This is a cute little cafe just a block away from where I live. I have only been here for breakfast and ordered oatmeal and a chai tea latte. I really like the cute ambiance and service was good. Unfortunately, I have to say that I prefer Starbuck's chai tea lattes. I'll definitely give this place another chance for maybe lunch or dinner but not sure I'll be back here again for breakfast.
Review Source:The coffee could have been brewed more. Maybe it was because there was a crowd of customers attempting to find space in this tiny shop, meaning a single barista had to manage multiple orders, but my cup of coffee bordered along the lines of bitter coffee water. Â Maybe I'll try, again, in the fall.
Review Source:The Unicorn is not an overly special coffee shop. I had a panini that I didn't think was bad, but I did think it was a little expensive for not being overly special. The coffee was good. I saw an Al Terra sticker on the wall so I assumed that was where they get coffee from and that is one of my favorite Milwaukee hangs. I had an iced latte (because it was oh so hot outside) and after i finished that I hung around and did some work at one of their tables and had a sandwich. They didn't bother me and let me stay there for a few hours working on stuff. I ordered some regular drip coffee which was hot and I burned my hand because I can't walk and carry liquid in a cup.
The Baristas were nice. Not too much else to say. It was just fine. Not special, not bad. If you want coffee they have it.
My entire college career I heard people sing the praises of Unicorn. And then in my last months as a senior I finally went.
Um, why do people love it? The latte I had there was okay, not spectacular. There was nothing very special about the decor, and ambiance was ordinary. And seriously, it closes at 8?
I had some time to kill before an early morning meeting in Evanston. I used to work nearby so I knew the choices at this end of Evanston were Unicorn, Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. These three choices kind of segmented the local coffee drinking population. I kind of bounced between the three depending on my mood. Starbucks, well, is just Starbucks, a place to see and be seen. The Dunkin Donuts was a little sterile. Unicorn was down to earth and a pleasant place to spend some time. And it still is after all these years.
Review Source:It's my people's (NU graduate students) go-to café. Why? I don't know.
Unicorn is very ... meh. The coffee's below average. The food is mediocre and overpriced. There's never any vacant tables because of all the grad students studying here at ALL HOURS OF THE DAY.
...and it closes early.
I've been here a couple times--once on a whim for a quick coffee while getting some reading done, and second on an informal meeting with an acquaintance (her suggestion, not mine).
I don't think I'll ever come back on my own accord.
My transactions at Unicorn Cafe are always simple. They usually involve a 12-oz. latte to go (whole milk), with the occasional order of whole coffee beans. They serve and sell a wide variety of Alterra coffees (haven't seen Metropolis, as previous reviewers mentioned). I've only had a couple lattes here that haven't been outstanding. I've never had the food, but that's not usually what I go to a coffee shop for. The staff have always been pleasant and helpful. And I like that Unicorn recycles coffee cup sleeves. I usually save up 5 or 6 before I turn them in to the little basket.
I've hung out here a couple times, but I don't make a habit of it because it's always packed with college kids. I was one of those once, but it's not really my scene anymore.
Great for studying, meeting up, people watching, and drinking delicious coffee.
They also have loose leaf teas, tasty baked goods (including chocolate zucchini bread - NOM), soup, sandwiches, and yes, a hummus platter.
If you're in a big hurry, don't bother - this is not the place. Plan to stay a while and groove to one of their killer playlists.
Oh, and when the weather is nice you can sit out front at an outdoor table. Win.
If you're looking to complete extended reading and/or writing while enjoying a hipster ambience, then come here on a weekend morning during a non-midterm week to avoid NU student crowds, but if you're looking for varied tea and snack selections, then look elsewhere, like Brothers K Coffeehouse.
Review Source:Most of the people that frequent this place are students, they really are the 95% of the customers that go trough this place. Knowing that, its little puzzling why would whoever runs this place allow the most annoying photo shoot to go on in the for almost three hours with high speed flashing lights and everything while most of the regulars were trying to do what they always do in the place - study. And they couldn't. I almost got seizure from all the flashing that was going on and at some point someone was almost standing on my table holding a flash.
