Dark Matter Coffee

One the absolute finest cups of coffee I’ve ever had. Absolutely flame. Bottomless coffee for (don’t quote me) $ 3?! Goddamn son.
Couldn’t praise this company enough if I tried.
Go here.

It’s a very grungy, alternative roastery we just had to try. My boyfriend and I ordered Americanos, which were smooth, warming, and not overly bitter/​burnt. The staff is friendly and knowledgable, except for the fact that we both ordered chocolate croissants, yet one of us was given a bizarre, feta/​kale combo… oops.
Overall we had a decent experience, yet I would have liked there to be a small bar or table to sit at for a short bit before we headed back out into the cold!

Dark Matter Coffee: Mothership is the roasting staple and grunge-​headquarters of this unique coffee bar. The staff is as unique as this shop, with a large selection of Dark Matter coffees, logo styled purchases, and interesting buys.
I had a hot Americano, which was robust and very ‘dark’ bodied. I purchased a chocolate croissant, that turned out to be a Greek Feta/​Kale leaf croissant instead (damnit). I also bought a Dark Matter Coffee lighter and pack of rolling papers, which was eclectic and damn awesome.
I was very pleased with my visit, the staff was friendly and the environment peaking into the roasting area is enjoyable; though if a coffee bar is called a «bar», I would expect somewhere to sit and enjoy your roasted brew.

When my friends and I walked in, there was only one barista. He said that it would take a while to make our drinks (for a group of 5) and I think he was trying to persuade us to go somewhere else. He mentioned that we will had to wait longer if we order anything «fancy,» perhaps it was close to his break time? Anyways, I ordered a soy latte and was very unimpressed. I didn’t even end up finishing my latte.

Tried an iced coffee in the summer, it tasted very bitter to me and watered down. Not my cup of tea or coffee in this case. Guess I’m not used to that style of coffee? I’m sure they have other, better options but I’m not in the area often so probably won’t find out.
I see I’m the minority in liking this place, but I tell it like it is. I’m no hipster trying to be cool or fit in.
They blast rock music — you have to yell your order which is not good for me because I’m very soft spoken.
Oh and I saw a picture of another iced mocha and it looked a lot better than mine! Hmmm

So obviously the coffee is amazing, and the service is fast. I also love the environment which feels artsy but not intimidatingly hipster. But the staff has been snotty both I’ve come here. Worse than that is the fact that you have to toast your own bagels and the damn toaster doesn’t work. My bf and I stood there for a good 15 minutes changing the toaster settings and waiting before deciding to give up… We left with bagels that looked and felt the exact same as they had 15 minutes earlier…

Awesome roastery (is that a word?) that will leave you tastefully caffeinated and feeling super hip. When I stopped in, the staff was friendly and helped my boyfriend and me select whole bean coffee for our French presses. Gotta love the funky names they give the roasts (we got the Unicorn Blood and Judas Priest-​themed blends).
Only drawback of this location is limited seating and loudish atmosphere. I mistook the roastery for the café down the street on Chicago Ave, unfortunately, so if you’re looking for a place to sit down or grab a pastry, try the actual café! (I stopped back there on a different occasion to try the cold brew and dink around on my laptop. They have great taste in music playlists, too, fyi.)

What a great coffee roaster for a growing coffee city like Chicago! I first heard about these guys through a restaurant I visited and after a long lost battle of when I would actually visit this location, I finally made my way there with another coffee fanatic friend of mine. We ordered cortados and after they heard about my following for their coffee brand, they offered the cortados for free! The creamy luxurious taste of the espresso with the right about of milky goodness was amazing!
Sunflower, name of the assistant manager there was very knowledgeable, friendly, and cool. So was the John Lenon looking dude. I really liked the dive bar look, definitely worth checking out. They also have an abundant about of coffee blends, and they roast their coffee onsite!

