Curt's Cafe

Cozy, clean cafe with a nice selection of food and drinks. The service is a little slow and not the friendly vibe you'd find at your typical coffee houses, but to be expected as these are young people in need that are being trained to get back into the workforce. Read about their mission! My husband and I both had avocado toast with egg. It was pretty good, but the eggs had an overwhelming smell. Don't know what that was about, but was a bit off-putting.

Wonderful little cafe! The staff here are super friendly and the atmosphere in the morning is perfect for quiet reflection, a good conversation, or for reading a few pages of that book you keep meaning to get to. The food is 5 stars. This breakfast sandwich blew me away. I took one bite and was overcome with a smile that I simply could not explain. I suppose the sandwich just hit right. Another bonus, I don't like using plastic cups if I'm dining in. They happily let me have my iced coffee in a coffee cup. Hands down, if you are in the area stop in and support this amazing little gem.

It sounds like you had a mostly pleasant experience with some great food and a well-timed happy hour, but the cleaning process during your meal impacted the overall enjoyment. Having strong chemical smells while dining can definitely be off-putting. It might be worth giving them feedback so they can consider adjusting their cleaning routine or timing to enhance the dining experience for future customers.

I had a caprice chicken sandwich with NO CHICKEN in it literally no chicken Salad was old and NO DRESSING

I believe there was a purpose that I got lost today and found this place. Food and service was excellent. Recommend the French toast and apple orange juice

Great place, great food but I feel like the prices are all $2 too high

WOW!!! Just tried the sweet potato & quinoa bowl…fantastic!!! The fresh flavors of sweet potato corn black beans quinoa purple cabbage and romaine lettuce topped off with a homemade chipotle dressing. You must try this….real food never tasted so good! I added a scoop of tuna

Place was completely empty for a lunch service and it still took over 15 minutes to get a sandwich. Side salad was missing and had to wait a few more minutes for it to turn up sloppily tossed in a box. Sandwich was messy looking but tasty. Girl at the counter was nice. Decor was cute. Looks like a nice place to hang out.

Here's what you need to know: Kurt's is obviously known for its mission and for the value it adds to our community. But what's overlooked is how good the scones and coffee are. Totally worth repeat visits for the tasty treats and terrific service. It's a nice ambiance too in the Highland Park cafe - clean and well laid out. I really enjoyed my time here. Prices are very reasonable and coffee if fresh and the roast is terrific. Fresh baked scones really take it over the top.

So delish. Had chicken caprese sandwich on yummy French bread with balsamic glaze, tuna sandwich, and an oatmeal cookie. Loved everything, including the service and energy of the staff. We are new regulars!

Enjoyed the hot chocolate! Homemade cookies were delicious ... there were other bakery items to choose from. Coffee Teas and breakfast brunch lunch items. We went with a group of our special needs students for a community outing. Everyone was friendly. The place is good for groups and very welcoming. I would go here on my own sometime with friends and family.

Great food/Great cause!! I am a huge fan of the scones, the salads, and the BLT! They cater too!!

Updating my review, which wasn't very flattering, from a year ago. They seem to have gotten it together and they are much improved. I'm writing this review 2 weeks after going so forgive me for not remembering exactly what it is that makes them better. I can tell you that I very much enjoyed my vegan lunch (see pic) & am thrilled that they have so many veggie and vegan options. I also liked the art work (for sale).

Put this on your list of places to check out when you need to be nourished body and soul. This whole place feels like a warm,familiar hug. The vibes are welcoming and super chill. There's a counter with a few stools, some tables and chairs, or a couch and chairs to relax on. Got a hazelnut latter, which was amazing - not bitter, not overly sweet. I devoured the kale/sweet potato/quinoa bowl and freaking loved it. My partner enjoyed a breakfast burrito, which came with a side of fruit. Great service and ambiance. Will def stop by next time I'm in the area!.

Delicious breakfast and lunch options . Also gluten and dairy free options . Best avocado toast, tuna salad and the cookies and other desserts are are so delicious !