Why not have a little more respect for the segment of customers who actually spend their money here every day?
very crowded during northwestern's school season, be warned.
the unicorn is a wonderful local joint with good knowledge of and a good supply of coffee. my favorite thing about this place is that they play only classical music until 10am or so, assuring that you'll have a relaxing morning.
(disclaimer: my brother worked at the unicorn for a while)
My main problem: they don't take cards- that makes stopping in here kind of annoying if you don't tend to carry much cash.
The atmosphere is undoubtedly hipster. You can't avoid all the signs that say "organic" and "we recycle!" and so on. Going to get some tea is way more stressful if you're constantly hit over the head with different ways that you're ecologically a bad person. I'm all for recycling and reusing and organics, so if it's too much for me that's saying something.
The selection of tea is good, and they have a much wider variety than most shops. They have a nice descriptive list about each kind of tea and its ingredients that make it easy to pick what you'd like.
They have some snacks but it doesn't seem like the best selection, and by the afternoon they pretty much only have baked goods- no bananas or whatever like your typical Starbucks would.
All in all, if not for their attitude this would be fine. But no credit cards? Are you joking? You just lost my business because I don't want to constantly check to see if I have more than my emergency CTA fare in my wallet. Maybe that sounds overdramatic but it's still true! Haha.
I've lived in Evanston for years and had never stepped inside The Unicorn Cafe until this morning when I had a half hour to burn. I stepped in and was greeted by the sights, smells and vibe of your usual very chill "mom 'n' pop" coffeehouse. Assorted students and locals working on their laptops, reading, etc. An open, uncluttered and inviting space. I was thrilled to see that they are now serving Alterra coffee, a favorite local chain up in Milwaukee that can certainly hold its own alongside Chicago's Intelligentsia, Metropolis and the like. Cheery service, prices in line with other area shops, good recommendations and a very solid cuppa joe. I'll definitely return when I have an afternoon to while away.
Review Source:I've managed to live in Evanston for 9 years and not set foot inside Unicorn once... until today. Tomorrow, I will resume my days of not setting foot inside Unicorn.
Frankly, there are better coffee shops in the area. I was initially lured in by the Metropolis coffee that they brew (J has a Red Line espresso IV in his arm) and whenever I think of Metropolis, my heart flutters because I adore their coffee shop on Granville - the drinks, the latte art, the awesome baristas, everything.
This is what greeted me today at Unicorn:
- Very few things to snack on. A few cookies here or there, but most of their selection at sweet treats had been cleaned out. Granted, it was 4pm and hopefully they would have a better stock earlier in the day, but it makes me a little sad.
- A not-so-friendly barista who seemed like he was wilting away. Perk up dude! You work in a coffee shop. Drink something!
- A cash-only policy.
- Several empty tables (actually a good thing, considering they usually look to be very busy).
- A wrong order (no vanilla syrup for me today).
- A general lack of care put into making the drink. Iced dumped in, coffee slipping over the top - I spent most of my time at the milk station cleaning up the cup, so I could actually hold it and drink it and not have my hands covered in latte.
Very disappointing. With The Other Brother right down the street, that also brews Metropolis, I will not be heading back here. I've gotten used to the coffee shop experience of latte art tulips and housemade vanilla syrups (seriously, go to Metropolis on Granville NOW) that this Unicorn experience will not be accepted. I am so spoiled.
Ummm Employee Was Bad When Taking The Order Off The Phone, I mean Im Sure You Had A Long Day But Damn You Dont Have To Take Your Anger Off On Me. When I First Walked In No One Seemed Like They Wanted To Help, So I Waited And Others Budged Right Infront Of Me And YET The Employees Helpped Them Out With No Problem And Said "The Usual?" Reallyyyy Come On!!!! Everything Was Just Half A$$ There Sorry To Say, I Just Tell It How It Is... Not A Place To Go Too!!!
