Getting There: the cafe is conveniently located within a 5 minute walk from the Kimball Station, which is the terminus of the Brown Line. You can also access it via the 82 (Kimball) or 81 (Lawrence) bus. There are decent bike routes running along Wilson and Kedzie nearby.
Neighborhood Overview: this cafe is on Lawrence Avenue in the heart of Albany Park. This stretch of Lawrence features an extensive selection of Latin American food. You can find regional Mexican fare from Oaxaca or perhaps a place serving up Pambazos from Mexico City all within a few blocks.
Cafe Overview: the café was completely full when I arrived. One of the standouts on this menu is the Torta Ahogada. This salsa soaked sandwich is a Guadalajara favorite, which I don’t see on menus everywhere in the city. They also have an extensive list of savory crepes and other breakfast favorites.
What I ordered: I tried out their cold brew and the chilaquiles with chorizo. The chilaquiles featured a side of black beans and over easy eggs. They were also topped with radishes, cilantro, sour cream, salsa verde and cotija cheese. The ingredients were unbelievably fresh, the chips were perfectly crunchy yet moist, and the flavor was on point.
Overall takeaways: this cafe is not a place for laptop lingering, but it is a location for community building. The food and coffee here is what brings people together. The unbelievable flavor and overall energy of the space got me wanting to cook this cuisine at home again. It especially inspired me to make chilaquiles at home, which is one of my favorite meals to cook for breakfast.
