Lavazza Espression

Delicious espresso
Friendly service
Classic decor
What more do I need?
Very consistent too

weak overly sweet coffee when asked for 1 pump of syrup. go to ralph's a few blocks over

I love lavazza coffee and when I saw that there was a cafe in chicago I had to come. On a busy day in the Windy City, lavazza expressions offers a nice escape from the hustle of the big city and transports you to Italy. The espresso macchiato was phenomenal, it was a double shot of espresso with a little bit of foam on top. The cappuccino was huge and tasted of the highest quality. definitely come here over any Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts that may be around in the city because trust me, it's worth it

I love to come here and relax with my thoughts and a good cup of Italian hot drinking chocolate with a chocolate croissant.

The quiche here is absolutely delicious and all the croissants and pastries are baked fresh every morning by the pastry chef at the Drake hotel.

The vibes are always positive and Galdina always greets the guests here with a huge smile and excellent service.

Such friendly vibes from start to finish

Super long line and barely any staff to service the customers. Store was unprepared to take orders and had to leave after waiting 20 minutes. Never again.

I had a latte and some pastry-a blueberry scone and my husband had a croissant. The service was friendly and fast, the latte was delicious as were the pastries.

It was busy and they cranked out the orders like pros.

I asked if they had heavy cream, they looked and found some... got me my order. Fast.

And MAN is there coffee tasty!

This was a happy find at the hotel.

Sorry to say that it has slid down to this one star. When they first opened in the Drake Hotel it was " the" local coffee spot. They carried authentic Italian coffee products and quality food items.
I have spent tons of money there and visited at times more than 3 times a week myself, bringing guests and visitors.

Fast-forward to the decay. No more gelatos or paninnis with a side salad for the longest time. They disappeared long before the Pandemic.

On a regular basis instead you can see flies, yes flies on the tables, Not sure where they come from?

These days, the " oven " they use to " heat" sandwiches, ( which are soggy if not heated) emits a chemical smell which before closing time is cleaned with some chemical that the odor permeates throughout the cafe. Not sure how safe it could be for workers or customers?

I know inflation now exists, but today I paid over $5 for a plain toasted bagel. They pulled it out of some industrial plastic package. A fruit cup now is $10, it used to be a bit over $6. Fruit freshness is hit or miss.

I purposely checked prices, other hotel cafes charging around $3.50 for a fresh bakery quality bagel as well as pastries.
Better deal and quality at coffee/ bakery place on sane street on otherside of Michigan Ave.

They close at 3pm. They used to be open until later in the afternoon. I feel sorry for the nice dedicated people who work there. They have to sell inferior quality, stale products.

They might be able to fool the tourists, but not the locals, who by the way have brought them many guests.

Unless there are changes. I and my neighbors will bring our business to the other neighborhood hotel cafes. It doesn't seem like managers at this cafe cares. Oh you see them walking around, especially the one manager who seems to always be in a sour mood and never smiles.

It will be interesting to see if any positive changes will be made?


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This coffee shop is next to/attached to the Drake Hotel. It's pretty straight forward. It was clean, everyone wore masks, and our drinks were prepared correctly. It is pricey, due to the location. $3.25 plus tax and tip for a small hot tea, which was very welcome on this chilly spring day in Chicago. The barista LaShaundra was very nice.

Delicious coffee and coffee drinks. Lite menu if muffins and baked goods. Located in Drake Hotel. Morning staff are warm and professional. Service with a bright smile. Thank you. Stop over on your morning walk.