Review Source:I just have to rate this 5, because after moving to D.C. I've been longing to find a cafe just like Unicorn! It makes me nostalgic for my college days.
I absolutely LOVED studying and working at Unicorn when I was a student at NU. I loved the vibe of it - lots of people studying/working on their laptops, coffee and food served in *real* plates and with *real* silverware - and a chill ambiance with lots of academics, grad students, etc. It also always seemed to have a bit "indie" and artsy vibe which I just adore.
Free wifi and it is a great place to study and get work done. I usually didn't have too much difficulty finding a spot to study or to plug in my laptop. Just grab a coffee, sit down and chat with a friend or do work alone. I never felt like anyone made me leave even after a few hours, which was great.
Now, if only I can find a similarly awesome cafe in D.C., I'll be set!
I've been a couple times and received good service, which goes a long way.
As for food, both times I had the curry chicken salad sandwich and was QUITE pleased, to say the least. Â Otherwise, it's a nice, cozy place that's good for popping into for a bite to eat, a coffee, or to hit the books.
Check it out...
Five stars for this local coffee shop, because:
*Delicious (and HUGE) sandwiches that taste yummier and cost less than the Panera paninis
*Free wi-fi and outlets GALORE - you will never have to worry about running out of battery or doing the uncomfortable "switch-off" thing with a stranger.
*Great drink & dessert selection (all of the lemonades are delicious; so are the chocolate chip cookies and brownies)
*Fantastically awkward music playing all the time
*Huge floor-length windows on Sherman Ave. make it a great spot for people watching and suggestive eye contact with strangers.
I've studied here countless times, and it's only been "too crowded" ONCE - on a very rainy Saturday afternoon. So if you can avoid Unicorn on rainy Saturday afternoons, you should be fine.
OH, and it's cash only.
Huge soft fresh brownies that melt in your mouth! An excellent place to get coffee or a sandwich. They were playing Guided by Voices the other day which should equal an automatic four star review. Friendly service and there is also outdoor seating.
The only thing I don't like is that this place is cash only.
I really wanted to like this place. It's hard to find the really good coffee shop in Evanston. This place has also practically become one of the only 2 independent establishments that are still open in downtown Evanston. I've been here a couple times and every single time I keep telling myself that it'll be great. It's really not though.
Tables are very scarce and even when you can snag one, it's so small that you can barely even fit your laptop on it.
I don't drink coffee, but I've had their chai and loose leaf tea. The tea was just all right. The chai was not that good and expensive to boot. $4.24 for a small soy chai? I can get it cheaper at other places and it usually tastes a lot better to boot. My friend got a soy latte and the soy milk was clumping all over her drink...
They also only accept cash which is a huge minus in a society where many people don't carry cash anymore.
I enjoyed the laid-back vibe of this smaller coffee shop. Always love a good local business.
The staff members are super friendly and kind but not overly annoyingly nice and chipper. They're down to earth and I definitely appreciate that!
I was here to meet someone to discuss some upcoming projects and was glad he chose this establishment. I'm from the SW burbs so this isn't a place I'll frequent but I'm glad I had the opportunity to stop in and spend about an hour and a half.
As someone else mentioned, seating is a bit uncomfortable or a bit awkward. Using a laptop on one of their smaller tables was tough when we both had coffee.
Overall, a nice cafe with a relaxed vibe. Choose this place to avoid the Starbucks crowd.
For the record, I actually quite loathe Evanston...I truly do not get the appeal. I will however venture there from time to time either for the farmers market in the summer or to meet a VERY GOOD friend (if you are merely an acquaintance you are out of luck :-).
Yesterday I happen to be meeting a friend for some catch up & girl chat time and since I have read some good reviews of this place (plus we both live on the far north side of the city), we choose to plant our behinds at the Unicorn Cafe. I love supporting local independent places--no Starbucks for this lady.
