Port Center Cafe

The best coffee you can get on campus, with the cheapest egg-​bagel sandwich as well. I wish the drinks weren’t the same price as trendy cafés, but the space upstairs, quick line, and friendly service make it an easy choice.
Staff and faculty get a discount once a week too!
Seriously though — the caprese sandwich is a great $ 6 ish investment. Easily two tasty meals.

Quick service, good tea, good prices.

I love this place! The baristas are very kind and all-​around awesome to talk to, and they make the best coffee/​tea lattes. Easily the best place to get caffeinated on East Campus. :)

What everyone says about the quality of the coffee is 100% true! The staff is great and it is an amazing brew!
However, where it lacks is one gaping dash; great coffee can be had for much less cash!

I must say, I am impressed that an on campus coffee shop could have such delicious brews! I stopped in today between classes (super close, especially if you are a social work student like myself) to get a small cup –since I already had my morning latte; yes I am sort of an addict. The coffee had great flavor and they even have soy milk out to add to your cup! Good job little campus coffee shop, good job.

Yes! Yes! Yes! After transferring into UIC this semester, I’ve been desperate for something other than the crappy coffee in bsb. Alas! Unilocal pulls through. I wonder just how long it would have taken my find this café in the first floor of university hall. But here I am now sitting waiting for class, nommin’ on a delicious chocolate croissant and sippin’ on some intelligentsia coffee! I will be stopping back over for some loose leaf teas this afternoon and to test there lunch selections.

I love the Port Center Café for a number of reasons:
1. The staff — so friendly, talkative, nice, fun, and more! They also know that when I order an Americano, I actually mean a big Red Eye so they double check with me. And, yes, I do mean a big Red Eye.
2. The frequent buyer card — you can get any drink you want after buying 9! Any drink! So if I wanted 8 shots of espresso on ice and I decided to call it, um, ‘an arctic octo-​spresso’ or ‘a chilly espresso-​pus,’ I could do it!
3. The location — on campus! I mean, how many things are on campus? Well, a lot. But how many coffee places? Well, at least 3. But how many in this location?! One!
I am giving 3 stars, but I mean 3.5 stars. The prices here are ridic. Just, just completely ridic. And they went up for no reason. I don’t think that the coffee is on the taste level of other coffee shops I have frequented, which makes the price a sore spot for me. And, there is no, and cannot be because of location, any competition. Regardless, I’ll be in for my big Red Eye cuz I am clearly a [caffeine] sucker.
Oh! The upstairs is a good place to study and meet with people. It is kind of connected with the Port Center in that it is upstairs from it and you have to go through the café to get up there. But, really, since the UIC facilities folks clean it, I don’t think the Port Center folks have to worry about up there. I dunno though. Overall, convenient spot for grabbin’ a cup o’caffeine and hittin’ the books.

I’m a regular at the Port Center Café, but that’s more out of necessity than preference (trust me, when you’re a grad student, a constant supply of caffeine is a necessity). Still, this place is decent for a university café, and the prices aren’t any different than any other café in the area. As others have noted, your experience can vary greatly depending on who is working. However, the current early morning crew is A-​OK in my book and they have quickly learned my drink of choice!
The Port Center uses Little Miss Muffin for their pastry supplier, and I must say, several of the goodies are quite delicious (try the biscotti, croissants, and doughnuts)! The lunch options don’t meet the same standard, however, so look elsewhere if you want a salad or sandwich. Overall, this is the best café on the UIC campus that is worth braving the bitter Chicago wind tunnel that surrounds University Hall to get your caffeine fix! And don’t forget to tip!

I like this place, and I don’t even go to UIC anymore, but I live very close.
Cheap coffee that is almost always AWESOME.
The service is a bit slow, but overall good.
Hate the location, other than it being close to home.
Good cheap coffee: check.
’nuff said.

Their Intelligentsia coffee is great but go for simpler drinks as their specialty drinks are one of two extremes: amazing or lacking depending on the barista. Iced coffees are always amazing.
Snacks are ok, a little small and a bit lacking in flavor usually. They have cookies, muffins, granola danishes and more.
But compared to anywhere else on the UIC campus, the fact that not only do they not peddle horse urine as coffee but that they sell well-​prepared Intelligentsia coffee is enough for a 5 star rating.
Take into account the usual very polite service, nice décor and the fact that they actually offer pastries, and in terms of campus establishments, this place takes the cake.