Blue Max Coffee

I like to stop here on my way out to the city. Always good and nice service. I’ll keep coming here!

I am updating my review to show my appreciation for this business to improve its customer service. Blue Max is a local business which has good breakfast foods and excellent coffee, including freshly-​roasted coffee which is the main reason I go there. If you have any concerns or suggestions about Blue Max, do not hesitate to contact the owner who will listen to you and try to accommodate your concern. This is an excellent small business so please support them.

this place is loaded with yoga moms and teenage girls. So if that’s your thing, Enjoy.
Best coffee in town.

Just moved to the Oak Park area and used to live in the heart of the city. Typically, my husband and I expect to have a 45 min wait or so when going to breakfast on a Sat or Sun morning around 10 or 11.
A friend and I came here about two months ago, she used to live in the area and suggested it. We waited BARELY 10 mins! The service was good, I loved how cozy the restaurant was, and the food was priced good and delicious.
I will definitely be coming back to Blue Max Coffee… and yes, coffee was DELISH!

This is an amended review from my original in Oct. 2012. I originally gave the Blue Max 5 stars and now I’ve demoted them to 3. This place has gone downhill in several areas.
In the Aug. 13, 2015 Trib., chef, restaurateur, and self-​proclaimed «breakfast queen» Ina Pinkney gave the Blue Max a glowing review. Perhaps Ms. Pinkney grades eating establishments on food only. But alas, more than food does an excellent restaurant make…
Yes, the breakfast panini and the scones and the coffee are excellent. Terry’s got the food and drink part down pretty great. He has a La Marzocco Linea machine and espresso drinks are made properly. Drip coffee is very good, too.
But why in my 12 – 15 times of eating here have I gotten into 2 arguments with the owner? Why in his mind is the customer always wrong? Why do other customers and I have to leave our tables to fill our own water glasses or ask for more coffee or cream? Why have I been served food numerous times on plates with baked on egg or cheese, dirty silverware, and glasses with someone’s lipstick? (and have the waitress argue with me that they are not dirty but just stained that way. B.S.) Why on 2 occasions have they run out of ORANGE JUICE by 10:00 A.M. on a Sunday morning? Why are customers encouraged to wait upstairs in a sitting room full of rickety-​gross furniture and have a uncomplimentary cup of coffee from a pot that is always empty? Why must we have to see the dust and dirt and cobwebs on the walls and crown moulding? And the little trees growing out of the never-​cleaned gutters? And how can this place continue to pass health inspections with a disgusting bacteria-​laden padded toilet seat that can never be sanitized?
I will continue to patronize the Blue Max but from here on out I will only take food and drinks to go. This place is dirty, has poor service, and an impatient, short-​fused owner that still has a lot to learn on how to earn loyalty and retain customers.

Very much a fan of this place. Started going here about 4 – 5 years ago, and it’s a consistent go to spot when I need a bite to eat but also need a place to hole up and work for awhile. They had a period where the food and service dropped off a bit maybe 3 years ago, but now that I’m back in town and there periodically, they’re pretty dang consistently good. My fave is the veggie scrambler sans tofu but with well cooked bacon cut into it. Perfect with a splash of hot sauce. Good spot!

This place has delicious food! My husband took me here because i was craving pancakes and it was a great decision to come here .
As we got the restaurant, there was a 10 minute wait for a table, so we went upstairs where they had some coffee and some sample pastries while we wait. It is a really cute restaurant, I think it was someone’s house which they have turned into a restaurant so it doesn’t seat a lot of ppl, I think they had only 10 tables so its very cozy.
I was looking at Unilocal on our way to the restaurant and knew exactly what I wanted thus did not need a menu. As we sat down, I just showed our waitress the pix and said that’s what I would like. I got blueberry pancakes with some bananas and pecans as toppings along with a firearm mocha, my husband had a chicken pesto sandwich with chips n salsa along with their dark roast cup of coffee. My eyes are always bigger than my stomach so I never eat anything more than 1 pancake but this dish was so delicious that I almost ate all of the three pancakes I had and my husband finished all of his sandwich. I had a bite of his sandwich too and omg the pesto is subtle but soo good!
If you are ever in the area, you have to give this place a try! Almost everything here is so good!

I would really like to give blue max a better rating because I do like their coffee but it’s just very inconsistent.
A few mornings before work I went to get coffee to find a line of people outsider or waiting in their cars and the place wasn’t open yet. Not a single light on and well past their opening time.
Also every time I order the same drink it’s a different price depending on who is ringing me up.
I do enjoy this place and just wish it was more consistent.

Super cute coffee and food joint! Love that it’s inside of a house and in a quieter area than similar places in town. The service was great and the staff was extremely friendly, especially the hostess Christine! I loved how she told me about each kind of scone and hot chocolate! Our food was delicious, I got eggs Benedict with chorizo. Highly recommend, I will be stopping back again soon!

Cute and cozy spot. This used to be a neighborhood «secret», but the decreasing number of empty tables shows that this place has caught on!
Located on Lathrop, Blue Max blends in with the surrounding residential houses on the block that adds to the cafes charm. Aside from a little round sign of a coffee up hanging in the front yard in place of what might be a mailbox, it’s easy to pass the place if you’re not paying attention.
The layout of the café follows the format of a petite house with three main areas– small dining area by front rooms with a fireplace in what once might have been a living room, a large open dinning area lined by large windows, and a wooden deck in backyard for seat in during warmer seasons.
For such a small place, I was surprised by the number of selections on their breakfast and lunch menu. The salads are beautiful and delicious, and the breakfast burritos always hit the spot.
What I love about this place is that it delivers the food you’d expect from any other breakfast/​lunch «diner» without the greasy, thanksgiving full feeling that can leave feeling more sluggish and tired than when you first walked in.