It seems how packed this place gets comes & goes in waves. I got there around 4pm & there were plenty of tables available, but at 5pm there were none. Luckily my friend had the foresight to get there early & she had already got us primo seats--she had to wait though when she got there (guess you have to time it properly). They have free wifi, which makes people stay there forever; seriously some people plant themselves there all day. This place gets packed with students from Northwestern and also your ordinary working class stiffs.
This place definitely has an eclectic vibe--does not seem like the sort of place you find in the burbs, seems more city like which is why I kind of dug it (sort of reminds me of Dollop or Noble Tree). You can go to study, work, chill, read a book, do some teaching English as a 2nd language, or simply to chat with folks. No one seems to mind whatever it is that you are doing, as long as you do not bother them.
The brew is Metropolis so bonus points for that; although they could use some bigger mugs to put it in (they are tiny!). The baked goods decent although the brownie I had was a bit dry. They have a variety of sandwiches, soups, and pastries for sale at very decent prices, so I will definitely be hitting them up again if I am in the area. One downside...CASH ONLY which can be a pain for this non cash carrying person.
The staff is super!! They are very friendly, attentive, and all around cool people. If you are in the hood, give Unicorn Cafe a try--remember though seating is not a guarantee.
My biggest complaint is that this place is always packed. A ton of NU students come here for the free Wi-Fi, and so you're not going to be able to find a place to sit and talk with someone without feeling like you're bothering everyone studying.
Half the time I've been there the staff has been really friendly, the other half they've been a little chilly.
The coffee is fine, but the baked goods have been a bit lackluster.
Chill place, great vibe, and they brew Metropolis. Â The people who work here are always super nice and apparently if you come near closing time, there's a chance they'll give you your coffee for free since it's just going to be thrown out anyway. Â WiFi is free, of course. Â The place is always filled with people (college kids as well as the older crowd) so seating is hard, but that only makes the victory of finding a table that much sweeter. Â
The one thing that keeps me from coming here more frequently is that the seating is so. horribly. uncomfortable. Â If I come here to do work I generally leave with a headache from the weird spinal position I'm in due to the tiny tabletop, my resulting laptop screen tilt, and the wooden benches. Â
Their vanilla steamed milk is delightful on cruel days.  Also, they have a blog: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Funicorncafe.wordpress.com%2F&s=7ffe3e1e3af668baed41efc260cc594bfadc6003ad6a45501fc2983b96b3af0a" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://unicorncafe.wordp…</a>
One question: there is often a guy sitting at one of the tables outside, doing extremely intricate engraving work on a wooden panel. Â Who is this mystery man??
Loveliest coffee shop in Evanston. Always filled with Northwestern students/faculty. Owner and staff soooo nice. Free Wi-Fi.
I try to give my hard earned monies to local businesses whenever possible & the only reason for 4 stars & not 5 is they only accept cash. Which can be slightly annoying.
Especially at 7:49am and you REALLY need a latte.
They also have lite lunch items. The lentil soup is delicious.
you have got to love free Wifi. Â The crowd here obviously does too because most everyone has a laptop with them. Â Plugged into a power strip from all directions are folks surfing the net and typing instead of interacting with each other. Â
Seriously, this world is odd.
I ordered the Moroccan sandwich and an Americano. Â For some reason when I saw Basil in the sandwich description I thought it would be fresh not dried flakes. Â yuck
The Americano, however was amazing.
Nice airy space and a few tables outside to sit at.
I guess people come here for the wifi, the chill coffee shop setting, or the baked goods they can munch on, but surely they don't come for the service.
The girl who was on shift today was chatting with one of her friends off to the side of the counter. Â It was only after seeing me waiting at the register, continuing to chat with her friend, and walking around the counter to finish her conversation with said friend that she then acknowledged me and offered customer service. Â What. the. hell.
The only reason I come here is to get Hoosier Mama pie by the slice. Â And even then, last time, the lady working used her hands to transfer my pie into the to-go container. Â CRINGE.
EMPLOYEE TRAINING NEEDED!
