Cafe Zojo

I loved the atmosphere. The staff were friendly and a quiet place to study and hangout.

My personal favorite coffee shop in Champaign-​Urbana. I drive here once a week even though it takes me 10 – 15 minutes to get here from my house. Her baked goods are absolutely amazing. I recommend the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! Get two you will absolutely not regret it!
Haven’t tried the savory items, but hope to in the future!

This place is lovely – a nice neighborhood spot with comfortable places to sit and enjoy. Good good, nice drinks, and good atmosphere – especially the cinnamon rolls and lattes.
The place has Pinterest worthy décor and fun games on the shelves – a nice place to just hang out!

Where are the cupcakes? The latte was good but expensive. I wanted a cupcake, but the cupcakes were no where to be seeeeeeen. I was saaaaaaad. I cried for hours.

I studied here with my roommate before finals. It is much quieter than other local coffee places, which is good for studying.
My vanilla latte was good, I think they make their own syrups, possibly with honey? My roommate loved the art they made on hers.
It’s a little out of the way, but I think it’s worth it to get away from the campus craziness.

They use Passion House Coffee Roasters out of Chicago. I had a very good latte. Small location. Only one person was working, not very talkative. Overall it was great. I’d go back.

What is all the hype about this place? Came in after wanting to come in for such a long time. I had heard that they had empanadas and gluten free pastries, which sounds amazing. We went with a tea, a coffee, and three gluten-​free coconut macaroons ($ 1 each). The food/​pastry options were pricy and portions seemed really small. Our total came out to over 9 dollars, so coffee and tea is pretty expensive compared to other places. Whatever, if it’s good we don’t mind paying more.
The coffee was not good at all. It tasted burnt, like gas station coffee. When we poured cream into it, the «half-​and-​half» was so watery, like skim milk. We kept adding more and the coffee wasn’t even lightening up, that’s how watery it was. We asked the woman working there if maybe they had made a mistake, if it was really half-​and half? She said– it’s organic half and half, that’s why it’s so watery. We’ve drunk organic cream before and it’s definitely not like that. The macaroons were good, I’ll give Café Zojo that. There are not many gluten free options in CU so they fill a need. But the bad coffee and high prices outweigh that factor for us. Other reviews said coffee is hit or miss so perhaps we caught them on a bad day. On our way out we mentioned to the manager/​owner that the coffee wasn’t good and we weren’t really satisfied with our visit. He just stared at us blankly without any response like we were crazy and so we left.
I don’t think we’ll try Café Zojo again.

I came here for the first time today, and it’s officially my new daily work spot.
Since moving to Champaign a few months back I’ve been a little underwhelmed at the coffee house offerings, especially for a college campus. There’s Café Paradiso, which isn’t bad, but I’m not a huge fan of their actual coffees. Kopi and Aroma are alright, but the wifi is usually painfully short on bandwidth or non-​existent, and again, they seem to use sub par beans or something because their actual coffee drinks are always very ‘meh’.
Coming from the up North, I look for places like Intelligentsia Café, La Colombe, or even Peet’s Coffee up in Evanston. They have outstanding coffee quality, very good locally or homemade food without being a bistro (thus taking the focus away from the coffee), and just as important, they each have a unique and comfortable atmosphere.
Well, I’m pleased to say that Café Zojo fits the bill. The layout of the place, the furniture choices, the vibe in general is outstanding. It’s not terribly loud, pretty calm, and in an area that doesn’t attract loads of undergrads (for better or worse).
The food is excellent, most of it homemade I think. I had the banana walnut muffin I had was apparently vegan — I wasn’t looking for a vegan offering, just a coincidence — and it was delicious and filling.
Likewise, and most importantly, the latte was perfect. The espresso was rich and full flavored and not at all bitter, meaning the barista used it fresh from the spout and the grind was spot on. The milk was hot enough and not scorched, and he even gave me a pretty little leaf design on the head of the drink. Prices are comparable to Starbucks, I think, and even if they were higher I wouldn’t mind a bit. It’s all in the name of supporting local small business, and simultaneously having my admittedly high expectations met and exceeded.

