Elaine’s Coffee Call

I really love this place– solid, good, consistent drip coffee, and great pour overs. The staff is friendly and fast. I stop in a few times a week to grab my morning coffee to go, but it’s also got an atmosphere nice enough that I can spend an hour or so there too. It’s attached to Hotel Lincoln, but don’t let that throw you, this is not your average hotel café. I recommend their dirty chai latte, it’s the perfect pick-​me-​up.

I like to know about you, I will have leftover I can get the password. are a big hit mnote

A funky version of Starbuck’s with MUCH better coffee. Pastries were acceptable but not outstanding. I did not have any the other food and cannot comment on it. Nice place to hang out if it’s not busy.

This is a super cute coffee place right across from the Lincoln Park Zoo, the location at which I was before I ventured here. It’s connected to the lobby of Hotel Lincoln, which looks super hip and trendy. The décor of Elaine’s Coffee Call is very mid-​century modern.
I ordered an iced soy latte and my boyfriend got the iced coffee. It wasn’t too pricy for a coffee shop. Both came out to $ 8. I noticed they had La Colombe coffee beans when I was there.
I’ll definitely come back next time I’m in the neighborhood!

Nice décor, friendly staff.
Food was pretty good, not fantastic, but good for a daily breakfast or lunch. Egg, bacon, and smoked cheddar crêpe was really good — made on the spot and not too rich. The pork loin sandwich was decent and heated for us quickly.
The coffee is much better than the food — smooth and sweet. House made caramel and vanilla make it particularly memorable!
The baristas are wonderful, very friendly, and courteous. They make you feel very welcome.

Love this place! Not just because it has a super cool name (ahem my name) but it really is cozy & delicious. I had their PB&J sandwich, muffin & hot tea.

Nothing special. Located in the Hotel Lincoln. Somewhat haughty clientele and staff. Spotty (and mysterious) internet access. I wanted to love this place as its location was convenient and I tend to avoid Starbuck’s — but the mediocre coffee, the $ 8 mini crêpe and the less than friendly greeting I received upon arrival means I’ll look elsewhere when I’m in the neighborhood again. Bonus star for interesting cup & saucer.

— Great location, so close to the Lincoln park zoo.
— Great, friendly staff
— Small space
— Latte was good. I give ³⁄₅
— Chocolate chip sea salt cookie was delicious.
Will go back again.

I came here to drink coffee, eat a sandwich, and do some work after looking at someone’s blog post about Chicago coffee spots and then checking the Unilocal reviews. My experience here was aight.
It’s a small place. It opens into the lobby for Lincoln Hotel. Theres’s a long black couch near window and plenty of electrical outlets scattered on the walls around the café.
It can be loud because of the high traffic from people staying at Lincoln Hotel, so I had to play music into my earphones for most of the time. The tables are small.
Coffee tastes fine. I got iced vanilla latte. The espresso was poured in last and I had to finish mixing it up by myself. There was a load of ice in my cup. Whole milk was used without me asking for it or me being asked for any preference.
Staff was friendly for the most part. I wonder if they get bored behind the counter. I asked for my roasted turkey sandwich to be toasted and they toasted it so nicely. Thank you for doing that! Sandwich was $ 8 but the turkey wasn’t just regular deli turkey and I was hungry so I was okay with the price that time.
Patrons use the Lincoln Hotel restroom and wifi. This place is a 15-​minute walk from the Clark/​Division red line subway station and across the street from the 36 or 22 bus stop.

Small, cozy café tucked into the lobby of hotel Lincoln. Coffee was perfect. You MUST order the sea salt chocolate chip cookie. I also recommend venturing into the hotel lobby – it’s beautiful decorated. My only regret is that I haven’t stopped by sooner.

For coffee they serve Intelligentsia. Incredibily friend baristas who actually engage you in conversation.
Secondly, the smoked pork sandwich is to die for. This is one of the best small sandwiches in the city.

Elaine’s is okay. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless they were really in need of something quick to eat in the area. The coffee is alright and the food was subpar. I asked for one item on the menu and they were out. I asked for another and they were out of that one too. Which left me with three choices. I got the farm egg, ham and bacon crêpe. It was burned on the bottom and was just… Eh. I ate the whole thing because I was famished but my boyfriend couldn’t bring himself to finish it so we went in search of something else. Overpriced for the quality of food we received. The décor is cute and the staff is nice, I’ll give them that.

I’m giving them 5 stars because they have been amazing over the last year!!! I drop off my girls for the school bus in front of Elaine’s, go in to grab my coffee and the lovely barista tells me to bring in the kids bc it’s cold outside… THANK YOU. Coffee is awesome & so is the staff at Elaine’s & the Lincoln Hotel.