Either you're a unicorn or you're not. Â The soup is yummy. Â The staff is nice (or at least in the morning they are). Â They have good tea. Â The blueberry scones should be in a breakfast food group of their own. Â
Price for coffee quality/quantity, carry-out is definitely not the best deal in the area and the place has a really strong coffee waste smell sometimes, but you go for the smiles. Â
Also as many have figured out, they will let you sit for a ridiculously long time and read/write without being bothered. Â
Back in the day, the unicorn used to have live music and poetry readings sometimes. Â Tell me that's still true!
Just got back from The Unicorn, and I am happy to have followed the advice of the majority of these reviews. Â Can't fully understand the problems with *cash only* policy since there is a big sign that says NO CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS directly on the cash register in big bold letters. Â Maybe the sign was down that day?
That aside, I am a vibe guy. Â I enjoy places which have a cool vibe which is a function, more than anything else, of the other patrons. Â This place had a cool vibe. Â Free Wi-Fi, Northwestern students everywhere studying or flirting or just talking. Â I kept thinking, "are they all Yelping? Is anyone or everyone here writing reviews?" So the aroma of coffee is wafting through the air and everyone enjoying a beverage of their choice. Â It felt like the bohemian coffee bar at the student union at my college. Â If YOU like that vibe, this is the place for you. Â If NOT, best find somewhere else.....that's the Unicorn.
PS: I give it a 4 instead of a 5 only because I don't like giving easy 5s. Â And, Deanna, there was no hot Ukrainian woman behind the counter. Â :(
I let my co-worker convince me to try this place out because she claims that they have the best homemade soup in Evanston, and she may be close to right.
I had their vegetarian soup and it was so filling and fresh. Â I felt like I just had hot salad.
Overall, the staff is friendly and they serve some great tea options. Â And lastly, they take cash only so make sure that you stop by an ATM before you go inside.
Fantastic coffee, great location, good soup.
Every once in a while my decaf espresso tastes awfully bitter (burnt roast?), but usually it's just about the most flavorful decafs in town.
Also, students with laptops, just FYI: I like it too, but if you spend all day here writing papers and occupying ALL the tables, the people who come here to actually eat or drink don't have anywhere to sit down!
There is, however, a fully functional library just down the road. You should try it (although admittedly the coffee is beyond awful..but they have books to make up for it).
I have a feeling that if I would have grabbed some coffee and stayed in the cafe, my opinion would have been different. Â However, I was on the run and needed something to eat, so I thought I'd give them a try. Â
The guy behind the counter was friendly, and even kind of apologetic that I had to wait two minutes while he made my sandwich. Â No big deal at all, really.
The sandwich itself though was disappointing. Â 4" of french bread smeared with hummus and layered with a piece of tomato, a sliver of red onion, and a slice of cucumber that had been in the fridge too long? Â Yuck. Â And for $6 and some change? Â No thanks. Â I could have had better food, for less money down the street. Â
Needless to say, I will not be here again for food. Â Coffee, maybe.
Great little cafe near campus. Â I've been here several times to meet up and chat with my friend who still lives in Evanston.
Coffee drinks are decent and the baked goods rock. Â If you're looking just for a good, strong cup, I'd go to Peet's down the street. Â If you want more of a place to hang out with friends or do work, this is definitely the place to be.
When I last visited Evanston earlier this year, I was thrilled silly that this independent coffee shop was still in business. When I was an NU student in the early '90s, they faced then-new competition from Kafein, and now, there's a Starbucks across the street!
Still, the place remains the same -- and seems to have held its own. The coffee is still excellent. The baked goods of high quality. The cream cheese still served in little Kraft packets. The soundtrack interesting. The staff excellent. The papers -- daily and weekly -- still free to read. And the atmosphere more conducive to conversation, meetings, or study than anything else going downtown.
If I still lived in Evanston, the Unicorn would be a regular haunt. I would probably, like my anarchist philosophy grad student TA before, hold "office hours" there to meet friends and comrades in arms.
If you're in Evanston, spend an hour or two here. You'll be the better for it.
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