Julius Meinl Coffee Bar & Patisserie

Reviews & Tips

• 0

  Thanks to my mom becoming my official krapfen mule, I have tried nearly every variety that Julius Meinl offers (other than the lemon curd one which keeps eluding me) and they're all stellar. My current favorite is the apricot, followed closely by the strawberry. But ask me on another day and you just may get a different answer.
  
  I don't even know that I can fully express my deep devotion to the krapfen. They delight and intoxicate me; they satisfy me in ways that mere words cannot do justice. Even as I eat one, I'm already missing it and wondering when I can score another one.
  
  This is what addiction looks like. It ain't pretty.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 02.25.13 Melanie S.

  • Report
• 0

  Great place to buy a coffee to go or a morning pastry, croissant, muffin, or scone. It has stools and a bar, but not designed to be a sit down coffee shop the way the Southport location is sized and built. Best just for a coffee or morning treat. However, in my opinion the ham and cheese croissant is overpriced. The actual croissant itself crumbles a lot, so be prepared for a mess of crumbs. Otherwise, great monkey bread, fabulous coffee, and wonderful Austrian charm!

  Review Source:

  Posted on 01.23.13 Matt D.

  • Report
• 0

  Great coffee, and great environment, good treat every once in a while. Prices are a bit high, but I gotta say that this coffee is a lot better than Starbucks and DD.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 01.06.13 Steffi R.

  • Report
• 0

  I am a long-time fan of Julius Meinl and was happy to see this unassuming storefront open.  It's about equidistant from me as the Montrose location, so I go there when I want the full experience and here when I just want a few to-gos.
  
  They feature a selection of the usual Meinl wonders, most notably the tortes but also a gingersnap cookie sandwich, a blondie, and many others.  Check out the cinnamon roll, which is very, very, very, very, very good, but comes in a frustrating paper wrapper that tears away half of the delicious caramelized sugary goo on the bottom.  They make a decent monkey bread, though not as nice as my mother-in-law's.  J.M. bakes theirs in little muffin papers, so there is a lot of crust and no moist, gooey center--the best part of any monkey bread.  They should bake one big pan and sell chunks of it.  And of course there is the high-quality Meinl coffee and tea.
  
  Back in December I found their krapfen--basically an upsized doughnut hole--on the TimeOut list of "100 Best Things We Ate" from 2012.  Intriguingly, I read that they sometimes fill them with apple butter, of which I am also a major fan.  Unfortunately, my quest for krapfen has been highly frustrating.  First I came on a Saturday to find no apple butter that day.  Then I came at 7:30am on New Year's Eve (Monday) to find them closed.  New Year's Eve is not a holiday, folks!  Then I came the same Thursday and discovered that krapfen are made only on Fridays and Saturdays.  The kicker was when I came the next day (Friday) at 7:20 to find that they had NO pastries of any kind and that it would be "about an hour."  No pastries for over an hour after opening?!  Inexcusable.
  
  So I gave them one last chance today (Saturday) and found both krapfen and a friendly guy who answered my queries about apple butter.  He went back in the kitchen and found out that they don't have any plans to make that variety in the near future, but that they had some apple butter in the freezer, so that I was welcome to place a special order anytime.  I really only wanted one to try it first, so I probably won't do that...but it's in the back of my mind.  I appreciated his follow-up and the offer.
  
  The lemon curd, the chocolate, and today's offering, red wine/honey/blueberry, are all pretty good; but the plain cinnamon/sugar type, which are superb and only 95 cents apiece, are the tops.  Besides, I can take them home and embellish them with my grandmother's homemade apple butter.  Best of both worlds.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 01.05.13 David R.

  • Report
• 0

  This is not at all a location you'd expect to find a coffee shop/bakery.  I like jogging along this stretch of Ravenswood because there is relatively little foot traffic, and the old industrial buildings are very nice looking.  
  
