LooseLeaf Lounge

I have been hungry and thirsty ever since this placed closed, it is so sad, I can’t settle for anything else! Looved you Looseleaf!

CLOSED INDEFINITELY?!
I used to go there all the time (I’d say about two years ago) then less frequently in the last year. I really enjoyed it and tea was great but that was before it was semi-​remodeled. After the remodeling, I had a feeling they tried to make this a fancy place, serving tea in tea kettles– giving me a hard time when I asked to more hot water in the kettle after I finished my tea and giving me a speech why I shouldn’t do that, blah, blah, blah. It just felt like they were trying to hard. Wish it was as it was before– easy going, laid back café where I would sit, eat and drink tea couple of hours a day, few days a week.
Too bad it closed but it even seemed like there wasn’t as many people going there as before. I remember a lot of times walking in and not finding an available table but that was the case in the last year.

This is the place that got me hooked on loose leaf tea. When I ordered and oolong, I was not expecting to get my tea in a gaiwan (Chinese clay brewing vessel). Intrigued, I came back for a free tasting. I’m so impressed by the immense wealth of knowledge of the staff, the friendliness, and the casual atmosphere. The cookies and sandwiches are AMAZING. And now I’m regularly buying bags of tea from them for my own collection at home. This place is a gem, one of my favorite atmospheres in the city.

I went back here and tried the deli sol wrap (no seitan). It was super good. And cheaper than the sandwiches. Yum. I also got some pumpkin chai tea and I’ve tried making it a few times and really it just does not taste as good as it smells! Oh well $ 8 down the drain.
Food is good but they changed the décor and its like a hospital. Way better with the artsy vibe before. Don’t like the remodel. Weird.

Quaint, cozy, and casual. Friendly service. Good vibes, I’d come here again xD
Tali masala chai & citrus mate ($ 2.35 small, $ 2.60 large, $ 4.75 1oz, $ 10.50 4oz. Matcha $ 3.25 small, $ 3.75 large)
Cali wrap — 4.5 stars. One of the better wraps that I’ve tried. Ample fillings, toasted crispy, would get this again.
Almond croissant — 3 stars. Almond paste filling, sweetish with less butter flavor.

This place is my favorite coffee shop in the area. They have over 80 loose leaf teas to choose from, and amazing food (I strongly recommend the hummus wrap). The décor is very cozy, with several couches and large lounging chairs. It’s a great place to go with a few friends or on your own — people here are extremely friendly. Also check out the wonderful art store next door!
I wanted to respond to some people commenting on «going to 7−11» because the coffee takes «too long.» If you want high quality coffee, then wait the extra few minutes here. If you want quick coffee that tastes like water, go to 7 – 11. It’s about preference — taste versus speed. The quality is completely different, and in my opinion it’s worth waiting for good coffee. I completely respect a difference in opinion, but it’s important to be completely honest about the trade offs.

I did a tea tasting here and it was a good experience. We got to try 6 different kinds of teas and there wasn’t a limit so we could drink as much as we wanted.
The instructor was very personable and knowledgeable. Overall, it was a really fun time!

I came to Loose Leaf looking for an alternative to a cramped coffee shop, as I was coming off a cold and wanted to stay somewhat caffeine free. The space was cozy and far less pretentious than I expected. As a novice tea drinker, I was overwhelmed by the number of options (over fifty!), but chose one at random and grabbed a seat. If you’re planning on working, keep in mind there’s about 15 seats, and they are not the most comfortable, but if you’ve got work to do maybe that’s a blessing in disguise! A bonus was the absence of loud, annoying music which you tend to find at larger cafés.
The tea was served in a pot and was quite tasty. My only complaint was with the temperature– I expected the tea to come out boiling hot, but it was somewhere between hot and warm. Also, the pot was lacking in insulation, and after ten minutes what remained was merely lukewarm. I’ll have to ask about this next time.
All in all, $ 4 for a pot of tea and quiet place to study is a damn good deal!

Woah this place is too uppity. I ordered a coffee and they had to grind the beans and put a filter over the cup so they could slowly pour in hot water. I ended up waiting almost 10 mins for this ‘pour over’ method and it tasted the same as any normal coffee that you can get at a diner. I also asked for cream and I was told that it doesn’t need cream. Also they people in there are reading and working so if your having a conversation with your parents while you wait you are given evil looks. Go to 7 – 11 instead

I came here for a tea tasting with a friend using a groupon. I’ve been looking for tea lounges exactly like this because I’m a huge tea fan. The ambience is very intimate because the space is small but it has a calming vibe for me. The décor is nothing spectacular but that’s what gave me a calming vibe. We sampled 5 teas and I brought home the Adagio rickshaw oolong as a sample. Most of the teas are from Adagio, which speaks to the fantastic quality of their teas. The tea tasting was led by one of the founders of the place. It was very relaxing and he had a good knowledge of tea history. Highly recommend. I would definitely go back when I’m in Chicago again.
Another plus is they sell and teach you how to use different infusers. I was so tempted to buy one. The reason this didn’t score higher was the size of the place since I just wish it was bigger. I’m a sucker for the Chinese teahouse setting with round tables.

I’m very sorry to say I have not yet been a customer at LooseLeaf (and this is embarrassing as I am a lover of cafes and have lived around the corner for over a year)… but I want to say THANK YOU for the free breakfast this morning!
I was merely walking to the bus stop to work, and already had my coffee from home in hand when I was asked if I wanted free breakfast — uh… yes please! Thanks to a very nice man from LooseLeaf, I just enjoyed a (still warm!) pastry thing filled with eggs and ham at my desk at work. What a fantastic start to my Wednesday, and what a way to invite me to come back as a customer!
Thanks again, and you will see me very soon!

