star lounge
2521 w chicago avenue chicago IL 60622
In the words of David Byrne, “Home is where I want to be, but I guess I’m already there”. (“This Must Be the Place”) Star Lounge (part of the Dark Matter Coffee Enterprise) is Matt’s “home base” of coffee and a constant reminder of what is great about the coffee house experience. It’s coffee is unparalleled and the connection to a sense of place reinforced by the corporate ethos of welcoming its patrons makes it THE coffee house in Chicago. It is my personal exemplar when sampling other coffee houses and roasteries.
Coffee:
Never a disappointment here. Dark Matter consistently hits it out of the park with the red eye. Their coffees have distinctive yet largely smooth taste with incredible hints that shine through. Equally impressive are the espresso roasts utilized to pair with their coffees. I must admit that my favorites are their Love Supreme (nice homage to John Coltrane) coffee blend paired with the Unicorn Blood espresso (Harry Potter fans delight). This construction blending the toffee flavor of Love Supreme coffee with the cherry, chocolate of Unicorn Blood espresso. Now that’s a “Hello Sun in My Face” type morning. “Get freshly roasted” is a theme and that shines through.
Barista:
The baristas and people serving at Star Lounge are not only friendly, they are super informative about the craft. Dark Matter has a really dogmatic hiring and training process for their servers and it shows in the care of the drinks as well as their helpful knowledge on beans, roasting and preparation. They truly want to accompany people on the coffee journey and make the arc of the day just a little bit better for the customer. The food choices at Star Lounge are also great with bakery items from West Town Bakery (amongst others) to accomplish the sweet coupled with breakfast tacos from Café Tola to meet the savory.
Vibe:
In a word, friendly. Upon entering the store one is greeted with a heartfelt and welcoming hello. The clientele also embodies this community feel and there just seems to be a genuine effort to calling this place home. Star Lounge was rehabbed a couple years ago and they utilized a ton of local artists to do the murals and put in a new bar with a HUMBOLDT logo paying homage to the neighborhood. There is a level of funkiness and whimsy that goes along with their manifesto of “being an innovative culinary family fueled by community and passion to deliver the most intellectually honest coffee you will experience.” It is not uncommon to see one of the owners popping in and grabbing a cortado prior to walking to the Mothership (right around the corner). His engagement to the mission/manifesto oozes out with his passion for the product, service and ideals of the coffee shop. The music is varied and fits with the shop; one of the baristas only plays albums which I love as he wakes this lost art of the album construct. The hours of operation are also an example for other coffee shops - like the fact that they start the day at 6:00AM and stay open to 9:00PM. The décor is multi layered with a traditional coffee shop downstairs with plenty of seating, outlets, wifi for those wanting to put in some work time. There is an outside back area with bench seating that has a good feel on a nice Chicago day. Finally, there is an upstairs that is decorated in more couch/comfortable chair arrangements with a pool table. I’m realizing the length of this review, but must point out the intentionality to the brand (cups have great design; great merch that highlights the name and brand).
Make You Better
Star Lounge is a five tool shop that provides unbeatable coffee, a welcoming and warm vibe, excellent barista arrangements, thoughtful snacking and a merch section that crushes it (including some local vendors). Sometimes it would be nice to have a choice of blends on the drip side, but this is being remarkably picky.
When visiting the Windy City, Star Lounge is the one “must make” coffee shop.
Home base wompling……Matt