Coffee Lab & Roasters

Espresso on Genesis Blend, cold brew on tap

The espresso here is pulled on BCBC Coffee Roasters’ Genesis Blend, and the brewing runs three ways: espresso, batch brew and pour over. Cold brew is the other constant, poured from tap with more than one option running at a time, which makes it a lane of its own rather than an afterthought. Around that core sits a rotating specialty list. Seasonal work has included a peach co-ferment and an iced honey mango latte, which gives the fruit-forward side of the menu somewhere to go without disturbing the classic milk drinks, from latte to cappuccino.

Matcha gets equal billing

Matcha is not a concession at Coffee Lab & Roasters, it is a second programme. The list has run to matcha lattes, a honeydew matcha and a Vanilla Pistachio Matcha through the summer lineup, more variation than most Chicago coffee bars give the ingredient. Pastries come in from local bakery partners rather than an in-house kitchen, and the lemon loaf is the item most often singled out alongside a cold brew or a latte. The shop was also included in the Infatuation Coffee Guide for 2026.

The shop is independently owned and works as a roastery-café rather than a chain outlet, which shows in how the menu moves. Single-origin coffee, batch brew and pour over sit alongside the espresso, and seasonal drinks rotate often enough that two visits a month apart rarely look the same. Pastries change with the local bakeries supplying them, so the case is worth a look even when the drink order is settled. Cold drinks carry a disproportionate share of the menu, which suits a room that fills up in summer.

A Lakeview room built for sitting

The room reads as a neighbourhood café rather than a formal one: indoor tables, a bar along the front window and a small patio with a few more seats. That mix supports a solo laptop session, a fast espresso on the way past, or a small group settling in for an hour. For a first order, take coffee for the clearest read on the bar, an espresso drink on the Genesis Blend or a pour over if a single origin is on. Then come back for the matcha, which is where the menu is most inventive.