In just about any other city on the planet, Metropolis would be the #1 cafe in town by a wide margin. Unfortunately, Chicago is also home to Intelligentsia and their three retail locations. And while there's no argument about the quality of Metropolis' espresso and coffee offerings and skills, Intelly wins head-to-head because it's as good on those levels and has better service top to bottom, in my opinion. \r
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I'll qualify by noting I'm just an occasional visitor to town, and have only been here twice so maybe it's just my bad luck. It's not the easiest place to get to if you're in town for events at Navy Pier or McCormick... so by the time I actually get all the way up there, I'm anticipating something supremely awesome and just didn't feel I got a warm welcome on either trip.\r
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Because I'm usually downtown when visiting Chicago, I naturally spend more time at Intelly.
Pros: espresso drinks
Cons: way out of the way for downtown visitors
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