Milli by Metric is Avondale’s New Community Cafe | Eater Chicago

"Set inside a 12,000-square-foot former antiques warehouse, this bright, sprawling café and roastery brings Metric Coffee to Avondale as a welcoming daytime third place and the company’s new headquarters. For now it’s open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., pouring coffee alongside a pastry program that’s already made it a popular destination; breakfast and lunch will roll out soon, followed by dinner, plus natural wine, beer, and kombucha on tap and a dedicated pickup window to ease long lines. Designed by co-founder Darko Arandjelovic, the space is bright and inviting with marble counters, custom lighting, and lush greenery, preserving much of the building’s original character and shifting naturally from day to night. There’s a long communal table up front, two additional seating rooms, plentiful power outlets, and free Wi‑Fi, and the team wants it to grow into a European-style neighborhood gathering spot where sharing tables feels natural—already, students, quilters, chess players, knitters, photographers, and artists have settled in to work. Pastry chef Lou Turner leads a nostalgia-driven, hyper-seasonal menu that draws on local farms: a campfire cookie inspired by childhood s’mores on a Pennsylvania Christmas tree farm, rotating bakes like zucchini bread, and current offerings such as croissants, fig cross-laminated buns, raspberry rye éclairs, and canelés. Looking ahead, expect small plates, sandwiches, and dinner fare, community events, and an outdoor patio by next spring." - Jeffy Mai