Yefseis Cafe

Five stars because the proprietor makes the spanakopita and tiropita himself, and they’re wonderful! The coffee is also very good. So happy we stumbled upon this little gem.

Definitely one of the best coffeeshops I’ve been to in Chicago! I’m a huge fan of the local, small coffeeshops and this one caught my eye on Unilocal last year when I was staying in Boystown. The very friendly staff (there is one man in particular, general manager??) always makes me feel happy, even during the first snowstorm of the year! Highly recommend the Greek Nes, and their coffee is really good too!

If you are looking for a warm place with good service and friendly vibes, this place is for you! The coffee is great and the food is tasty and Unique. I recommend ordering their spanakopita which is great. I was looking for a long time for a nice quiet café that I can study in. This place is my current favorite.

This is one of those independent shops that are supposed to give the neighborhood ‘character’. In principle I think that’s good. In this case, however, I think you’re getting fake character paired with mediocre coffee and pastries.
Yefseis is a Greek café. Coming in, you’ll first notice the needlessly loud classical music. I noticed the music mentioned in some of the other reviews so I think that’s a thing they’re doing on purpose. I have nothing against classical music per se, but it seems contrived.
The furniture is all low end crap from an antique store. Having visited many antique stores recently, I often wondered who would buy mediocre furniture (when it was new) and is now kind of beat up. A greek coffee shop, apparently.
I ordered my standard americano ($ 3.20) and a greek pastry ($ 5.20). The dude behind the counter said the pastry is ‘the best breakfast in the world”. I kind of questioned him on that but gave up. It’s filo bread filled with cheese and spinach. Which is very common is the Middle East, I happen to know. This particular one left the taste of butter in my mouth for about 4 hrs after.
I topped off my wonderful visit by pouring out the coffee in a drain on Halstead (weak americano, too much water) and going to Peets instead. They don’t have ‘character’ but the coffee is good and they don’t pretend to be Artisans or whatever the f.

Cozy atmosphere, great seats and the best tea in the city. Being a tea drinker in Chicago is hard. Most places focus all their attention on coffee making and don’t know how to serve good tea. Never been disappointed with the tea from here.

I walked in here on a Saturday morning and immediately felt happy. Friendly staff, good service, and a pleasant atmosphere to sit down and have an americano.
Esspresso was quickly and we’ll prepared, I’ll enjoy supporting this place tomorrow.

Great alternative to the chain coffee shops in the area. Food, coffee, service was terrific and many of the items have a greek twist.
Spanakotopia — great serving size and they cut it up in a way that makes it more delightful.
The Cocoa — was phenomenal and rich.
Saugatuk coffee is some of the best.
Furniture is antique and eclectic. Nice place to catch-​up with friends or hammer out a few emails.

An amazing place to sit down drink a cup of coffee and enjoy a pastry. If you’re tired of having the same over sugared crap from a main chain step in. You won’t find a kinder venue to enjoy a lazy morning with a perfectly hand crafted cup of coffee. No attitude, just plain and simple goodness. The music is great and what’s more it’s located right in the heart of Boystown. I happened to have some time to kill and need my first cup of caffeine. Boy am I glad I found this place. The price I paid for my very generous white mocha was fitting and what’s more it tasted wonderful. Give this place a try you won’t regret coming in. Oh and the pastry a sweet cream pie was to die for.

Love this place. The coffee is excellent, the food tasty, and the owner is warm and friendly. Music varies from day to day-​to-​day, which is nice; today, for example, is comprised of fine arts music from the baroque to the Romantic eras. The atmosphere is quiet, and the perfect place to be on a rainy day – or any day, for that matter. Try the bougatsa! It’s delicious.

This is a wonderful place for breakfast. Nice décor and wonderful pitas. We loved the tea as well. Not much variety in the menu, but this is the best place around for a quick breakfast or snack.

