LVL UP COFFEE

I approve. Very chill and warm vibe. I haven’t had their pastries yet, so not rating. But honestly they look fantastic. I’m making my way through their teas and I must say, these are real teas and real tea lattes. By real I mean I’m smelling the ingredients when I walk in the door near opening time. The ginger and turmeric and spices oh my. Yes, it is good to have a good coffee shop on the south side. I feel some other ones are present, but lacking quality. Not LVL Up, no no. They’ve “Leveled Up” the coffee game of the south side……..yes pun intended obviously.

Nice, quiet coffee shop where you can grab a table and work remotely or read a book. They have a Book Club, so check their website if interested. Drinks are good and made to order. Pastries come from outside places so they aren’t made in house. Street parking (metered).

I like this place a lot. It has a great vibe and a bright atmosphere. My only critique is that on multiple trips there, there has been a lot of empty space in my cups. I only order tea lattes, so there is no room necessary for cream to be added. From looking at cups in other reviews, they are filled closer to the top. Maybe I just have bad luck, but it has happened to me three times in a row. The cups are not very large to begin with and leaving a substantial empty space in the cup is less than ideal. The taste and the craftsmanship of the drinks is very good. If they can just fill up the cup, it would be a five star review from me.

I overall had a good experience at LVL Up Coffee. The service was excellent, and my hot chocolate and croissant were both really good. The atmosphere was nice, but the music was a little loud for a coffee shop in my opinion. Other than that, it was a great visit.

Hosted a film fundraiser in this beautiful space back in June, and couldn’t recommend them more. They were amenable to the many changes that come with event coordination and made the evening run all the more smoothly. Appreciate you, Nigam & Wendy!

I stopped by LVL Coffee in Bronzeville and was instantly impressed! The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and the staff truly made my day with how friendly and genuine they were. I asked for a recommendation and tried their sesame cappuccino—wow. It was unique, rich, and absolutely delicious. The shop has great seating, a chill vibe, and everything is super clean and thoughtfully designed. They also have a great variety of coffee options—I’d honestly love to try them all. You can tell they care about quality and customer experience. This place is a gem and exactly what the neighborhood needed. I’ll definitely be back!

Visiting Chicago for the first time and found this little gem not far from our Airbnb. Coffee was perfection and the staff was very polite and welcoming. The raspberry danish was absolutely delicious! Calm neosoul vibes were a great way to start our day!

I’m staying close by for a week and searched “cafes near me”. This place popped up and I knew I had to try it out. It wasn’t around when I stayed in the neighborhood last May. The decor is very inviting and pleasant and the atmosphere is relaxing. I had a cortado which came with a small cookie. It seems they hand them out with most beverages. 4.50 for a cortado beats the national behemoth’s price and it was a much better drink. The pastries looked delicious too. I’ll plan to stop by this place multiple times during my stay and try out some of the intriguing specialty drinks.

Nice shop Good coffee Nice tea options and tasty pastries. The ambiance is also very cool.

I'm in a bit of a quandary: on one hand I can tell the cafe uses high quality ingredients and I love that they make their own syrups. I've also tried counter culture beans and they're very good. Each ingredient shines through and they accommodate requests but even with an extra esspresso shot, the drinks we received were a little too light for our taste. The ambiance and hospitality is where this cafe truly shines. It's beautiful and open and perfect for catching up with a friend. It's absolutely gorgeous inside! Perfect for catching up with a friend and maybe trying one of their tonics!

Well, this is dangerous: the drinks are delicious, the space is beautiful and inviting, AND it's in my neighborhood. Spotted the coffeehouse driving by on a Sunday (open until early evening), and decided to stop by. The offer your standard drinks, coffee and tea based, and have specials. I got an iced tumeric ginger latte, Haldi Doodh, that was pretty good and reasonably priced. It looks like they also serve pastries, but they were limited late in the day. Lastly, they have community events such as yoga and book club - more info about events are online, and sparsely posted throughout the coffeehouse. I'm just excited that there's a good coffeehouse nearby, with easy street parking, that has a large variety of coffee and tea drinks (especially matcha)!

