Dark Matter Coffee - Caravanserai
Coffee shop · Avondale ·
Mexican drinking chocolate, Mayan Mochas, cafe de olla, pastries
Mexican drinking chocolate, Mayan Mochas, cafe de olla, pastries
"Caravanserai is one of the coffee shops owned by Dark Matter Coffee (spots like Osmium and Star Lounge are in their empire too). Besides serving excellent strong coffee, this Avondale location also focuses on Mexican drinking chocolate. It’s available plain—with a hint of vanilla—or with plenty of cinnamon and cayenne in the picante version. And if you prefer your chocolate consumption to be slightly less aggressive, there are great coffee-adjacent specials like orange zest-tinged cafe de olla or a barrel-aged mocha, too." - Veda Kilaru
"Local roaster Dark Matter veers off the coffee path with Caravanserai, a cafe that specializes in Mexican drinking chocolate. Patrons can expect sweet, hot concoctions like Mayan Mochas (La Rifa Mexico City chocolate, Dark Matter cinnamon blend, cayenne) made with pre-colonial recipes and chocolate from Mexico City-based partner La Rifa Chocolatería." - Naomi Waxman
"Dark Matter Coffee is a locally-owned company that makes excellent coffee. They roast their own beans at their Humboldt Park roastery, which is where they experiment with different methods, like fermentation and barrel-aging, to produce unique drinks. There are eight Dark Matter coffee shops across Chicago and each one is a little different—for example, one spot focuses on selling bags of beans, another is where you can try Mexican drinking chocolate. But all locations share the same psychedelic vibe (with names like Osmium or Electric Mud) and serve things like nitro coffee and drinks like the “wake and bake” latte, which is basically breakfast in a cup. Some of the shops have patios too, but you’ll probably want to sit indoors where you can gaze at the artwork on the wall and wonder whether it’s something Salvador Dali painted in a little-known steampunk phase." - Veda Kilaru
"Drinking chocolate destination Caravanserai from popular local coffee roaster Dark Matter features hot, sweet beverages made with pre-colonial recipes and chocolate from Mexico City-based partner La Rifa Chocolatería. Hits include the Cafe de Olla (La Rifa sweet chocolate, cinnamon, orange zest, espresso) and Mayan Mochas (La Rifa Mexico City chocolate, Dark Matter cinnamon blend, cayenne)." - Ashok Selvam
"The new Avondale cafe from Dark Matter will focus on Mexican drinking chocolate and features a pour-over bar highlighting unusual recipes and techniques from Mexico City–based partner La Rifa Chocolatería, as well as a Leva pull espresso bar and a full drink menu. Staff will concoct uncommon, chocolate-forward drinks made from pre-colonial recipes that eschew milk in favor of ground cocoa, sugar, and water aerated by hand to create a more traditional chocolate style. The food program includes a daily rotating menu of tamales from Otoniel Michel of Estrella Negra and his signature pozole on weekends, plus a playful selection of sweets and pastries from local partners. The bright, colorful space seats about 60 at low and high-top tables with four spots along a tall, tiled espresso bar, is dotted with potted desert plants, and is decorated with vivid, hyper-realistic murals by Jason Brammer inspired by Mexico’s San Cristóbal and additional murals by Ceaser Perez and Rodrigo Oñate Roco (including a snarling panther in the restroom)." - Naomi Waxman