One afternoon while travelling through the area I spotted this coffee shop and decided to drop in for a to go coffee. Once I entered with my 7 year old, I was not quite sure how to describe or feel about what I was seeing. It was certainly a feeling of curiosity but was unsure of what to think of it all.
— Was the place a bar at night and coffee shop during the day?
— Was this a Pop Up Coffee shop that was to disappear in another week?
— What’s with that area roped-​off with that guy standing like it was a VIP zone that could only fit about 5 people?
One thing for sure, with little seating inside, this was a very transient environment. Then again that is ok for coffee but would expect that to be with a place like Starbuck’s. After getting my coffee, I pleasantly decided that it was a ok, cool, acceptable, inviting place… but because I think creatively about what to expect and get from places. I am open to new things and at times care little about what it should be but rather focus on what it offers. There was a finess and care to preparing the coffee that the barista really cared about the resulting product which excited me about the place.
Goes to show that with a non-​flashy sign, small waiting space, inconspicuous interior, that you can still have a great and inviting place for people to get a great cup of coffee in the neighborhood.
And as for the name, BRILLIANT for the product it offers. :-)

Great coffee, can actually taste the flavor. Had about 3 cups and I was set. Nice staff and great atmosphere. What else could u look for in a coffee shop. Keep up the great work!

Went back and had the cold brew and all I can say is wow!!! The cold brew is amazingly caffeinated, has a great smooth flavor and a hint of chocolate.
Pretty much my favorite coffee. It’s also great, although not a deal breaker for me, that the people who work there are really cool, friendly and well informed.

Sixth stop on Chicago caffeine crawl.
I walked miles out of my way for this one. And as I approached, I began to wonder. Is this place for real? A lot of entrepreneurs will go into a ghetto area and try to build it up, maybe by putting in a quality café. Not these people. They went into a ghetto area and Embraced the ghetto attitude.
Walk inside and you’ll immediately notice the lack of air conditioning. You will also notice the lack of soundproofing and the lack of space and the lack of peer pressure. These guys are So original. A guy (with ear muffs on) was roasting right in the main room, on a roaster that looked like just a bunch of thrown together pipes and stuff. It was definitely old and it definitely made things hot and loud. And obviously it was more awesome than a nice Diedrich sitting unused in a back room. The espresso made with a La Marzocco was very concentrated, possibly more so than I’m used to, but it had good flavor.
When I think back to this place and the design, I can’t help but think of a slightly dirty Mexican grocery, which is fine and good in itself. It was a no-​class atmosphere, because they did not care, but with hidden quality. It does seem like they could do with more class. And yet I wouldn’t want them to change because then they wouldn’t be Dark Matter any more. A bit more variety would be nice though. I think they did actually offer pour-​overs so that’s commendable. But about all they roasted was blends; I only saw one single origin.
These people excel where others have dared not venture. Finally what other coffee shop can you find machetes hanging on the wall and signs that say, «Yes we’re high», and a coffee blend called Unicorn Blood?

WE. LOVE. YOU. Please keep being awesome. You’re friendly, your roasts are creative (one even came with a CD?!), very reasonably priced, and ethically sourced, from what I can tell. We live about a 2 hour drive south of Chicago, but we always pick up several bags directly from one of your locations every time we are there. So great. Thank you. You have filled the place that Stumptown (of Portland, OR, that recently went corporate) once held in my heart when long ago I lived in the PNW. Dark Matter is a quintessential part of Chicago to me. Love it.

I dropped in for a quick pick me up espresso. I was pleasantly surprised that it had a very unique robust flavor.
Dropped by for a cappuccino. It is really good and gave me focus for my work

Great place for a cup of coffee and to hang out with frieds. The gourmet drinks are really good. Highly recommend this place.

They have the best coffee I have ever tasted. It’s perfect. When I had hospital rotations over here I would come all the time. Every time is a perfect time. It gets pretty crowded at times so I like how there is a quieter upstairs if you need to get work done. You can always find free parking.
Service is pretty good although I did see the barista get into an argument once with a costumer over the difference between a latte and cappuccino. She had a milk sensitivity so it was really important that she was getting a cappuccino. He could have just re-​made the drink and apologized instead of getting into it with her… just saying.

Recently I spent a couple of weeks in Chicago visiting all the top coffee shops, Dark matter was my favourite. This is their roasting premises, which has a small seating area at the front. This is the spot to grab a quick pick me up coffee, and a bag of beans for home (the unicorn blood espresso was awesome). With hip hop and rock playing in the background I felt at home in this place, but don’t come here for a quiet conversation with someone expecting serenity.
Dark matter also roast beans for a number of other top cafés around Chicago including the Wormhole.