I walked in an this place was OVER CROWDED with what could only be described as too many children to the point it was a fire hazard. Now I'm not a child hater if they are well mannered these children were not. I tried to walk into the door and a child was holding it shut, I excused myself around the "good sir." Once I made it in a entire dance team?? Of kids that couldn't be much older than 13. ( drinking caffeine stunts the growth ) again not my children not my problem. But I couldn't get through them without wanting to start shoving them, I would never but hopefully you get my point. I stood in line I HAD MADE IT. Then I was overwhelmed and thought this wouldn't be a good place to study AT ALL. I decided to use the restroom and dip. Once in the restroom not going to tell you what it took to get to it. I swear 5 children preteens teens whatever were outside the door. SUPER AWKWARD. To sum it up because the crowd, I walked in and I walked out. Which was sad just wanted a nice place to enjoy some coffee and maybe some food. I feel like this review can't even be that great because of the CROWD that was in there. So weird I hope this place isn't like this all the time but I won't be coming back to find out.

What's not to love? Curt's is a non-profit cafe with a mission to help at-risk young adults get back on their feet. I've been to their Evanston location on Central, and it's nice to see another location pop up right in my home town. I don't know why I didn't stop in sooner, and I kind of regret it, because the place is really fantastic. From the moment I walked in, I felt like I was stepping into someone's home. The vibe was warm and cozy, super clean, and it made me want to stick around. Definitely made me regret I had to take my coffee and baked goods to go. Curt's is an excellent place to work or meet up with friends. They have tables galore. Some small tables, some long ones, and they also have an area that appears to be pretty kid friendly with toys and games. The lighting is perfect and nice and bright. I ordered a vanilla latte and took home an oatmeal almond cookie and a peach cream scone (I think that's what it was). Sure, the baked goods were end of day, but that's why they were also half off. And, I didn't mind at all. In fact they were delicious! My cookie was ginormous and loaded with almonds (it gave me a total sugar buzz). The scone was unique and incredibly flavorful. I'm not much of a scone person, but this may have changed my thinking. Regardless, I love that they take such pride in their baking that they don't want to charge full price for something that might not be out-of-the-oven fresh. They serve Uncommon Ground coffee. I'm not sure why, and I agree with Elaine M, but my vanilla latte was also a bit on the cooler side. They need to turn up the temperature of the water a bit. The coffee was a nice mild brew, and kind of reminded me of Hansa coffee, that I love so much. Great breakfast and sandwich menu here. They have a soup of the day, and I look forward to coming back for that. Curt's can expect me to see me again for sure. Take note: This location is a little off the beaten path, but street parking is plentiful.

Fantastic cafe! I got the chicken caprese sandwich which was delicious. So fresh. I also tried a London Fog for the first time which was superb! Thanks for a great experience Curt's Cafe!

This is a place that just makes you feel good! You feel good about giving your business to them and it's super cozy! This is a good works business. Curt's mission is "to improve(s) outcomes for young adults living in at-risk situations through work and life skills training". How can you come here and not feel good about it? Curt's boasts a 3% recidivism rate with over 200 students graduating from their program. The place is really comfy with lots of seating options - cushioned chairs, couches, straight back chairs and tables and even a conference type table and chair set up. I came here for lunch with a co-worker. I ordered the tuna melt and a latte. The dish was very pretty with presentation value. I did think the bun the tuna on a bit bready and the cheese too lackluster. My latte was was cold. Not like iced. It was supposed to be hot but it was just north of room temperature. I got up a couple of times to try and get it heated but they were pretty busy. Next time I will ask that it be extra hot. I hear their avocado is really good. Might that a try next time. Already have a meeting scheduled there next week!

Check it out! Just opened their location in Highland Park. This is a great place to grab a coffee and pastry in the morning or a tea and sandwich in the afternoon. There is art on the walls and cozy conversation seating to dive into life's issues with a friend. Come in and give it a try.

More reviews on their do-rite donuts: old fashioned- i'm too lazy to research what the definition of this is but their version is basically a cake donut with glaze; blueberry - again, this is a crumbly cake donut with icing and powdered sugar. both fantastic quality. i have always thought that donuts needed filling to be substantial but i stand corrected. one of these treats for lunch would have been more than enough :) again, fantastic paired with their house coffee

The Highland Park location of Curt's is upscale and charming at the same time. My family, friends and I try to frequent eating at Curt's. It is such a great feeling to know that our visits help support the young people who work there as they learn a trade and endeavor to to live productive lives! For a recent celebration we ordered some wonderful sides from Curt's. The Enchilada casserole (vegetarian) was awesome, wonderful and huge! Also, the Farro Salad and the Lemon , Orzo & Feta sides were Delicious. Portions were very generous. Very highly recommend Curt's for your next celebration!

Win-win-win! Amazing food, clean, comfy, cozy atmosphere, great people and you're doing good in the community. Awesome addition to our town! Love it and they have amazing bakery items to boot!