Small Coffee from Janik’s Cafe
Item Purchased: Small Coffee
Location Purchased: Janik’s Cafe / 2011 W. Division / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.25 + tax
Purchased on: 05/04/08
Review: In every neighborhood pocket in Chicago, there seems to be that one go-to breakfast spot. It’s the place where families and recovering alcoholic hipsters alike migrate to for coffee, eggs and carbs. It’s the place that everyone talks about having the best breakfast in the area… because they do.
Unfortunately, it’s also the place that has a line of people out the door on Saturday mornings that operate as a severe hinderance to the mild mannered blogger who just wants a DAMN CUP OF COFFEE!!!
So, that is why I bypassed the go-to breakfast place that sits in the vicinity of Division & Damen and went in search of a lesser known drip pot.
What I found was a promising and unassuming cafe sitting near a sushi restaurant and an overpriced Rick Bayless designer Mexican restaurant. Janik’s Cafe would probably fit in better in a small vacation town or suburb, but instead, it exists in the city of Chicago with only a few people quietly eating breakfast inside and a fresh pot of coffee waiting for me.
Things move slower at Janik’s, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing in the short term. Prices are more affordable than any others in the area and the smiles are plentiful. Best of all, no long line of dual phase gentrification to wait through just for a cup of coffee. I’m just not so sure how these positives will translate to the long term in this neighborhood.
The coffee, by the way, was a bit acidic and not at all strong.
Sometimes I hate it when the law of supply and demand forms a line and proves to be right.
Rating: 2 / 5
Leave a Comment