A good café to get lots of work done– plenty of seating, tables, and outlets. The food is slightly overpriced for what you get, I tried the oatmeal for breakfast and spanakopita for lunch and they were just okay. Still, an interesting offering of greek items. The owner is a really kind guy and I am happy to support this local coffee shop.

Just a terrific place to get good coffee, interesting Greek food, and super fast wifi. The owner is just about the nicest kindest guy you could ever hope to encounter. Please support him and his business. Your dollars get far more at Yefseis than at the corporate greed monsters coffee shops. One thing, some may find the background music here a tad on the loud side. Sometimes even with earbuds in, the volume of the store music overpowers. And then people who are there to chat (which I could do without) begin to use their outside voices inside in order to hear each other. On the other hand, the music is quite eclectic encompassing all styles and genres. Mozart, jazz, Latin, Greek … I’ve heard it all and I generally enjoy it, but turn it down a notch, please. Do try some of the original Greek dishes. Also the pastries and baked products are excellent, always a variety of choices.

Really good coffee. The tables don’t match each other but neither do my outfits so I can’t complain. There are a lot of outlets. Maybe too many outlets…

Delicious pastries, coffee and free Wi-​Fi in a cozy hole-​in-​the-​wall café in the heart of Boystown. The owner is incredibly warm and hospitable, as well. You would do well to forego the mediocre madhouse that is Starbucks and walk down the street to support this small business.

My first Unilocal review ever and I am sad to say it’s not a good one. The previous owner of Saugatuck, Kim, was fabulous. I used to visit Saugatuck frequently because of her great service, great scones, great coffee, the fact that it was not a Starbucks (love to support local), you get the idea.
However, ownership has recently changed and as a result, I will no longer frequent Saugatuck. My mother purchased a gift card for me for Saugatuck ($ 50) and when attempting to use it last week, the cashier stated, «we do not honor gift cards from the previous owner.»
So while I wish I could give this previously reliable Lakeview neighborhood staple a good rating, it’s impossible when the new owner engages in poor business best practices. Dollop is a couple blocks over on Clark and Belmont, I would recommend them instead.

Very nice chill spot to post up and get some work done. Light, hip, pop/​electronic mood music adds to the atmosphere. And the clientele seem to be friendly but productive — everyone is on their computers handling business of sorts.
Worth a stop in for some coffee and a nice break.

I sat down and before I did even get situated, whoever was working asked if I was going to order anything and told me Wi-​Fi was for customers… well, that answers my question as to whether I needed anything!

Nice coffeeshop that I have been to a few times before with a decent selection of drinks and things. Had the oatmeal and an iced coffee, both very good but the barrista was clearly over whelmed at 1030 in the am which is prime coffee time in this hood. The closure of caribou has an impact for sure.

Fab little coffee shop in the heart of Boystown — perfect for soaking up some warmth (and free wi-​fi!) while trying to escape from Chicago’s miserable weather.
I popped in here for tea during a nasty storm. I didn’t expect to be there long, but there was plenty of seating available, so I took the opportunity to catch up on emails (and possibly a Unilocal review or two).
All of a sudden, 10 minutes turned into two relaxing hours… and if that’s not the sign of a winning coffee shop, I don’t know what is.

This place is alright. A nice relaxing atmosphere inside. A good place to read a book or study for a couple hours.
I got a scone and asked to have it heated up and she ended up nuking it in the microwave which made it soggy. Not good texture for a scone.
The latte was good, very smooth, but no latte art. They serve «uncommon grounds» coffee.
Overall solid coffee shop but nothing special.

Pros
Coffee is smooth without acidic after taste
Has interesting entrepreneurial backstory
Provides extension cords and chargers for most devices
Quinoa porridge with steamed milk
Pastries moist and home made
Surprises coming up to entire coffee house soon
Others
Could use more tables or space as it can get popular
On quieter end — not for gossiping
Time limit — Surprise change coming soon so experience this place while it’s this way before they add or take away from it