Warning: buzz… imminent…buzz…imminent…(robot voice)
For people who are unaware of what genuine black coffee tastes like, come try «Dark Matter.» For all the fighters who are eager to have the medical marijuana bill passed in Illinois, the coffee here will have the similar effect. In other words, get your «buzz» from the coffee made at Dark Matter, my fellow Libertarians!
I had the large chocolate city iced coffee. My recommendation is to scale down the size if you don’t want that buzz to linger for the entire day. Choosing the large size was an irresponsible choice for certain. Luckily, I didn’t add any milk or sugar, so I was able to drink it continuously for about eight (8) hours. That coffee was really, really the bomb… way more potent than that a-​bomb in Hiroshima in 1945.
After visiting various ladies’ rooms in the city and the suburbs for approximately ten (10) plus times, the effect of the buzz seemed to dwindle, slowly but surely. Hubby, on the other hand, had the large latte. They steamed the milk, so the aroma was prominent. The latte was also awesome, so awesome that he regretted that he should have forgone the large and chosen the medium or small instead.
The funny thing was that one of their souvenirs for sale was the marijuana wrapper. I’m just glad that not many citizens in the Unites States consider drinking an excessive amount of coffee as an important social issue. If it were an issue that the lawmakers had to intervene, I would have gone to caffeine rehabs around town repeatedly.
Call me an addict if you want…(jk)!

I expect a lot out of my coffee. As someone who is NOT a morning person yet is demanded to be one, I need my coffee to jolt me out of sleepy stupor and help me take on the day ASAP. It doesn’t matter what blend or origin; Dark Matter’s complex roasts send a caffeinated electric shock to my brain, screaming «HEY HEY HEY LET’S WAKE UP AND MAKE SHIT HAPPEN!» In return, the world gets a productive little lady whom you can converse with pleasantly before 8 AM. Whether you are passing by «The Mother Ship» or ordering online, make sure you buy a bag to help you get through the roughest of mornings.
(Side note: the perfect pairing to Dark Matter coffee is a Do-​Rite donut. Make sure you have both every now and then.)

Dark Matter Coffee is a Sexy Beast. I’m serious. Over the top seeexxxxxxy.
So many reasons why, I’ll countdown to my current top 3:
3. BEAUTY — Ultra decadent artwork everywhere from the bags to the walls to the spirally dark matter-​esque galaxy swirls near the roasters. The workers all give credit to the artists/​illustrator/​designer peeps (see Instagram: @benjamin66ezra and @ohlealea for more gorgeousness) and also dutifully align all the bags again without complaint after certain appreciative customers decide to look at/​touch everything and introduce entropy into their café-​iverse. Really good taste in loud blaring music (lots of metal and punk) that matches the reaction I get from drinking their coffee, namely, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end (my personal indicator of being in the presence of The Good Stuff).
2. DELICIOUS coffee, even when served at restaurants like Longman & Eagle where I first had DM’s Unicorn Blood Espresso Blend. My last visit to Chitown, I had 4 drinks in one day: first drink: espresso @ Star Lounge (best espresso I’d had in 3+ years, made by the store manager Todd. I drink A LOT of espresso.). Second drink: custom Mayan mocha, made w/​2 types of chocolate made by Todd again b/​c the espresso put me in ultra bliss mode, so why not up the hedonism. A few hours later, I ditch my sick bf in the car b/​c I obviously have my priorities straight, and head into the Mothership where Shaun recognized me from my earlier spaz visit to Star. We start chatting and he serves me a my third drink, a black coffee that I don’t dare adulterate w/​sugar or milk and then later steal sips from a fourth regular mocha for my sister who I had made understandably jealous talking about how good it was.
1. COMMUNITY — i.e. Generalized hotness from everyone I met at Dark Matter. I asked Shaun who the best barista was in any of their shops, and he responded that it was «a toss-​up between 6 different people.» When I quizzed him about all the machetes, he said they weren’t just weapons but tools of the coffee trade from different coffee growers they have relationships with. Again, everyone was SO NICE, extremely accommodating and perhaps a little bemused of my random chaotic presence in their system paired with nosiness/​interest, including taking pictures of themselves (Shaun/​Gids/​Luke) even when warned about certain propensity to upload said photos on social media. I can’t stress enough, everyone I met is really into what they’re doing, they’ve obviously built a community of like-​minded enthusiasts, and I can’t stress enough how into it all I am. Enthusiastic people make great art. What can I say. This coffee is a work of art.
I limited myself to my top 3 reasons, and hopefully by now you just went to Dark Matter Coffee or their other shops already b/​c you’ve already wasted too much time reading this meandering review from someone that just really really really really loves their whole deal. Stop in, say hi. Leave profound tips.