Visited my friends on a whim and they were stoked bc it aligned perfectly with the opening of a brand new coffee shop - and what a killer spot it was! This place is beautiful on the inside - super modern, clean, and cute decor. The kind of coffeeshop I could post up at all day and get work done. My go-to order of black coffee is nothing terribly exciting but I like tasting the flagship item at coffeeshops - gotta know how good their basics are - and I really appreciated the subtle add of a shortbread cookie to go with. Grab yourself a cozy spot, dip the cookie in your coffee, and vibe at this awesome new spot - well worth a visit and a great addition to Bronzeville for my friends!

Just when I thought I'd found the best matcha in Chicago elsewhere, I tried LVL Up Coffee's ceremonial grade matcha -- and it's hands down some of the best I've ever had! This place is truly a hidden gem

Cafe de olla not it. It does not taste like it should, it was more like a just a drip coffee. The croissants are delicious though. The space is super cute.

Cashier was super helpful. We ordered the orange mango smoothie and cafe de olla and it was amazing. This place a really chill vibe, perfect for remote work.

The decor is gorgeous. It's very serene and the playlist was on point. I had the girsol latte, which was nutty with a hint of sweetness. I really enjoyed it. The staff were patient and kind, as this was my first visit. I would definitely come back when I'm in town.

I love the Cafe De Olla! Best I've had...I also love the fresh and bright facade of the coffee shop.

Wow, this cafe is beautiful and a wonderful addition to Bronzeville. I am glad to not need to hike north whenever I am looking for a quaint clean atmosphere to enjoy a cup and study. Plenty of seatings, a great selection of Indian spiced drinks and easy parking. Do try their pastries sourced from La Fournette and their Girasol latte!

Opening weekend was April 12, 2025 and I decided to weight for all of the fan fair to die down about to have my first experience at Lvl up. It's been cool to follow the owners on IG as they documented their experience through opening day and I will say it was worth the weight. I love that the space is pretty spacious with a variety of seating options. They shared with me that there are multiple options to plug in electronics. If you are looking for a place to drink coffee and get work done, which I love. The masala iced chai was delicious and they offer a variety of milk options at no extra cost, including almond milk. The raspberry pastry was flaky and fresh. I did give the suggestion of getting an almond croissant as the cashier said that the owners were taking menu suggestions. Not sure if they will be adding other light food options but for now you have a solid selection of pastries and donuts. I would definitely love that. I will definitely be back! Everyone was warm and inviting and my wait time went pretty quick. I also loved the design of the cups, very modern with the logo on the front. I love this new addition to the neighborhood.

Love this coffee shop, a hidden gem in the neighborhood. Welcoming hub for connection, and great coffee/tea.

This is the best coffee in chicago!! Carefully curated drinks, beautiful latte art, amazing customer service, and such a cute atmosphere! Perfect place to stop for a quick coffee or have a sit down with friends or do some work! Definitely a must if you're in the area.

Welcome to Bronzeville, Lvl Up!! I thoroughly enjoyed Lvl Up and they certainly will see frequent visits from me. This is the perfect airy, aesthetic, welcoming cafe to get work done, host a business meeting, people watch, catch up with a friend, read a book of all of the above lol. The staff here take their role as baristas seriously no only were they all a friendly face, they had so many recommendations, they took pride in making most of their drinks, syrups, and mixes in house, and was able to customize my drink off the menu to meet my dietary needs/restrictions. I lounged at Lvl up for hours, sipping their iced L. Dorado (which was sweet, creamy, subtle and smooth) slow while munching on a croissant. I worked, and even invited a friend last minute to join me I was so impressed. The traffic here ebbed and flowed with peaks of business, with folks working or getting their beverages to go. I was able to snag a table upon arriving and they have plenty of plugs if you need to work. I highly recommend Lvl Up coffee and be prepared to love it!

This is a yummy addition to the beautiful Bronzeville community. My hubs and I have been picking up some pastries and love that they have real croissants, flaky buttery French deliciousness. Bright and open interior and nice place to meet up for a conversation or to catch up on work. We will continue to support. Cheers!

Really cool coffee shop. Stopped by to get some work done and enjoy some coffee. We ordered the Ethiopian Mule and the Girasol. Excellent choices. Wonderful atmosphere and very kind and knowledgeable staff!

So glad to have this new coffee shop in Bronzeville! Beautiful, vibrant space with unique flavors that aren't too sweet. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Will definitely be back on a regular basis!