Café Zojo is always a nice treat. Great staff, nice atmosphere and awesome coffee. One of my favorites.

Teresa has a great café going here! The Quiche! You gotta try the quiche: homemade crust done well. Anyway: coffee is great and tea is perfectly times.
Only missing star is due to somewhat spotty internet Wifi. To be fair I’ll need to try again soon as she is constantly working to improve the place.

I’ve gone to Zojo a few more times now. The espresso is hit or miss. Some days it’s delicious and other days it is very bad. So far I haven’t been able to figure out when I will get espresso or garbage water.

Might be my new place for gluten free goodies! They make them all in house. Plenty of options with at least one item daily. They also have some sandwich or to-​go items in a small fridge area near the checkout that is made there as well. Call ahead to see what they have. I am not a coffee person so can’t comment on that.

Great coffee made right. Good selection of locally made pastry. Friendly staff. Sleek, cool, comfortable atmosphere.

I think I found my new go-​to café. Decided to go here today to do some work. Ordered a pour-​over, since the reviews are so good and I’ve never had one. I tend not to order coffee at cafes and usually go for espresso. When my drink was served up at the counter, the mug was filled to the brim so I sipped it a little (thinking I would make some room for cream). I ended up heading straight back to my table, bypassing the cream and sugar. Yeah, the coffee was AWESOME. Drank it black and it was delicious – the way coffee should be. If only all coffee were prepared so perfectly, I wouldn’t have to load it up with cream and sugar.
Just a few things that bugged me, which won’t stop me from coming back, but worth noting. There aren’t any squishy comfy armchairs. I guess sitting at a table might somehow make me subconsciously more productive but I like it when cafes offer a variety of seating options (there is some variety here, just none of the soft armchair variety). Also, the tables and chairs are all situated fairly close to each other and the floorplan is basically a big square – there aren’t any tables hidden in nooks or separated into adjacent rooms. I’m glad I brought headphones because otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten anything done with all the conversations and raucous laughter happening right next to me.
So, minor gripes aside, I was really impressed by the coffee I got here and can’t wait to try some of their other offerings. The pastries all looked really delicious and fresh, menu is big and clear, and specials are easy to spot on a board in front of the counter. Oh, and the location is nice for a few reasons: it’s off-​campus, so there are less students hanging around (and you don’t have to worry about driving in or near campus) AND there’s a parking lot, so you don’t have to worry about paying for parking. Both huge pluses in my book, and the prices seemed fairly reasonable to boot. I look forward to coming back.

Great drinks and food, friendly service and a modern but approachable/​non-​stuffy atmosphere. I drop in every other day or so for lunch and a little pocket of happiness. The Pines location at the SE edge of Urbana is a nice escape of a drive, as well.

Being in a college town, there would be a decent selection of coffee shops, right? Nope. Paradiso is overpriced. Kopi requires fighting for a table. Espresso Royale is dirt water. So I am really glad to have come across this place. The coffee (Intelligentsia) is good, and I don’t have to deal with parking meters, drunkards, and midwestern hipsters. On top of that, the prices are reasonable. My only gripe is regarding their hours. If only they could stay open past 10pm, I’d be there all the time.

They take the most care fixing your espresso of any coffee shop I’ve been to.
Very consistent, and consistently friendly.

Great place! Stumbled into it when in town to see my folks. This place is what I’d expect in a much larger market… so an interesting location. Recommend Oatmeal Choco Chip cookies… you’ll need more than one…

Back again to Zojo. Just as good as before. This time I had Spinach Quiche and the best brownie I have ever had.

As far as I’m, concerned, C-​U can’t have too many good coffee joints. And to have another contribution to southeast Urbana is a good thing.
I’ve had a pour-​over twice, and both times it was excellent. I’ve also taken to buying my Intelligentsia beans from them as a form of support.
My one concern at this point is that the space is very reverberant. The walls, floor, and ceiling are hard and reflective of sound, so the place is loud, particularly when they’re grinding beans. I’d suggest someone there check out the sound reduction pieces at Escobars in Champaign (basically, hanging insulation covered by fabric).