  I asked the barista how long they'd been open.  March was the answer.  I was surprised, because I'd never noticed the place in many jogs by it.  Business had been good enough, he said, but this location's primary purpose is to serve as the nerve center for Julius Meinl's bakery operations.  Here they make pastries for all of their other locations.  The other three of them, that is, all located a mile or less from here.  So while your pastries at any other Meinl location in Chicago may taste fresh, and rightly so, they won't get any fresher--or warmer out of the oven--than right here.  
  
  I opted for the coffee of the day, and a banana chocolate chip scone.  With your coffee, you get a little tray with fresh cream, sugar, honey, a small glass of water, and a little caramel flavored biscuit.  The scone was fantastic, not at all the dry, perpetually overbaked item I've come to expect from pastries of that name.  Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, with little bits of banana and no shortage of chocolate chips.  
  
  I could have eaten six or seven more of those scones, but I had some irregular sense of modesty that day, and it didn't happen.  I did get a small raspberry pastry with topfen cheese.  Not quite as good as the scone, but nothing was going to match that.  
  
  There's very limited seating in here, which makes it a coffee shop that I could really enjoy.  You get your coffee, and you hang around for a few minutes if you like, but you don't spend the next six hours here, diddling around on your laptop and trying to look like not a waste of public space.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 10.21.12 John H.

  • Report
• 0

  It's nice that they opened up this location as it is right next door to where I work. I typically come in for a cup of coffee.
  
  However, if you're driving in, be sure to observe the 8am-10am parking restriction on Ravenswood Ave.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 05.31.12 Ron S.

  • Report
• 0

  This place is nice and out of the way.  It won't ever be too busy and a perfect place to eat pastries and read.  You won't want to stay a long time, but does offer a nice respite.
  
  Just went here Saturday, after a long bike ride in the brutal sun.  I needed some refreshment and the girl behind the counter said she could make a Italian Soda (and you can combine many flavors together... i was partial to lemon and watermelon).  It was perfect for my parched lips.
  
  I also got a great raspberry filled "doughnut/munchkin" to go.  It was delicious when I got home.

  Review Source:

  Posted on 05.22.12 Dhruv P.

  • Report
• 0

  Love the new location it's just off the beaten path and great as always. Love the macaroons and coffee black. :o)

  Review Source:

  Posted on 04.26.12 Angela H.

  • Report
• 0

  I absolutely love Julius Meinl!  Must be the European in me!  They have had their Montrose/Lincoln cafe, Addison/Southport cafe and Irving Park Patisserie for some time, but now they have their new Ravenswood location!  I am thankful that it is off the beaten path because all of the other cafes in the area are usually swamped with people.  With that said, one downfall at other Julius Meinl locations is that they never offers Wi-Fi, perhaps to have the tables turn over faster...  Here, however, they have only 10 seats but DO have wi-fi for use.  Oh and parking!  I love Meinl for their delicious fresh eats (salads, sandwiches and soups), desserts/pastries and coffees/tea (of course served with a gingerbread cookie!).  The look is always cute and quaint with adorable cups and teaspoons, plus our little friend Julius watching over everyone like Big Brother.  I can't help myself from getting a chocolate croissant because it's one of the few places where they are fresh and have real melted chocolate within.  Or any of their fresh fruit tarts which melt in your mouth so perfectly.  During this visit, however, I splurged and went with the Black Forest Mousse cake that I have been eyeing all these years.  WHY WHY WHY did I wait this long?!  Please don't make the same mistake I have!  The pastry chef, Rochelle DuBridge from Chicago's own Hot Chocolate and Vie knows what she's doing.  Glad you're spreading your love throughout the Ravenswood neighborhood, Meinl!
  
  Soon to be patrons, keep in mind that this location is only open every day of the week from 7 am until 2 pm.  As I call it, they have "Cafe hours."

  Review Source:

  Posted on 04.01.12 Richie D.

  • Report