Ok. I lived in the area for three years. I should have written a review and now I’m doing it. The owner Terry is great his staff has always been good. Scones are HUGE these are not British Scones by a long shot totally different, but they are so tasty and unctuous. If you can get one and share it. They usually have specials on the coffee they roast themselves on Tuesdays. The coffee is EXCELLENT no I’ve roasted crap like that place on every block. They got a new menu and kitchen staff the food is tasty and you can take your time. Great place your meet friends, do some business and relax. Just know weekends they get SLAMMED. Support your local business. When I’m back in town I’ll check them out so should you.

Best thing are the scones. Second best thing is it has pretty good coffee.
Weird thing: staff. Every time I’ve gone there — for many years, ever since the wonderful founder Liz left a long time ago — it seems like it’s always new staff being trained, as if for their first day on the job. I’ve never seen such turnover. Rarely do you see someone a second time. First it was local high school students, now it’s Eastern European immigrants. Something odd about all that; for a small business especially.

I loved the atmosphere of this restaurant, but that’s it. The food isn’t bad but it certainly isn’t good. I had French toast and it tasted like the frozen boxed kind. My boyfriend got an omelette that was overlooked and tasteless hash browns. I also had the smore hot chocolate which I had them make with water… not good but my fault it’s probably better with milk.
Neat idea that seems like it would be a hidden gem, but the food was lacking.

Blue Max is another one of those places that is exceedingly difficult not to like. It has so much going for it:
Quality premium coffee brewed by local artisan roasters sourcing their own fair trade coffee. It’s very good and, bonus, you can buy fresh beans on site for your grind and brew maker at home, nice.
They grow their own herbs and spices and source ingredients from local, family owned vendors.
BMC is situated in a single family home right out of a Normal Rockwell residential street, dining areas are in two of the dining rooms on the first floor. Waiting area is up on the 2^nd.
Oh the food. All baked goods are baked from scratch, in house. What a novel idea.
And it was good. My egg something or other was delicious. She had the Oatmeal. lol By all accounts, equally great.
Do it.

Quaint coffee and breakfast spot in a residential block. FOH and clientele are exactly what you’d expect in Oak Park, which is fine by me. I ordered the bacon waffles with whipped cream, which were just as delicious as the name would imply.
Service was friendly and helpful. If you ask for water with your meal, you’ll be offered spa water, which is infused by fruit or veggies. In this case, some sort of citrus. Nice.
This is a fantastic place to spend an hour or so on a weekend morning. Check it out.

Solid, local coffee and breakfast joint nestled back in the neighborhood in Forest Park.
I have only ever ordered regular coffee to-​go and never had a poor experience. I am happy to give my business to the local guy when the opportunity exists.
They also have a large offering of other drinks and dine-​in breakfast. Also always have many options in fresh baked pastries, great for the person on the go.

I don’t think we could be luckier in places to have right down the street from our house. This place is really high quality. They have 2 small dining areas, delicious food, and a great staff.
Everyone talks about the SCONES which are very, very good.
But the rest of the breakfast menu is just as good for us so far at reasonable prices.

This place is awesome!
Great service.
Great staff.
Delicious healthy food.
Amazing coffee and hot chocolates!
So home like.
And the place it self is so unique. While running in the mornings and passing by I always wondered what exactly this place was. It smells so good outside all the time. It looks like a tipical house in the area. It’s not even in a kind of business located. It’s always super busy, but you can’t even tell from passing by. The staff moves pretty fast and everyone is always keeping an eye on everything. It seems like they just have the best team. Very friendly and efficient staff.
Loved the experience here! Definitely recommend and I will be a regular for sure.

«Blue Max Coffee» is a neighborhood gem for real! It’s not located on a main street or within a commercial plaza; it’s literally a single-​family home on Lathrop in Forest Park. However, signage is clearly marked so once you’re on the correct road you won’t miss it.
Their kitchen closed at 2pm. Fortunately we made it there at 1:35pm so both breakfast and lunch menus were served.
I want to get to the coffee and food we ordered right away! Their dark roast was absolutely amazing! Even if we couldn’t make it there for food, we would have gladly ordered couple cups of joe and chilled at their patio.
I had the Florentine Benedict. I was pretty speechless when I had the first bite. From the poached eggs, sautéed spinach, to hollandaise sauce, I could confidently say they have crafted an impeccable piece of art. I couldn’t help myself smile the entire time while munching this dish.
Daddy J. had their Max Breakfast. Their homemade jam was delicious. You could tell that the owner (s) took time and had the best intention to deliver the freshest, tastiest food for their customers.
The girls working there were also very pleasant and friendly. I wanted to come back the next day to try something new.
BMC isn’t near any CTA train stations; it’s half-​way in between the CTA Harlem/​Lake Green Line and Forest Park Blue Line stations. Daddy J. and I got off the green line terminal station near Oak Park/​River Forest, walked westbound on Lake St., and turn left on Lathrop until reaching to our destination.

This place is all right. Folks are down to earth, friendly and patient as I figure out my carb issues that plague me. I typically get omelete or eggs and no meat. One of these days I’ll try one of the meaty dishes but I’m perfectly happy with the spinach and mushroom omelet with feta. I don’t really care for the roasted potatoes. Probably cause I don’t fancy rosemary and rather have greasy homemade hashbrowns.
The coffee is good. I’m not very creative with my coffee drinks. I’m a coffee with REAL creamer kind of gal or just plain black if they don’t have creamer available. Thankfully, Blue Max has real creamer cause they serve decent coffee.
I’ve had their pasteries plenty of times. Favorite of my peeps when I’m in the mood to be nice.