Cafe Utjeha

The best cakes and coffee in the neighborhood. Must try.

Good place to hang out, free wifi, good coffee, good prices, great deserts, and friendly customer service.

This place is… um…quite unusual. On the outside, it looks like this café would be a complete dive. But walk right in and… oh my. It’s very fancily decorated and the atmosphere is sort of like coffee house meets nightclub meets… I don’t know how to describe it. Words fail. And so did my iPhone camera (too dark).
I ordered a latte and sat down to take advantage of the free wifi. It was a little unusual that the server actually took my phone and entered in the network password herself… okay…that’s a little odd. But she was friendly and brought out the latte in record time. The latte wasn’t a mind-​altering experience but it was reasonably priced and perfectly fine.
There appear to be many regulars here, and there is a very nice looking outdoor seating area which I will definitely take advantage of when the warmer is nicer. But I can’t say this would be my go-​to place if I wanted to read or quietly ponder life.
Summing up: Café Utjeha is a good place for a quick cup of coffee and people watching.

Cheap place. The last time I was there, there was a bulgarian waitress (I was so disappointed watching her smoking next to my table).Also that place don’t accept card payments which is awful

Good coffee, free wifi and soccer = good time.

So I ambled over to Café Utjeha for yet another stop on my café project.
Offerings are very streamlined — some tea, some strong coffee drinks, some dessert. Fair enough.
Service was prompt, friendly, and welcoming.
The patio is the real gem in Café Utjeha — large, comfy tables with beautiful flowers in hanging baskets, plenty of room between patrons, and nice mood lighting.
Hours are great too — they are open until 11p every day, a full hour than most cafes in Lincoln Square.
Alas, a few blemishes — the dessert, while nicely presented, was a bit on the stale side, the music was a tinny bump ntz bump ntz bump ntz, and all the patrons were smoking like chimneys, which did detract from the overall experience.
Meh. Meh,…meh…meh.