Ennui Cafe

04/12/08

Great neighborhood cafe with cranky baristas

by djscootch at Citysearch

For the most part, I can't say enough good things about this place. They have great coffee drinks, their sandwiches rock, the music they play over their sound system is eclectic and interesting, and it's a great place to just chat over a cup o' java with a friend, read a book or play a game with your mocha or latte.

However, be prepared to deal with 1 or 2 moody baristas, especially a particular female with dark curly hair and glasses. We have never seen her smile, she will not speak unless spoken to (and her responses are terse, to put it as nicely as I can), and forget asking her to replace something you don't like (which we have rarely done over the course of 2 years coming here) - she'll do it, but she'll make sure you see her rolling her eyes in disgust first. She doesn't want to help you, but if you're in the mood to argue about something...go see her. She puts a "bad karma" smudge on an otherwise awesome venue.

Anyway, don't let that stop you from frequenting this great cafe - just try to get one of the much friendlier guys to help you, or if you have to deal with her, just ignore the attitude and enjoy the place despite her.

• Pros: Ambience, great coffees, diamond in the rough neighborhood-wise
• Cons: Watch out for cranky baristas, especially one in particular

04/09/07

Very cool neighborhood joint

by freqdiner22 at Citysearch

Aside from the great coffee and great service I was very pleasingly surprised last nite when I stopped in for a decaf. On its' mini stage was a jazz trio named Jimmy Bennington's colour & sound. This trio consisting of guitar,string bass and drums. They are very fine musicians who play well with taste. Their rendition of Caravan

knocked my socks off. A Very tasteful mixture of ensemble and solo flights. I believe they will appear there every Sunday night. Don't miss them. They are great.

Editorial Review

by Contributor at Citysearch

Loyola University students and Rogers Park residents congregate here for coffee, poetry slams and live music.