PB&J is not just for kids. And if you find yourself at Elaine’s, don’t think twice about ordering their version of the classic sandwich — pecan butter, berry jam on warm, toasty oat bread — especially after a trip to the Green City Market.
In the summer get a pecan iced coffee. In the fall, try the pumpkin butter latte (with real pumpkin butter, it puts the PSL to shame).
Prices are a bit steep and seating is sparse, but as long as you’re not looking to make Elaine’s your neighborhood hangout, this is a great place to grab a quick coffee and snack.

I was feeling very sentimental Monday morning and had the following conversation with the two baristas as I ordered an americano for myself (for the third morning in a row) and a cappucino for my sister (for the third morning in a row) from ECC:
Gabi: I just have to tell you how much I’ve appreciated both your friendly faces and your quality coffee each morning during my visit. I came to town to help support my sister as she recovers from surgery, and you’ve really brightened up our days!
Female barista: Wow. Glad we could help… thanks for saying something.
Gabi: You’re so welcome…
Okay — so play write, I am not, but those words came straight from the heart. Forget Starbucks if you find yourself anywhere near 1816 N Clark. Support local and the lovely folks that work at Elaine’s!

This is a coffee shop that is attached to the newly remodeled (and swanky) Hotel Lincoln.
I love this place! The staff is really nice! They remember you and strike up a conversation if you’re a regular. It’s my vote for best espresso drinks I’ve had in Chicago. The latte is so smooth; it’s a perfect combination of coffee and milk with no burnt taste. The same goes for the Cappuccino. I’m a big fan of the Gibraltar: it’s a double shot of espresso with just a shot of milk. The coffee is smooth, so isn’t overpowering.
The drip coffee is good, and I’m happy to get something outside of either Intelligentsia or Metropolis coffee beans as I’m not a huge fan of either and they’re what is used at the majority of independent coffee shops (it gets boring).
The ice coffee is «Pure Black» and is strong, but smooth. They serve it from a beer tap behind the counter.
The food is good, however, it’s really expensive. A delicious crêpe with fresh bacon, eggs, and cheese, will run you $ 8. Or a crêpe that’s egg whites, pesto, spinach, on a whole wheat crêpe. $ 8. It’s really good though. I think a lot of the price comes from everything being local and «organic» food. I’m a big fan of the coffee cake.
There is free wifi and they let you stay after closing, so I go here to work (I’m there right now, typing this)
I also like that they are environmentally conscious. Most things are local and the plastic cups, etc, are made from plants and are compostable. The paper cups and napkins are from recycled paper.
It has a few negatives that aren’t really the establishments fault: it’s too popular and doesn’t have enough space to accommodate everyone. It has a chill, retro living room feel, but that is also a hindrance as it’s hard to find a space to work or read. I’ve left because I felt like a jerk being there after I finished my drink since people needed to sit down. That’s not really the establishment’s fault as it’s the space they have to work with, and also, it’s designed to be a place for people to grab something quick if they are staying in the hotel.
Overall, this is a great place. Great staff, coffee (especially espresso), and tasty food (but expensive). I like the space and if it’s full, you can go across the street into Lincoln Park and read on a bench.

Right across the street from the farmer’s market.
it’s a great place to go for a quick cup of coffee inside the hotel.
It’s super tiny but my bf liked the coffee.

Neat little place. They have a cold brew which is catching on. What they do not have is free wifi. You need to be a guest at the hotel for this. Beyond that, the cup of coffee which I got was pretty tasty (I like it black and bitter which it was) and at a fair price.
Would I make a special trip here? No. It isn’t really convenient for me and there is nothing special that would be bring me back. With all the coffee shops out there that offer free wifi why would I?
Staff was friendly too. But I did get charged $ 0.25 for a cup of water.

We were here waiting for friends staying at Hotel Lincoln. It’s a coffee place. We had coffee… actually we had iced coffee. It was good.
Seating was nice. It was good to be in a place I felt I belonged rather than hanging in a lobby in a hotel I was not staying. That made Elaine’s very attractive.
It was a great place to hang. Nice view of all the exciting stuff going on outside.
Took a great selfie here. If I can figure out how to attach it, I will.
My guess is this would be a great place for Hotel Lincoln guests to start their day.

I don’t know how to feel about this place so here is my breakdown:
Ambiance ⁵⁄₅
Customer service ⁵⁄₅
Price ³⁄₅
Taste ¹⁄₅
Neighborhood ⁵⁄₅
I wish the food was better because they have it all going for them. The ambiance is incredible! I walked in and almost squealed it is just that nice. But alas the oatmeal and the crêpe were both a bit below average. If I could I’d give a 2.5 because I think they have lots of potential but definitely not a 3 star place. Also the espresso machine was being fixed while I was ordering which is obviously out of anyone’s control. I won’t be back unless it is to just hang out in the beautiful café…