Chris R.
Yelp
Summary: trendy hotel-lobby atmosphere but no posted food prices and awkwardly overpriced breakfast sandwich ($8.50 for a small pre-wrapped thing reheated in a toaster oven) makes me drop this to a 2-star.
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This new (July 2016) Uptown shop is the second expansion location of "Heritage General Store"--the hipster bicycle-meets-coffee shop in Lakeview. This other "Heritage Outpost" (the other is also Uptown on Wilson) follows the same scheme of posting up a coffee counter in the lobby of a historic apartment building. This one, the Lawrence Flats, is newly renovated, and you can spot apartment sales folks giving tours on regular intervals.
Heritage's strength is it's love of detailed atmosphere, and this partnership with Lawrence flats is perfect, wrapping you in an 1920s wunderspace. Low velvet couches brush just above a diamond-green floor, while an arched glass ceiling hoists pyramid-gold chandeliers in gaudy art deco flair. This vibe is more night club than coffee shop, but a new bar inside the same space promises multi-use. The space has some power outlets and workspace for day campers, although couches dominate over desk-like table space.
As a coffee shop Heritage has quality independent coffee, although true to form, some prices are noticeably too high, and this stands out in Uptown even more than Lincoln Ave.
Today I ordered a pre-wrapped egg-bacon breakfast sandwich which they reheat in a toaster oven. It was $8.50. That's sorta ridiculous--2x what you might pay most places for the size.
Worse, Heritage refuses to post clear prices on their menu, forcing me into the awkward decision of whether I reject the double-priced breakfast sandwich after he had already prepared it (and then charged me). I doubt many folks would order it they saw the actual price in the bakery case or on the board.
Knowing both their other locations, I've realized they often omit pricing at their other stores too. This makes me see this as an intentional management move and drops a Heritage's rating from a 4-5 star to 2. Be customer friendly. I'll hope they seek to improve this, and I'm happy to update if I check back.