Metropolis Coffee: I’m a fan

August 5, 11:52 AMChicago Food ExaminerRebecca Wheeler

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This morning's latte: Isn't she beautiful?/Photo by Rebecca W.

I’m blessed to live in a diverse neighborhood with a seemingly endless array of ethnic restaurants, bakeries and markets. One of the crown jewels of Edgewater is Metropolis Coffee. If you don’t live near Edgewater, I suggest you move. Short of that you are in luck since Metropolis Coffee is available by the pound at many Whole Foods, and is also the coffee of choice at some great restaurants and cafes including Uncommon Ground, Buzz Café in Oak Park, Atwood Café, and Flourish bakery.

Metropolis is the real deal. They source and roast their own beans and their passion comes through in every cup. They’ve won numerous awards, including Roast magazine’s “Roaster of the Year” and Chicago magazine's “Best Latte”. Great coffee is elusive, mediocre coffee is readily available. One of my favorite food writers, the hilarious Jeffrey Steingarten, once wrote that we obsess over coffee because we are chasing in taste what makes us swoon in smell “we never stop searching for the impossible, for a way to drink the heady, complex, incomparable aroma of coffee.” When I read this five years ago I had an epiphany as to why I love coffee but am also mildly disappointed by it so much of the time. Until Metropolis. Their lattes capture the headiness of the aroma, especially those first few satisfying sips.

There’s something special about drinking a cappuccino or latte at Metropolis, in a real ceramic cup (save the to -go cup to, well, go… it’s not quite the same), something that can’t be replicated at home. I think it has to do with the ultra sleek espresso  machine (lots of pressure, lots of steam) plus barista love. They do not rush here; there are no easy push buttons and 15 second drink orders. Each coffee is ground, tamped, pulled, milk steamed to order, and the end result is magic in a cup. Go experience it for yourself, you wont be disappointed.