! Great food, amazing drinks and fun employees.

A new favorite coffee shop of mine :) stopped in for a quick lunch and ended up buying a bag of beans as well. The employees are super knowledgeable and walked me through flavor notes & dial in tips. I will definitely be back for the Spinach Feta hand pie too!

Love Ground Up. Actually decent prices considering the state of coffee shops these days. Baked goods like croissants and such are good here, not just an afterthought to the coffee. Unexpected but welcome snack and drink assortment, like a mini whole foods. Sometimes music can be too loud, I recommend going to the side room to the right of cash register for a quieter area. I love the cafe au lait and chai latte. Specialty / seasonal drinks can be iffy but they are specialty for a reason. Never hurts to try and usually are pretty creative. Also boycott ****bucks!!! This is a much better use of your money.

Ground Up has a good selection of in-house coffees if you are looking for a local shop near downtown. I particularly like their dark roast, it has a bold taste without being very bitter. To try something different I recently had their mocha latte it had a nice balanced taste of the chocolate and coffee. With a wide variety of baked goods you can without a shadow of a doubt find something to complement your coffee. The raspberry cream cheese muffin is too tempting to pass up. Their staff is great as well!

My favorite place for coffee and a bite between classes. The staff are very friendly and the vibes are so welcoming. A great place to study or get work done while enjoying some good food, drinks and tunes. My favorite drink is the Masala Chai with oat milk, but you can’t go wrong with a cappuccino or a latte! I also get their stuff delivered regularly and I love seeing the little thank you notes and doodles that come with my order!