Unfortunately, this long time favorite haunt of mine has been restructured for the worse under its new ownership and management. You can pretty much ignore all of the older reviews, since there is nothing left of the former charm now that the original owners are gone.
Whereas the original owners, Phil and Lester would brew a perfect cup of tea for $ 2.50 the same tea now costs $ 4.00 and is steeped in a metal pot for an indeterminate amount of time. My white tea ended up being extremely bitter and almost undrinkable. It is possible to remove the strainer from the metal pot, thereby stopping the steeping, if you don’t mind being burned.
The sandwich menu is very limited and prices for sandwiches have also increased. If you figure $ 8.00 for a sandwich, $ 4.00 for tea plus tax and tip, a single trip to LooseLeaf will now cost $ 15.00. There are probably better choices.
It is a shame, but Looseleaf has lost all of its former charm. It is now an expensive tea joint with comfortable lounge chairs but nothing really going for it. It is now just another local favorite that has gone down the tubes as there are now less and less alternatives to the national chains. Still there are a couple of places left in the area that affordable and maintain their original charm such as Saugatauk Coffee and Aja both of which are within walking distance.

Their menu has been scaled down recently, so don’t go by what’s currently on the website. I made that mistake but the lady who was working there was super-​nice (and wicked cute!) and told me what items she could veganize for me.
I ended up getting a vegan grilled cheese (made with two kinds of Daiya) which came with a side of green salad, That plus a cup of so-​so black tea came to just under $ 10, which I guess some people would squawk at but it seemed reasonable to me, my sandwich was huge and on a delicious fresh rosemary bread, and included a good-​sized fresh side salad with avocado.
My only problems with the place were the décor (blank walls, I think they were changing over their art all at once and I got there when everything was down) and surprisingly the tea. I ordered a pretty basic tea (Assam black) so I wasn’t expecting to be wowed but I also wasn’t expecting it to taste over-​steeped and re-​heated. Next time I’ll try something a little more exotic and see if that makes a difference, but there will definitely be a next time because the food was great and the staff was friendly.

Stumbled here after being at Inkling for far too long. An excellent place to get work done or catch up with friends!
Vegan/​Vegetarian options are amazing… especially the chorizo wrap! They also serve breakfast sandwiches all day. All teas come iced or hot, and the hibiscus rosehips is my favorite when it’s 90+ outside and water is getting boring.
Staff is friendly, but not overly-​attentive to the point of annoying.

Looseleaf Lounge offers tea tasting in VIP mode. The whole café was cleared and dedicated to serving our «Introduction to Tea» session which promptly began at 7pm.
Our group had approximately 20 people and we were given five different kinds of tea to sample: Makaibari Darjeeling 2^nd Flush, Gunpowder, Rickshaw Oolong, Rooibos Afrikaana, and Almond Joi. Simple background information was given and complimentary pastries (i.e. blueberry muffins, chocolate chip cookies, etc.) were served. It was a very informational experience that lasted for an hour. Each attendee was also gifted with one jar of tea leaves in their preference. I had the Rickshaw Oolong which had slight hints of Jasmine.
Aside from the tea tasting, Looseleaf is quite the hole-​in-​the-​wall, ma-​n-​pop café. An assortment of Chicago paintings and artwork decorate its walls along with a cabinet filled with jars of tea leaves and teapots. The café is very petite but welcoming. I especially like how they serve breakfast sandwiches throughout the day.

Good food at a decent price served by caring people. I bet this place gets crowded on weekends, but on a Tuesday morning, I was one of two customers here. This is a very unpretentious place, nestled between a couple other small shops. If you sneeze, you might not find it.
The menu is really large and varied for a place this small. A huge selection of teas, lots of breakfast and lunch sandwiches with several vegan and vegetarian offerings.

The taste: Great vegan options. Lots of great tea choices, to make hot or cold. Got the peach tea, and california turkey sandwich. good flavors.
The place: pretty small, maybe seats 15? cozy, nice staff, were kind, even though we had pretty specific food requests.
My face: big smile. good company, good flavors, all for $ 9. would go back.

Cozy and art filled lounge. Nice place to chill, surf the web, have some tea, have a snack, look up and coming artists’ work. Relax. Read the paper. Watch the people walk by. Do whatever makes you feel like exclaiming «ahhhh».
Try the Almond Joi dessert tea. It’s decadent for tea.

I picked this shop due to the Unilocal reviews and comments and am completely happy with my choice. I needed somewhere to work for 8 hrs while in town and this place is great!
They are extremely nice and accommodating. I asked the dude if it was weird that I have been here all day and instead of confirming this commended my choice to start with tea and move on to coffee. The food is good and inexpensive: I had a grilled cheese with spinach (added on) & tomato for $ 4. They have daily specials on both beverage and food.
All in all, I definitely recommend coming here. Great staff, food, beverages and tunes. Oh and some attractive people sitting around on their respective computers also helps.
Cheers!

I’m in love with a sandwich, its name is Vegan Ground Seitan. It was love at first bite — a perfect combination of Uptons ground seitan, avocado, red peppers, tomato, Vegenaise, and Daiya cheese served on soft and tasty pumpernickel bread. You can find this tasty sandwich at Looseleaf Lounge, a place that now offers several tasty vegan sandwiches — if you haven’t been to LL, you should go immediately.
PS — This is a small café so seating is limited. They also carry vegan cookies and other baked items too.